Nick Walton checks out the new Cathay Pacific Lounge Bangkok to discover the airline’s new design-savvy yet welcoming persona.

Background

Cathay Pacific opened its new lounge at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport in June. Located on Level 3 in the Concourse G Departures Hall, the spacious new lounge caters to 140 guests across 679sqm and offers the airlines’ new sophisticated signature look that some road warriors might recognize from lounges at Haneda and Manila.

The Welcome

We are warmly welcomed by staff in Cathay’s iconic bright red uniforms and are guided to the lounge, one of three components of the new-look space, passing a bustling bar into a light-filled space of lounge chairs that boasts views across the tarmac. The lounge, which has taken over the former British Airways space, is open to First and Business Class Cathay passengers, as well as Silver, Gold and Diamond Marco Polo Club members, and premium passengers from associated oneworld airlines, some of which have their own lounges at Bangkok.

The Space

The three components of the lounge offer guests the chance to choose their setting; to one end of Cathay’s signature Noodle Bar, which serves a selection of dim sum and noddle dishes to guests seated in a chic, user-friendly café setting. Adjacent to the Noodle Bar, a self-service area features stand up bar tables, cold drinks, sandwiches, salads and pastries, including rather moreish peanut banana chocolate tarts.

The main lounge area is further divided to create an intimacy that belies the lounge’s size; here there are contemporary lounge chairs and ottomans beneath designer lounge lamps. The lounge’s designers, London-based Studioilse, have employed warm, natural materials, including cherry wood, limestone and bronze to soften acoustics and emphasize the abundant natural light. Pot plants add a more natural feeling compared to many older lounge spaces. In a small alcove off the main lounge are three dual-operating system iMacs in a dedicated work area. The designer furniture is complimented by in-built lamps and by both USB and AC power points, making charging a breeze.

Dining

While the lounge does not feature Cathay Pacific’s signature sit-up Long Bar, there is an elegant bar between lounge and Noodle Bar that serves up cocktails, mocktails, wine and beer and rather time-consuming Thai milk teas (in fact during our mid-afternoon visit the bartender spends more time making milk tea than doing anything else). The bar didn’t have the tomato juice required to make our requested Bloody Marys but the bartender offers a Mimosa instead, which was made with the airline’s favoured Billecart-Salmon Champagne.

The Noodle Bar is a great option for travellers looking for a light, fast snack before a short-haul flight to Hong Kong, and in Bangkok offers a selection of Asian noodle dishes, including wonton noodle soup and tom yam soup, vegetarian pad thai, sago dumplings, Chinese BBQ pork buns and mushroom cream soup, freshly prepared by a chef. Guests travelling during the morning have the opportunity to try an authentic Thai breakfast.

Summary

The new look lounge at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport extends the airline’s chic and sophisticated new look at one of Asia’s busiest airports. www.cathaypacific.com