It’s an exciting day for oneworld Emerald members who travel through Hong Kong!
In this post:
Cathay Pacific reopens flagship first class lounge
With Asia having fully reopened after the pandemic, Cathay Pacific is finally seeing a significant recovery in demand. The Hong Kong based airline had reduced passenger capacity by over 95% for roughly two years, given Hong Kong’s strict travel and transit requirements.
Cathay Pacific’s “The Pier” First Class Lounge in Hong Kong is one of my favorite lounges in the world. Unfortunately it stayed closed for over three years, starting in March 2020, but that has now changed. The lounge has reopened as of Wednesday, July 19, 2023. It will now be open daily from 5:30AM until 12:30AM, covering a vast majority of departures from the airport.
In line with oneworld lounge access policies, this lounge is open to oneworld first class passengers, as well as oneworld Emerald members traveling in any cabin. Personally I consider this to be the best lounge in the world that oneworld Emerald members have access to.
You can read my review of the lounge here. Cathay Pacific’s “The Pier” First Class Lounge has beautiful design and lots of great amenities, ranging from a restaurant, to a beautiful bar, to complimentary massages, to private cabanas for napping.
Even if you don’t have access to this lounge, this should be good news for all premium oneworld passengers at the airport, since it will help reduce crowding in the other lounges.
If only flying Cathay Pacific were more practical
While Hong Kong is once again open to visitors, and while Cathay Pacific is nicely ramping up operations, flying with the airline isn’t nearly as practical or fun as in the past.
Fares on Cathay Pacific are incredibly high, given how capacity constrained Asia continues to be. Mainland Chinese carriers are only operating a small percentage of their pre-pandemic schedule, so a lot more passengers are traveling through other hubs, like Hong Kong. Not only does this mean that fares are as high as ever, but on top of that, award availability on Cathay Pacific is virtually non-existent in many markets.
On top of that, Cathay Pacific’s first class footprint is just a small fraction of what it was before. Pre-pandemic the airline operated up to 10 daily flights to the United States with first class, while now the airline operates up to one daily flight to the country with first class.
Bottom line
Cathay Pacific’s “The Pier” First Class Lounge has reopened as of July 19, 2023. This is my favorite oneworld lounge in the world, so I’m thrilled to see that this it has reopened after being closed for more than three years. It’s time for me to plan another trip to Hong Kong… I just have to figure out how to get there!
Anyone else excited about Cathay Pacific’s “The Pier” First Class Lounge having reopened?
Got there on Day 2! Elegant and Serene as ever. Would have lounged about longer, but the connection time was barely 4 hours. Next time it will be more than 15!
YAY!!!
The Pier is magic. I look forward to my return.
I am thrilled that The Pier First is open, it's my favorite lounge in HKG. Pre-pandemic, the food was superb, a la carte and buffet and they poured expensive champagne. I don't have any reason to believe that any of that will change. The Wing First is very nice but I prefer The Pier. I have visited the Chase Lounge with my Priority Pass before and I was very impressed with the layout, food and...
I am thrilled that The Pier First is open, it's my favorite lounge in HKG. Pre-pandemic, the food was superb, a la carte and buffet and they poured expensive champagne. I don't have any reason to believe that any of that will change. The Wing First is very nice but I prefer The Pier. I have visited the Chase Lounge with my Priority Pass before and I was very impressed with the layout, food and drinks. The Plaza Premium, on the other hand, was quite disappointing. Very small footprint with unappealing and unappetizing food and the drink selection was inferior. The decor was non-existent, the seating arrangement with white walls resembled a doctor's waiting room.
Everyone gets a copy of Mao's little red book
I’m hoping that the SQ SilverKris lounge and the United Club at HKG will soon follow. Currently the only option is the Plaza Premium lounge when flying Star Alliance carriers.
I said it once and I'll say it again Any priorities pass lounge does the job for me: coffee and fruits/biscuits... what else would you need before a flight?
Even though I never tried this lounge, I believe it is way overrated.
Why do you repost this comment word-for-word on every post? It sounds like sour grapes.
What makes is better than The Wing?
IMO they're practically even. The Pier has a slight edge in terms of the ambiance and decor, especially the restaurant and bar. It really comes down to if you prefer open-air or a more intimate feel. I will give The Wing a leg-up in when it comes to planespotting and that self-serve champagne bar. And the Wing's cabanas are better than the Pier's private rooms, which have always been spartan and freezing cold when I've visited.
I bought a Cathay Pacific Business class ticket from LAX to SIN and back in late September/early October with a short stopover in HKG both ways.
My One World Emerald Status should get me in.
You'll love it! Make sure to come hungry and use the dining room.
One warning: there are people movers to get you to the lounge... but nothing the other way. So if your gate is far be sure to plan extra time for the walk back because there is no other option.
Is it my imagination or is award availability in almost every region virtually non-existent? I think this game is sadly over:(
For those of us based in HK, this is almost emotional - a key milestone on the (hoped for) road back to normalcy. I have a bunch of trips planned for July and August and I hope I get to enjoy the lounge on all of them.
A design note: many airport terminals (including HKG) emphasize lounge locations which are on an upper level open to the concourse. This lounge showed the world how...
For those of us based in HK, this is almost emotional - a key milestone on the (hoped for) road back to normalcy. I have a bunch of trips planned for July and August and I hope I get to enjoy the lounge on all of them.
A design note: many airport terminals (including HKG) emphasize lounge locations which are on an upper level open to the concourse. This lounge showed the world how much better a controlled environment - even in a relatively low-ceiling space - can be, in terms of sound level, lighting, ambience in general. This is where the new QR lounge in Doha, in my opinion, completely fails.
The designer, StudioIlse, stated she wanted it to feel grounded and home-like and I think the location certainly adds to that feel.
Sweet, I have a transit in mid August, looking forward to the reopened The Pier. Only wish my transit time was longer to allow time for both a massage and meal.
Ben - please check your email - flagged a good CapOne airline deal!
Also, thanks for reporting this. Just in time for my August transit.
PARTING SHOT [literally]
ROTFLMAO. The real DCS, i.e., me, with the LTD logo image by his moniker and trademark blockquotes, couldn't agree more!
The various 'DCS' imitators, possibly including the forum host who continues to tolerate them, are making a mockery of this site to where serious readers, to the extent that they exist, are responding to trolls, as is the case here!
Genug ist...
PARTING SHOT [literally]
ROTFLMAO. The real DCS, i.e., me, with the LTD logo image by his moniker and trademark blockquotes, couldn't agree more!
The various 'DCS' imitators, possibly including the forum host who continues to tolerate them, are making a mockery of this site to where serious readers, to the extent that they exist, are responding to trolls, as is the case here!
Genug ist genug!
Until the unethical practice is stopped, this will be the real DCS's comment on this site. The moniker is yours. Knock yourself out...
"Until the unethical practice is stopped, this will be the real DCS's comment on this site. "
Gott sei Dank. Du bist immer noch ein Arschloch.
Lucky Ben
Can you delete this user we don’t need this type of abuse
Looks like they are making a mockery of you only... not the site. Sorry... I know it hurts your feelings
Great news indeed. I'll be flying CX in December and I can't wait to visit this lounge again. It's my most favorite OneWorld lounge in the world. Beautiful decor, delectable a la carte food and expensive champagne and the dessert spread is out of this world.
The Pier First class is my favorite First Class lounge.
Completely agree. Check out StudioIlse (the interior designer - her firm's work is incredible) has some videos on the creation process and it's fascinating. She hit the mark when she tried to create a more grounded, intimate, home-like experience.
Any priorities pass lounge does the job for me: coffee and fruits/biscuits... what else would you need before a flight?
Even though I never tried this lounge, I believe it is way overrated.
You are calling a lounge that you have never visited overrated. How oxymoronic!
This DCS is a troll. Ignore.
Ok mister Hilton Fanboy
I am sure we will all skip the excellent CX First class lounge thanks to your uneducated opinion. Some of us enjoy at minimum a place to shower during a long transit.
Cathay really can't win, can they? During the pandemic they were panned for reducing capacity, you know, because nobody was traveling, and now they're finally able to fill their planes and recover some of the billions of dollars they've lost their fares are "too high", and their award availability "nonexistent".
If I was CX I would be keeping my fares high and my award availability sparse too.
@ Chris W -- Who says Cathay Pacific can't win? I'm happy to see the airline doing well, so that it can hopefully survive. Me pointing out that flying Cathay Pacific isn't practical at the moment for many of us (at least those of us looking for value or to redeem miles) isn't intended to be a knock. Good for the airline for being able to sell out flights without low fares or award availability.
There's good availability (comparatively) out of Europe. Booked 65k Asia Miles from England to Hanoi via HKG for 3 pax, travelling in November, with plenty more options. I look forward to stopping off here.
Do it like I do. I fly Finnair A350 on an award to HKG. Awardavailability on AY is good. Then I continue with Cathay First to HND and return.
I am also finding inter-Asia redemptions on Cathay to be relatively plentiful, and a relative bargain compared to cash.
payd 40000 Asiamiles for a 5 hour First Flight. alternative 27000 Alaska miles.