Hong Kong International Airport is a stronghold and a heaven for oneworld elite members. With Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon being home-base carriers and operating such a strong network of lounges in their home ports, one would naturally be very curious as to how another oneworld lounge may compare.

That’s why, this time round I decided to try the Qantas Lounge rather than head to Cathay’s The Wing, given that oneworld elite members can also gain entry to the Qantas lounge.

The Qantas Hong Kong lounge is located to the immediate right hand side right after immigration and security checks, and easily missed if you don’t know where is it. Overseeing gates 15 & 16, the lounge features a high ceiling and plenty of natural light during the day and an abundance of space.

The present lounge opened in 2014, featuring an international concept that catered to both first and business class passengers. The design is contemporary and influenced by the airport itself, featuring a lot of triangles similar to what you get from the airport’s ceilings.

Opened from 11.30am to midnight daily, the lounge changes its offerings throughout the day to cater to the different profiles of its key customers. Early in the day, the lounge serves mainly JAL business class passengers, while the evening and night crowd serves the redeye Qantas and British Airways customers.

I got in at about 5pm in the evening to check out its offerings and also to get some work done before my overnight Qantas flight to Sydney. I was immediately impressed with the amount of space and natural light, although the evening sun was starting to come in.

The lounge is longish and features several zones. When you first enter, the bar greets you with the lounge’s signature roast proudly displayed behind it. The next zone features the restaurant style dining area, where you will get table service during the evening peak.

Further in there’s the self service buffet bar, as well as coffee tables and armchairs where guests who don’t want to dine can lounge at. Right at the other end from the entrance is another self-service drinks bar, stocked with sodas, an espresso machine and wines.

The food was amazing. Let me just give you a list of what they offer in the evening:

Made-to-order

• Barbecue pork & roast pork rice
• Beef brisket noodles
• Barbecue pork buns
• Stir fried prawns with rice

Small bites served in trolleys

• Dumplings in soup
• Siew mai
• Tempura prawns
• Deep fried beancurd with salt and pepper

How’s that for a lounge offering?

On top of that, there’s the full buffet bar with 5-6 different salads, cheese, and 3 hot dishes, similar to what was available in the Singapore Qantas lounge.

There’s also a full bar, serving up all kinds of cocktails. In the early evening, there will be a trolley full of cocktails meeting customers right at the entrance, so guests can just grab one on their way in.

The signature drink, Chi Chi, features a dark rum, complete with pineapple juice, lime juice, vanilla syrup and topped with a kaffir lime leave.

Overall, you can see that Qantas has definitely up the ante with its offering in Hong Kong. Competing directly with Cathay’s suite of lounges given that both carriers are in oneworld, the Qantas Hong Kong lounge is definitely a worthy alternative for those who wish to avoid the crazy crowds at Cathay’s lounges.

Also, with that crazy amount of food  – especially made-to-order food – on offer, they have enough to create a complete restaurant menu, so I’ll definitely be back again for another dinner some time.