Cathay confirms “newly-designed flagship lounge” for Hong Kong
The Hong Kong loungescape is being elevated yet again...
By David Flynn, July 3 2024
Cathay Pacific is lifting its lounge game at Hong Kong with plans for what it describes as a “newly designed flagship lounge" at the Oneworld airline’s home port.
In announcing the news today, Cathay Group CEO Ronald Lam also cited the transformation of Cathay’s Beijing Lounge – which will move to a Pier-grade fitout and aesthetic – and the all-new Cathay Pacific lounge at New York’s JFK Terminal 6 as projects spanning “over the next three years."
It’s not yet known if this “newly designed flagship lounge” for Hong Kong will be a makeover of The Wing First and The Wing Business to Cathay’s ‘signature’ look, or a new lounge to emerge in space which opens up once other airlines relocate to Terminal 2 from 2025.
The Wing is one of Cathay's two Hong Kong flagship lounges.
As first reported by Executive Traveller last year, Cathay Pacific’s General Manager for Customer Experience & Design, Vivian Lo, said the “reallocation of airlines” would open up new possibilities for the Cathay loungescape.
“For the long term, and we are quite clear-minded about this, we want to focus our investment on Terminal 1,” Lo said, scuppering speculation that Cathay might move to T2.
“Whether it is an arrivals Lounge or a bigger flagship lounge is something that we’ll study, so we’re doing a lot of customer insights… for the future flagship lounge,” Lo shared at the time.
Executive Traveller understands that an arrivals lounge – which Cathay previously had in the corridor between T1 and T2 – is now off the cards.
Cathay's original HKG arrivals lounge.
Despite its compact size, the lounge was a common pit-stop for travellers alighting from early morning flights – a place where they could have breakfast, tackle some work on their laptops or freshen up with a shower before heading into the city for their first meeting of the day.
Cathay's original HKG arrivals lounge.
This popularity led to the lounge becoming quickly overcrowded to frustrating levels, but Cathay Pacific closed the lounge November 2018 saying “the premises will be returned to the lessor as part of the terminal redevelopment,” adding that “options for an alternative location are limited and not suitable” for the same purpose.
Cathay currently has two flagship lounges in The Wing and The Pier, each at different ends of Terminal 1 and reflecting different eras of lounge design – the former being a sharper commercial treatment by Foster & Partners, the latter a softer residential approach by Studio Ilse.
Executive Traveller has approached Cathay Pacific for comment and clarification on what this “newly designed flagship lounge" will mean for passengers.
Also read: Your complete Oneworld lounge guide for Hong Kong
21 Apr 2017
Total posts 49
This is interesting. I usually find Pier and Wing F are not too crowded however the J lounges most certainly can be. Always thought it was such a shame to close the Bridge which was a great space.
20 Nov 2015
Total posts 434
Possible third option to an "all-new" lounge and a refurb of The Wing, what if Cathay decided to reopen The Bridge, down past the APM stop where T1 splits into two 'piers', with an upgrade to The Pier design? The Bridge has been closed for years and while it was used by the airport as a staff or crew space during Covid it remains pretty much untouched, no airline or lounge operator or F&B group has taken it over. Maybe CX might be able to cut a really good rental deal on The Bridge, like Qantas did with its own HKG lounge, and it could take the pressure off The Pier for flights leaving from a bit further up T1's main concourse as well as flights leaving from gates along the 'other' pier to where The Pier lounges are.
QFF
12 Apr 2013
Total posts 1523
They already have The Best Pier Business lounge (I like it more than The Pier First would you believe it or not) and thus I am indeed intrigued what better than The Best they can do. Cannot wait.
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