Review: Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)

During my long journey to Abu Dhabi, I had the chance to check out several lounges at Hong Kong Airport, including both of Cathay Pacific’s first class lounges. In this installment I wanted to review Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge, and then in a separate installment I’ll review Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge.

Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge is a solid lounge, though in my opinion it’s not to the level of The Pier, which is one of my favorite first class lounges in the world. The Wing just doesn’t have the same incredible decor, or as many amenities. Still, independently it’s quite a good lounge, and it also has a convenient location for many passengers. The lounge also has one standout feature — the world’s best airport shower suites.

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Let’s get into the review…

Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge Hong Kong location

Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge is located in Hong Kong Airport Terminal 1, just past the immigration checkpoint (transit passengers are also let out in a similar area), near gates 1-4.

When you exit immigration (on level seven), before even going down to the concourse level, turn left and you’ll see a sign pointing in the direction of a Cathay Pacific lounge — The Wing First Class Lounge is what that’s referring to.

You’ll then see a long exterior hallway, and at the end of that is the entrance to Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge.

You can also enter the lounge through the concourse level right across from gate one. You’ll then have to take the elevator up a level to the first class section.

Because this lounge has such a central location, I find that The Wing tends to be significantly busier than The Pier. For a vast majority of passengers, visiting The Wing won’t require any backtracking, while visiting The Pier may. That being said, I’d say The Pier is absolutely worth a detour.

Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge Hong Kong hours

Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge is currently open daily from 5:30AM until 12:30AM, so that covers virtually all oneworld departures from the terminal.

Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge Hong Kong access requirements

Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge is a standard oneworld Emerald and oneworld first class lounge. In line with oneworld lounge access policies:

• The lounge can be accessed by oneworld Emerald members traveling in any cabin on a oneworld flight
• The lounge can be accessed by any same day oneworld international first class passenger, not only on Cathay Pacific, but also on airline partners

It’s such a treat how oneworld Emerald members get access to many first class lounges, since that’s not something that Star Alliance or SkyTeam offer to their elite flyers.

Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge Hong Kong layout & seating

Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge has a completely different design concept than The Pier. While The Pier feels residential, warm, and understated, The Wing feels… a bit more like a traditional airport lounge. The lounge feels very “shiny,” from the marble floors, to the glossy walls.

The entire lounge space is connected via one long hallway, and then the various amenities are either to the left or right.

If you enter the lounge from the side entrance near immigration, the first thing you’ll find is the champagne bar, which almost feels like a cigar bar (but isn’t), with comfortable burgundy couches and chairs, plus a self-serve station with champagne.

The champagne selection does vary over time (and even based on the time of day), but during my visit the choices included Drappier Millesime Exception 2017 and Drappier Carte d’Or Brut.

Then when you go a bit deeper into the lounge, you’ll find an area with magazines and newspapers, plus four semi-private chairs.

There’s then a business center of sorts, with two tables that can each seat two people — one table has two iMacs, while the other table just has empty space, so you can use your own laptop.

Past that is the single largest part of the lounge, which consists of chairs and sofas arranged in rows facing one another.

At the end of this space is the lounge’s bar. Servers tend to roam this area of the lounge, so if you’re seated in the space above, expect that someone will be by to see if you’d like a drink.

Then if you keep going (this is right by the entrance to the lounge on the other side), you’ll find the atrium, which is intended to be the more casual dining option in the lounge. Think of this as more of a light bites selection, complementing the main restaurant. The atrium has communal tables, high-top seating overlooking the terminal, and cafe-style tables seating two people each.

Last but not least, you have the haven, which is the lounge’s restaurant. This features both a la carte dining, as well as a small buffet.

In terms of the view, the entire lounge looks out over the terminal. You can see some planes in the distance, but mostly you’ll just see (and hear) people in the terminal.

The Wing is a perfectly nice lounge, but design-wise it simply pales in comparison to The Pier. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, since not much has changed about The Wing since I first flew Cathay Pacific a long time ago, while The Pier was completely redesigned in 2016.

I also love how The Pier is a fully enclosed space, rather than opening up into the terminal. I also think The Pier has a more defined layout, with more effort put into just about everything, from the bar, to the restaurant, to the workstations, and more.

So The Wing is still great, it’s just not as good as The Pier, in my opinion.

Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge Hong Kong food & drinks

Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge has two separate dining concepts — there’s the atrium, intended more for those looking for light bites, and then there’s the haven, which is the proper restaurant with table service.

Let’s start with the atrium. During my mid-morning visit, this area had croissants, muffins, pastries, bread, salad, veggies, cold cuts, quiche, bacon, and a selection of dim sum.

As far as drinks go, while you can order anything from the bar, the options otherwise include water, soda, juice, an extensive tea selection, and barista made coffee.

I’ve gotta say, the cappuccino I had in The Wing was better than the one I had in The Pier, in case you’re someone who cares about good coffee as much as I do. That might have just come down to the person preparing it, though.

The haven is the “proper” restaurant in the lounge, and it has a host who seats you, and then there’s table service. Below you can find the menu that was available during my morning visit.

In addition to the menu, there’s also a buffet, which included cake, bread, fruit, cold cuts, dim sum, eggs, and more. It’s a bit more substantial than the buffet in the atrium, but there’s some overlap.

To drink, I ordered a sparkling water and the Cathay Delight, which is one of my favorite non-alcoholic drinks served by any airline.

Then to eat, I ordered the dan dan mien, which was amazing, of course. Yum.

In addition to the two restaurants, drinks are available throughout the lounge, and you can find the beverage list below.

Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge Hong Kong bathrooms & showers

Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge has bathrooms that almost feel a bit clubby, in terms of the very dark finishes. I visited pre-LASIK, but I found myself almost walking into walls here. 😉 The men’s room had several sinks, urinals, and individual stalls, with Bamford toiletries on offer.

The Wing has 12 shower suites, a few of which are the standout features of this lounge. Specifically, the lounge has some cabana suites, which are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

What makes these cabanas so special? Well, just look at them — these are the most impressive shower suites you’ll find at any airport! Each cabana features a huge shower compound with a bathtub and rainforest shower head, a vanity, a sink area, a couch for relaxing, and a partitioned off toilet.

It’s absolutely worth going out of your way to use one of these, as they’re mighty cool.

Bottom line

Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge is a solid lounge, with lots of space, and a focus on great food and drinks. The standout feature of this lounge is the amazing cabana shower suites, which are the best shower rooms you’ll find in any airport lounge.

While this is a good lounge, I can’t help but emphasize that The Pier is a better lounge, and is absolutely worth visiting. With the exception of the shower suites, everything else about The Pier just feels a bit more luxurious and premium. The Pier might be a bit out of your way depending on the gate you’re departing from, but it’s worth the trek, if you have time.

Personally I like to visit both The Wing and The Pier, time permitting, but if I could only visit one, I’d definitely go to the latter.

What’s your take on Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge?