This is Part 5 of a multi-part series detailing my trip to Hong Kong and Cambodia, flying First Class and staying within a $350 budget for ALL expenses. If you haven’t read the first 4 parts yet, please check them out:

Part One: I am going to Hong Kong and Cambodia this week–How I put this trip together

Part Two: Finding a way home from Cambodia and my goal of keeping the total cost of this trip under $350

Part Three: Getting from DC to JFK; Stay at the Holiday Inn Express JFK with Points

Part Four: Cathay Pacific 777 First Class Review

Since Cathay Pacific does not have their own dedicated lounge at JFK, I was invited to use the British Airways lounge in Terminal 7. British Airways is a One World Alliance partner of Cathay.

After I cleared security, I followed signs to the lounge. When you arrive at the counter, the First Class lounge is on the left and the Business Lounge is on the right.

I went left and entered the First Class lounge. Overall the layout was nice with various seating areas and also tables to sit and eat.

I had skipped the continental breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express in hopes that the selection would be better in the lounge. I headed over to the food to check it out.

The selection was decent. Plenty of fresh pastries, cereals, and some hot offerings. There was also a full self-service bar including various liquors and beer.

There was also a dedicated self-service wine and champagne section.

I passed on the alcohol and made myself a cappuccino from the self-service espresso machine. I also fixed a plate with some fresh fruit and an english muffin. The hot selections included eggs, sausage, bacon, etc–but didn’t look terribly appetizing. I also wanted to save a bit of an appetite for the flight itself.

There were only a handful of people in the lounge when I arrived, maybe 8 total. Only 2 others were on my same flight, the others were all British Airways passengers. About mid-way through my breakfast a group of about 6 men arrived and were quite loud. They were talking loudly, and walking around constantly. It was pretty obvious that they were annoying everyone else in the lounge which had previously been pretty calm and quiet. Oh well, they actually didn’t stay long, and soon the lounge was back to “normal.”

Overall Review

This lounge was certainly above average compared with most lounges in the US, but definitely was showing some wear too. The food selections were decent, but service could have been improved. Lounge staff were hard to find at times to take dishes and replenish food at the buffet. There were several seating areas and a business area with several computers with internet access. Overall the chairs were comfortable and there was easy access to power outlets. The internet worked well.

I only spent about 45 minutes in the lounge, which was enough time to read the newspaper, have some coffee and a light breakfast and use the bathroom before heading to the gate around 8:15am for boarding.

Perhaps the best thing about this lounge (or almost any lounge) is that I didn’t have to pay any extra for the food and coffee. Thus, my budget for the trip remained intact. I did stop off at an ATM before boarding to get some US Dollars for the trip (since Cambodia primarily uses dollars for normal transactions.).

Total Cost through arrival at JFK:

• 3,036 Amtrak Points
• $8.34 for dinner
• $8.50 for a Beer
• $7.25 for LIRR
• $6.00 for AirTrain
• $2.00 Hotel Shuttle Tip
• 35,000 IHG points

Total Trip Cost Remained:

• $32.09

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