Cathay Pacific has been having a tough time lately. As if reduced visitor numbers to Hong Kong weren’t harming the bottom line enough over the last few months, owing to political instability in the Special Administrative Region, the airline now has the coronavirus (officially COVID-19) to contend with.
Passenger numbers have plummeted, several routes have been suspended and hundreds of flights per week have been cut in the wake of the crisis.
Three lounges will temporarily close
As a result of the reduced passenger numbers, earlier this week the airline announced that three of its six lounges at Hong Kong International Airport will temporarily close from Monday 17th February, until further notice.
The closed facilities will be:
- The Pier First Class (capacity: 231)
- The Bridge Business Class (capacity: 364)
- The Deck Business Class (capacity: 186)
All is not lost
Three of Cathay’s lounges will stay open, to serve the remaining flights the airline will continue to operate for the foreseeable future.
These lounges are:
- The Wing First Class (capacity: 167)
- The Wing Business Class (capacity: 519)
- The Pier Business Class (capacity: 550)
As you can see it’s the smaller two Business Class lounges that will close, though the larger First Class lounge won’t be available.
Over half of all Cathay Pacific flights have been cancelled
Though in its official statement regarding the lounge closures Cathay Pacific states a “30% short-term capacity reduction across the network”, the airline is using Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) to measure its capacity change.
In fact Cathay is cutting over half its flights in February and March (reductions of 52% and 57% respectively), according to analysis by the South China Morning Post.