Can I use Cathay Pacific lounges if I'm on a Qantas flight?

Can I use Cathay Pacific airport lounges if I'm travelling on a Qantas flight?

Yes. Cathay Pacific and Qantas are both members of the Oneworld airline alliance, and eligible travellers on any Oneworld member can use the lounges of any other Oneworld airline.

This means that if you're flying with Qantas you can use Cathay Pacific airport lounges, and if you're flying with Cathay Pacific you can use Qantas airport lounges.

(This same rule applies to other Oneworld alliance members such as American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, JAL, Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways – for a full list, see Oneworld.com.)

This puts almost all Cathay Pacific lounges at your disposal, including its many lounges at Hong Kong.

Read: Hong Kong Airport – your Cathay Pacific & Qantas lounge transit guide.

Qantas business class travellers and Qantas Frequent Flyer Gold members can use most Cathay Pacific lounges.

Of course, to use the airline's flagship first class lounges – including The Pier First Class and The Wing First Class at Hong Kong, and the new London Heathrow First Class lounge – you'll need to be flying in Qantas first class or hold Qantas Frequent Flyer Platinum or Platinum One status.

Some airports have both Qantas and Cathay Pacific lounges – Hong Kong is a good example, and in early 2017 there'll also be a new Qantas lounge at London's Heathrow Airport – and you're free to visit the lounges of both airlines.

However, in most cases Qantas Club members can use only Qantas lounges, not those of other Oneworld airlines.

There are also some Cathay Pacific lounges which even Qantas flyers can't access.

The Cathay Pacific Arrivals lounge at Hong Kong Airport is restricted to passengers on Cathay Pacific flights, although if you are a Platinum or Platinum One member of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program arriving into Hong Kong in Cathay Pacific economy or premium economy you can still use the Arrivals lounge.

Cathay Pacific's San Francisco lounge also imposes strict limits on the number of Qantas passengers (flying to Sydney on QF74) allowed in.

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David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.