We took a taxi to the airport, and arrived at around 10AM for our 1:20PM departure to Dallas.
Hong Kong Airport exterior
I don’t think there’s a much more impressive check-in hall in the world than the one at Hong Kong Airport.
Hong Kong Airport check-in hall
American’s check-in counters were located in Row E, near the center of the terminal.
Hong Kong Airport American Airlines check-in
We used the first class check-in queue (which Executive Platinum members are allowed to use), and were checked in within a minute.
Hong Kong Airport American Airlines check-in
We were handed lounge invitations, hilariously for the Priority Pass lounge. It’s just mind-blowing how cheap American is sometimes. As a oneworld premium cabin passenger or elite member you’re allowed to use the Cathay Pacific lounges, which are infinitely better than the Priority Pass lounge. But I’m guessing it costs American a few bucks less if you instead use the Priority Pass lounge, which presumably is why they give you that invitation.
Hong Kong Airport American Airlines lounge invitation
While I love Hong Kong Airport, one major downside is that they don’t have premium queues at security or immigration. The queues can get quite long, though in this case they weren’t. Security took maybe five minutes, while there was a 10 minute queue for immigration.
Hong Kong Airport security checkpoint
Here’s a quick tip — make sure you walk with purpose as soon as you pass immigration, as there are an army of people there that want to conduct “quick” surveys about your experience in Hong Kong. These quick surveys have about 42 questions. You’ve been warned. 😉
Anyway, ordinarily I would turn left once through immigration, as the door to The Wing is located there, which is Cathay Pacific’s first class lounge in Hong Kong.
However, in today’s case I was most excited to check out The Bridge, which is Cathay Pacific’s newest lounge in Hong Kong. This is actually a business class lounge, so is open to first and business class passengers, as well as oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members.
Hong Kong Airport terminal
The Bridge is located near gate 35, so once you clear immigration you’re best off taking the train there, as it lets out just a short walk from the lounge. Do note, however, that the train only runs one-way — you can take it from gate 1 to gate 35, but not in the other direction.
Hong Kong Airport terminal
We decided to walk instead, though, as it is a gorgeous terminal (and there’s something about looking at the planes at Hong Kong Airport that excites me).
Hong Kong Airport terminal
Hong Kong Airport terminal
The entrance to The Bridge is located at the far end of the concourse.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge entrance Hong Kong Airport
You just have to take a set of escalators down a level, where the reception desk is located.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge entrance Hong Kong Airport
We were quickly checked in, and decided to first check out the right side of the lounge. the lounge has wings on both sides of the reception desk, with easy signage for each of the “unique” areas.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge signage Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge signage Hong Kong Airport
On the right side of the lounge were The Bakery, The Long Bar, and The TV Lounge. I was instantly impressed by the lounge — absolutely gorgeous! The decor was lovely, it featured views of the tarmac, and the lounge was surprisingly empty.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge seating Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge seating Hong Kong Airport
There were so many seating options, from couches to lounge chairs to circular cubicles.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge seating Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge seating Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge seating Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge seating Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge newspapers Hong Kong Airport
While the lounge doesn’t boast runway views, it does boast very nice tarmac views.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge view Hong Kong Airport
The first feature we checked out was The Long Bar, located at the far end of the right side of the lounge.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Long Bar Hong Kong Airport
It is indeed quite long, though not as long as the bar in the Swiss Lounge Zurich, which I believe is the longest airport bar in the world.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Long Bar Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Long Bar Hong Kong Airport
Since it was still early, the bar had a few croissants and pastries on display.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Long Bar Hong Kong Airport
There was also an extensive drink menu. The champagne on offer was Piper Heidsieck Cuvee Brut NV — that’s perfectly nice for a business class lounge.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Long Bar Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Long Bar Hong Kong Airport
Right next to the bar was The TV Lounge.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge TV Lounge Hong Kong Airport
Then next to that was The Bakery, which is the primary dining area in the lounge.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
There’s tons of seating in The Bakery, consisting of both communal tables and individual tables.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
The food selection was fantastic. Nothing was especially gourmet, but everything looked well executed and delicious. Usually when I’m looking at buffets in airport lounges I’m looking more at how something looks than what it is, given that most food just doesn’t look appetizing. Just about all the food in The Bakery looked good, though.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
The selection of food was varied. They had salad, soup, paninis, croissants, pastries, muffins, yogurt, fruit, dim sum, eggs, bacon, hash browns, etc.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
Then there were self serve drinks, including soft drinks, water, beer, and coffee machines.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bakery Hong Kong Airport
In terms of the dining experience, everything is self serve, unlike in The Wing First Class Lounge, where they have table service.
After checking out The Bakery we headed past the reception desk to the other side of the lounge.
The general seating on the left side of the lounge was almost a mirror image to what was on the right side of the lounge.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge seating Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge seating Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge seating Hong Kong Airport
While the other side of the lounge had The Bakery, this side of the lounge had The Bistro. It was a bit smaller and featured mostly individual tables, while The Bakery had a lot of communal tables.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bistro Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bistro Hong Kong Airport
In terms of the food itself, I’m not entirely sure what the difference between the two is. The press release about the lounge describes the difference in food as follows:
The North Wing features The Bakery, which offers freshly baked bread and pizzas, as well as sandwiches, pastries, Asian and Western soups, and fresh salads.
The South Wing features The Bistro, a self-service area where passengers can enjoy a variety of high-quality Asian and Western hot dishes and cold food selections, including delicious desserts and light leafy salads.
Anyway, The Bistro also offered self serve soft drinks, coffee, juice, beer, etc.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bistro Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bistro Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bistro Hong Kong Airport
Then they had a few hot dishes (fried vermicelli, baked egg with spinach, bacon, chicken sausage, etc.), fruit, cereal, granola, cheese, yogurt, and dim sum.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bistro Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bistro Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bistro Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Bistro Hong Kong Airport
Then at the far end of the lounge was The Coffee Loft, which was probably my favorite part. I’m a coffee-holic, so rather than using one of their machines to make an espresso-based drink, you can have one custom made. It featured lots of comfortable seating as well.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Coffee Loft Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Coffee Loft Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Coffee Loft Hong Kong Airport
The Coffee Loft didn’t just serve coffee, but also tea, smoothies, wine, beer, etc.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Coffee Loft Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Coffee Loft Hong Kong Airport
Next to The Coffee Loft was The IT Zone, which featured workstations and a handful of iMacs.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge IT Zone Hong Kong Airport
Also in this area of the lounge were the shower rooms. They featured a sink, toilet, and walk-in shower, and were spacious and nicely designed.
Cathay Pacific The Bridge showers Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge showers Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific The Bridge showers Hong Kong Airport
Cathay Pacific’s The Bridge bottom line
This is an absolutely stunning lounge, and easily the best business class lounge at Hong Kong Airport, in my opinion. The lounge feels fresh, is nice and quiet, and has some really unique “areas,” which I really appreciate.
In terms of just relaxing I think I prefer this to The Wing First Class Lounge (which I’ll review in the next installment), though The Wing does still have table service, a much better drink selection, and some really nice shower cabanas, so I’m not quite ready to make this my “primary” lounge in place of that.
That being said, if in business class or a oneworld Sapphire, this would absolutely be my “go to” lounge.
Have you visited The Bridge? If so, what were your impressions?
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