This morning Cathay Pacific reopened another one of its home base lounges in Hong Kong, with The Deck Business Class rejoining the fold, easing the pressure on the carrier’s two existing open lounges at HKIA as traffic ramps up thanks to border easing in the city-state.
The airline has now confirmed that it will reopen all its lounges, both in Hong Kong and across the carrier’s global network, between now and September 2023, including The Pier First Class in Hong Kong, plus overseas facilities in cities like Bangkok, San Francisco and Manila.
The news comes a month after Cathay Pacific announced a reopening of its dedicated lounge here in Singapore at Changi Airport Terminal 4, from 22nd February 2023.
Cathay Pacific is working towards restoring 70% of its pre-COVID capacity by the end of 2023, with a full recovery forecast by the end of 2024, but it’s great to see the lounges are a priority for travellers – back in business even sooner.
Current Cathay Pacific lounges
The following Cathay Pacific lounges in Hong Kong are currently open:
- The Deck Business Class
- The Pier Business Class
- The Wing First Class (review here)
Overseas, the following Cathay Pacific lounges have also reopened at the time of writing:
- London Heathrow (First and Business Class)
- Shanghai
- Tokyo Haneda
Lounge reopening schedule
Cathay Pacific has now confirmed that its remaining lounges in Hong Kong will reopen in the next six months, which is by August 2023:
- The Pier First Class
- The Wing Business Class
This is welcome news for our readers travelling in First Class on Cathay or a oneworld carrier from Hong Kong, with The Pier First Class ranking as our personal favourite at the airport.
Those holding Oneworld Emerald status and departing on any Oneworld flight from the airport can also access this great space, which includes an à la carte restaurant, a spa, and eight private ‘day suites’.
Overseas, the following reopening schedule is proposed:
February 2023
- Singapore (22nd February – details here)
- Tokyo Narita (all-new lounge replacing the former facility)
March 2023
- Bangkok
April 2023
- Manila
April to September 2023
- Beijing
- San Francisco
- Taipei
- Vancouver
Once complete, this ambitious and rapid reopening schedule will see almost all the airline’s lounges across the world back in action by the end of September 2023, if everything goes to plan.
As far as we can tell, only the the Cathay Pacific lounge in Paris has not been included in the reopening lineup. That facility is at Charles De Gaulle’s Terminal 2, while the carrier is currently operating from Terminal 1. It will be interesting to see whether this one ever makes a comeback.
Eligible passengers in Paris are currently directed to the Extime Lounge in T1.
Most Cathay Pacific lounges are now modelled on the carrier’s latest “The Pier” facility in Hong Kong, picking up the “living room” design concept by Studioilse, the London-based studio led by Ilse Crawford.
Lounge enhancements
As part of the reopening announcement, Cathay Pacific has also confirmed that some of these lounges have had enhancements made, including a completely new location for the Tokyo Narita facility, due to open later this month.
Cathay Pacific understands its airport lounges are highly appreciated by its customers and the airline has used the time while these spaces have been closed to further invest in its lounge experience.
Cathay Pacific
- Bangkok and Manila: Both lounges have received a refresh to their interior décor, fixtures and furniture, providing guests with a rejuvenated ambience.
- Tokyo Narita: Lounge relocated to a new space by Gate 71, more than two-times larger than the previous lounge, offering almost double the seating capacity
We are particularly excited to see how the all-new Tokyo Narita lounge looks, and we’ll be sure to share any images once they are provided by the airline closer to the reopening date.
Summary
Cathay Pacific is embarking on a major lounge reopening programme this year, which will see a further 10 facilities rejoin the fold across the world in the space of just seven months.
The carrier’s own-branded lounges are among the best any airline offers in our opinion, so this is great news for Oneworld travellers in the months ahead who will once again be able to enjoy these facilities before their flight when flying in an eligible cabin class, or holding on to the appropriate status level.
The most exciting news is perhaps a reopening of The Pier First Class lounge in Hong Kong, an excellent facility that ranks among the best in the world, but there are also reopenings in several other cities like Bangkok, Manila and Taipei to look forward to.
(Cover Photo: Daniel Gillespia)
Between CX and SQ its pretty clear which put the customer experience first!! SilverKris lounges in HKG ADL PER TPE ICN still closed up as they save money and penny pinch
The Adelaide SilverKris lounge was permanently closed during COVID-19 and the Perth lounge has actually reopened already, but yes there are still three overseas lounges for SIA to bring back in Hong Kong, Taipei and Seoul.
Hopefully it won’t take too much longer!