Hi,

The wife and I are traveling with our 2 kids (2y and 6m) from DEL - ORD via LHR. We arrive from DEL on BA CW at 1455 and then connect to an AA flight to ORD in Business leaving from T3. I assume with security and the bus ride between terminals we won't have much time left.

On looking up lounges in T3 I have noticed there are 3 options:

1. AA Admirals Club
2. BA Galleries Club
3. Cathay Business Class Lounge

Which out of these 3 would be best suited to our needs? I'd like somewhere I can shower quickly and get decent hot food for the adults as well as kids.
We are both BA Silver and are flying Club World/Business for the entire journey.

 

I like the showers at AA, then CX over BA. Food wise, I think BA may be the best, but I've only been to the F lounge, not J lounge. They are all near each other, so if you have time, try them all.

 

I was told that the Admirals Club doesn't have showers at all. I am trying to reconfirm that though. I was also told that the CX lounge has a noodle bar just like HKG so that would be good.

 

IINM T3 has an admirals lounge in arrivals as well. Maybe that one doesn't have showers.

 

All these lounges have showers.
The BA lounge has a kids area (toys, games...) - with children, that's what I'd go to, no contest.
The CX lounge indeed has a noodle bar which is very good.

 

The AA arrivals lounge is landside at T3 and most certainly has showers. However it's not a Oneworld lounge; access is only to those coming off premium cabins on AA metal. Same goes for the BA arrivals lounge at T5.

 

Well, I'm transiting and won't be going landside at all. So I'm only concerned with the airside OW lounges.

 

If you have the time check all three out. Kids will have more to do at BA, where, as already said, food & drinks are better. Even if using shower facilities, which are better at AA, you don't spend that much time showering.

With limited time and travelling with kids - BA.

At least it's the same water supported to all lounges

 

I connect regularly at LHR and have tried them all. I would rank them BA > AA, with advice to forget CX. As others said, BA has the edge in food and drinks, AA in showers. You'll have to keep track of time yourself; don't count on announcements. I use the alarm function of my wristwatch or mobile phone (the alarm works even if SIM card doesn't).

If you were alone with enough time, I would have advised you to lounge-hop and post your own comparison, but I understand that this may not be practical with family. (BTW, to avoid any inadvertent misunderstanding, the advice to forget CX only applies to LHR. Their lounges in HKG are fantastic.)

 

I also transit LHR frequently and fully agree with this. BA is where you want to go, their kids play area is well-stocked and in a separate room behind glass so your kids can get loud without bothering anyone. They have a wide variety of food options from either the buffet or the menu. Their showers are sub-par compared to AA, but I think the other components more than make up for it.

 

I would disagree, the CX lounge is a good product, with better showers and a good noodle bar. One observation for CX lounge, the 'first' offering is smaller and more crowded than the 'business' offering. I would choose CX over BA and AA.

Small addition, the AA flagship lounge has a good waiter service menu.

 

Since we're only BA silver and traveling in J we won't be able to use the flagship lounge. I'll try CX and BA J lounges.

 

They do have showers and my preference for showering. Then I'd head over to BA. If you don't have a much time, just go to BA.

 

Agreed.

AA gets the edge only for the showers.
BA is the best overall lounge of the three, particularly if you have kids.
CX is the one you can skip.

The only advantage I'd give to CX is that you can use their computers to download documents to the desktop and work with them (you can't do this at the AA lounge; I didn't try it at BA).

 

Everyone who says that BA has the best food options may be missing the times that the OP is travelling and/or the May 2013 changes to BA's lounge catering. Looking at the times that the OP is transiting, from 3 pm to I presume about 5/6 pm, there will be no hot food option in the BA GC apart from soup - only afternoon tea (finger sandwiches, fruit cake, biscuits...) There is no menu in GC either. Some of the earlier posts seem to refer to the offerings available in the AA FL / BA GF / CX F which doesn't help the OP as he has said (twice) he only has access to Business lounges.

Out of all three options, at the time the OP is travelling, CX will have the best hot food options (noodle bar, hot buffet) although 3-5 is also when rush hour for the CX lounge begins to start with the first of four evening flights about to depart at 6.