Some time back, Cathay Pacific hinted that it would introduce a new flagship lounge in Hong Kong. We now have more details of what this could look like.
In this post:
Cathay Pacific plans full renovation of The Wing in Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific has just announced how it’s investing in its future. In addition to ordering Airbus A330-900neos, the airline is also investing in its lounges. Per the airline:
On the ground, Cathay Pacific will be launching newly designed flagship lounges in Hong Kong, Beijing and, for the first time, a dedicated lounge in New York, over the next three years.
We knew about the updated outstation lounges already, including a new Cathay Pacific lounge in New York (JFK). However, it’s the newly designed flagship lounge in Hong Kong (HKG) that I’m most curious about. While the airline didn’t share a lot more about these plans in the press release, the airline did share more information in its presentation, which had the following slide.
As you can see, it appears that Cathay Pacific will be fully refreshing The Wing as of some point in 2026. For context, Cathay Pacific has two main lounge setups in Hong Kong — The Wing and The Pier — and each has both a business class section and a first class section.
While The Pier has Cathay Pacific’s updated lounge design concept, The Wing doesn’t. So it seems to me like The Wing will be updated to match the decor of The Pier, and maybe to even exceed it, and set the new standard at the airline.
I’m excited to see the evolution of The Wing
Cathay Pacific has among the best first class and best business class lounges in the world. In particular, The Pier First Class Lounge and The Pier Business Class Lounge are among my favorite lounges in the world, in their respective categories.
The catch with these lounges is that the location in the airport isn’t very central, especially if you’re leaving from one of the lower gate numbers. Meanwhile The Wing has the benefit of being much closer to the central security checkpoint, but has outdated decor.
While The Wing is a nice lounge (especially The Wing First Class Lounge), there’s no denying that the lounge is no longer cutting edge, especially with all the shiny finishes.
If The Wing could be updated to reflect The Pier design, then it would be a force to be reckoned with. That’s especially true if the lounge keeps The Cabanas, which are the best shower suites you’ll find in any airport lounges.
Now, while I’m excited about this change, one thing is for sure — whenever this renovation work takes place and the lounge has to be temporarily closed, it’s going to be a bit of a mess. Cathay Pacific lounges are crowded during peak hours, and The Wing is a large percentage of lounge capacity at the airport, so I’m curious how the airline handles that. Regardless, I’m excited for the finished product.
Bottom line
Cathay Pacific has formally announced plans to introduce a new flagship lounge in Hong Kong. It appears that the intent is for The Wing to be renovated in 2026, and to feature Cathay Pacific’s most updated lounge decor. This is an exciting development, as it’ll make Cathay Pacific’s lounge “game” in Hong Kong even stronger.
I look forward to learning more details as the project date approaches…
What do you make of Cathay Pacific’s plans to introduce a new flagship lounge in Hong Kong?
This is great news. Wing needs it. Would be great to see The Bridge return, too. Love CX lounges.
I suspect CX is planning on taking back The Bridge, that it closed during COVID and is still sitting there empty. It would make a lot of sense given that many of their flights routinely depart from the 30- and 40-range gates. So, that could be the new "flagship".
Design-wise, The Bridge will benefit from the more intimate feeling and better airside views of Level 5 lounges like The Pier (and the old Cabin). Its...
I suspect CX is planning on taking back The Bridge, that it closed during COVID and is still sitting there empty. It would make a lot of sense given that many of their flights routinely depart from the 30- and 40-range gates. So, that could be the new "flagship".
Design-wise, The Bridge will benefit from the more intimate feeling and better airside views of Level 5 lounges like The Pier (and the old Cabin). Its original design, by Foster & Partners, was much better than The Wing they designed around the same time, for exactly that reason in my opinion.
In fact CX has struggled to implement the current lounge concept, by Studio Ilse, in open-air, upper-level environments, as those parts at The Deck at HKG and in their lounges in Changi and Pudong demonstrate. Enclosure and control of lighting are essential for the concept to work.
I do not wish it to be true but I suspect that the Cabanas will be cannibalized for their space in order to create more Pier-style shower rooms…and possibly a massage area.
I expect The Cabanas to stay as it's been an iconic feature since the airport's inception in '98.
As CX is getting back to 100% capacity by early 2025, I wonder would they open a new lounge in HKG before shutting down The Wing for renovation? Perhaps re-open The Bridge?
Even tho The Pier First Class lounge is my favorite in the world, I never remember the various lounge names CX has (Wing/Pier/etc.. they're all generic 4 letter words) so I was genuinely panicking that they somehow thought they needed to update the good one!
As nice as it will be to have an updated centrally-located lounge (that looooong walk back from The Pier isn't fun when you've had a couple glasses of champagne), one...
Even tho The Pier First Class lounge is my favorite in the world, I never remember the various lounge names CX has (Wing/Pier/etc.. they're all generic 4 letter words) so I was genuinely panicking that they somehow thought they needed to update the good one!
As nice as it will be to have an updated centrally-located lounge (that looooong walk back from The Pier isn't fun when you've had a couple glasses of champagne), one of the most charming parts of The Pier is that it has lower ceilings, giving it a more home-like and grounded experience.
Last note: will the new dedicated JFK CX F lounge be open to OneWorld passengers? If yes, it might become the best lounge at JFK then, considering the Chelsea lounge's middling reviews.
"Last note: will the new dedicated JFK CX F lounge be open to OneWorld passengers? If yes, it might become the best lounge at JFK then, considering the Chelsea lounge's middling reviews."
Considering Terminal 6 will house Lufthansa & Co. along with Aer Lingus, it's safe to say they'll have that space to themselves unless of course Aer Lingus reintegrates in OneWorld and/or someone else moves in.
Theoretically T8 pax can clear security in T6 to use the CX lounge, but I think very few will bother, so capacity should not be an issue.
I'm excited to hear that The Wing will be renovated, it's about time. I totally agree that the shiny finishes are so outdated. If they could mirror the design of The Pier it would be awesome. I suppose they could shift the guests to The Deck during renovation which is near Gate 6, a short walk from The Wing. I always choose to go to The Pier First even though it's a bit of a hike but totally worth it.
Just to keep everyone in the know, the first renovation of The Wing started in late 2010-2013 and was in collaboration with Foster + Partners which was their previous architecture firm. And I would expect an updated version of The Cabanas as they are an iconic feature just like the noodle bar.
https://news.cathaypacific.com/cathay-pacific-completes-business-class-lounge-renovations-at-the-wing-the-airline-s-flagship-lounge-in-hong-kong-154004
https://news.cathaypacific.com/cathay-pacific-completes-first-class-lounge-renovations-at-the-wing-the-airline-s-flagship-lounge-in-hong-kong
Just to keep everyone in the know, the first renovation of The Wing started in late 2010-2013 and was in collaboration with Foster + Partners which was their previous architecture firm. And I would expect an updated version of The Cabanas as they are an iconic feature just like the noodle bar.
https://news.cathaypacific.com/cathay-pacific-completes-business-class-lounge-renovations-at-the-wing-the-airline-s-flagship-lounge-in-hong-kong-154004
https://news.cathaypacific.com/cathay-pacific-completes-first-class-lounge-renovations-at-the-wing-the-airline-s-flagship-lounge-in-hong-kong
I think the design smarts for the CX lounges in HKG came from Davies Baron, who worked in collaboration with Fosters. Davies Baron created the Terraces concept for BA and designed the original lounges when T5 first opened.
Given Hong Kong's much diminished role as a center of finance and trade, one has to wonder what all this investment is for?
Hong Kong is still a major player for getting goods from China to the west as well as for connections to Asia and beyond.
Hong Kong is a city in China now. Most major economies are slowly weaning themselves off dependence on China for manufacturing and for goods. A lot has changed and moved to places like Vietnam and Taiwan. Singapore has displaced Hong Kong as the region's hub of finance.
Hong Kong is over. Connections are nice but the Hong Kong that existed until 2018 is no more.
Hong Kong, diminished? The only place I've ever heard that was at View From The Wing which is authored by a dumbass.
@Lucky, you said "The Wing is the largest lounge at the airport," but The Pier is bigger than The Wing, so that is not correct. I agree though CX will need to prevent the HKG lounges from being overcrowded, though.
Although I can't find definitive online sources, quick googling says that The Wing First is 48k sf and The Pier First is 20k sf.
I admit I have always just felt The Pier to be bigger without any definitive information myself, so I stand corrected if I am proven wrong. However, with the sources I find, I believe The Pier (F+J combined) is now bigger than The Wing (F+J combined) since the 6F part of The Wing has been taken back by airport authority. There is a reception left on the 6F, but even with that added, at most...
I admit I have always just felt The Pier to be bigger without any definitive information myself, so I stand corrected if I am proven wrong. However, with the sources I find, I believe The Pier (F+J combined) is now bigger than The Wing (F+J combined) since the 6F part of The Wing has been taken back by airport authority. There is a reception left on the 6F, but even with that added, at most The Wing is about the same size as The Pier.
Source 1:
https://news.cathaypacific.com/cathay-pacific-completes-business-class-lounge-renovations-at-the-wing-the-airline-s-flagship-lounge-in-hong-kong-154004
The Wing J 6F: 1002 sqm = 10.8k sqft (now gone)
The Wing J 7F: 1935 sqm = 20.8k sqft
Source 2:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-worlds-best-airline-lounge/article18436548/
The Wing total: 4500 sqm = 48.4k sqft (before 6F is taken), so
The Wing F: 1563 sqm = 16.8k sqft, and
The Wing total: 3498 sqm = 37.6k sqft (new total, but admittedly the 6F reception area should be added)
The Pier total: 3900 sqm = 42.0k sqft (I also have this figure in my MPO membership guide)
Source 3: https://onemileatatime.com/reviews/cathay-pacific-the-pier-first-class-lounge-hong-kong/
For the sake of completeness,
The Pier F: 2061 sqm = 22.2k sqft, so
The Pier J: 1839 sqm = 19.8k sqft
Note: I am aware some numbers might be rounded while others not, but I can only rely on the sources.