I arrived in Hong Kong at around 8:30AM, while my connecting flight to Seoul Incheon on Korean Air was departing at 12:15PM. I wasn’t able to check in online for my flight, so my first stop was the Korean Air transfer desk.
Unfortunately the desk wasn’t open when I got to the transfer area, so I had a seat and spent some time working on my laptop, which was easy enough since Wi-Fi at the airport is fast and free.
The Korean Air desk ended up opening at 9:30AM, and I was issued boarding passes all the way to San Francisco.
Hong Kong Airport transit desk
With boarding passes in hand I cleared transit security and headed towards the SkyTeam Lounge, which is what Korean Air uses at the airport. The lounge is located near gate 15, so it’s near the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge, not that far from the security checkpoint.
Hong Kong International Airport terminal
The SkyTeam Lounge is located one level below the main concourse, so you take an escalator down. In that sense (and only that sense) it reminded me a lot of Cathay Pacific’s Pier First Class Lounge.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong entrance
At the entrance I was welcomed and informed that there would be a boarding call for my flight.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong entrance
Across from the reception desk were a selection of magazines and newspapers.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong magazines & newspapers
The SkyTeam Lounge is about 11,500 square feet, so it’s a good size, but it was quite crowded, which isn’t too surprising, given how many passengers it serves.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong
There was a long corridor that went along the side of the lounge, which had benches that stretched the length of it, along with some tables.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong seating
The furniture itself was similar to the other SkyTeam lounges I’ve been to (including in London and Dubai), and consisted of swiveling chairs, chairs in rows facing one another, and some slightly more private chairs.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong seating
Overall I really didn’t like the lack of natural light in the lounge. There were only windows in the back corner of the lounge, and the blinds were down, so it made the lounge feel like a basement.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong seating
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong seating
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong seating
Also in the back of the lounge was a small business center with three iMacs.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong business center
Then the other main area of the lounge was a dining area with a bunch of tables, as well as some high-top seating.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong seating
There was a buffet setup with hot and cold options.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong buffet
This included croissants, pastries, cereal, chips, nuts, yogurt, veggies, rice, cheese, and even a pancake machine, similar to what you’d find in an Alaska Lounge.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong buffet
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong buffet
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong buffet
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong buffet
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong pancake machine
They even had a “create your favorite sandwich” area.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong buffet
Am I the only one who thinks this looks like a pretty sad setup for something that’s supposed to allow you to create your favorite sandwich? Like, more than one type of meat would be ideal, in my opinion.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong buffet
Then there were a few hot options as well.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong buffet
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong buffet
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong buffet
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong buffet
There was also a noodle bar, where you could order congee, Hong Kong style fish ball rice noodle soup, or a vegetarian noodle soup.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong noodle station
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong noodle station
Then there was a bar with self serve soft drinks, water, liquor, wine, and beer.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong drinks
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong drinks
There were also coffee machines.
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong coffee machine
A few minutes after walking in I ran into Stefan from Rapid Travel Chai, and then a few minutes later I left the lounge, even though I had plenty of time to spare.
The lounge isn’t horrible, by any stretch of the imagination, though it did disappoint me. Hong Kong is probably one of the best airports in the world when it comes to lounges, and the SkyTeam Lounge simply isn’t great. I wasn’t hungry or thirsty, but rather just hated that the lounge felt like a dungeon. So I just headed up into the terminal and sat in an empty gate area for a while, where I had plenty of natural light and more room to myself.
Boarding was scheduled to start at 11:45AM at gate 24, so I arrived there around 11:30AM.
Hong Kong International Airport terminal
The plane was already there, and sure enough boarding started at exactly 11:45AM, as expected.
Korean Air A330 Hong Kong Airport
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong bottom line
This is probably my least favorite SkyTeam Lounge I’ve been to (the other two I’ve been to are in Dubai and London). The lounge was fairly crowded and felt like a dungeon to me.
I enjoyed sitting in the gate area more, given the amount of natural light. I wouldn’t go out of my way to spend much time here again, especially when Hong Kong has some of the best airport lounges in the world, (minus this one).
If you’ve visited the SkyTeam Lounge HKG, what was your experience like?
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