For the first time in several years, Cathay Pacific has opened an all-new lounge. However, it’s not at an airport.
Cathay Pacific opens lounge at ferry terminal
As of early November 2023, Cathay Pacific has opened a lounge at the Shekou ferry terminal, which is part of the port of Shenzhen, China. The lounge is open daily from 7AM until 8:15PM. Why would Cathay Pacific open a lounge at a ferry terminal, rather than at an airport?
Well, Shenzhen is the closest city to Hong Kong in mainland China, and it’s only a short distance away. Cathay Pacific doesn’t fly between Shenzhen and Hong Kong (the airports are only 24 miles apart), but the airline still wants to be an attractive option for travelers from this incredibly important business hub.
There is frequent ferry service between Shenzhen and Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), which takes just 30 minutes. There are currently 11 daily roundtrip ferries, making this one of the busiest ports connecting the Greater Bay Area to HKIA. To make the whole experience more seamless, Cathay Pacific has opened a lounge there.
The lounge is styled after Cathay Pacific’s existing lounge motif, created by StudioIsle, used in lounges across the globe. Customers can look forward to a familiar palette of earth tones, cherry wood, and bronze and brass details, along with Cathay Pacific’s signature dark green tiles.
The food and drink menu is also intended to give guests a small treat ahead of their journey, with options like pork bao and Chinese desserts, along with a patisseries selection and toasted paninis, to ensure there’s something for everyone.
Below you can see some pictures of the new lounge.
So, who has access to this non-airport lounge, given that this is a totally new concept for the airline?
- Cathay Pacific first and business class passengers
- Cathay Diamond and Gold members, regardless of airline flown, as well as Cathay Silver members when traveling on a Cathay Pacific flight
- Members with oneworld Emerald or oneworld Sapphire status when traveling on a Cathay Pacific flight
So the rules are a bit different than standard oneworld lounge access policies, as oneworld elite members traveling in economy or premium economy on partner airlines don’t get access. However, it’s otherwise more or less what you’d expect.
Hong Kong Airport’s impressive ferry service
Many people don’t realize that Hong Kong Airport has the SkyPier, offering ferry service to all kinds of points across the Greater Bay Area.
What’s cool about these ferry services is how seamless the whole process is. If coming from mainland China, you can check your bag at the ferry terminal, obtain your boarding pass for your flight, and then basically arrive at Hong Kong Airport as if you’re a connecting passenger. It works just as seamlessly in the other direction.
It’s nice to see Cathay Pacific trying to further improve these kinds of transfers.
Bottom line
Cathay Pacific has opened a lounge at Shenzhen’s port. Shenzhen is an important market, and is just a 30-minute ferry ride from Hong Kong Airport. Cathay Pacific now offers quite the seamless experience for those originating at the Shekou ferry terminal, including check-in, lounge access, and more.
What do you make of Cathay Pacific opening a lounge at a ferry terminal?
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