KLM Crown Lounge at Pearson

Wow all the years of points-collecting finally turned out sweetly:  a Cathay Pacific business-class flight out from Toronto to Hong Kong!  But this post is not about the fancy business-class seat, meal choices, entertainment system  or treatment.  It’s about the KLM Crown Lounge.

Mine was a red-eye flight, boarding at around 1 am.  Nothing opens at the check-in hour (3 hours before the flight); let alone the boarding hour.  Knowing that business-class passengers get complimentary access to lounges, I researched a bit on the business lounges at Pearson before heading to the airport.  First I landed here .  Oooh… it closes at 10:30 pm…  no….  Then I looked further  and found that Cathay Pacific uses the KLM Crown lounge at Pearson.  Read some dated reviews and then I dialed my expectations way low.

Upon check-in, we got vouchers to the KLM Crown Lounge.

The place is small, with some very 90’s furniture.  It has about 30 tables scattered in a L-shaped space.  It provides a limited varieties of newspaper and magazines.  There weren’t too many people there then, so air was ok, tho I probably would not object if someone claimed that it’s stuffy when packed.   There is also free internet / wi-fi access tho speed is slow.  Now, food and drinks.  Hey, it’s more than just pretzels.  It has cup noodle, soup, PF cookies, party-mix snack, toast, mini pastries/quiche, Chinese-style dim sum, fruit etc.  As for drinks, it has beer, wine and liquor, coffee and tea (above par selection), soft drinks, juices, water etc.

Being able to wait comfortably in this lounge at this hour prior to the boarding was a bliss.

Not the fanciest business-class lounges Cathay Pacific employs for sure, and compare to the ones at HK International Airport, this may be considered on the pale end, but it’s not the worst for sure, and it does not suck.

Add a comment February 5, 2013