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What are the lounge options when flying in first with BA from Hong Kong?

Myself and OH are travelling in First, I am a Gold card holder and think my girl friend would have gone back down to Bronze by then. On the BA website it suggests the Qantas Hong Kong Lounge, is this any good, or can my Gold card get me in to something better?

LondonElite

The CX options are much better. Try the Wing or the Pier and enjoy the noodles. Search on the CX forum for the most recent updates, but I always avoid the boring BA/Qantas offering.

LDNConsultant

+1 on the Wing or the Pier.

There are numerous trip reports that will highlight (+ pictures) of current offerings in HKG.

johnaalex

+2 on the Wing or the Pier.

LTN Phobia

The Pier no longer has a first class section. If you want a first class lounge, you need to go to the Wing. Turn left immediately after security and immigration and you're there.

I don't particularly recommend the noodles specifically - the buffet has a good variety of dishes and there is also a nice table service menu. The food section is effectively at the back of the lounge.

For details, see: http://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_A.../the-wing.html

Genius1

The Qantas Hong Kong Lounge has recently opened, and although it's a joint F/J lounge, it's pretty good by all accounts and is modelled on their new SIN lounge with some subtle changes. Turn right immediately after security, staying on the same level.

The only proper F lounge currently open is CX The Wing First Class - very swish. Turn left immediately after going through security, staying on the same level.

There are 4 other CX lounges - The Wing Business Class, The Bridge, The Cabin, and The Pier Business Class, all on the level below security and one level below that in the case of the latter three lounges.

There are lots of trip reports featuring reviews of these lounges on FT and other websites if you Google. CX and QF have official info on their respective lounges.

oneworld.com/lounges list all lounge options at airports for future reference (although for HKG hasn't been updated yet with the new QF lounge replacing the two previous lounges).

Moomba

There is a roped off separately waiter serviced section in The Pier that caters for F passenger though. The staff will bring you noodles from the Noodle Bar.

Your directions to the Wing are making the assumption that the passenger uses the security entrance near the CX counters. Wouldn't someone using the BA check-in desks use the security at the other end of the airport?


In fact someone from the CX forum actually suggest CX flyers take a look.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/catha...rth-visit.html

Globaliser

That would be the natural thing to do.

Directions: After security and immigration, turn left and walk towards the restaurant area on that level. Keep going right the way through the restaurant area to the other side, then bear left. The entrance to the first class section of The Wing should be signposted in front of you.

The self-confident can keep as far over to the left-hand side as possible, walking along the narrow passageway that's behind the food outlets, next to the side of the atrium that looks down into the arrivals level. That's actually the shortest walking route, but you may sometimes have to find a passing place when confronted by a cleaner's trolley going the other way.

Dr Dave

I visited the new QANTAS lounge (located where the old QANTAS / BA lounge was - turn right immediately after security) last week. It's a revelation. They have doubled the size of the old lounge and refitted it completely. Whilst there are some quirks (a very odd choice of flooring for example), it is an excellent space. The food and drinks service is very good indeed. There is no separate F lounge, as in Singapore, but to be honest there is no need.

I don't really like the Wing F lounge - I find it to be over-crowded and uncomfortable, with very (very!) poor wifi. My plan from now on would be to eat in the Wing in the sit-down restaurant (which is quite good, though suffers from tiny portions) and then to spend the remainder of my time in the new QF lounge. This worked well for me in my 7 hour transit from Sydney a week ago.

Land-of-Miles

The lounge staff on entry will direct you to the roped off section. We were escorted there earlier. I have always thought that the pier was dark and dingy however my revelation today was that this was the first time I have been there during the day and it is much brighter in daylight

If someone was to want to combine a visit to they wing and the pier (perhaps because they are departing from the 60 or 70 gates) it can make sense to take one of the golf carts which are a bargain at Ł5 each to avoid the schlep.

kitbag1984

The wing is much better than any if the other lounges. The seperatley resteraunt area has high quality food and the shower/cabanas are the best I have ever seen in a lounge.

It all makes the other lounge, and even CR dull in comparison.

corporate-wage-slave

So both lounges have been recently refitted, and I am going to vote for Qantas. It's modern, spacious and very comfortable, with a lot of variety of seating whether travelling as a single, as a couple or as a family. They have cunningly arranged the seating so that family suitable seating is someway from the solo chairs! The Wing - after it's refit - strikes me as sterile and not terribly comfortable, and the food is nothing like as good as CCR (though I accept the correct comparison is with Flounge). But try both, see what you think!

You are best to go to The Wing first, since it's some way from the Qantas lounge. If you are on the A380, both lounges are some way from the usual departure area (right at the far end of the airport) and if you're pushed for time you'll have to make do with the Pier or Bridge, and neither are as good as Qantas or the Wing. If 777 then Wing then Qantas, quite straightforward. Boarding for the A380 starts 45 minutes before departure time, and it's a good 15 minutes from The Wing / Qantas lounge.

These lounge locations indeed are a bit confusing since HKG, like T5, has North and South Security, but they don't advertise them as clearly as T5. If you look on the pillars you will see letters A through to K. A is the Cathay end, with easy access to The Wing, K is the Qantas and BA end, if checking in at the airport. If hand baggage only, or checking in at HKG Island or Kowloon, then you may as well stay at the end of the train from HKG and go through the Cathay security end, then indeed left for The Wing.

If you decide to check in at the airport and want to go to The Wing, then you can certainly follow the restaurant route described above, but it's quite confusing to do it. It's a lot easier to walk the length of the check in area towards zone A/Cathay area, and go through security at that end.

Land-of-Miles

To access the F wing you are best using security near the ABC check in areas, not sure if that is South or North. You can access the lounge then straight from security rather than going down and up. This only works for the F side.

I agree the F Wing is a bit sterile as is the whole of the pier.

I prefer the CCR.

morges1

Agree, Globalizer, that's definitely the best way to go.

Remember if you on BA26, it goes from gate 62 (the far end!), so you can either go straight to the Pier (opposite gate 64) or start at the Wing, have dinner if you don't want to eat on the plane and then wander over to the Pier for a final nightcap before boarding.

xenole

Easy enough to walk the 20m or so over there
I prefer to get things myself and have the opportunity to browse as something may catch my eye (such as the spicy potato wedges and Coke machine)

They do have some sandwiches, cake etc in that area and a menu with 3-4 things like fish (Ling) /chips you can order.