Located in the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), this oneworld business-class lounge is branded by Qantas (QF), Cathay Pacific (CX), and British Airways (BA), though in practice it is primarily operated by Qantas. The lounge mainly serves passengers on international oneworld flights. On this trip, I was flying Japan Airlines (JAL, JL) business class from Los Angeles to Osaka as part of my Asian Hopper trip, so of course I couldn’t miss reviewing this oneworld lounge.
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Who can access the OneWorld Business Lounge LAX?
As a oneworld business-class lounge, the following travelers can enter:- oneworld Sapphire/Emerald elite members flying a oneworld airline, plus one guest; (AAdvantage elites cannot access when flying within North America, except Mexico City)
- Qantas Platinum One, Platinum, or Gold frequent flyers, or Qantas Club members (a paid membership similar to Admirals Club), when their next segment is on Qantas or Jetstar, plus one guest;
- Passengers flying on a oneworld airline in business class the same day, or before 6am the next day.
- Passengers holding a Jetstar Business Max fare ticket.
Entering the OneWorld Los Angeles lounge
After getting through the always-lengthy TSA security lines at TBIT—even in the priority lane—you just take the elevator up to the 5th floor and the large lounge sign is impossible to miss. Since JAL doesn’t print lounge invitations, I simply showed my boarding pass and was welcomed right in.
Once inside, my first impression was just how enormous this lounge is. Supposedly it can hold 600 guests. That makes sense, since many international departures from LAX are operated by large aircraft—such as Qantas’s A380 on LAX-SYD and British Airways’ A380 on LAX-LHR. Premium-cabin passengers alone can number in the hundreds on a single flight, and that doesn’t even include people entering through other methods, such as elite status. Also, since I arrived at 11:30am, before the main wave of international departures from TBIT, the lounge was not very crowded, and the bar area was completely empty. That made the space feel even more expansive.
There was also a wide variety of tables and chairs in the dining area, so you’re bound to find a seat that works for you:
Still, because the lounge is so large, sitting too far away makes it less convenient to grab food, so I picked a couch next to the dining area.
Breakfast
Since it was not noon yet, the lounge was still serving breakfast. No time to waste—time to start eating. Let’s take a look at what was available.
The Western breakfast spread included eggs, sausage, and all kinds of bread, including croissants. I can confirm the bread was actually pretty good.
Drinks were self-serve, with a beverage machine in the back, and of course there was also a coffee machine. Breakfast staples like orange juice were kept in separate containers that you could pour yourself at any time. Personally, I think that’s much more convenient than lounges where you have to rely on staff to pour your drinks for you (not that I’m saying it’s less embarrassing when you go back for too many refills).
Fifteen minutes later, two large plates of food, a large plate of fruit, a glass of orange juice, and a Coke had all disappeared into my stomach. As I ate, I kept thinking: thank goodness business class means no waiting in line for the lavatory... Of course, nothing happened on the flight in the end. In fact, I didn’t stop eating much on board either. At that point, there were less than 30 minutes until the 12:20 departure, so there was obviously no time for a shower. I wiped my mouth, dragged my bag, and ran 5 minutes to the gate, only to find that... boarding hadn’t even started yet.
I could have kept eating for another 5 minutes! With mock sorrow in my heart, I boarded my flight to Osaka.
Other airport lounges at LAX
Compared with Admirals Club, this international-focused oneworld business lounge is vastly better in terms of food, drinks, and overall design. Also in TBIT is Korean Air’s KAL Lounge, which can be accessed with Priority Pass Select. Its food is not as good as this lounge’s, but it is still a decent alternative. Have you visited any lounges at LAX? Let us know what you think!