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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 Oct 21, 2017, 12:01 pm
  #1216  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
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I don't think the experiences people have when there are disruptions/ flight reschedulings are representative.
Rami Tamimi is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2017, 12:44 pm
  #1217  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
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I'd be most grateful if someone could tell me the answer to the following.

CX SIN-HKG (or possibly CX SIN-BKK-HKG) in Business, connecting to BA HKG-LHR in economy

As 2 separate redemption tickets for a non-status passenger, would any (maybe arrivals?) lounge access be granted at HKG? My guess is NO!
headingwest is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2017, 1:07 pm
  #1218  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
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Originally Posted by headingwest
I'd be most grateful if someone could tell me the answer to the following.

CX SIN-HKG (or possibly CX SIN-BKK-HKG) in Business, connecting to BA HKG-LHR in economy

As 2 separate redemption tickets for a non-status passenger, would any (maybe arrivals?) lounge access be granted at HKG? My guess is NO!
No.

Arrivals is past immigration so you won't even hit there. And being no status, your BA flight will not give you lounge access in HKG

FWIW, Arrivals access for DM and GO
CXFlyerBoy is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2017, 1:14 pm
  #1219  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
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Thanks for the quick reply CXFlyerBoy, and confirming what I thought.

I won't be the passenger anyway, so I can live with that!
headingwest is offline  
Old Oct 25, 2017, 12:15 am
  #1220  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
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The pax can access the arrivals lounge though... it's quite basic and you do have to go thru immigration to access it.
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Old Oct 25, 2017, 6:05 am
  #1221  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
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Originally Posted by Rami Tamimi
The pax can access the arrivals lounge though... it's quite basic and you do have to go thru immigration to access it.
Really? So it is possible? It might be worth their time going through immigration in that case. They'll have at least 4 hours until the BA flight.
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Old Oct 25, 2017, 6:14 am
  #1222  
 
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Originally Posted by headingwest
Really? So it is possible? It might be worth their time going through immigration in that case. They'll have at least 4 hours until the BA flight.
Yes, but you have to go through the Immigration, sometimes could be long for non-HK resident. The Arrival is between T1 and T2, so it's a slightly longer walk.
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Old Oct 25, 2017, 6:21 am
  #1223  
 
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Originally Posted by headingwest
Really? So it is possible? It might be worth their time going through immigration in that case. They'll have at least 4 hours until the BA flight.
It is most definitely not worth it, at all. In addition to the hassle of round trip immigration (presumably as a non HKID holder / frequent visitor ), The Arrival is easily the worst CX lounge at HKG, and one of their poorer lounges system-wide. I would 0pct recommend this!

​​​​​​I understand there is a vehement opposition to spending any money whatsoever on these forums, but you could spend just $100 USD or less and have a meal at one of HKIAs many a la carte restaurants. Spend a little more and enjoy some caviar and Champagne. WiFi is free airport-wide, and free seating is abundant throughout the terminal. It is one of the best airports in the world and you really don't even need the lounge. If you're desperate for a lounge I think you can buy into Plaza Premium airside. If you want a quick or inexpensive meal there are plenty of options too.
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Old Oct 25, 2017, 6:51 am
  #1224  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
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Thank you all, for the very helpful information. ^
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Old Oct 25, 2017, 9:24 am
  #1225  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
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Originally Posted by headingwest
Thank you all, for the very helpful information. ^
IIRC The Arrival has a shower if you desperately need one. Otherwise, as others suggest, unless you really want to visit the lounge, it is not worth it.
ernestnywang is offline  
Old Nov 6, 2017, 4:51 pm
  #1226  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: NYC
Posts: 117
in transit access with different alliance

I apologize if this was already asked,

but I'm in transit at HKG, arriving on a biz class CX flight but departing on a Delta flight.

I know I should get access to the Arrivals, but would I be able to get in to the other Lounges, even though my next departure is not with oneworld?
pluu1285 is offline  
Old Nov 6, 2017, 4:53 pm
  #1227  
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Originally Posted by pluu1285
I apologize if this was already asked,

but I'm in transit at HKG, arriving on a biz class CX flight but departing on a Delta flight.

I know I should get access to the Arrivals, but would I be able to get in to the other Lounges, even though my next departure is not with oneworld?
No. Oneworld access is based on departing flight.

The arrivals lounge is landside. You can have a look at the inbound immigration queues when you get there and make a call as to whether ti's worth your time to enter Hong Kong to access the lounge. You'll need to allow at least 30 minutes outbound immigration in case there are queues.

(Of course if your onward flight is also in biz class (on DL) you'll have lounge access airside.)
LHR/MEL/Europe FF is offline  
Old Nov 6, 2017, 6:09 pm
  #1228  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
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Originally Posted by pluu1285
I apologize if this was already asked,

but I'm in transit at HKG, arriving on a biz class CX flight but departing on a Delta flight.

I know I should get access to the Arrivals, but would I be able to get in to the other Lounges, even though my next departure is not with oneworld?
LHR/MEL/EuropeFF's information is all correct.

I will add to it: The Arrival is nothing to go out of your way for. It's more a "functional" lounge for showering only; it definitely isn't a "experience" or "wow factor" lounge in the slightest. (Side note: "functionality" in quotes, because the function of this lounge is greatly diminished early morning, because of the absurd # of CX long-haul arrivals at that time, and the fact that CX years back extended access to all J class passengers, instead of just Cath's DM/GOs and OWE. You could wait 30-75 minutes for a shower early morning).

HKIA is about as easy as it gets anywhere in the world to pop out of immigration and pop back in, but it's still a pain in the butt and a lot of extra walking. I would strongly recommend using another lounge airside you might have access to (Plaza Premium? Amex?) instead. Or, if showering isn't required, just stay airside at HKIA and don't even bother with a lounge. It is the most functional airport in the world IMO and, while perhaps not as good as Changi for lounging around ambiance, pretty damn good, and far more convenient just because everything is housed in the same one airside terminal. Tons of empty seating everywhere, free WiFi, and restaurant / food options from McDonalds and Chinese fast food at the low end to caviar at the high end.
QRC3288 is offline  
Old Nov 6, 2017, 9:37 pm
  #1229  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: NYC
Posts: 117
Originally Posted by QRC3288
LHR/MEL/EuropeFF's information is all correct.

I will add to it: The Arrival is nothing to go out of your way for. It's more a "functional" lounge for showering only; it definitely isn't a "experience" or "wow factor" lounge in the slightest. (Side note: "functionality" in quotes, because the function of this lounge is greatly diminished early morning, because of the absurd # of CX long-haul arrivals at that time, and the fact that CX years back extended access to all J class passengers, instead of just Cath's DM/GOs and OWE. You could wait 30-75 minutes for a shower early morning).

HKIA is about as easy as it gets anywhere in the world to pop out of immigration and pop back in, but it's still a pain in the butt and a lot of extra walking. I would strongly recommend using another lounge airside you might have access to (Plaza Premium? Amex?) instead. Or, if showering isn't required, just stay airside at HKIA and don't even bother with a lounge. It is the most functional airport in the world IMO and, while perhaps not as good as Changi for lounging around ambiance, pretty damn good, and far more convenient just because everything is housed in the same one airside terminal. Tons of empty seating everywhere, free WiFi, and restaurant / food options from McDonalds and Chinese fast food at the low end to caviar at the high end.
thanks for the quick replies! i think I may just get a cheap cx award flight using ba avios to throwaway to access the lounges. may be worth it as an oneworld emerald member.
pluu1285 is offline  
Old Nov 7, 2017, 1:49 am
  #1230  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: TPE, CGK
Programs: GFF Plat, CX DM, SQ TPPS, AS 75K
Posts: 199
Originally Posted by QRC3288
Tons of empty seating everywhere, free WiFi, and restaurant / food options from McDonalds and Chinese fast food at the low end to caviar at the high end.
Actually quite curious - what are some good food options you like at HKIA? All I've been to is the food court! (which is actually not bad)
HaikalS is offline  


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