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Since I’d needed to check out of my hotel in Kuala Lumpur at 4pm, but my flight wasn’t until later that night, I had plenty of time to kill at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Between my onward ticket to New Zealand in Malaysia Airlines Business Class and my Priority Pass membership, I had several lounges I could potentially visit. With so much time, I decided to visit all of the ones I had access to in the KUL Satellite Terminal. My first stop was the Cathay Pacific Lounge, as it appeared to be the smallest of the three.
The Satellite Terminal at KUL is accessed via a short train ride from the main terminal. The building is in the shape of a plus sign, and the upstairs portion of the terminal houses all of the various airline lounges.
In the center of the building, a bit of forest has been preserved (or constructed, I suppose). It’s interesting to look at, though it would be even more impressive if they had actually turned it into a miniature zoo or botanical gardens you could venture out into while waiting for a flight.
The outside of the Cathay Pacific Lounge in Kuala Lumpur looks just most other Cathay Pacific Lounges. Gold lettering, plus a marble wall. They’re consistently recognizable.
Inside, the lounge had amazingly plush carpeting in the seating areas. After having walked around Kuala Lumpur all day, it was a welcome sight. Of course, it’s not like I did much walking in the lounge, since it was rather small, but it was still nice.
The Cathay Pacific Lounge has lots of seating, though it was quiet when I was visiting. There are around four flights per day from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong, so I think I had timed it in between flights. Plus, since most passengers should have access to the much-larger Malaysia Airlines lounge as well, I imagine that also draws some business away.
There was also business center inside the lounge.
The food selection was eclectic, to say the least.
There were soups, but sadly no typical Cathay noodle soup. Instead, there was Chinese borscht. I had no idea that there even was a Chinese version of borscht. There was also curry, but no rice or noodles with it.
There were some salads and some lame-looking sandwiches. Who wants a chicken ham or tuna sandwich? No, I did not leave out commas, the two choices were “chicken ham” and “tuna”.
Or perhaps a cup of instant noodles?
Not feeling the borscht? How about some Snow Fungus with Dried Longan Sweet Soup?
Kudos to Cathay Pacific for having some interesting local dishes, but these were more adventurous than I had much of an interest in right before being trapped in a tube for hours, so aside from a quick snack of some appetizers & desserts, I opted to wait until the next lounge, figuring they’d have different options.
As for drinks, the bar selection was very small, but since Malaysia is a Muslim country, I can give this a pass. That said, the non-alcoholic drink selection was also lame. If you’re not able to provide much alcohol, at least provide some decent non-alcoholic beverages.
Overall, the Cathay Pacific Lounge in Kuala Lumpur was my least favorite in the airport, and in fact it was my least favorite Cathay Pacific lounge I’ve ever been in. It’s comfortable & quiet, but that’s about all it has going for it. As far as how it compares to the other two lounges, you can read my reviews of the Plaza Premium and Malaysia Golden Lounge in the satellite terminal as well.
Given that they are both Oneworld members, it’s interesting that Cathay Pacific has their own small, pathetic lounge when Malaysia Airlines has a much larger lounge just across the terminal. Perhaps it’s a point of pride to have their own lounge, and they don’t care about the expense. Maybe it’s because Malaysia Airlines is a relatively new member of the Oneworld alliance, or they have no interest in sharing their flagship lounge, but given how much space there is in the Malaysia lounge, you’d think the two airlines could easily just combine operations there. It’s not as if Cathay Pacific appears to be putting much of an effort into their current space.
Read below for all of my posts about my trip around the Pacific Rim!
A trip around the Pacific Rim – Introduction
OneWorld Business Lounge Los Angeles LAX review
Cathay Pacific Business Class Boeing 777-300ER Los Angeles LAX to Hong Kong HKG review
Cathay Pacific Business Class Airbus A330 Hong Kong HKG to Kuala Lumpur KUL review
Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral review
A layover in Kuala Lumpur – Street markets & Petronas Towers
Cathay Pacific Lounge Kuala Lumpur KUL satellite review
Plaza Premium Lounge Kuala Lumpur KUL review
Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge Kuala Lumpur KUL satellite review
Malaysia Airlines Business Class Airbus A330-300 Kuala Lumpur KUL to Auckland AKL review
Air New Zealand Economy Class Airbus A320 Auckland AKL to Queenstown ZQN review
Queenstown Motel Apartments – Queenstown, New Zealand review
Queenstown, New Zealand – A Lord of the Rings tour
Day trip from Queenstown, New Zealand – Milford Sound
Queenstown, New Zealand – Skyline Queenstown
Craft beer in Queenstown, New Zealand
Queenstown to Franz Josef, New Zealand by bus
Hiking to Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand
Franz Josef to Nelson, New Zealand by bus
Fellworth House – Nelson, New Zealand review
A beer & wine tour through Nelson, New Zealand
The best craft beer in Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson to Wellington, New Zealand by bus and ferry via Picton
A nerdy day at Weta Workshop in Wellington, New Zealand
Exploring the museums & parks of Wellington, New Zealand
The best craft beer in Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington to Auckland, New Zealand by bus
New Year’s Eve in Auckland, New Zealand
A rainy New Year’s Day at the Auckland War Memorial Museum
A rainy day at the Auckland Art Gallery & New Zealand Maritime Museum
The best craft beer in Auckland, New Zealand
Emperor Lounge Auckland AKL review
Malaysia Airlines Business Class Airbus A330-300 Auckland AKL to Kuala Lumpur KUL review
Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur review
A layover in Kuala Lumpur – Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia & Jalan Alor
Malaysia Airlines Golden Regional Lounge Kuala Lumpur KUL review
Malaysia Airlines Business Class Boeing 737-800 Kuala Lumpur KUL to Hong Kong HKG review
A visit to Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong for dim sum
A rainy day in Hong Kong – Science Museum & Kau Kee noodles
Hong Kong – Victoria Peak & more great food
More dim sum in Hong Kong – Din Tai Fung & Dim Sum Square
A day trip to Macau from Hong Kong
Grand City Hotel Hong Kong review
The best craft beer in Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific The Cabin Business Class Lounge Hong Kong review
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Business Class Lounge Hong Kong review
Cathay Pacific Business Class Airbus A330-300 Hong Kong HKG to Osaka KIX via Taipei review
A layover in Osaka – Ramen, sushi, & exploring the city
JAL Sakura Lounge Osaka KIX review
JAL Business Class Boeing 787 Osaka KIX to Los Angeles LAX review
