Review: the Cathay Pacific (and BA) lounge at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

This is my review of the Cathay Pacific lounge at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.

It was my second visit there this year and I am impressed by it.  I still haven’t been in the American Airlines lounge next door for comparison.

There is no longer a BA branded lounge but that is no great loss given what Cathay offers.  According to Flyertalk:

“BA have a relatively new branded check-in area located at Door 9 at basement level, in the connector building between T2A and T2C. There is a small seating area reserved for premium passengers, which has no privacy whatsoever and features some rather sorry looking faux-leather seats. The sentiment is good, but the execution is poor.”  

I have never seen this area since I was connecting through CDG on my two visits recently but it doesn’t seem that I missed much.

British Airways flights operate out of Terminal 2A in Paris.  There is a lounge ‘complex’ above the departure gates which houses Emirates, Etihad, American Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

Your first impression is not hugely impressive.  It is a big space, square, and with seating laid out in fairly regimented rows.  It has a very serious feel to it with none of the creativity that went into the BA Galleries lounges at Heathrow for example. See:

and

When you start to look more closely, you realise that this is actually a decent place to hang out.  There is a good selection of reading material.  The photo below is only about a quarter of the newspaper and magazine selection:

There is a good business centre:

And, most importantly, there is a very impressive selection of food.  I was there about 4pm and the hot food menu was offering:

• Sweet and sour chicken with pineapple
• Cod Bordelaise
• Pork with bamboo shoots and black mushrooms
• Provencal vegetable tian
• Roasted potatoes
• Thai rice

There is also a noodle chef who can knock up something for you on request plus, of course, a variety of cold dishes.

I took a mix and match plate (see below).

They also have Piper-Heidsieck champagne openly available.

The lounge was not particularly busy either last week or on my earlier visit.  The daily Cathay Pacific flight leaves at 1pm so it is relatively quiet after that.  It makes taking a British Airways plane rather than Eurostar a little more appealing.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (April 2025)

Here are the five options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,500 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here.

You can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £290 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A good package, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

Got a small business?

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

You should also consider the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card which has a lower fee and, as well as a Priority Pass for airport lounge access, also comes with Radison Rewards VIP hotel status:

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.