I might have a bad memory, but I thought in the past, Diamonds were able to guest 2 passengers with them, to the CX designated lounge for that flight. So for example, in JFK, the Diamond CX designated lounge is the "Soho" lounge. In the past I thought Diamond members could bring 2 guests with them as it is the official CX-utilised lounge.

It appears now that there is a distinction between CX operated lounges, and non-CX operated lounges. This Soho lounge specifically says that Diamond members can only bring 1 guest with them:
https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_...-jfk/soho.html

If you have a look at CX operated lounges, it points you to the general lounge admittance page which says Diamonds can bring 2 guests: https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_...dmittance.html
There is no mention on this page of a distinction between different lounges.

The Diamond benefits page also says that passengers can only guest people travelling on the same flight: https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_..._1655455297241

• Quote:

  ​​​​​​​Guest lounge access*
  Diamond members may bring up to two guests to the Cathay Pacific lounge when travelling together on Cathay Pacific or a oneworld airline.* For partner airline lounges, Diamond members may bring one guest. Children under 2 years of age will be admitted without being counted as a guest.

Has there been a quiet devaluation during covid?

Good catch on the DM benefit explanation change. I hope it is okay for me to also point out CX has quietly taken away the benefit for SL and oneworld ruby members to select extra legroom seats.

The special arrangement in JFK though has been in place pre-COVID, as evidenced in https://web.archive.org/web/20190812...ip-lounge.html I believe this may have been the case ever since CX moved to JFK T8. The mid-tier status benefit lounge passes also cannot be used in JFK lounges, while generally (at least pre-COVID) they can be used in 3rd-party lounges contracted by CX. JFK was the only exception, but I don't know if CX will make it a general case in the future.

If you have a look at SYD, the same applies there. At both the F and J Qantas lounges, only 1 guest is permitted, even though the Qantas lounges are the designated lounges for non-Silver members.

Now that I've had a look at some more examples, it appears that where the outstation lounge is operated by another oneworld airline (eg QF or AA), it is Diamond + 1 guest. If the lounge is a CX lounge or a Plaza Premium-type lounge (eg Aspire etc), then it is Diamond + 2 guests.

Good catch on SYD (and MEL). The lounge pass likewise is not accepted here. I wonder, though, if DM can bring 2 guests (and everyone can use lounge pass) if he or she asks for the Aspire lounge invitation. CX only recently decided to not use QF lounges exclusively in SYD, as reported by https://www.executivetraveller.com/n...-sydney-lounge last month.

On the other hand, I do not see such restrictions at https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_...ss-lounge.html and https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_...velazquez.html, so I do not think this is a general oneworld lounge thing.

Seems to be a case-by-case basis, based on how much it will cost CX for access. But it does seem like a real devaluation since pre-Covid.

Anecdotally, I believe if there is an arrangement by where a third party lounge would look at a lounge invitation for access, then a DM checking in with two companions could request and get two guest passes for said lounge at the check in desk. The lounge desk would not be able to help. I have done this in the past in various outstations. However, if you are trying to gain access to a oneworld lounge based on your oneworld status (Emerald) AND this lounge is not the CX-nominated lounge, pulling up CX's DM guesting policy won't work (you'll only get one guest, not two).

Something curious, as I have a flight to/from NRT in January, I checked the NRT lounge info (https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_...l-airport.html. Since CX's own lounge is still closed, access to JL's F and J lounges has been arranged directly by CX (instead of being available merely due to oneworld standard access rules). Upon clicking on the F lounge page and then further clicking on "admittance details," it still says that CX DM still get 2 guests. I first wondered if this was merely not updated, but it says "Cathay Members" instead of "Marco Polo Club Members" so I guess it's current.


Edit: didn't see the asterisk notation - ** Lounge access is limited to lounges operated by CX only.





Will report back in late January if no one else has updated by then. And as long as CX's own lounge hasn't reopened and forced an access change for JL's F lounge.

https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_...dmittance.html is a generic page and not lounge-specific. I would therefore say unless the lounge webpage says otherwise (JFK and QF lounges), DM can still bring 2 to the CX-designated lounges, but obviously YMMV.

The asterisk means if you are on a CX-coded flight not operated by CX, eligible members can still access lounge operated by CX. It applies only to the word "codeshare" and certainly not on "guests." For now, the most likely use of this benefit would be at HKG when departing on a CX-coded flight not operated by a oneworld member (e. g., UO, CA, LH, etc.).

Looking at this page again, though, CX has quietly taken away the access to CX-operated lounge for SL members on codeshare flights. When I was SL, I was able to use the CX lounge when departing HKG on a CX*/AA flight. This no longer appears allowed based on this page. Another devaluation.

Please do. Thanks!

Confirmed that I received three lounge invitations for me, my wife, and my son at check in at NRT. We were flying in J, but received F lounge invites to the JL F lounge per DM access rules. Interestingly, now each guest has his/her own invite with the name on it (which is checked against the boarding pass at the lounge) whereas in the past it would just say "2 guests" on my own lounge invite (and no invites would be issued for guests).