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We were part of the lucky lot that snagged $600 roundtrip business class tickets to Asia on August 16, and by August 22nd we were Bangkok bound. Personally, I’m one to think that it was a genius marketing scheme by Hong Kong Airlines, but that’s not really here nor there, this is a lounge review! Since Hong Kong Airlines isn’t a member of any alliance, they’ve partnered with the Los Angeles International Lounge at LAX. We spent a very brief amount of time in the lounge, which in all honesty, was enough.
The Deets:
- When: August 2018
- Where: LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal
- Access: Business Class on Hong Kong Airlines
- Hainan, El Al, Japan Airlines, Fiji, Air Tahiti, and Phillipine Airlines
Location:
As soon as you’re through security make a left, head up on to the 6th Floor and you’ll see it, if you reach the Etihad lounge you’ve gone too far.
First Impression:
The lounge is clean, quite crowded, and small. In fact, had I not been reviewing the lounge I would have attempted to access the Korean Air Lounge on 5 with my priority pass. However, they’re known to turn Priority Pass member away when the lounge is crowded, and I’d never visited this lounge.
Common Space:
The lounge is broken up in a few separate seating areas. The first you see is the most conducive to work as most seats have access to power. Wifi is available throughout the lounge and worked quite well. Shoot to snag a seat outside overlooking the termainl – pretty great people watching from a bird’s eye view.
Food:
Snacks and a few cold sandwiches kept in the fridge. Booze is free pour with cooled wine and beer along side the soda, juice, and water.
Overall:
If you’re flying on Hong Kong Airlines, or one of the other ways of accessing the Lounge at LAX you’ll find a clean and comfortable lounge that will provide some snacks, a cold drink, and a great view of TBIT; however you won’t find a full meal, showers, or a luxurious experience offered by other LAX lounges. With that said, I certainly wouldn’t arrive overly early for your flight for the experience.
Want to read more of our #weekendwarrior trip to Bangkok and Back for 600 Bucks?
- Los Angeles International Lounge
- Hong Kong Airlines Business Class A350 Los Angeles to Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Airlines business class lounge – Club Autus
- American Express Centurion Lounge – Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Airlines A330 Business Class Hong Kong to Bangkok
- Waldorf Astoria Bangkok during its soft opening
- What it’s like eating in Asia’s #1 Restaurant – Gaggan
- Bangkok’s floating markets – Dumnoen
- Diora Spa – Thai massage and Ayurvedic treatments
- Peninsula Bangkok – Grand Deluxe Suite with River View
- Smalls Bar – the hidden Sathorn IT bar
- Miracle Lounge Bangkok BKK
- Sky City Marriott Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Airlines Business Class A350 Hong Kong to Los Angeles
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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