Awful Asiana lounge at HKG
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,945
Awful Asiana lounge at HKG
I usually use the SQ or TG lounges, but had a very early (00:30) departure to Incheon and was forced to use the lounge Asiana shares with the likes of Philippine Airlines.
It was a horrifying experience -- No decent food or drink to speak of. Pre-scooped (!) Häagen-Dazs sat in glass bowls within a dingy-looking cooler. Customer service non-existent. Bathrooms only passably clean.
Asiana can do better than to use this lounge. Didn't they formerly use the G16 lounge (CX, KA)? What happened?
Whatever the case may be, this lounge is an utter disgrace to OZ as an airline. And as a very frequent flier with OZ, I am doubly disappointed...
It was a horrifying experience -- No decent food or drink to speak of. Pre-scooped (!) Häagen-Dazs sat in glass bowls within a dingy-looking cooler. Customer service non-existent. Bathrooms only passably clean.
Asiana can do better than to use this lounge. Didn't they formerly use the G16 lounge (CX, KA)? What happened?
Whatever the case may be, this lounge is an utter disgrace to OZ as an airline. And as a very frequent flier with OZ, I am doubly disappointed...
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,945
Then you obviously do not fly often enough.
Frankly, I don't understand why you felt that your unfriendly tone was necessary.
The lounge, as I have so succinctly described in my original post, is the PAL lounge. It is immediately across the hall from CX/KA's G16 location.
Frankly, I don't understand why you felt that your unfriendly tone was necessary.
The lounge, as I have so succinctly described in my original post, is the PAL lounge. It is immediately across the hall from CX/KA's G16 location.
#4
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Los Angeles, CA; Philadelphia, PA
Programs: OZ Diamond
Posts: 6,140
Unless the gate OZ uses moved, I thought the SQ lounge is pretty nearby. While the HKG SQ lounge is really not up to par with other *A lounges in HKG, it should be better than what OZ currently shares with PR based on the OP. What I don't understand is why airlines likes to contract with lounges outside of alliance when one within the alliance is readily available? I know this is not unique to OZ, either.
LAX
LAX
#5
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: BKK/SEL/YQG
Posts: 2,543
Then you obviously do not fly often enough.
Frankly, I don't understand why you felt that your unfriendly tone was necessary.
The lounge, as I have so succinctly described in my original post, is the PAL lounge. It is immediately across the hall from CX/KA's G16 location.
Frankly, I don't understand why you felt that your unfriendly tone was necessary.
The lounge, as I have so succinctly described in my original post, is the PAL lounge. It is immediately across the hall from CX/KA's G16 location.
As LAX said, the SQ lounge is right at the start of that pier at HKG, and is not a far walk at all to the OZ gates. Most of the time when I fly OZ out of HKG I use that SQ lounge anyway, its dark and windowless, but they have a decent food selection.
#6
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
Chances are, the crappy lounge that OZ contracts is a lot cheaper than what SQ or UA would charge OZ per passenger (and this is assuming that SQ or UA would even contract with OZ in the first place - a lot of them will be hesitant if timings overlap with their own flights, due to overcrowding issues).
The other problem, of course, is that most of the lounges are closed by the time OZ's night flight leaves at 00:30am. I know for certain that all the Star-operated lounges are.
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,945
The problem is cost. Chances are, the crappy lounge that OZ contracts is a lot cheaper than what SQ or UA would charge OZ per passenger.
The other problem, of course, is that most of the lounges are closed by the time OZ's night flight leaves at 00:30am. I know for certain that all the Star-operated lounges are.
The other problem, of course, is that most of the lounges are closed by the time OZ's night flight leaves at 00:30am. I know for certain that all the Star-operated lounges are.
I was therefore forced to migrate to Asiana's pitiful offering until boarding...
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: ORD, HKG
Programs: UA*G, AA Emerald, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt globalist
Posts: 10,280
Then you obviously do not fly often enough.
Frankly, I don't understand why you felt that your unfriendly tone was necessary.
The lounge, as I have so succinctly described in my original post, is the PAL lounge. It is immediately across the hall from CX/KA's G16 location.
Frankly, I don't understand why you felt that your unfriendly tone was necessary.
The lounge, as I have so succinctly described in my original post, is the PAL lounge. It is immediately across the hall from CX/KA's G16 location.
If you are not sure about the name of the lounge, then just say as it is, don't pretend that you know it all, as many FTers like me do frequent HKG and know what you are telling us is questionable.
What you were talking about is actually the CNAC lounge, that is the only other lounge in that area. And it is the opposite side of G16 lounge at the same level share by the same elevator/escalator to the G16 lounge. PR do use CNAC lounge as their contract lounge in HKG, so do a bunch of chinese airlines like CA, CZ, and MF.
Last edited by ORDnHKG; Aug 12, 2011 at 10:56 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,945
If you are not sure about the name of the lounge, then just say as it is, don't pretend that you know it all, as many FTers like me do frequent HKG and know what you are telling us is questionable.
What you were talking about is actually the CNAC lounge, that is the only other lounge in that area. And it is the opposite side of G16 lounge at the same level share by the same elevator/escalator to the G16 lounge. PR do use CNAC lounge as their contract lounge in HKG, so do a bunch of chinese airlines like CA, CZ, and MF.
What you were talking about is actually the CNAC lounge, that is the only other lounge in that area. And it is the opposite side of G16 lounge at the same level share by the same elevator/escalator to the G16 lounge. PR do use CNAC lounge as their contract lounge in HKG, so do a bunch of chinese airlines like CA, CZ, and MF.
How were my descriptions of the lounge being immediately across from CX/KA's G16 location inaccurate?
As for the name of the lounge, I did recall that China Southern and some others used the lounge but felt it more apropo to brand it the PAL lounge at the time of my original posting.
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: ORD, HKG
Programs: UA*G, AA Emerald, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt globalist
Posts: 10,280
How were my descriptions of the lounge being immediately across from CX/KA's G16 location inaccurate?
As for the name of the lounge, I did recall that China Southern and some others used the lounge but felt it more apropo to brand it the PAL lounge at the time of my original posting.
There is no such thing about you just simply called it a PAL lounge because PAL has contract of that lounge, as it is simply not accurate. Howabout I am telling you the ANA lounge in HKG is really good, would everyone know what lounge I am really talking about ?
#13
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: HKG, BOS
Programs: CX SL, AB Gold, AF/KL FB Silver, HU/HX Silver, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,596
As described in my original post, I too use the SQ and TG lounges. Problem here is that the SQ lounge closes about 2 hours prior to Asiana's 00:30 flight.
On the night in question, I was at the SQ lounge until they closed at 10:15 pm. I asked about the TG lounge's closing time to see if it would be worth the walk to G40 but they also closed at 10:15 pm.
I was therefore forced to migrate to Asiana's pitiful offering until boarding...
On the night in question, I was at the SQ lounge until they closed at 10:15 pm. I asked about the TG lounge's closing time to see if it would be worth the walk to G40 but they also closed at 10:15 pm.
I was therefore forced to migrate to Asiana's pitiful offering until boarding...
That picture of the lounge entrance (with the list of airlines) is from May 2010, but from the OP's description (pre-scooped ice cream), I'm pretty sure he's referring to the CNAC Lounge. HKIA's website - http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/f...e-lounges.html - doesn't seem to reflect this change yet, so I suppose it's temporary?
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,945
Also saw a lot of PAL branding, including on cocktail napkins.
I concede that my original characterization of the lounge as "the PAL lounge" may be less than accurate; however, the brouhaha that resulted was necessary.
I recall seeing Asiana branding around the magazine rack area by the lounge entrance, and posted about.
As I described earlier, this is fairly recent change -- for the worse, I might add -- so maybe that is why.