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Old Oct 29, 2013, 2:12 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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Lounge Admittance Policy and Guest Admittance Policy
Please see this link for details of lounge admittance for:
  • Marco Polo Members
  • Oneworld status holders
  • Business and First Class Passengers
  • People not flying Cathay Pacific or Dragonair
  • Guests


The following FAQs are addressed below:
  • What lounges does Cathay Pacific operate at HKIA (aka “what are my choices”)?
    • Which departures lounge should I use?
      • I am not a Marco Polo Club member. I am not travelling on a Cathay Pacific or Dragonair flight. Can I use one of the lounges?
        • I am arriving off CX First Class and connecting to a CX or KA flight in Business Class. Can I access the First Class lounge during my transit?
          • Can I visit multiple lounges?
            • Do operational-upgrades (op-ups) come with upgraded lounge benefits?
              • Do mile-upgraded (award) tickets come with lounge benefits?
                • What if I want to meet up with fellow FlyerTalkers in CX lounges?
                  • Transiting through HKG and getting to the lounges
                    • Is it possible to visit airside lounges during a transit and then exit the airport?





What lounges does Cathay Pacific operate at HKIA (aka “what are my choices”)?
Cathay Pacific (together with subsidiary Dragonair) operate the following lounges at Hong Kong:

Departure lounges:
  • The Wing - First Class
  • The Wing - Business Class
  • The Pier - First Class
  • The Pier - Business Class
  • The Cabin - Business Class - Closed as of 1 May 2018
  • The Bridge - Business Class
  • The Deck - Business Class

All departure lounges are airside and are only accessible by passengers who have an onward boarding pass and who have cleared security and passport control.


Which departures lounge should I use?
Depending on your access entitlement, you can use any lounge in the terminal. You should check how long it takes to get to your departure gate from the lounge you choose

Food
  • The Wing - F Class, there is a buffet restaurant, and an a-la-carte menu, and a Champagne bar.
  • The Wing - J Class, there is a new Coffee Loft concept offering freshly brewed coffee and freshly baked pastries. Compared to The Pier, there is also a wider selection of savoury foods.
  • The Pier - F Class has an a la carte restaurant, and no buffet. It is the newest of the lounges, and the most up to date in Cathay's service offering.
  • The Cabin has The Deli and the Health Bar which offer made-to-order hot sandwiches and antipasti, and fresh juices. There is also a small western and Asian food buffet. There is no separate F class dining or seating at The Cabin. The Cabin is permanently closed.
  • The Bridge features The Bakery, which offers freshly baked bread and pizzas, as well as sandwiches, pastries, Asian and Western soups, and fresh salads. There is no separate F class dining or seating at The Bridge.
    F Class Lounge Menus: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/catha...nge-menus.html

For details of what facilities are offered in each lounge, please refer to the links on the Cathay Pacific/Dragonair websites:

Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Airport Lounges


AusBT reviews of new CX lounges:
The Wing Business Class Review
The Wing First Class Review
The Bridge
The Pier First Class
The New Pier Business Class lounge



Discussion on CX Lounges World Wide:
New - The Bridge
The Wing - The Best Oneworld Business Lounge in the network?
Review of new F wing
Cathay Pacific – Chicago (ORD) Lounge
New CX lounge in SFO???
The New Pier First and Business Class lounges
The New Pier Business Class Lounge
London Heathrow lounge experience
The Deck



I am not a Marco Polo Club member. I am not travelling on a Cathay Pacific or Dragonair flight. Can I use one of the lounges?

Please see the above section which include details on Admittance policies.

The following can access Cathay Pacific lounges to the extent as detailed in the above admittance policy:
  • First and Business Class passengers flying oneworld marketed and operated flights, class of lounge depending on class of travel
  • Oneworld Sapphire members (including Marco Polo Gold members) departing on a oneworld marketed and operated flight, J lounges
  • Oneworld Emerald members (including Marco Polo Diamond members) departing on a oneworld marketed and operated flight, F or J lounges
  • Marco Polo Silver members departing on a Cathay Pacific or Cathay Dragon marketed and operated flight, J lounges (any lounge provided by CX to J passengers except for JFK, where SL members are directed to the Admiral's Club when it is open)
  • Marco Polo Silver, Gold, and Diamond members departing on a Cathay Pacific or Cathay Dragon marketed flight operated by another carrier, class of lounge depending on status, for Cathay Pacific-owned lounges only, if physically accessible and open.

If you do not fall into any of these categories you are out of luck (or you can be guested in).


I am arriving off CX First Class and connecting to a CX or KA flight in Business Class. Can I access the First Class lounge during my transit?
Yes. You will be issued with two lounge invitations when you check in for your flight, one for use at your outport and one for use in Hong Kong. Your Hong Kong lounge invitation will clearly display an invitation to "The Wing/Pier/Cabin/G16 Lounge - FIRST CLASS".
There is some discussion at this thread regarding long transits between a First Class and Business Class flights and lounge entitlement: F lounge use when departing J after long next day transit

Can I visit multiple lounges?
Yes. Although the lounge invitation is collected upon entry, a lounge invitation is not required to enter a lounge. Your boarding pass showing cabin and status, and your frequent flyer card if you are relying on oneworld access privileges, is sufficient. The first time you use a boarding pass to enter, the gate staff will need to scan it to check entry eligibility. A re-entry stamp will then be stamped on your boarding pass, this is so that subsequent entries using that boarding pass will not need it scanned.


Do operational-upgrades (op-ups) come with upgraded lounge benefits?
No. This is because an operational upgrade relates solely to needing to re-seat a passenger on board. There is no operational reason to provide other benefits associated with the upgraded travel class such as lounge entry, priority baggage, or bonus miles.

For example, unless he has status etc. allowing first class lounge entry, a business class traveller upgraded to first class for operational reasons will receive a first class boarding pass paired with a business class lounge invitation. Attempts to use the first class boarding pass to enter a first class lounge will be denied when the lounge agent scans his boarding pass. Similarly, an economy or premium economy class passenger op-up'ed to business class does not receive lounge benefits.


Do mile-upgraded (award) tickets come with lounge benefits?
Yes, award tickets have the same lounge benefits as a regular ticket.


What if I want to meet up with fellow FlyerTalkers in CX lounges?
You could try having a look at this thread: Lounge Meetup Master Thread


Transiting through HKG and getting to the lounges

To provide an idea of where the lounges are located throughout the airport:
  • The Wing is near gates 1-4, G16 is near Gates 15-19. Both of these are on the far east side of the concourse - the Wing is southeast, and G16 is northeast.
  • The Cabin is near gate 21, centrally located also on the eastern side of the concourse.
  • The Bridge is centrally located on the west side of the concourse, within a five minute walk from all gates 30-71. This is probably the most strategically located of all the lounges given the volume of gates it is close to.
  • The Pier is on the northwest side of the concourse, nestled among the 60s gates.
  • *As of now, there is no lounge on the southwest side of the concourse (gates 40), but the Bridge is no more than a 5 minute walk from all of the 40s gates.

When transiting, you can use any transit point as they all lead to the same departures area of the airport. You can utilize any transit checkpoint to successfully reach your departure gate without much difference in walking time Therefore, if you see a transit point with no queue, just use it - you don't need to go to a transit point near your next departing gate. From experience, E1/E2 transit points are the points with the most congestion, but maximum time waiting through these points is about 15 minutes.


Is it possible to visit airside lounges during a transit and then exit the airport?

**Updated, this no longer seems possible, per this thread: Stuck in HKG without being able to Exit , previously there was some view that it may be possible, but this appears to be moot: Using HKG departure-side lounges before clearing immigration
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Lounge Access and other Lounge FAQs

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Old Dec 8, 2019, 4:14 am
  #1756  
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: ZRH
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Originally Posted by Texter
Yes. Was granted access in June as OWE.
Awesome, thanks!
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Old Dec 8, 2019, 5:39 am
  #1757  
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
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Went to PVG quite early before my BA flight to LHR. Planned to go to the CX lounge until it closed and then move over to the BA contract lounge. I'm OW Emerald and when I went to CX desk, the agent informed me of the lounge closing time and said I was welcome in until they closed, but that I would then be unable to use the BA lounge. Have never had this be the case anywhere else. I opted not to go in and when I went to the BA lounge, they simply glanced at my BP and let me in. Didn't scan it or anything.

Anyone know if this is a new policy?
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Old Dec 8, 2019, 4:44 pm
  #1758  
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
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Originally Posted by 777Pax
Went to PVG quite early before my BA flight to LHR. Planned to go to the CX lounge until it closed and then move over to the BA contract lounge. I'm OW Emerald and when I went to CX desk, the agent informed me of the lounge closing time and said I was welcome in until they closed, but that I would then be unable to use the BA lounge. Have never had this be the case anywhere else. I opted not to go in and when I went to the BA lounge, they simply glanced at my BP and let me in. Didn't scan it or anything.

Anyone know if this is a new policy?
No she was making it up. Where there are several oneworld lounges you can use at an airport you are free to use one/two/all of them if you want, you are not limited to one lounge visit per departure.
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Old Dec 10, 2019, 12:29 am
  #1759  
formerly Guanran Wang
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
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Originally Posted by 777Pax
Went to PVG quite early before my BA flight to LHR. Planned to go to the CX lounge until it closed and then move over to the BA contract lounge. I'm OW Emerald and when I went to CX desk, the agent informed me of the lounge closing time and said I was welcome in until they closed, but that I would then be unable to use the BA lounge. Have never had this be the case anywhere else. I opted not to go in and when I went to the BA lounge, they simply glanced at my BP and let me in. Didn't scan it or anything.

Anyone know if this is a new policy?
Staffer in mainland China often gives false information and is just generally unfamiliar with FFP rules etc.
Sometimes it's a good thing like they give OWE free same-day change (a benefit only to DMs supposedly)
Other times (as your case), misleading.
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Old Dec 13, 2019, 7:53 am
  #1760  
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 2,506
Thoughts on Pier J vs Plaza Premium First (i.e. the upgraded PP lounge, not the standard ones)? Arriving at 5a off a longhaul, connecting on a shorthaul. Plan to shower immediately, then have a cappuccino, breakfast, and a couple drinks. I like the idea of a free 10 min massage with PPF, and the food looks a bit better as well. Downside is the upcharges seem aplenty (ordering extra food, premium drinks, etc.), which I'm not a huge fan of at a lounge. When we did The Pier earlier this year, my partner loved the tea room.

Through my cards and such, I can get access to PPF for 2 people for HKD250 total (HKD125 each). I'm willing to pay it if it is a slight step up, but not if it's likely a wash.
lowfareair is offline  
Old Dec 13, 2019, 8:56 am
  #1761  
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Originally Posted by lowfareair
Thoughts on Pier J vs Plaza Premium First (i.e. the upgraded PP lounge, not the standard ones)? Arriving at 5a off a longhaul, connecting on a shorthaul. Plan to shower immediately, then have a cappuccino, breakfast, and a couple drinks. I like the idea of a free 10 min massage with PPF, and the food looks a bit better as well. Downside is the upcharges seem aplenty (ordering extra food, premium drinks, etc.), which I'm not a huge fan of at a lounge. When we did The Pier earlier this year, my partner loved the tea room.

Through my cards and such, I can get access to PPF for 2 people for HKD250 total (HKD125 each). I'm willing to pay it if it is a slight step up, but not if it's likely a wash.
There's only two shower rooms in PPF. I have to wait for about 90 minutes for them on a weeknight early last month, no idea about mornings. Pier J has a lot more shower rooms.

Pier bar is better. PPF food is marginally better but not enough to offset the other shortcomings viz-a-viz Pier J.

Certain local cards have three free PPF passes/year.
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Old Dec 13, 2019, 12:52 pm
  #1762  
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 2,506
Originally Posted by percysmith
There's only two shower rooms in PPF. I have to wait for about 90 minutes for them on a weeknight early last month, no idea about mornings. Pier J has a lot more shower rooms.

Pier bar is better. PPF food is marginally better but not enough to offset the other shortcomings viz-a-viz Pier J.

Certain local cards have three free PPF passes/year.
Thanks! I'll likely stick with Pier. I'm a bit of a lounge nerd (weird, I know) and would consider PPF if I was by myself just to see it, but if I have someone in tow, they would MUCH rather walk into an available shower stall with a downgrade in food than the opposite.
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Old Dec 13, 2019, 1:39 pm
  #1763  
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Programs: CX ows, DL E+
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Originally Posted by lowfareair
Thoughts on Pier J vs Plaza Premium First (i.e. the upgraded PP lounge, not the standard ones)? Arriving at 5a off a longhaul, connecting on a shorthaul. Plan to shower immediately, then have a cappuccino, breakfast, and a couple drinks. I like the idea of a free 10 min massage with PPF, and the food looks a bit better as well. Downside is the upcharges seem aplenty (ordering extra food, premium drinks, etc.), which I'm not a huge fan of at a lounge. When we did The Pier earlier this year, my partner loved the tea room.

Through my cards and such, I can get access to PPF for 2 people for HKD250 total (HKD125 each). I'm willing to pay it if it is a slight step up, but not if it's likely a wash.
I've been to PPF twice, both around afternoon times, so I can't vouch for how busy it can get during the morning, but I highly doubt it would be buzy as the normal PPL next door. I've never needed to wait for the showers, and massage was offered upon arrival. I am fan of CX showers though, and you will have a much bigger chance for shower without waiting at Pier J.

Though the food item from the menu isn't the same as fine dining in a proper restaurant, I think it gets pretty close, given it's airport lounge food. I definitely think the a la carte food is way better than anything you can find in Pier J (maybe except for Dan Dan Noodles which are still my favorite of CX),the Beyond Burger was suprisingly good, I might say it was better than the Angus Beef Burger I tried in Pier F!

Some photos for reference, taken end of Oct earlier this year:




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Old Dec 13, 2019, 1:53 pm
  #1764  
 
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Searched and could not find a definitive answer to this. I will be arriving HKG in paid first on Cathay and departing on a star alliance carrier on a separate ticket. Is it possible to use the Cathay lounges in HKG?
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Old Dec 13, 2019, 1:59 pm
  #1765  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
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Originally Posted by JWSCHERER
Searched and could not find a definitive answer to this. I will be arriving HKG in paid first on Cathay and departing on a star alliance carrier on a separate ticket. Is it possible to use the Cathay lounges in HKG?
The definitive answer is "no". How your arriving ticket was paid for is irrelevant, unfortunately. If you are not departing on a OW carrier you can't use it. The rules on that are unambiguous.

If you want to use CX lounges in HKG, and your next flight is regional, just cancel your *A ticket and book CX/KA etc for the second sector. In that case it will not matter what class you fly on the second sector, and your CX F arrival ticket will grant you entry to all the CX lounges, including F lounges due to your arriving flight class.
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Old Dec 13, 2019, 2:37 pm
  #1766  
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 2,506
Deleted - dupe

Last edited by lowfareair; Dec 13, 2019 at 2:48 pm Reason: Dupe
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Old Dec 13, 2019, 2:48 pm
  #1767  
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 2,506
Originally Posted by Sozee
I've been to PPF twice, both around afternoon times, so I can't vouch for how busy it can get during the morning, but I highly doubt it would be buzy as the normal PPL next door. I've never needed to wait for the showers, and massage was offered upon arrival. I am fan of CX showers though, and you will have a much bigger chance for shower without waiting at Pier J.

Though the food item from the menu isn't the same as fine dining in a proper restaurant, I think it gets pretty close, given it's airport lounge food. I definitely think the a la carte food is way better than anything you can find in Pier J (maybe except for Dan Dan Noodles which are still my favorite of CX),the Beyond Burger was suprisingly good, I might say it was better than the Angus Beef Burger I tried in Pier F!
Ah okay, with a 5am Saturday arrival, I imagine not many people would be in any lounge at that hour; Pier was fairly empty at that time earlier this year.

If you were there through a lounge pass, can you confirm that the 'one a la carte limit' is just for main courses or can we not order anything on the appetizer page as well?
lowfareair is offline  
Old Dec 13, 2019, 11:43 pm
  #1768  
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Programs: CX ows, DL E+
Posts: 188
Originally Posted by lowfareair
Ah okay, with a 5am Saturday arrival, I imagine not many people would be in any lounge at that hour; Pier was fairly empty at that time earlier this year.

If you were there through a lounge pass, can you confirm that the 'one a la carte limit' is just for main courses or can we not order anything on the appetizer page as well?
Unless you are invited by airline (or PPF is the official lounge your airline uses, which from the oneworld site, it seems only travelling on AY / QR in F/J you can access) you are limited to one complimentary main course, but you can also order from the appetizer page as I did.I'm not sure if appetizers are unlimited, but the Asia Delights are.
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Old Dec 14, 2019, 12:18 am
  #1769  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
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Posts: 6,437
Originally Posted by lowfareair
Ah okay, with a 5am Saturday arrival, I imagine not many people would be in any lounge at that hour; Pier was fairly empty at that time earlier this year.
Many CX flights arrive at that hour and many people then go on with connections that depart in the morning.
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Old Dec 15, 2019, 11:09 am
  #1770  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Singapore
Programs: MPC, KF, Accor, SPG, HH
Posts: 902
Is it possible to stay in the lounge after they close? I will only be using the sofas to doze till they open then shower and eat.

3rd world problem as I left it too late to book 659 and they are only selling B and Y. I would Jane to book 691 or 759, but will be arriving from SZ directly to their airport the previous night.
CXFlyerBoy is offline  


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