The best Oneworld lounges at London Heathrow T3

Heathrow Terminal 3 is home to most Oneworld airlines flying into and out of London: even British Airways, which has its own hub at T5, maintains a busy schedule of European and longer-range international flights departing from T3.

And with a few exceptions – Qatar Airways, Malaysian Airlines and Royal Air Maroc use Terminal 4 – the bulk of the Oneworld roster lives at T3, including American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines and Royal Jordanian.

That translates to a lot of premium cabin travellers and frequent flyers seeking some pre-flight respite in a Oneworld lounge.

And they’re certainly not wanting for choice, with as many as seven Oneworld member lounges from American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas.

Cheers: the Qantas International London Lounge has an upstairs cocktail bar and a downstairs gin bar.

Of course, a key benefit of Oneworld – and it’s a perk surprisingly many travellers remain unaware of – is that you can use the lounge of any Oneworld member airline, with your eligibility based on class of travel or frequent flyer status.

Just because you’re flying British Airways doesn’t mean you can’t visit the Qantas lounge instead; likewise, if you’re flying on Finnair and the checkin staff direct you to the British Airways lounge, you’re not actually obliged to do so.

Indeed, should you have the time or the inclination you can visit several Oneworld lounges – a mission made easier given that several of the lounges are almost next door to one another, and the furthest is but a few minutes’ stroll away.

With that in mind, here’s the Executive Traveller cheat-sheet for the best Oneworld lounges at Heathrow Terminal 3.

Note that each lounge may gear its opening hours around that airline’s departures from T3.

1. Cathay Pacific First Class lounge

Access: First class passenger, Oneworld Emerald frequent flyers

Cathay Pacific’s London Heathrow First Class lounge is like a compact version of the airline’s flagship The Pier First Class lounge at Hong Kong.

The smaller footprint makes it cosy rather than cramped, while the elegant decor and furnishings seem to invite a calmness that’s quite different to larger echoing spaces.

Cathay Pacific's elegant London Heathrow T3 first class lounge.

Enjoy a meal in the à la carte dining room, then take a glass of Champagne to one of the seats facing the window (the best one, which some frequent flyers have dubbed ‘the throne’, is in the far-left corner) and idly watch the airport in action. 

The spacious, well-appointed showers are another drawcard, although the shower zone is a common shared facility with the adjacent Cathay Pacific Business Class lounge (which you may also want to pop into for some snacks from the buffet).

2. Cathay Pacific Business Class lounge

Access: First class and business class passengers, Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire frequent flyers

Modelled on Hong Kong’s The Pier Business Class lounge, this Heathrow T3 version is a reliable go-to for business class travellers and passengers holding Oneworld Sapphire status (such as BA Silver and Finnair, Qantas and Qatar Airways Gold).

The signature Noodle Bar is a must-visit, while the spacious dining area is flanked by a well-stocked buffet plus ample snacks and sweet treats.

Add semi-private laptop-friendly lounge seats plus those first-rate showers, and it’s no exaggeration to say this could pass for some airline’s first class lounge.

3. Qantas International London Lounge

Access: First class and business class passengers, Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire frequent flyers

The Qantas lounge is almost a tie with the Cathay Pacific Business Class lounge – and that they’re located next to one another near gate 11 makes it easy to sample both and judge for yourself.

Reasons to put the Qantas London Lounge on your list include a wonderful gin bar boasting an array of premium gins (and other spirits), the dining room serving Qantas staples such as salt and pepper calamari, and an upstairs cocktail bar. Oh, and it also pours the best flat white in the T3 loungescape.

Spend your time at any of those three lounges and your journey will get off to a great start.

As to the other Oneworld T3 lounges of American Airlines and British Airways, we’d suggest giving them a miss or at least lowering your expectations compared to the Cathay and Qantas lounges.

True, the British Airways Galleries First lounge does have a dining room where you can tuck into the airline’s hamburger (or the ‘fake meat’ version) and a selection of other dishes ordered off the menu – and a decent choice of self-pour spirits and wines – but those are arguably the only reasons to visit this lounge.

Like the business class British Airways Galleries Club lounge and the American Airlines lounges, in our experience they’re simply not up to the overall standard of the excellent Cathay Pacific and Qantas lounges.