Today’s T3 experience around 8:30 GMT.

• I wanted to have wonton soup for breakfast, but Cathay at the counter told me to sit elsewhere and wait.
• Qantas Lounge was operating only upstairs, which is fine, but with limited choices, although no big deal.

So I decided to stick to my original plan – BA F:

• However, people from Galleries were being sent to F Lounge because of capacity. I've never seen F Lounge to be that packed
  https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d578ab1a2.jpeg
• Probably, as a result, there was about 10 minutes with a station like this. Hash browns did not arrive at all, so at least I got a low carb brekkie.
• https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...91beb3444.jpeg
• Also the bread&pastry station appears to be enhanced away.
  https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ee57614b9.jpeg

What a pleasant F experience with BA F Lounge today!

You mean to say that I shouldn’t book a throwaway ticket on BA out of T3 to take a bus across during my 90min connection at T5 just to experience the amazing lounges? Damn.

Doesn't make one want to book a flight out of T3. Oh wait, perhaps just avoid BA F.

CX F lounge is normally pretty good. QF is going to build a F lounge, which I imagine will make a mockery of the competition.

I too am looking forward to the QF F lounge but the issue with T3 is there are just so many OWEs passing through it that unless it's very large (doubtful) if it's good it will end up severely overcrowded as CX F now frequently is. Anyone know where it will be / will it just involve carving out some space in the existing lounge?

The statement by Joyce was as follows: To me that reads as a new lounge in a new space.

Where that space will be is the question that interests me, but I do not possess intimate enough knowledge of T3 infrastructure to credibly speculate.

I wonder if there are more BA Gold than CX Diamonds in the First Lounge daily. You can do MAN-SOF 3x and earn BA Gold whilst CX has a hostile FF programme.

Absolutely there will be, BA has well into the double digits of flights from T3 every day and many times the number of CX passengers from T3. I wouldn't be surprised if there are even more AA OWEs using it than CX ones.

This does not sound correct. Even if you did three BAH trips, earning double tier points, you would still be short of BA Gold.

Only by 60 points though , so near as damn it.

Loved Cathay Pacific-watch Matt’s planet

Absolutely. The CX 254/256 flights rarely have more than 20 people queuing in the first-class boarding lane. There are probably more GGLs than CX Diamonds passing through T3 especially when bisonrav is doing his SOF b2bs :D.

It is close enough. The point is that earning status with BA is significantly easier than CX or QF. Off topic but a HKG-based Diamond member will have to spend at minimum £12K. I've unfortunately been inside the BA J lounge during the Christmas holidays. It was uncomfortably busy that I left for Pret instead. Perhaps when BA eventually switch to revenue-based status the overcrowding issues will be solved.

Currently “tout seul” in the mini-CCR at the back of the BA First lounge. I have to say it is serene. The lounge as a whole is very quiet for the obvious reasons, but the whole complex here is night and day over T5.

Best Lounge at LHR T3?
 

Flying from Heathrow T3 with Club Europe soon and have access to BA Galleries, No1, Club Aspire, and Centurion lounges via Amex Platinum. It’s my first time at T3, and I’m looking for recommendations on which lounge to choose based on comfort, food, and overall experience. Any personal favorites or advice? Thanks!

If you’re eligible for access to the BA lounge, you also have access to the AA, CX and QF lounges.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1653179-best-t3-oneworld-lounge.html

Wow thanks for the tip. This complicates things even further as I am spoiled for choice. Thanks again

Cathay Pacific lounge all day long for me.

I'd say so too.

You'll get lots of advice in the topic linked above but in my experience what time your flight is also matters; the CX J lounge can get pretty busy around the time of the flights to HKG and if you're after comfort, I do really like the QF lounge (avoiding the flights to Australia).

This link has lots of useful information (or may confuse you further) Best T3 Oneworld Lounge

Do any of the F lounges have buffet style hot food, in case I don't have time to sit down and wait for an a la carte order?

Hi

The ba f lounge has hot food
cathay j has a hot buffet
Not sure about cathay f outwith the dining room
Regards
Tbs

Cathay F has a *few* hot items buffet style near the coffee machines. Generally it's just one or two choices ready prepared on sideplates. Last time I was there I think it was Chicken wings and mini quiche - although I wasn't paying too much attention as I had been into the dining room.

American F lounge has a full buffet of reasonable quality too.

BA J lounge has hot buffet food, pretty much the same as the F lounge.

Have an 8:30am flight in F on AA to DFW. Probably will get to lounge around 7am so would have about 30 minutes. I hate to say it, but would AA lounge be best for a quick breakfast bite.

I would go to the First section of the BA lounge and get food from the buffet as it’s a better selection. AA do have a sit down and order food section but with only 30 minutes you won’t have time and their buffet is tiny.

Well that's an upgrade for J and a downgrade for F.

Is that what BA really wants?

It has been that way since covid, it was a downgrade for F. The only distinguishing difference was self pour champagne, and that was in the J lounges until about Autumn 22 (when gold helped us through that change).

Remembering back, the J food was close to what it is now, the F much better. Now it's just that you can order a burger in F.

So covid aside, it has been pretty much what BA wants for a long time now. But knowing them, they'll just make the J food worse rather than improve the F food.

Early supper and work?
 

Hi all,
Flying out to GRU in J from Terminal 3 tomorrow evening and am planning to get there early-ish (5.30 pm) to get some work done, relax and have an early supper. For what it's worth, I'm a.humble Bronze member.
From what I've managed to read, there seem to be quite a few who swear by the CX lounge. The only lounge I've ever tried in Terminal 3 has been the Qantas one for breakfast once and I was highly impressed by their coffee and breakfast spread.
Any thoughts or recommendations from the more seasoned/regular travellers amongst you?
Many thanks in advance!
C

why not try them all?

Just found out the Qantas lounge has some private rooms exclusively for first class passengers. They can be found on the first floor near the bathrooms. I suspect these may just be for those flying Qantas.

Recently had a T3 departure for the first time in several years and had a chance to revisit a few of the lounges there. Some quick thoughts:

QF: Just missed sit-down dining with QF10 leaving. Had an excellent cappuccino upstairs. Has the elevator always been that slow? For a moment I thought it had stopped working. Thought about getting a bite from the buffet, but I thought I'd save space for a meal at CX F.

CX F: Nice meal. Switchover to lunch occurs at 12 pm. I should have stayed in the Dining Room since the rest of the lounge was almost full. Ok, so what happened here? I recall several visits pre-covid in the same time period (mid-day) where lounge was sparsely occupied. More OWEs nowadays? Or heightened awareness of this lounge? Next CX flight was >4 hr away. Without being able to find a decent place to sit, I decided to head over to BA F.

BA F: Of the three lounges I visited, this was the most relaxing and quiet. Probably less than 1/3 full. Was pleased to see the Tyrells cheddar crisps that I am used to from the T5 lounges.

Didn't have time for AA F lounge.

I had a very late afternoon departure the other day. CX J was full but CX F was practically empty. I guess it's just luck?

I just love the noodle bar and the dim sums at cx. But currently moved to the ccr in t3 and loving it. The quietness and the champagne is a real upping for ba.

AA used to send their passengers there, before their lounges reopened. In my experience quite a few who fly AA now use the Cathay lounges. The staff seem to think it's way more BA passengers.

Do any of the T3 oneworld lounges have kids facilities. I understand galleries first does but we only have silver status and we aren't flying first. Anything have a little area like the galleries lounge at Gatwick south does?

Thanks in advance...

Qantas does

I think Qantas has a nursing/changing room but not a play room if that is what you are after.

Thanks - yes it was the enclosed / soundproofed glass room with some games and stuff that keeps them away from the adults who want peace and quiet I was hoping for! Thank you though...

my strategy where there is no kids room is to feed them in the lounge then take them to the soft play area where they can burn off their energy before a flight. Heathrow has one in each terminal (T5 one is really good).