Thank you all for your responses, I ended up lounge hopping a bit to find the one that worked best for me (spoiler: CX J)
Originally Posted by
wrp96
This is one time where the AA lounges may be the best bet with good wifi and not crowded.
Originally Posted by
stant
the flagship lounge has an island right by the food with high seats. there are outlets all along the edge of the island, more than enough for the number of people who want to use one. the lounge is pretty tame, and the food is pretty good, so that would be my pick. fair wifi speeds, and plenty of room to spread out.
Originally Posted by
eefor jfp
FWIW, the conventional wisdom on the BA T3 lounge access thread was always that AA had the fastest wifi. To be honest, that was a few years ago so the others may have caught up, or AA might have gotten slower after being closed for Covid, but I the last time I was there for work, the AA Flagship lounge was fine. And besides the high top tables, there are plenty of other seats with outlets around the lounge.
Both AA lounges were quite crowded, and the buffet being open in the center lead to there being a bit more noise. The power points were nice, however them being on the edge would make for a sprawl of cables. The table location next to the main thoroughfare and near the buffet means they're quite open as well, so not practical if you're working on anything confidential. In the First lounge, there are also benches between the two 'levels' with power outlets at ones feet, however the tables were rounded so weren't as comfortable as a wrist wrest. The wifi was decent, although I didn't think to record the speed.
Originally Posted by
econ
Was in CX F mid-day last month and couldn’t even find a place to sit, even though the next CX flight was several hours away.
Originally Posted by
Edgewater Folk
If I remember correctly, there are work stations with outlets along a long wall on the J side of the CX lounge. Much more conducive for a business meeting than the F side.
CX F and J weren't crowded mid-day, however the most recent CX flight had just departed when I arrived, so no issues finding a seat. In the J lounge, the wifi was quite fast (50mbit down). The 'bureau' was being utilized, but had a desk. I ended up in the seats all the way at the end facing the window. They have power outlets at the base, and movable square tables, with just enough room for my laptop and mousepad.
Originally Posted by
econ
BA GF was actually a nice place to relax. I believe there were some places to get work done, but don’t remember exactly.
BA lounges were both barren, although the latest widebody had just called for final boarding, maybe 5 people on the F side. Plenty of high top tables with outlets, however the 'bar' like seating had some kind of advertisement screen what was blinding from across the lounge. Very tacky. Wifi decent, about 40mbit down.
Originally Posted by
IADCAflyer
Don't forget the QF lounge. Their lighting is pretty good and is often not very crowded. Love the CX lounges, but the QF lounge might be your winner here.
QF is tied for second with BA F in this case. There are outlets among the walls at the back of the upper level (next to the buffet), with individual tables. Lounge was empty, but again the QF flight had just called for final boarding. Wifi was mediocre (35mbit down).
Originally Posted by
Fanjet
Ah, so AA Plats and OWS elites have to use the AC? (I should go in there one day just to see what it's like).
Correct.
In summary:
CX J: Best. Fast wifi, seats with tables with good privacy, quiet.
BA F/J: Seats out in the open, but deserted and quiet. Decent wifi.
QF: Seats out in the open, can be busy, mediochre wifi.
AA F/AC: Busy, but not crowded. Very open desk seating.
CX F: If you don't need a desk, this is the spot.