S80

Hey all, I have an upcoming long layover at LHR and will need to get a few hours of work done in the afternoon/evening hours. I've only really visited the Cathay F lounge (it's obviously the best), but it doesn't appear to be well appointed to actually get work done (and from my experience, the wifi speed is quite poor). When reading reviews, they all talk about the food and drink options, but don't really focus on the seating, and the photos provided aren't often clear enough to see if there are any outlets nearby. The arrivals lounges would be perfect, and that's what I normally use, but they close too early. All I really need is a desk with enough room for a laptop and mousepad adjacent to a power outlet, and decent wifi (I won't have many meetings, so individual pods are not a requirement, but would be nice to have). I have Emerald status, so have access to all the OW lounges (I also have access to the Centurion, Aspire, and No1 lounges, but would prefer OW lounges as they seem to be quieter / less rowdy). Your recommendations are greatly appreciated!

wrp96

This is one time where the AA lounges may be the best bet with good wifi and not crowded.

econ

Was in CX F mid-day last month and couldn�t even find a place to sit, even though the next CX flight was several hours away.

BA GF was actually a nice place to relax. I believe there were some places to get work done, but don�t remember exactly.

Edgewater Folk

If I remember correctly, there are work stations with outlets along a long wall on the J side of the CX lounge. Much more conducive for a business meeting than the F side.

stant

the flagship lounge has an island right by the food with high seats. there are outlets all along the edge of the island, more than enough for the number of people who want to use one. the lounge is pretty tame, and the food is pretty good, so that would be my pick. fair wifi speeds, and plenty of room to spread out.

IADCAflyer

Don't forget the QF lounge. Their lighting is pretty good and is often not very crowded. Love the CX lounges, but the QF lounge might be your winner here.

eefor jfp

FWIW, the conventional wisdom on the BA T3 lounge access thread was always that AA had the fastest wifi. To be honest, that was a few years ago so the others may have caught up, or AA might have gotten slower after being closed for Covid, but I the last time I was there for work, the AA Flagship lounge was fine. And besides the high top tables, there are plenty of other seats with outlets around the lounge.

stant

yes, just to clarify, the reason i mentioned the hightop is because it's the closest thing to a desk you would find on the lounge with power. i think there is an actual desk space or two, but we are talking about 6ft of desk vs 60 ft of desk.

AirborneLocksmith

BA F has been pretty much deserted every time I have visited, so that may be your best bet for a quiet work environment.

Fanjet

I would say the AA First lounge (don't know why it's not called Flagship Lounge) has the best lighting inside. However, I would say that the BA First lounge has a more quiet atmosphere, but with dimmer lighting inside. Neither one ever seems to be that crowded, unlike the CX First lounge.

PresRDC

I'll second the recommendation for the Qantas lounge. Large tables, several near outlets. Not too crowded outside of Qantas departure times. Decent food and drink selection.

Antarius

It predates the FLs. Additionally, it's only a F or OWE lounge, whereas the FL is a J/OWS lounge.

Fanjet

Ah, so AA Plats and OWS elites have to use the AC? (I should go in there one day just to see what it's like).

S80

Thank you all for your responses, I ended up lounge hopping a bit to find the one that worked best for me (spoiler: CX J)

Both AA lounges were quite crowded, and the buffet being open in the center lead to there being a bit more noise. The power points were nice, however them being on the edge would make for a sprawl of cables. The table location next to the main thoroughfare and near the buffet means they're quite open as well, so not practical if you're working on anything confidential. In the First lounge, there are also benches between the two 'levels' with power outlets at ones feet, however the tables were rounded so weren't as comfortable as a wrist wrest. The wifi was decent, although I didn't think to record the speed.

CX F and J weren't crowded mid-day, however the most recent CX flight had just departed when I arrived, so no issues finding a seat. In the J lounge, the wifi was quite fast (50mbit down). The 'bureau' was being utilized, but had a desk. I ended up in the seats all the way at the end facing the window. They have power outlets at the base, and movable square tables, with just enough room for my laptop and mousepad.


BA lounges were both barren, although the latest widebody had just called for final boarding, maybe 5 people on the F side. Plenty of high top tables with outlets, however the 'bar' like seating had some kind of advertisement screen what was blinding from across the lounge. Very tacky. Wifi decent, about 40mbit down.

QF is tied for second with BA F in this case. There are outlets among the walls at the back of the upper level (next to the buffet), with individual tables. Lounge was empty, but again the QF flight had just called for final boarding. Wifi was mediocre (35mbit down).

Correct.

In summary:
CX J: Best. Fast wifi, seats with tables with good privacy, quiet.
BA F/J: Seats out in the open, but deserted and quiet. Decent wifi.
QF: Seats out in the open, can be busy, mediochre wifi.
AA F/AC: Busy, but not crowded. Very open desk seating.
CX F: If you don't need a desk, this is the spot.

econometrics

Nice summary! I would mostly agree with your conclusions. 👍🏼