new Air China lounge Shanghai Pudong
 

Apologies if this has already been posted but thought it was worth noting that i was directed to a 'new' Air China lounge at PVG last week, not the old Shanghai Airlines facility.

It was quite impressive in terms of architecture. Food and beverages were so-so (but vastly improved over Shanghai Airlines)

It looks exactly like this!:

http://thedesignair.net/2014/04/03/a...ijing-lounges/


the lounge is a bit of a walk however. Not as convenient as the old one.

(mods please move if I have entirely missed an existing thread on this)

CX/KA/Oneworld has the nicest lounge in PVG taking into account food offerings and spaciousness. If this new lounge is anything like any other CAAC airline lounge I've ever been inside, I'm sure it'll be one to avoid.

My rule of thumb for any flight I'm taking in China is to show up at the checkin counter as late as possible without missing the cut off, thereby minimizing my time in the lounges or airport.

We see eye to eye on this point, but sometimes it is better to lounge than hang out on the concourse (during the part of your delay that takes place before you board the airplane).

did you have a look at the pictures? Except for the location, it beats the CX lounge.

for international departures it's a bit hard to turn up too late. And this is an improvement over the FM lounge - although no massage chairs :(

T-60 for most airlines; T-30 for CX/KA. I allow for 7 minutes padding in both cases.

so your KA/CX flight is already boarding by the time you begin check-in? and if it takes 30 odd minutes to clear immigration like it did a couple weeks ago....?

too courageous for me :)

Flying to HKG is actually very easy on KA. Yes, the flights start boarding at T-30, but the process continues until T-10... those 20 minutes in the middle are more than enough time to make it from the check-in counter to the gate (no need for a lounge stop). I've actually never missed a SHA-HKG flight, but if I did, getting rebooked on the next one would be super easy (I've moved flights forward on several occasions).

ETA: SHA-HKG flights used to sell out on Sundays, Mondays, and Fridays, but this no longer the case because Spring relieves pressure on demand.

with only one KA flight a day from SHA I'd hope not to miss it! :eek::D

In addition to being the airport code for Hongqiao, SHA is also the metro code that includes all airports in Shanghai (similar to TYO, BJS, WAS, NYC).

The pictures look OK, much more modern design for the furniture than the CX lounge but I am not a design guy so I don't care about that. What I do know for absolute certain is that the service, food, and drinks will not be on par with the CX lounge, which itself isn't that great.

Next time you're headed to PVG take my and moondog's advice and try to get there as close to minimum check-in time as possible. You'll never do it any other way after that!:D

the Air China lounge has a bar and bartender!! There were about 8-10 hot dishes on offer at the lounge?

bu shi bu shi - arrival too close to departure means less drinking time at airport! And I'd never rely on CX or KA to mix a decent hair-of-the-dog :eek:

new Air China lounge Shanghai Pudong
 

CX/KA is self serve booze...which is a big reason why I prefer that lounge :-)

Yes, it has come up before
 

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...l#post22830675

Once you know where it is and understand how to get there, it is not really that far. I did not try the food, but it certainly looked nice, far better than the FM FC lounge. In terms of variety perhaps better than any other lounge at PVG.

When does the PVG lounge open?

First time at new lounge last week. Definite improvement.

Also, wi-fi does not required a password. Connect and your off !