Cathay Pacific's new London Heathrow airport lounges open Monday

Cathay Pacific's new but much-delayed  first class and business class lounges at London's Heathrow Terminal 3 will open their doors to travellers on Monday November 28.

Photo gallery: see the first photos of Cathay Pacific's new London lounges

The revised date marks a full year since the facilities were closed in November 2015 for the make-over, with the target opening date of August slipping month by month.

“With any construction projects of this nature and high design specifications, there will always be a chance of delays," a spokesperson for the airline offered in a prepared statement.

Monday's 'soft opening' will be followed by an official ribbon-cutting on December 7.

The Cathay Pacific London Business Lounge will be available to all Cathay Pacific business class travellers along with Marco Polo Club Gold members and their Oneworld equivalents (including Qantas Gold and British Airways Silver), plus business class passengers of other Oneworld airlines departing from Heathrow Terminal 3 (including Qantas and BA).

The Cathay Pacific London First Lounge lays down the welcome mat to first class travellers with Cathay Pacific and other Oneworld airlines from T3 (including Qantas and BA), Marco Polo Club Diamond members and their Oneworld equivalents (including Qantas Platinum and British Airways Gold).

PREVIOUS | Cathay Pacific will open all-new first class and business class ‘flagship’ lounges at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 3 in September, reflecting London’s position as Cathay’s most popular international destination.

The combined footprint of both lounges has been increased by 30% from the previous facilities by expanding into space previously occupied by Singapore Airlines’ SilverKris lounge, which last year shifted into Terminal 2 (along with almost all other Star Alliance airlines).

And of course, the new spaces will take their design cues from the warm residential vibe created by CX lounge designer Ilse Crawford.

Cathay Pacific General Manager Product Leslie Lu hints that the first class lounge will be a scaled-back version of The Pier First Class Lounge at Hong Kong (below), and should include a small dining room and bar.

The business class lounge will borrow cornerstone elements from The Pier Business Class Lounge as well as the newest ‘outport’ lounges such as at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, Manila, Bangkok and Taipei.

First photos: Cathay Pacific's new The Pier Business Class Lounge

These will include a tended bar, the signature Noodle Bar (below) dining room, a 'Food Hall' servery and Bureau workspace.

“It’s not a small lounge but it’s not generous either, so we have a lot more limitations to balancing seating capacity and facilities like showers” Lu told Australian Business Traveller at a preview of The Pier Business Class Lounge, which will re-open in early June after extensive renovations.

A taste of London

The London lounges will also introduce some local elements into the established Cathay Pacific mix.

“The Noodle Bar is a signature element of our business lounges, but for each location we will try to bring a local flavour as well, so we will look at what are popular items in the London market,” explains Sabrina Klick, the airline’s Product Manager for Worldwide Lounges.

“There could be some sort of curry dish and of course fish & chips will be on the menu, and burgers as well.” 

“At The Pier First Class Lounge in Hong Kong we’ve introduced a craft beer selection with a Hong Kong beer, so for London we could pick a local craft beer partner,” Klick adds.

Cathay Pacific's London Heathrow first class and business class lounges will be located adjacent to the new Qantas London Lounge (below), slated to open in March 2017.

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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.