Some airline experiences just ruin you, and not in a bad way either. It’s just that, after you’ve been to a space which feels more like a refined hotel, with borderline priceless airplane views, it’s very, very hard to turn the snobriety down on your subsequent airport visits. Like: what do you mean there’s no sit down dining room with plane noses parked only feet away? Cathay Pacific’s “The Pier” First Class Lounge will forever be on the all time great list, so here’s what to expect…
Entry: Entry is reserved for OneWorld Emerald members, or those traveling in first class on a OneWorld airline like Cathay Pacific, with a same day confirmed airline ticket. Entitled passengers may bring one guest.
Settling In
Entry to the lounge is fairly unique. After check in and immigration, guests proceed on the train toward gates 40-80, or something like that. Following the signs for Gate 63, you’ll eventually find an escalator going down, with clearly marked signage. There just aren’t that many airport lounges where you go downstairs, but you’ll be glad you did.
There’s an instant wow factor. Check in is generally prompt, and then you quickly find yourself in a “where do I start” situation. You see, this lounge is more like a hotel. There’s a hall, which acts as a lobby, with separate areas for nap rooms and showers, the pantry, the sit down dining room, the office and of course, areas where you can sit and have a drink.
The Bar
Turning an immediate left, as first class travelers tend to do, will bring you directly to the lounge bar. There’s ample seating all around, which leads to the primary “chill zone”. You’ll also quickly notice that planes park directly in front of the lounge, with mere feet separating nose to glass. It’s awesome. The bar mojitos are a delight.
Functionality
Functionality is often overlooked in luxurious settings, but not here. Each chair has a desk combo and if you pull out the drawer, you’ll find power ports both USB and generic. Basically, any seat will get you juiced up and ready to travel.
Food & Drinks
Speaking of nourishment, at the far other end of the swoon worthy hallway sits the dining room. The decor is simply iconic, an ode to Hong Kong. If we had to be picky, the food has somewhat gone downhill since changing to Sodexo catering. It’s still awesome to have free noodles, curry and other treats brought to you by an always friendly member of staff, but if you’ve been for years, it’s just not quite the same. Costs cuts have consequences, sadly.
On the other hand, the beverage selection remains first class, with Rothschild champagne, amongst others. There’s a selection of beer, signature cocktails, mocktails and a very solid red and white wine selection.
Foot Massages
If you’re tired, nap room setups can be secured, which also offer amazing views. You can even draw yourself a bubble bath and chill out, if you’re into those kinda things. It’s the kind of novelty that’s very hard to resist, and there’s nothing better than a shower while traveling. Actually, maybe a foot massage?
Taking pictures in bathrooms is a bit frowned up, but it was impossible to resist at least one capture of the Pier First Class bathrooms. They’re outstanding. The more you look around, the more you see. The work spaces are private, the pantry is well stocked and it’s just a great place to spend time. That’s the big takeaway: you’ll never be bored here. Who better to sum up the experience than Cathay themselves. Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport really is best summed up by the airlines recent commercial, we’ll leave you with it…
Is the Cathay Pacific Pier First Class Lounge HKG on your bucket list?
I get to visit in January! HKG to LAX in Cathay Pacific 1st class. I made sure when booking my flight from BKK to give myself a few hours to spend there.
Nice review. My wife and I have visited The Wing a number of times, but the location can be less than convenient, depending on your departure gate, so now I know more about another option. My wife and I will be passing through early next year and hopefully she’ll guest me in with her first class ticket. How would you compare The Pier with The Wing?
I’ll be visiting the Pier in June! HKG-JFK Cathay First class, so excited.
Are you having a laugh ? I see very little here to call special. I’ve been in much better than this and quite frankly the seating and tables in the dining area only need a few beer mats to look like a working mans club from the 70’s
Well R Kay, there’s only one place for you to go, and that’s onto your private Gulfstream G-VI. As far as airports go, it really doesn’t get much better than this.
If you’ve been to much better lounges, you must be doing something right. I find Cathay to have the best lounges that I’ve ever experienced. Please elaborate on these better lounges.
Thanks for the overview. I get to try it in a couple days using entry via a Dragon Air first class ticket to Beijing.
The Pier is the best idea if you have a shorter layover as in under 2 hours. Showers are outstanding and I love the massage services. If you have a longer layover, I recommend eating at The Wing. Yes, you can go to both and personally I found the food at the Wing was a bit better and quite a bit more varied. You can go to both, and you should if you have a few hours to kill.
My last visit was a few months ago, but The Wing was in need of a freshening up with the chairs and booths looking a bit worn.
The Pier is hands down one of the best lounges out there and one of my favourite perks of being OWE. The Wing is worth checking out as well.
Flying Cathay first in March and super excited! But my flight leaves at 8 am from Hong Kong and just looked up first lounges aren’t 24 hours, which is a shame.
So have 2 and half hours to either enjoy the pier or the wing, which would you recommend?
I’m looking forward to this next September flying HKG – USA in first. Thanks for the great review!
Just curious why you didnt post one picture of the planes right in front of you…You mentioned the cool factor a few times but no pictures…
Agree with every word. Pier or Wing, whichever is nearest your gate. Serious luxurious feel when you walk in that lobby.
Great review Gil.
I have been lucky enough to visit The Pier First Class Lounge on many occasions and while it is without a shadow of a doubt a very lovely space, the food in the restaurant has gone downhill considerably. Has there been a change in catering contracts in the past few years?
Indeed, as we mention in the article it changed recently to Sodexo, which has failed to uphold previous standards.