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Old Oct 29, 2013, 2:12 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: littlevoices
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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 Oct 1, 2016, 8:03 pm
  #871  
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriot Am, MU Pt
Posts: 3,092
I think wife beaters are okay. I've seen people wear them; the more pressing concern would be it's kind of chilly in the lounge though.
alphaod is offline  
Old Oct 2, 2016, 11:10 am
  #872  
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: southUSA
Posts: 398
Flying SFO-HND-HKG-CMB on the same ticket. JL - CX - CX
Class of service F - J - J.
Arrive HND, HKG and depart HKG all on the same day. No status.

Will access to F lounges in HKIA be a challenge? Or no problem? thanks
michaelpowell44 is offline  
Old Oct 2, 2016, 4:35 pm
  #873  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,708
Originally Posted by michaelpowell44
Flying SFO-HND-HKG-CMB on the same ticket. JL - CX - CX
Class of service F - J - J.
Arrive HND, HKG and depart HKG all on the same day. No status.

Will access to F lounges in HKIA be a challenge? Or no problem? thanks
You are technically not allowed at HKIA. You are allowed at HND. The fact you're on the same ticket is not relevant. Click on the OW rules a few posts above to see the exact language. Long story short, you are allowed to utilize the F lounge on the sector after arriving from a long-haul F. SFO-HND = long-haul F. Even if you were HND-HKG in F, technically you're not allowed since this isn't long-haul under the definitions.

Basically, the OW rules do not permit a day-long pass to any F lounge at any airport....they permit you to use the F lounge on the connecting sector after getting off an F long-haul. CX may let you in, but they're not required to.
QRC3288 is offline  
Old Oct 5, 2016, 5:58 pm
  #874  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: BOS/MHT/PVD/BDL
Programs: Belong to Many but No Longer Loyal to Any
Posts: 880
We're on an F award ticket HAN-HKG-BOS, however we had to voluntarily downgrade the HAN-HKG segment as there is only economy on this flight. Would we still get any lounge access in HAN? I'm guessing no, but thought I'd inquire anyway.
flyaxa is offline  
Old Oct 5, 2016, 9:28 pm
  #875  
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Join Date: Jun 2002
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Yes, you should get F lounge access if available in HAN, but J if not. The rules on this are clear. From https://www.oneworld.com/ffp/lounge-access
Connecting between oneworld marketed and operated flights:

First and Business Class customers connecting on the same day of travel, or before 6am the following day, can access the lounge when travelling between an international long haul (a oneworld international long haul flight is defined as an international flight marketed and operated by any oneworld carrier with a scheduled flight time longer than 5 hours) and an international short haul or domestic flight (and vice-versa).
Lounge access will be determined on the international long haul ticketed flight (either First of Business Class) regardless of the ticketed class of travel on the international short haul or domestic flight.
You must be prepared to show your boarding pass or itinerary showing travel in First or Business class on the international long haul flight, in order to access the lounge before your international short haul or domestic flight.
christep is offline  
Old Oct 6, 2016, 9:01 am
  #876  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
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Excellent, thanks christep!
flyaxa is offline  
Old Oct 6, 2016, 3:58 pm
  #877  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
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Posts: 233
I saw that I can take a guest into the HKG F lounges when traveling in CX/KA F.

Is there a requirement that my guest has to travel on a oneworld operated flight (like for guesting with OW Emerald/Sapphire status)?
fbruno is offline  
Old Oct 6, 2016, 6:06 pm
  #878  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
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Posts: 1,414
Originally Posted by fbruno
I saw that I can take a guest into the HKG F lounges when traveling in CX/KA F.

Is there a requirement that my guest has to travel on a oneworld operated flight (like for guesting with OW Emerald/Sapphire status)?
This used to be possible as they used to not check the guest BP, but lately I've noticed that they started checking the guests BP (at least the last time I was in HKG, a few weeks ago). So it's probably a lot more YMMV now.
no2chem is offline  
Old Oct 6, 2016, 8:11 pm
  #879  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,708
Originally Posted by fbruno
I saw that I can take a guest into the HKG F lounges when traveling in CX/KA F.

Is there a requirement that my guest has to travel on a oneworld operated flight (like for guesting with OW Emerald/Sapphire status)?
Technically they must have a OW boarding pass. Historically, it was never checked. However, lately they seem to be checking almost every time.

Originally Posted by no2chem
This used to be possible as they used to not check the guest BP, but lately I've noticed that they started checking the guests BP (at least the last time I was in HKG, a few weeks ago). So it's probably a lot more YMMV now.
This is absolutely my experience recently. Something clearly changed in recent months.
QRC3288 is offline  
Old Oct 7, 2016, 11:50 am
  #880  
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: HKG
Programs: CX DM, SPG Pt, Le Club Accor GO, Shangri-La GC Jade
Posts: 1,327
Originally Posted by QRC3288
Technically they must have a OW boarding pass. Historically, it was never checked. However, lately they seem to be checking almost every time.

This is absolutely my experience recently. Something clearly changed in recent months.
My experience is as long as they see my guest is holding a CX boarding pass then they'll let my guest in without further checking if that boarding pass is [Redacted]
sscywong is offline  
Old Oct 7, 2016, 6:58 pm
  #881  
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: southUSA
Posts: 398
Originally Posted by QRC3288
You are technically not allowed at HKIA. You are allowed at HND. The fact you're on the same ticket is not relevant. Click on the OW rules a few posts above to see the exact language. Long story short, you are allowed to utilize the F lounge on the sector after arriving from a long-haul F. SFO-HND = long-haul F. Even if you were HND-HKG in F, technically you're not allowed since this isn't long-haul under the definitions.

Basically, the OW rules do not permit a day-long pass to any F lounge at any airport....they permit you to use the F lounge on the connecting sector after getting off an F long-haul. CX may let you in, but they're not required to.

The rules state "long haul" connecting segment same day. And long haul is defined as flight as 5+ hours. HND-HKG is only 4:50.

So technically I should?

I do understand what you are saying about one day pass regardless.
michaelpowell44 is offline  
Old Oct 8, 2016, 12:45 am
  #882  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
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Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,708
Originally Posted by michaelpowell44
So technically I should
Haha no. Technically you should not. Hoping does not make it so. This question comes up at least once a week and the answer is the same every time! There have been quite a few queries like yours before, it's not the first. They usually fly into Japan on an F award itinerary and then have a few extra stops to get to their final destination.

I understand everyone with an itinerary like yours wants to think this should be allowed, but that doesn't translate into reality. There have been longer debates about this here and in many other threads but the end answer each time is no, it is technically not permitted.

You will be better served just being nice. I think decent shot you'll be allowed, maybe 50pct+. If you just ask friendly and smile that'll probably be better than falling back on the rules, which don't allow you in.

You should think back to the spirit of the rules. F class is available SFO to HKG daily, but not to CMB. This is the type of itineraries these F class lounge rules are designed to take care of. If you were on the nonstop SFO to HKG in F you'd have no problem.

Some of this is somewhat moot anyway as the Pier J is overall preferable to the F lounge IMO. I think you got a good shot at getting in regardless if you really want to visit F but it's hardly the end of the world if you don't. I'm at HKIA weekly....seriously here.....2/3 visits I've stopped going to the Pier F despite having access as a CX DM. Pier J instead.

Another thing I might recommend, if you are on a cash ticket then talk to JAL at Tokyo. They can pass a note to CX getting you in F, seen it happen. JAL won't want to annoy a pax blowing 20k or whatever USD. I can't imagine this itinerary happening outside the award world (I'd just book SFO-HKG-CMB, cost would be similar about 15-20k usd), but I know that CMB timing isn't ideal, and if so I am CERTAIN JAL will do their best to help you with CX if this is the case. That will make your chances much higher. Presumably they can pay CX the difference. Once you get to HKG then it's up to CX, or your charm.

Last edited by QRC3288; Oct 8, 2016 at 1:04 am
QRC3288 is offline  
Old Oct 8, 2016, 5:07 am
  #883  
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: southUSA
Posts: 398
Originally Posted by QRC3288

You should think back to the spirit of the rules. F class is available SFO to HKG daily, but not to CMB. This is the type of itineraries these F class lounge rules are designed to take care of. If you were on the nonstop SFO to HKG in F you'd have no problem.

Some of this is somewhat moot anyway as the Pier J is overall preferable to the F lounge IMO. I think you got a good shot at getting in regardless if you really want to visit F but it's hardly the end of the world if you don't. I'm at HKIA weekly....seriously here.....2/3 visits I've stopped going to the Pier F despite having access as a CX DM. Pier J instead.

Another thing I might recommend, if you are on a cash ticket then talk to JAL at Tokyo. They can pass a note to CX getting you in F, seen it happen. JAL won't want to annoy a pax blowing 20k or whatever USD. I can't imagine this itinerary happening outside the award world (I'd just book SFO-HKG-CMB, cost would be similar about 15-20k usd), but I know that CMB timing isn't ideal, and if so I am CERTAIN JAL will do their best to help you with CX if this is the case. That will make your chances much higher. Presumably they can pay CX the difference. Once you get to HKG then it's up to CX, or your charm.
I agree with all of this and the "spirit of the rules" is what I will be fine with if denied.

Thanks for your input.
michaelpowell44 is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2016, 4:01 am
  #884  
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: United Kingdom
Programs: BA, Air NZ, Qantas
Posts: 183
Originally Posted by cxfan1960
If there is no CX lounge in an airport, OWE/OWS/DM/GO/SL/F/J passengers can access CX's designated lounge when departing on CX flights. In this case, it will be the Air New Zealand lounge:
https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_...tails.AKL.html
Can anyone confirm they got access to the NZ lounge? We are flying Akl-Hkg on CX ticket/metal in premium economy with Oneworld Sapphire status. Not entitled to lounge access through CX premium economy but can access via Oneworld sapphire. Would prefer to go to the NZ lounge but can always use the QF lounge if we have to.
air_boi is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2016, 4:35 am
  #885  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: LCA/KUL/RGN
Programs: RJ Gold, AZ E+, Air Asia Platinum
Posts: 2,189
Originally Posted by air_boi
Can anyone confirm they got access to the NZ lounge? We are flying Akl-Hkg on CX ticket/metal in premium economy with Oneworld Sapphire status. Not entitled to lounge access through CX premium economy but can access via Oneworld sapphire. Would prefer to go to the NZ lounge but can always use the QF lounge if we have to.
NZ lounge is the designated CX lounge at AKL and the one that you will be issued an invitation to. You can also use the QF lounge instead of/in addition to NZ,as per oneworld rules.
Rami Tamimi is offline  


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