Time to Win: CX HKG Arrival Lounge Closing on 5 Nov 2018
#76
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: CX MPC DM
Posts: 416
From what we currently know, its gone for good. If there is a plan for CX to open a new arrival lounge at some point, the plans have not been made public. I would hope that CX is planning a new and much improved arrival lounge but that is wishful thinking on my part.
#77
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,704
#78
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 810
I don't think it's wishful thinking actually! Given all the construction we're going to see at HKIA the next 4 years (as part of the new runway addition there will be scores of changes, including an additional terminal and significant changes to the current T2 area), I think this is in the cards *once the dust has settled*. I frequently throw criticism CXs way, but in this case I think it's reasonable not to rebuild until the massive new airport expansions are in a finished state. But I do think they will.
Meanwhile, for me, the arrivals lounge closure is one more thing to consider when deciding whether to choose CX. On my routes (Europe, SE Asia, North America, Japan and Australia), there is a lot of choice with OW.
#79
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,704
If the plan was to rebuild an arrivals lounge 4 years from now, then they might as well just concede closure of the lounge as a cost savings measure. It's hard to imagine CX couldn't come up with a plausible interim solution with their influence in government and the airport authority, if they really wanted to.
Meanwhile, for me, the arrivals lounge closure is one more thing to consider when deciding whether to choose CX. On my routes (Europe, SE Asia, North America, Japan and Australia), there is a lot of choice with OW.
Meanwhile, for me, the arrivals lounge closure is one more thing to consider when deciding whether to choose CX. On my routes (Europe, SE Asia, North America, Japan and Australia), there is a lot of choice with OW.
And The Arrival wasn't killed last year. It was killed many years before, as CX poured on capacity and especially longhaul morning arrivals, plus seriously loosened the entry criteria to all J pax and OW elites. The food was never good and neither was the lounging space....to me, the showers were the value. At open back in 2008 or whenever, you could get a shower quickly. By 2013 onwards, the wait was routinely 30-90 minutes in the morning. It was rendered nearly useless to me, and at least for the other guys who work with me, I feel pretty confident saying for them too. It has been nearly useless for a while. So I guess I'm not praising CX here, and I totally agree with your first paragraph that they clearly aren't very bothered, but really that lounge has been pretty hopeless for quite some time.
#80
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 810
I agree with your first paragraph. But the second one strikes me as dramatic. I don't think many folks logically could call that dumpy arrivals lounge a deal breaker, if we are valuing it in dollars and cents it can't be worth more than a few bucks to me. I mean come on if QR and CX are the same price to Europe or MH to SE Asia, you're telling me you'd chose the other one with a multi hour connection (minimum) due to the lack of The Arrival?
.
.
Agreed that the main value of the arrivals lounge was the showers, and that long lines defeat the purpose of it.
#81
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: ROC/NYC/MSP/LAX/HKG/SIN
Posts: 3,212
I don't think it's wishful thinking actually! Given all the construction we're going to see at HKIA the next 4 years (as part of the new runway addition there will be scores of changes, including an additional terminal and significant changes to the current T2 area), I think this is in the cards *once the dust has settled*. I frequently throw criticism CXs way, but in this case I think it's reasonable not to rebuild until the massive new airport expansions are in a finished state. But I do think they will.
Or - How about giving CX J/F passengers access to the Plaza Premium Lounge in the time being?
#82
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,704
I guess my age is starting to show. But I remember when The Arrival opened 10 or so years ago. Access was rather restrictive: F Class, CX Diamond, CX Gold or OWE. As I write this out, here was a nice benefit to becoming GO.
Later, (5 years ago?) CX extended access to all J class, meanwhile CX was midway through a massive longhaul / midhaul capacity expansion around that time which continues through today. This loosening of the access rules and concurrent capacity growth swamped the lounge.
To put some perspective on CXs growth since then, MXP - in my mind, a CX city that has been around forever - was launched in the era The Arrival opened! Plus countless other more-recent LH/MH destinations and frequencies, the bulk of which land early morning. Yet despite an eventual onslaught of users multiples above the initial user base, the lounge interior was never updated or expanded. Off the top of my head, CX added morning arrivals from MAD, MAN, LGW, BCN, MXP, ZRH, SFO, BOS, EWR, JFK (CX845 launched right around the time the lounge opened), BRU, HYD, TLV, MLE, CMB, IAD, CHC, CPT and probably many others. SEA is on the way soon. Sure some were cancelled (lol, some launched and already cancelled, like CPH and DUS), but the overall trend is massively up. To say nothing of the regional routes. All this occurred with the same ole 5 showers, a couple couches, a couple barstools, and a few desks with computers. Zero capacity expansion.
What I'm trying to say is the lounge became pointless a long time ago. Not just when they closed it. Except maybe for passengers storing luggage there as they left the airport premises to visit Hong Kong. And this aspect always amused me, because it was a repeated violation of HKIA security protocol! That lounge was never approved as a facility for unattended luggage storage; and it lacks the proper equipment and very specs required by the airport's own protocol when they build their own, more secure stored luggage facility (the paid one). Those specs required scanning equipment prior to storage, secure lockers, and locking devices that can safely assure nobody unauthorized can access the bags prior to the customer's retrieval.
It's a good idea, but I think PP is also closing due to the airport construction?
Last edited by QRC3288; Jan 19, 2019 at 6:38 pm
#83
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: CX MPC DM
Posts: 416
And The Arrival wasn't killed last year. It was killed many years before, as CX poured on capacity and especially longhaul morning arrivals, plus seriously loosened the entry criteria to all J pax and OW elites. The food was never good and neither was the lounging space....to me, the showers were the value. At open back in 2008 or whenever, you could get a shower quickly. By 2013 onwards, the wait was routinely 30-90 minutes in the morning. It was rendered nearly useless to me, and at least for the other guys who work with me, I feel pretty confident saying for them too. It has been nearly useless for a while. So I guess I'm not praising CX here, and I totally agree with your first paragraph that they clearly aren't very bothered, but really that lounge has been pretty hopeless for quite some time.
I would hope that a full refresh of the concept is something that CX is planning as part of the rebuild going on at the airport. Just as CX really stepped out of the lane by building world class lounges, they should be looking to continue that in a proper arrivals lounge that imitates their departure offerings. But its hard to predict where CX is going, seems like they are trying to thread the needle of being both a premium and lower cost carrier. Time will tell.
#84
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: CX Diamond, United MileagePlus Gold, Accor Platinum
Posts: 90
As I said before in another thread, as a CX GO, I feel that the closure of arrival lounge means no obvious difference between GO and SL. Agree me or not, its sometimes a pretty good chill-out place to me. Yes, its getting more crowded esp in recent years, but to me its still a nice place to get a noodle set before rushing back to office...
I wish therell be an arrival lounge as spacious and well-equipped as the Qatar one in Doha...
I wish therell be an arrival lounge as spacious and well-equipped as the Qatar one in Doha...
#85
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: ROC/NYC/MSP/LAX/HKG/SIN
Posts: 3,212
Haha, or what? I just fail to see what happens if they don't have an arrivals lounge now. To me The Arrival was basically already a nothing....shower waits could legitimately be an hour and a half during the morning arrival bank! While The Arrival being open on paper may be a box to check for the blogs or folks with more time on their hands, in practice CX didn't have one, in my mind, for years. I can guarantee most travelers looking for utility out of that lounge don't have that kind of time to spare. What I'm saying is: the lounge was long gone years ago. Closing it was just a formality on probably the sorriest CX operated lounge in the entire CX system. It's a bummer for leisure travelers I think.
I guess my age is starting to show. But I remember when The Arrival opened 10 or so years ago. Access was rather restrictive: F Class, CX Diamond, CX Gold or OWE. As I write this out, here was a nice benefit to becoming GO.
Later, (5 years ago?) CX extended access to all J class, meanwhile CX was midway through a massive longhaul / midhaul capacity expansion around that time which continues through today. This loosening of the access rules and concurrent capacity growth swamped the lounge.
To put some perspective on CXs growth since then, MXP - in my mind, a CX city that has been around forever - was launched in the era The Arrival opened! Plus countless other more-recent LH/MH destinations and frequencies, the bulk of which land early morning. Yet despite an eventual onslaught of users multiples above the initial user base, the lounge interior was never updated or expanded. Off the top of my head, CX added morning arrivals from MAD, MAN, LGW, BCN, MXP, ZRH, SFO, BOS, EWR, JFK (CX845 launched right around the time the lounge opened), BRU, HYD, TLV, MLE, CMB, IAD, CHC, CPT and probably many others. SEA is on the way soon. Sure some were cancelled (lol, some launched and already cancelled, like CPH and DUS), but the overall trend is massively up. To say nothing of the regional routes. All this occurred with the same ole 5 showers, a couple couches, a couple barstools, and a few desks with computers. Zero capacity expansion.
What I'm trying to say is the lounge became pointless a long time ago. Not just when they closed it. Except maybe for passengers storing luggage there as they left the airport premises to visit Hong Kong. And this aspect always amused me, because it was a repeated violation of HKIA security protocol! That lounge was never approved as a facility for unattended luggage storage; and it lacks the proper equipment and very specs required by the airport's own protocol when they build their own, more secure stored luggage facility (the paid one). Those specs required scanning equipment prior to storage, secure lockers, and locking devices that can safely assure nobody unauthorized can access the bags prior to the customer's retrieval.
It's a good idea, but I think PP is also closing due to the airport construction?
I guess my age is starting to show. But I remember when The Arrival opened 10 or so years ago. Access was rather restrictive: F Class, CX Diamond, CX Gold or OWE. As I write this out, here was a nice benefit to becoming GO.
Later, (5 years ago?) CX extended access to all J class, meanwhile CX was midway through a massive longhaul / midhaul capacity expansion around that time which continues through today. This loosening of the access rules and concurrent capacity growth swamped the lounge.
To put some perspective on CXs growth since then, MXP - in my mind, a CX city that has been around forever - was launched in the era The Arrival opened! Plus countless other more-recent LH/MH destinations and frequencies, the bulk of which land early morning. Yet despite an eventual onslaught of users multiples above the initial user base, the lounge interior was never updated or expanded. Off the top of my head, CX added morning arrivals from MAD, MAN, LGW, BCN, MXP, ZRH, SFO, BOS, EWR, JFK (CX845 launched right around the time the lounge opened), BRU, HYD, TLV, MLE, CMB, IAD, CHC, CPT and probably many others. SEA is on the way soon. Sure some were cancelled (lol, some launched and already cancelled, like CPH and DUS), but the overall trend is massively up. To say nothing of the regional routes. All this occurred with the same ole 5 showers, a couple couches, a couple barstools, and a few desks with computers. Zero capacity expansion.
What I'm trying to say is the lounge became pointless a long time ago. Not just when they closed it. Except maybe for passengers storing luggage there as they left the airport premises to visit Hong Kong. And this aspect always amused me, because it was a repeated violation of HKIA security protocol! That lounge was never approved as a facility for unattended luggage storage; and it lacks the proper equipment and very specs required by the airport's own protocol when they build their own, more secure stored luggage facility (the paid one). Those specs required scanning equipment prior to storage, secure lockers, and locking devices that can safely assure nobody unauthorized can access the bags prior to the customer's retrieval.
It's a good idea, but I think PP is also closing due to the airport construction?
#86
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,704
I would hope that a full refresh of the concept is something that CX is planning as part of the rebuild going on at the airport. Just as CX really stepped out of the lane by building world class lounges, they should be looking to continue that in a proper arrivals lounge that imitates their departure offerings. But its hard to predict where CX is going, seems like they are trying to thread the needle of being both a premium and lower cost carrier. Time will tell.
What you said wasn't wrong. I believe that's the main purpose of the lounge - To let a small group of people to be well prepared before going to the city. I used the lounge every time I arrived at early mornings, from LHR, EWR, JFK, SYD, and etc. I usually use it when I arrive in the mornings, or in the afternoon or late night. Shower is a great way to refresh myself. When all the major OneWorld hubs offer arrivals lounge, I just think that HKG should keep it on to stay consistent, as CX is the founding airline of OneWorld. They kept it small because the lounge was not meant to sit down for hours and enjoy, but to refresh and get ready to go. I do understand the lounge like that without much expansion wouldn't be ideal considering all the long haul flights are needed. In addition, the ease of mobile data/internet access made it much easier for arriving passengers not to rely on the lounge. I used to go to other arrival lounges to get on internet, get in touch with people before taking off, but it looks like it is moot in modern travel experience.
Clearly CX doesn't see it being that important, and cynically I agree with them (as I stated above, The Arrival has been diminished for quite some time, and was never "wow" to begin with, but besides some whinging on here I don't think it cost them anything not having it, especially given the sore lack of competition at HKG). But I think if/when they do a rebuild, the recent lounge renovations are inspiring and would indicate we'll probably get something good. In line with the current lounge offerings with an abundance of quality showers, something like the noodle diner concepts they first rolled out in TPE and have since done Pier J, Deck, BKK, LHR, SIN, Shanghai under renovation, etc. I'm pessimistic about certain aspects of CX, but for new lounge renovations I'm not.
Maybe djsflynn or SinoBritAsia have heard something, they usually get this type of info before we're aware of it.
#87
#88
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: CX Diamond, United MileagePlus Gold, Accor Platinum
Posts: 90
There're airline arrival lounges in Doha (as pictured above), Heathrow, JAL shower facilities on arrival in Narita and Haneda.
If not OneWorld, for just arrival lounges offered by airlines: Zurich, Abu Dhabi, Frankfurt as far as I know.
If not OneWorld, for just arrival lounges offered by airlines: Zurich, Abu Dhabi, Frankfurt as far as I know.
#90
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,671
Statement from Cathay:
https://loyaltylobby.com/2018/10/23/...vember-5-2018/
So they will be closing Terminal 2 at some stage once the Terminal 1 extensions are complete. This would indicate that the Plaza Premium arrivals lounge will close at some stage too.
https://loyaltylobby.com/2018/10/23/...vember-5-2018/
So they will be closing Terminal 2 at some stage once the Terminal 1 extensions are complete. This would indicate that the Plaza Premium arrivals lounge will close at some stage too.