A guide and review of premium lounges in Narita Airport (NRT) for American Airlines and Cathay Pacific

I thought I’d post this entry to help travelers who are looking for the premium lounges in Narita Airport in Japan.

The premium lounges that I went to were the American Airlines Admiral’s Club, and Cathay Pacific’s lounge. They were both located in the OneWorld area of the airport.

Right around the corner (to the left) of where you pick up your boarding passes is an elevator. Simply get into the elevator and take it to the 4th floor. (Note how smooth the elevator ride is… Japanese elevators are tuned to be smooth, whereas NYC elevators are tuned to be jerky.)

When you get to the 4th floor, this map will help you find the lounge you are looking for:

As I said, I went to 2 lounges.

The American Airlines Lounge was full of… well… Americans. Both times I went it was quite crowded, a bit stuffy, and rather noisy. It did have a nice place for you to get work done, showers, and a desk of very helpful, English speaking agents to help you deal with boarding pass, upgrade, and other issues. The beverage selection was ok, as was the snack food. Not great. Oh, and if you smoke, go here. If I had to describe it in a word: crowded.

Here is a picture of some people sitting (click to enlarge):

The Cathay Lounge was much quieter and had free Wifi Internet Access. (Note that you could also use this free Wifi if you are sitting at the shared wall between the Cathay and the American lounge.) The snacks were far better, and it was easy to get a seat. There was also a telephone room where you could talk loudly on the phone (”CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?”) without disturbing others. The desk agent’s command of English wasn’t all that great. I now wonder if she spoke Chinese, but since my Cantonese is awful, I didn’t even think of it. If I had to describe the lounge in a word: empty.

Here is a picture of the snack area (click to enlarge):

Another note about NRT, it seemed like people were almost always missing the AA flights, or on the verge of missing them. There were a lot of last last last last last calls. So beware and be diligent.

Happy Travels!