Cathay Pacific’s new Haneda Airport lounge showcases a new direction for the airline’s lounge network in line with its recent brand refresh.
Read our review of Cathay Pacific's new Haneda Airport lounge
The space has been designed by Ilse Crawford’s London-based creative firm Studioilse, which will also oversee a similar revamp of The Pier First Class lounge at Hong Kong.
Crawford’s gone big on warm natural materials such as wood and stone, such as cherry wood walls and a limestone floor, with sunlight filtering through the windows.
Add natural plants and local artwork and it’s all aimed at making the space more like an upscale living room for relaxing than a cold airline lounge for transiting.
There’s also a strong focus on food and beverage services. The dining area features Cathay Pacific’s iconic The Noodle Bar – familiar to frequent flyers from the airline’s Hong Kong lounges – with freshly prepared dishes including Dan Dan Noodles and wonton noodles in soup.
“Authentic Japanese breakfast items and French toast” will also be available daily until 11am.
Another dining highlight is the Food Bar where passengers can enjoy a wide selection of lighter items such as wraps, sandwiches, quiches and salads, as well as barista-made coffee, pastries and other desserts.
The Bar serves up freshly-blended cocktails plus a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
The Bureau is the lounge’s workspace with four iMacs running both MacOS and Windows and connected to printers. And as you’d expect, Wi-Fi throughout the lounge is fast and free.
The range of designer furniture and lighting includes bespoke chairs and side tables with inbuilt lamps and sockets placed by the windows, where passengers can enjoy the view over airport runway and beyond.
Other Studioilse design touches include glazed screens and green ceramic tiles in The Noodle Bar and bronze highlights in the main entrance and the Food Bar.
Studioilse's aim was “to create an environment that makes passengers feel good, engaging the senses and focusing on wellbeing as a core principle.”
The combined business/first lounge is located on Level 6 of the new wing of Haneda's international terminal, adjacent to Gate 114.
Spanning 990 square metres with seating for 190 people, it’s one of the largest Cathay Pacific lounges outside Hong Kong.
The new Haneda Airport lounge officially opens on the morning of Tuesday December 9, ahead of the first of Cathay Pacific's two daily flights between Haneda and Hong Kong.
Earlier this year Cathay's Oneworld partner Japan Airlines revamped its first class (above) and business class (below) lounges at Haneda.
Photos: Japan Airlines' new first class lounge at Tokyo Haneda
The only other Oneworld airlines flying to Haneda are British Airways and Qatar, with Qantas joining them from August 2015.
However, Cathay Pacific's new lounge design will be showcased to maximum effect in The Pier First Class lounge at Hong Kong International Airport when The Pier re-opens in mid-2015.
The Pier is tipped to include curtained cabana-style booths as seen below.
Another shot supplied by Cathay Pacific teases more of the refreshed lounge stylebook.
As Australian Business Traveller previously reported, The Pier lounge will be themed around the concept of a luxury apartment, taking its cue from the residential feel of The Bridge but takes several upscale strides.
“It’s going to feel like a luxurious apartment” confirmed Ali Ahmadi, the Cathay Pacific exec in charge of lounges.
Read our review of Cathay Pacific's new Haneda Airport lounge
David Flynn travelled to Tokyo as a guest of Cathay Pacific.
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
12 Jun 2014
Total posts 71
Great will be in HK in 3 weeks and fly CX will definitely give it try if I make yo the airport on time!
07 Oct 2012
Total posts 1250
Don't think being in HKG will help you.
12 Jun 2014
Total posts 71
LOL thank you I meant HND.
Not it easy typing on the phone!
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3006
Love those green tiles by the bar!
Elegant, simply elegant!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Nov 2011
Total posts 121
Between QF and CX, we really do have some of the most beautiful lounges in the world here in the Asia/Pacific region.
Now if only we could somehow get them to play nicely together...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Aug 2012
Total posts 2199
The tiles are greener on the other side.
20 Feb 2012
Total posts 125
never happen CX and QF have hated each other since CX was launched same with BA and CX the whole OW alliance thing only happened because CX did not think alliances were a good idea when star launched ( CX isolationist tendencies which still exist) CX would have joined star ( close LH relationship etc) if they knew alliances were beneficial then - OW was basically their ( we need to be in an alliance so suck it up) and that attitude has stayed- it explains why CX has never added a real member to OW until Sri Lankan ( which does not really count because BA actually pushed them in and then let CX take over) there is a reason why every year there is always a whisper of CX leaving OW from management...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
12 Jun 2011
Total posts 148
One can only hope.
CX and BA seem to be pretty chummy lately, and they do have a strong link together.
20 Feb 2012
Total posts 125
yup right now out of convenience but CX has hated BA and vice versa for more of their existence then they like each other...
there was a time when CX was the new kid on the block... a time when BA and QF controlled Hong Kong
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Aug 2012
Total posts 2199
They're now all mortal enemies, all three of them. It's just that when BA got kicked out by QF, they went to CX only because it was better than sticking it out alone.
20 Feb 2012
Total posts 125
fyi
Cathay also launched Manchester today
CX now officially has the fastest way to Manchester from Australia!
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