Review: Korean Air Business Class Lounge Seoul Incheon Terminal 2 (West)

August 13, 2018August 15, 2018 ~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

Introduction: A Wandering Seoul
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong
Korean Air 747-8 Business Class Hong Kong To Seoul (First Class Seat)
Park Hyatt Seoul Park Suite Twin
Korean Air Business Class Lounge Seoul Incheon Terminal 2 (East)
Korean Air Business Class Lounge Seoul Incheon Terminal 2 (West)
Korean Air 777 Business Class Seoul to Hong Kong

After briefly visiting the East business class lounge that Korean Air operates at Incheon’s new Terminal 2, I headed over to the West lounge so I could check it out. I planned on spending more time there, since it was marginally closer to our gate, and it was larger.

The lounge directly overlooks gate 249, and is reachable via an escalator right next to gate 249. I went up the escalator and across a footbridge to get to the lounge. The footbridge afforded very nice views of the airport terminal.

Incheon Terminal 2 Airside Concourse

Past the footbridge to the left was an entrance to the Korean Air West lounge. I joined the short queue to get my boarding pass scanned before making my way into the lounge.

Continue reading “Review: Korean Air Business Class Lounge Seoul Incheon Terminal 2 (West)” →

Review: Korean Air Business Class Lounge Seoul Incheon Terminal 2 (East)

August 11, 2018August 15, 2018 ~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

While we had a great time in Seoul (which I’ll talk about in an upcoming post, though obviously I don’t specialise in maximising my time in cities – yet), it was time to get home on our 7:45 PM flight. We got to the airport at 4:30 PM – we weren’t actually intending to get to the airport so early, but we’d spent the morning at Alpacaworld and got back to civilisation earlier than expected.

Korean Air Terminal 2 Seoul Incheon

Seeing some Korean Air signage colours we headed towards the left side of the airport terminal, but after walking a fair distance we came across a sign saying that premium check-in was all the way on the very right of the check-in hall, by aisle A. I would’ve appreciated more signage indicating where to check in, and didn’t appreciate that Korean Air’s check-in at their hub airport for premium passengers and economy passengers were at opposite ends of the check-in hall. This would be a nuisance especially for families and groups traveling across different cabin classes (can you imagine how much trouble an unprepared large tour group would have if some of their members were flying in business class/had frequent flyer status?).

Anyway, Korean Air “encloses” their premium check-in desk for first and business class passengers.

Continue reading “Review: Korean Air Business Class Lounge Seoul Incheon Terminal 2 (East)” →

Review: SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong

August 7, 2018August 15, 2018 ~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

We arrived at the airport at around 11:30 AM for our 2 PM flight. We mainly wanted to get there so early so we could get a credit card verification issue out of the way, though I also wanted to be there ahead of time since the first class seats on the flight were first-come, first-serve. Korean Air sometimes releases their first class seats to business class seat selection on regional flights if the cabin is empty 24 hours before departure, which was the case on our flight. As I’ve detailed in a separate post, the check-in desk agents weren’t able to assign us first class seats – or so we thought.

I wasn’t able to add my SkyPass number to our reservation online, since the names were different (since the last time I’ve taken Korean Air, I’ve added my first name to my passport – if you live in Hong Kong this will probably make more sense to you). Even though Korean Air sent me a name change form I never actually got around to filling it out, so I was glad that I could do so at a dedicated counter at the airport, and didn’t even have to go back to the check-in desk to add the number to our reservation.

Afterwards I headed through security and made my way to the SkyTeam Lounge. The lounge is open to business class passengers on all SkyTeam airlines, as well as elite members of any SkyTeam loyalty programme. Elite members can even bring in a guest (business class passengers can’t). I’ve been to the lounge a couple times in the past (my last review can be found here), though I figured it was a time for us all to revisit here at YTHK, since it’s been a few years since I last reviewed it.

SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong Entrance

Continue reading “Review: SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong” →

Review: Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge London Heathrow

June 30, 2018July 2, 2018 ~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

Introduction: Spending The Night With A Virgin
Virgin Atlantic 787 Upper Class Hong Kong to London
Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge London Heathrow
Conrad London St. James Grand Deluxe Room
Virgin Atlantic 787 Economy Class London to Hong Kong

We made our way through immigration by 5:20 AM, thanks to the fast track cards we were offered, and the fact that we were one of the first flights through. From there we passed baggage claim (we didn’t check any bags), and walked through Terminal 3’s drab arrivals hall, following the signage to the arrivals lounges.

The Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge is open to arriving Upper Class passengers and Delta Gold Medallion members. Unlike the departures Clubhouse lounge, though, you’re not entitled to a guest here. The lounge is open from 5 AM to 1:30 PM, so it’s mostly for passengers on morning flights who don’t have a hotel to check into yet.

The lounge is located opposite the multi-storey carpark, and requires a walk diagonally across the (small) arrivals hall, and a ride up a lift (the signage is intuitive enough – one of the redeeming qualities of Heathrow’s Terminal 3). The lounge is then located to the right of those lifts.

Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge London Heathrow Entrance

Continue reading “Review: Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge London Heathrow” →

5 Of The World’s Best Business Class Hub Lounges

May 3, 2018May 3, 2018 ~ Alvin ~ 1 Comment

Over the past few years I’ve been incredibly lucky to try out quite a few business class products, and with that entailed going to their hub business class lounges as well. I’ve been to a range of lounges and come out with a variety of impressions, and find it such an exciting addition to the airport experience, especially when airlines put effort into it.

Last year I listed the top 10 things that I look for in an airline lounge. Many airline lounges I know feature a large number, if not all, of these features in their own quirky variations. The five lounges featured below all have at least a majority of these features.

Too many times over the past few years, I’ve come out of a lounge thinking “hmm, this could potentially be one of the best in the world”. I haven’t visited all the business class lounges that I believe would make this list, though I don’t have plans to visit any of them in the near future. For that reason, here are my five favourite business class hub lounges, and I’ll share lounges that I believe potentially make the list as well.

Continue reading “5 Of The World’s Best Business Class Hub Lounges” →

Review: Asuka Lounge Osaka Kansai Airport

April 23, 2018April 27, 2018 ~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

Introduction: Feaster Easter in Japan
Hong Kong Airlines Club Bauhinia Lounge Hong Kong Airport
Hong Kong Airlines Club Autus Lounge Hong Kong Airport
Hong Kong Airlines A330 Business Class Hong Kong to Osaka
Hilton Osaka Executive Suite
Yumesenkei Amahara Sumoto Wa-Yo Room
Yumesenkei Amahara Sumoto Dining
Asuka Lounge Osaka Kansai Airport
Hong Kong Airlines A330 Regional Business Class Osaka to Hong Kong

Our flight left Kansai Airport at 5:40 PM, so we spent the entire day near the Kansai region. We got to the airport at around 3 PM so we could deal with our car rental, and were checked in by 3:30 PM, where we were handed lounge invitations, as well as fast track cards for customs and immigration.

Hong Kong Airlines uses the Asuka Lounge at Kansai Airport, a contract lounge located near gate 5 (where our flight was departing). All of Kansai Airport’s gates require access by the Wing Shuttle, so after immigration I hopped on the train to the terminal station of the North Wing, where gates 4-11 are located.

The signage leading to the lounge is slightly misleading, since the lounge isn’t actually adjacent to gate 5. More accurately, it’s a right U-turn from the escalators down from the Wing Shuttle, around a minute-long walk from gate 5. The lounge is open to passengers flying United, Delta, Lufthansa, Sichuan Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

The exterior of the lounge featured a door with frosted glass.

Asuka Lounge Osaka Airport Exterior

Continue reading “Review: Asuka Lounge Osaka Kansai Airport” →

Review: British Airways Lounge Amsterdam

April 20, 2018June 21, 2018 ~ Jason ~ Leave a comment

Introduction: Flying The Nordic Shortcut to Europe
Cathay Pacific 777 Business Class Hong Kong to Bangkok
Oriental Residence Bangkok
Finnair A350 Business Class Bangkok to Helsinki
Hilton Helsinki Airport
Finnair A321 Business Class Helsinki to Amsterdam
Hotel Des Indes The Hague
Hotel Le Royal Luxembourg
Sofitel Brussels Le Louise
Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht
British Airways Lounge Amsterdam
British Airways A321 Economy Class Amsterdam to London
My Bloomsbury London
Finnair A350 Business Class London to Helsinki
Finnair A350 Business Class Helsinki to Hong Kong

We arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport around 3 hours before departure and made a beeline for the British Airways counters. Since we were at the airport so early, there was barely anyone in line. Thanks to my oneworld Ruby status, I was able to use the Club Europe check-in counters.

British Airways Amsterdam Airport Check-In

We cleared immigration and security, which were both quick and efficient. We ended up in the terminal with around two hours to kill. We made a beeline for the British Airways lounge, which we had access to thanks to my mothers oneworld Sapphire status. However, to reach the lounge, we spent around 20 minutes wandering around trying to follow poor signage to the lounge.

Continue reading “Review: British Airways Lounge Amsterdam” →

Review: Hong Kong Airlines Club Autus Lounge Hong Kong

April 6, 2018April 27, 2018 ~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

Hong Kong Airlines opened Club Autus in September 2017 as their new flagship lounge to accommodate premium passengers on the airline’s flights, a majority of which were now departing out of the Midfield Concourse. I was under the impression that an autus was some sort of flower, though the closest thing I could find to the word shaping any sort of meaning was in an alternate form of the Latin word auctus, which is the perfect passive participle of the word augeō, which means “to augment” or “to expand”.

Regardless, Club Autus is located one floor above the departures hall of the Midfield Concourse, with an escalator leading up to it in the duty-free area of the departures hall.

Hong Kong Airlines Club Autus Lounge Hong Kong Exterior

Continue reading “Review: Hong Kong Airlines Club Autus Lounge Hong Kong” →

Review: Hong Kong Airlines Club Bauhinia Lounge Hong Kong

April 6, 2018April 27, 2018 ~ Alvin ~ 1 Comment

Hong Kong Airlines has two hub lounges in Hong Kong. Prior to September 2017 the only option was Club Bauhinia, which was Hong Kong Airlines’ only lounge. It was renovated a few years ago, though the lounge has a relatively small footprint, which the airline couldn’t do too much about (the lounge is sandwiched between Cathay Pacific’s The Cabin and The Bridge – The Cabin is closing soon, so I’m wondering if Hong Kong Airlines is looking to use that space to expand their lounge). Prior to September this was their flagship lounge, so all of Hong Kong Airlines’ flights were using this lounge for premium passengers and Fortune Wings (Hong Kong Airlines’ frequent flyer programme) elites.

In the meantime they’ve opened Club Autus, their new flagship lounge at the Midfield Terminal, which I’ll be reviewing in the next installment.

My parents wanted to spend the early afternoon in Hong Kong Airport shopping, due to the late afternoon departure time of our flight. So for our 5 PM flight, we arrived Hong Kong Airport at 1:30 PM. That was good news for me, since I’d have plenty of time to check out Hong Kong Airlines’ lounge offerings, given I’ve reviewed Cathay Pacific’s lounge offerings extensively.

We got to the Airport Express station at 12:30 PM, though unfortunately Hong Kong Airlines uses a single check-in counter at Hong Kong Station’s in-town check-in for all passengers (in contrast, Cathay Pacific uses eight check-in counters, with separate check-in counters for first class, business class and premium economy). The line was five parties deep and took 30 minutes, but we made it through, and the process of getting airside was smooth after that.

Club Bauhinia is located in the main terminal near gate 25, around a 5-10 minute walk from immigration.

Hong Kong Airlines Club Bauhinia Lounge Exterior

Continue reading “Review: Hong Kong Airlines Club Bauhinia Lounge Hong Kong” →

Review: Qantas Business Class Lounge Sydney Airport

March 1, 2018 ~ Alvin ~ Leave a comment

Out of all the hub lounges I’ve been to, my three favourite business class lounges are Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouse at London Heathrow, Cathay Pacific’s The Pier Lounge Hong Kong, and Swiss’ Dock E Lounge in Zurich (more or less in that order, with Qatar Airways’ Al Mourjan lounge being a fourth). While I’d love to write a post dedicated to what I believe are the world’s best business class lounges, I have a couple more to visit this year that I believe will make the list, so I’ll hold that off until later this year.

Off the top of my head, I knew Qantas’ lounge at Sydney Airport wouldn’t make the list. While Qantas has a famously good first class lounge, the business class lounge has long seemed to be somewhat of an afterthought, with reports being that it’s drab, crowded, and aging. Qantas is planning on refurbishing this lounge, and the new lounge will be fully completed by the end of 2019.

With my family, my bags and somewhat low expectations, I headed to Sydney Airport at 1 PM for our 4 PM flight.

Sydney Airport Check-in Hall

Continue reading “Review: Qantas Business Class Lounge Sydney Airport” →

Make this post fly:

Like this:

Make this post fly:

Like this:

Make this post fly:

Like this:

Make this post fly:

Like this:

Make this post fly:

Like this:

Make this post fly:

Like this:

Make this post fly:

Like this:

Make this post fly:

Like this:

Make this post fly:

Like this:

Make this post fly:

Like this: