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The JAL Sakura lounge at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport is on Level 3 of Concourse D, and at the time of writing, is open between 19:00 and 21:55 on Wednesday and Sunday and between 05:35 and 09:55 and 19:05 and 00:55 on all other days.
The lounge can be accessed by travelers flying in First or Business Class with a oneworld airline on the day of entry, as well as oneworld Emerald and oneworld Sapphire members who are traveling (in any cabin) on a oneworld airline on the day of entry.
I found myself in the JAL lounge for two reasons.
Reason 1 – Qatar Airways (the airline I was flying with) doesn’t allow passengers who are traveling on a ‘Business Lite’ fare to use their lounge in Bangkok.
Qatar Airways sends ‘Business Lite’ passengers with elite status to one of the many ‘Miracle’ lounges in the airport but as I knew that this was a Priority Pass lounge, I was reasonably confident that the other oneworld lounges at the airport would be better.
Reason 2 – Because the Cathay Pacific lounge had closed for the day and I had to find somewhere else to do some work before my flight (click for a review of the Cathay Pacific Business Class lounge).
The lounge
After walking through the lounge doors and check-in with the lounge agents, you’ll find that like the Cathay Pacific Lounge, the JAL Sakura lounge spreads out from left to right and has a lot of windows looking out over the airport apron.
Unlike the Cathay Pacific lounge, the JAL lounge feels and looks more functional than comfortable, and is pretty nondescript.
The left side of the lounge is dedicated entirely to armchairs and work areas looking out over the airport.
There’s easy access to power from most seats in the lounge, but be aware that the power outlets are not universal, so some visitors will probably need an adapter if they want to charge larger devices.
The right side of the lounge has a few more work areas …
… areas with tables and chairs aimed at guests who are dining …
… and the lounge’s dining counter.
The Sakura lounge offers a mix of self-serve and menu items.
The self-serve items are mainly snacks (mini sandwiches, pastries, packets of chips, and packets of biscuits) …
… and a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Teas and coffees are available to order …
… and the slightly more substantial food items (to order) look like this:
I was glad that I had made the most of the food on offer in the Cathay Pacific lounge because this selection seemed like a step down and nothing really looked particularly appetizing.
The lounge has three further features that you should know about.
The first is the block of lockers available to guests near the lounge entrance.
The second is the phone booth where guests can go when making calls (something that every lounge in the world should have).
And the third feature are the lounge showers (I counted three) which look like this:
To access the showers you have to request a key from the reception desk, and if all are occupied, you can put your name on a waitlist.
Quick thoughts
As you can probably tell from the brevity of this review, I didn’t spend much time in the Sakura lounge and that was as much because I didn’t really like it as it was because I also wanted to investigate another lounge before my flight.
The seating was comfortable and the access to power outlets was impressive, but the overall feeling was one of a cold, clinical, functional space rather than one that’s welcoming and warm.
Keeping in mind that I visited at night, it’s possible that with a lot of light shining through the large number of floor to ceiling windows, this lounge would feel warmer and more like a nice place to spend some time, but I can’t be sure.
Based on what I saw, I don’t imagine that anyone spends any more time in here than they have to, and if you have access to the Cathay Pacific lounge, you’d have to be mad to choose this lounge over that one unless the Cathay Lounge is overflowing.
I should probably add that the lounge staff were friendly and that there was plenty of space (as you can see), but those two things can’t disguise the fact that this felt more like a good Priority Pass lounge than a oneworld lounge that flyers will look forward to visiting.
Bottom line
If you’re a oneworld flyer looking for somewhere to relax and to enjoy some food & drinks before your flight, this probably isn’t going to be the lounge for you – head to the Cathay Pacific lounge if you can.
If all you need is somewhere to get some work done and somewhere where there will be a desk/table at which you can sit, the JAL Sakura lounge may suit you better.
Personally, I’ll be using the Cathay lounge whether I need to work or relax as I much prefer its feel.
All articles in this series:
Qatar Airways 787-9 Business Class review (Ascent seat)
Hyatt Regency Oryx Doha mini review
Qatar Airways 777-300ER Business Class (non-Qsuite) review
Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok review
Review: Cathay Pacific Lounge Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport
Review: JAL Sakura Lounge Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport
Review: Miracle First & Business Class Lounge concourse G Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport
Qatar Airways Platinum Lounge Doha International Airport (South) review
Qatar Airways Qsuites Business Class 777-300ER review
Qatar Airways 787-8 Dreamliner Business Class review
