Cathay Pacific reopens The Bridge lounge at Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific’s The Bridge lounge at Hong Kong, temporarily shuttered and then “permanently” closed during the pandemic, is on the way back.

After being refreshed with furniture and other familiar elements from Cathay’s current lounge design template – already seen in Hong Kong at The Pier and The Deck, as well as in a half-dozen overseas lounges – The Bridge is expected to reopen its doors before the end of this year.

As it once was: Cathay's The Bridge lounge, Hong Kong.

The reopening of The Bridge comes as flagship The Wing lounges are closed for an extensive renovation tipped to last until 2027.

“We are committed to providing you with a premium lounge experience whilst The Wing is undergoing renovation,” Cathay Pacific says.

The Wing First “will close towards end of this year,” Cathay Pacific’s Chief Customer & Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau has previously told Executive Traveller, with a targeted reopening date of “end of 2025 or early 2026.”

Once the ribbon is cut on The Wing First, “we will progressively also refresh The Wing Business” from 2026, Lau said.

As it once was: Cathay's The Bridge lounge, Hong Kong.

The Bridge’s reopening is intended to help high flyers who will temporarily become homeless – or rather, loungeless – for at least the next three years while the first and business lounges within The Wing each receive their multi-million dollar make-over.

(The end result is expected to see The Wing more closely aligned with The Pier in embracing Cathay’s stylish lounge look developed by feted London designed Ilse Crawford and her StudioIlse team).

As it once was: Cathay's The Bridge lounge, Hong Kong.

However, it's not yet known whether The Bridge will serve only as a temporary short-term solution during The Wingless Years, or if it will remain open indefinitely.

Cathay first locked the doors of The Bridge in April 2020 at the start of the pandemic, and in August 2021 said the lounge would be permanently closed.

While the return of The Bridge  will bring some degree of cheer to many Cathay Pacific and Oneworld travellers, it’s not yet known how The Bridge will fit into The Wing and The Pier in terms of passenger access.

For example, will it temporarily be treated as a first class lounge and then later a business class lounge during each stage of The Wing closure, or will The Bridge be a single ‘premium lounge’ welcoming all lounge-worthy flyers?

Cathay Pacific’s The Bridge lounge

First opened in October 2013, The Bridge is adjacent to Gates 35-36 at the end of the main spine of Terminal 1, just as you come up from the Automated People Mover train and before the terminal splits into two ‘piers’.

As it once was: Cathay's The Bridge lounge, Hong Kong.

Obviously The Bridge’s location is less convenient than The Wing, at the very top of the terminal just after travellers pass through immigration, and many lounge-savvy flyers may opt to continue walking another five minutes to the comfort and familiarity of The Pier lounges around gates 67-80.

Originally designed with two ‘wings’ – one to each side of an elegant reception area created by an Italian Carrera marble bench and backlit wall – The Bridge’s footprint spanned a massive 2,560m² with capacity for 450 passengers – making it around the same size as The Wing Business Class lounge.

As it once was: Cathay's The Bridge lounge, Hong Kong.

Being a ‘downstairs’ lounge similar to The Pier, parts of The Bridge sport views across the airport’s operational area, apron and runway.

As it once was: Cathay's The Bridge lounge, Hong Kong.

Even in its first incarnation The Bridge sported a “residential design” that was in some ways a precursor to Cathay’s current lounge template, which debuted one year later at the December 2014 opening of Cathay’s Tokyo Haneda lounge.

As it once was: Cathay's The Bridge lounge, Hong Kong.

In recent months Cathay’s lounge design team has been readying The Bridge for its return, but with a clear The Pier influence.

Expect The Bridge 2.0 to look and feel more like The Pier.

Visitors can expect to see many of the same hallmark pieces of furniture, and grouped together in similar ways, as at many of Cathay’s latest-look lounges.

Expect The Bridge 2.0 to look and feel more like The Pier.

This will likely keep alive The Bridge’s original impression of “a living room environment, with natural sunlight filtering through the floor to ceiling windows”, as the airline once described it.

As it once was: Cathay's The Bridge lounge, Hong Kong.

The ‘northern’ wing of The Bridge originally included an opening dining room featuring a bakery turning our freshly-made bread and pizzas, to be enjoyed alongside Asian and Western soups, sandwiches, pastries and salads.

As it once was: Cathay's The Bridge lounge, Hong Kong.

This wing also featured the iconic Long Bar, where passengers could enjoy the view across the airport.

As it once was: Cathay's The Bridge lounge, Hong Kong.

The ‘southern’ wing included a self-serve bistro, a Coffee Loft cafe (a concept also seen at The Wing Business Lounge), nine shower suites and a ‘business zone’.

Executive Traveller will update this article with more on The Retun of The Bridge as additional details become known…