Review: Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge, Hong Kong
Fresh from an extensive renovation, the first class section of The Wing is back… but brace yourself, the cabanas are gone.
Cathay Pacific has a new flagship first class lounge in Hong Kong with this year’s reopening of The Wing First Class Lounge following an extensive renovation. Now with two restaurants and a day spa, there’s a lot to like, but getting inside isn’t easy. Even for many top-tier frequent flyers, such as Qantas Platinum members, it's “computer says no”.
Who funded this review?
The writer accessed the lounge as a guest of Cathay Pacific. Had the current access restrictions not been in place, the writer could have admitted himself as a Oneworld Emerald member. This review was not sponsored or previewed by the airline.
Location & Opening Hours At The Wing, First
The lounge retains its previous spot above gates 1-4 in Terminal 1. Venture through the security and immigration channel closest to Cathay Pacific first class check-in (row B), then take an immediate left.
If you’ve made it to the escalators, you’ve gone too far.
The first class section of The Wing opens at 5:30am daily and closes with the evening’s final Cathay Pacific flight departure. That’s typically between 12:30am and 3:20am.
Who Can Access The Wing First Class Lounge?
Before the renovations, Cathay Pacific followed the established Oneworld entry policies, granting access to Emerald-tier flyers like Qantas Platinum departing on a Oneworld airline. But since its reopening back in April, Cathay has enforced its own “temporary” rules.
Cathay Pacific is currently welcoming its own first class passengers into The Wing, First – but not first class travellers on any other Oneworld airlines: conflicting with published Oneworld policies. Oneworld Emerald members have also been barred, except where that Emerald status comes from Cathay Pacific itself, such as Cathay Diamond and Diamond Plus.
Cathay says that “we continue to see a significant capacity imbalance between The Wing, First and our other First class lounge in Hong Kong – The Pier First – especially during peak hours. In order to ensure we deliver the premium experience that all first class lounge customers expect, we continue to monitor lounge utilisation patterns and customer demand following the reopening, and review the temporary arrangement regarding access to The Wing, First.”
We asked Cathay Pacific whether it would commit to eventually restoring the usual guest list, even without guaranteeing a specific return date. In response, the airline reiterated its earlier statement and noted that “we will provide an update on the temporary arrangement at the appropriate time.”
Access to The Pier First Class Lounge in Hong Kong remains available to Oneworld first class and Oneworld Emerald travellers. The restrictive policy applies only at The Wing First Class Lounge.
Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge Overview
Provided you can get past reception, Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge remains worthy of an early arrival. Shaped as a long, thin rectangle, the pathway leads you effortlessly through the various zones and offerings to find a space that suits.
Many lounges have Champagne, but The Wing previously had an entire room devoted to it. Situated directly behind reception, it was one of my favourite places to relax. That’s now gone, with a more generic sitting room taking its place.
But in a nod to this heritage, Champagne can still be found here: just with only one variety now (Laurent-Perrier), not three on ice as before.
An internal pathway flows through to a second reception space. Most would pass by blissfully unaware that it marks the entrance to a new private area. Staff are tight-lipped, but reports in frequent flyer circles suggest that it’s a speakeasy bar serving a higher calibre of Champagne than poured in the general lounge. Cathay Pacific first class passengers and the airline’s VIP-tiered members are likely to be the only guests invited, and the only travellers its offerings are relevant to.
The path continues towards the first of two restaurants: Atrium. I can recommend the window-facing booths for soaking in the airport views while you dine. Power outlets are also handily stashed down near your feet. Elsewhere, they’re tucked inside drawers, with wireless charging available on some surfaces.
Across from Atrium sits The Pantry, a well-stocked buffet nook. There’s a striking cocktail bar nearby which serves barista-made coffee, too.
Take the pathway closest to the airfield and you’ll uncover Alcove: a small working space.
This flows through to a cosy relaxation corner.
The other restaurant, simply named Dining Room, sits nearby.
Food And Beverage At The Wing First Class Lounge
I’m here long enough to give both The Wing restaurants a try. Atrium for a late lunch and Dining Room for dinner.
Atrium
While the Champagne room may be no more, Atrium’s Champagne list is respectable. Along with the Laurent-Perrier and Taittinger Rose, the headline drop is Taittinger Brut Millesime 2016.
Atrium’s food menu focuses on simpler and more casual options than Dining Room, which draws me towards chicken satay to start. Yum!
As a standout from the other mains (namely salad and burgers), I spot a lobster roll, and it’s spot on. Rather than a stuffed bread roll, lobster sits atop toasted brioche, with potato chips on the side to add a crunch.
Dining Room
Dining Room in The Wing, First shares the same aesthetic as The Pier First Class Lounge, down to the green, club-like booths. Rather than introducing a fresh, tailor-made look to mark this new lounge, the design largely resembles The Pier, which gained the theme in 2015. It’s a nice design but feels like a missed opportunity.
If not for the late lunch in Atrium, I’d have kicked off with the signature Dan Dan noodles, but instead dive straight into the tasting menu from restaurant partner Mott 32. I enjoyed the tea smoked duck and pomelo salad to start.
(If you’re in Hong Kong and haven’t yet used your $200 American Express Platinum international dining credit, Mott 32 in Central is on the list of partners.)
The next course catches my eye for what might be obvious reasons: “fried squid and baby corn with salt and pepper” … a.k.a., salt and pepper squid (with corn). It oddly arrives while I’m still enjoying the previous course – why the rush?
I finish with tiger prawn mapo tofu, which again arrives while I’m still on the previous dish. Are they trying to free up my table when there are plenty of others still available? It’s an unnecessary rush, but it’s a delicious dish all the same.
Next time, I’d explore the standard menu options for some added variety.
Amenities At The Wing First Class Lounge
It’s out with the cabanas and in with more shower suites. These now feature adjustable mood lighting and multi-function rainfall shower heads. There’s a nifty “cool mist” mode that’s simply elite. The perfect transition from hot shower to air-conditioned room. The Dyson hairdryer is a nice touch.
Cathay’s The Wing First Class Lounge also now offers spa treatments, aligned with The Pier. Securing your appointment when you first arrive is the smart play to enjoy either a foot massage or a neck and shoulder massage. I appreciated the latter, along with a choice of appointment times roughly an hour apart so that lunch didn’t have to be rushed.
It seems, even after multiple laps of the space during a six-hour visit, I still missed a room – The Bureau. It’s said to be a quiet, office-like zone… and one that’s hidden through a separate door near reception. Oddly, the ‘secret’ door for VIPs is much easier to spot.
Wi-Fi speeds are modest, with downloads averaging 20Mbps and uploads zippier at 58Mbps. That’s fast enough for most uses but means that your social media snaps will transmit noticeably faster than downloading movies for the flight ahead.
In Conclusion: Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge, Hong Kong
This lounge really didn’t need renovating, and that’s a compliment. The Wing had two of the most distinctive amenities which had become signatures of Cathay Pacific first class luxury: the cabanas and the Champagne room. It really is a shame to see them gone.
While the updated lounge is very nice, it now feels more like a clone of The Pier than somewhere with its own distinctive style and unique flair. That might have been Cathay’s goal, but it makes it hard to identify something that makes this lounge stand out among its industry peers.
The food is great, the chairs are comfortable, the spa treatment was relaxing, and the Champagne is still very good. Everything was pleasant, enjoyable, and I’d look forward to visiting again. It just no longer has an X-factor that makes you say “wow”.
Yes, I’m fussy. But so are many other frequent flyers who reach Oneworld Emerald, because you only get there by spending most of your life in an airport. When you see lounge upon lounge all year long, they all start to look the same. It’s the lounges that do something different that you remember for a long time, and that encourage you to fly through that same airport again. At least, The Pier still has its fantastic day suites. It seems, that’s where you’ll find me next time.
