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THE ALVIATOR'S VERDICT
I want to give this lounge a higher rating, especially because it used to be one of my favourite business class lounges in the world. However, there's no denying that the lounge now has a crowding issue, even outside of peak times, and the peak hour 1.5h+ wait for a shower is unacceptable |
4.0
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During my mad trip to Shanghai and Helsinki, I visited Cathay Pacific’s The Pier business class lounge at Hong Kong Airport. This was far from my first time visiting Cathay Pacific’s The Pier – I’ve historically found it one of the world’s best business class hub lounges. However, I haven’t reviewed the lounge properly in ten years, so figured it was about time to do so again.
While the lounge features amenities that are every bit as good as when it first opened, there’s a significant crowding issue at the lounge at the moment. The main reason is because the airline has reduced business class lounge capacity at the moment, due to The Deck being re-assigned as a first class lounge for the time being (as their previous flagship lounge The Wing’s first class area is closed for renovations). The Wing’s business class lounge closed its lower level, including their shower facilities, and attendants at that lounge are also redirecting passengers towards the two newer lounges The Bridge and The Pier. As a result, both newer lounges are facing overcrowding issues, with a wait time of 1.5h+ for a shower at peak times.
Anyway, here’s a review of the lounge, which will collate a couple of visits I’ve had when passing through this lounge over the latter half of 2025.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Access and Opening Hours
Cathay Pacific’s The Pier business class lounge is open from 5:30 AM to 12:30 AM, covering most Cathay Pacific departures from the airport (passengers departing on later flights will be invited to visit The Bridge). Access is open to:
- those flying Cathay Pacific or Oneworld business class
- those with Oneworld Sapphire status or above flying a Oneworld airline (do note that you need to have the frequent flyer number with status on your reservation, and can’t just flash a Sapphire membership), plus one guest: Cathay Diamond members can bring two guests
- those with Cathay Silver status flying a Cathay Pacific or codeshare flight
- those with a lounge pass issued by Cathay Pacific
- Cargo Clan elite members, plus one guest
If you’re connecting between business and economy/premium economy on the same itinerary (e.g. you upgraded on one segment), Cathay Pacific honours the highest booking class throughout the itinerary. This includes if your next segment is on HK Express, as long as it contains a Cathay Pacific codeshare number. However, you can’t buy access to this lounge.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Location and Entrance
Cathay Pacific’s The Pier business class lounge is located by gate 65. For those unfamiliar with Hong Kong Airport, gates 11, 12, and 23-36 are featured down a long hallway, and gates 41-60 and 61-80 are located down two separate prongs of a “Y” shape. An automatic people mover train takes you from immigration to the middle of the “Y” – it’s the quickest way to the lounge, as it drops you off a three-minute walk away.
Walk past gate 63, where you’ll see the entrance to the first class lounge (also called The Pier, so don’t get confused). Then, you’ll see signage heading downstairs towards The Pier’s business class lounge, so head down the set of escalators or the adjacent lift.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Entrance
A lounge attendant will check your boarding pass at the bottom of the escalator, after which you’ll be welcomed into the lounge.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Entrance
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Dining Hall
While there are a couple of features to the right of the lounge’s entryway, turn left towards a bulk of the lounge’s features.
The first thing you’ll see is a bistro area. This area features a staffed buffet, some communal seating with wooden benches, some padded tables with chairs, and some bar stool seating to the side.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Seating
In terms of food options, you’ll find some Western options here, including tarts, fruit and cheesecake, salads and charcuterie, croque monsieur, etc..
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Food Spread
Near the entrance is a coffee stand, where you’ll be able to get barista coffee. The barista coffee I’ve had here is consistently excellent, and I’d highly recommend stopping by here for a cup unless it was late at night.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Coffee Cart
While not strictly part of the main bistro area, there’s a hallway to the right that features some comfortable armchairs. This side hallway is partitioned off from the main areas of the lounge.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Seating
By the end of this hallway you’ll see the airline’s signature Solo chairs, featured throughout a majority of their lounges. I find these chairs to be extremely comfortable, with good padding. They don’t have the largest tables for eating or working, though they’re very comfortable to lounge in.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Solo Chairs
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Bar
Past the bistro is a bar area. This area is meant to simulate a cocktail bar of sorts, and features a mixture of bench seating, cosy armchairs, and sofas. Much like the other areas of the lounge, I find this part to be very tastefully designed.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Bar Area
As you can see from the photos shared, the lounge sure is popular. I visited during what I figured would’ve been an off-peak period (around 1 PM), and still I’d say that a vast majority of the seats were taken. You’ll still be able to find a seat if you need to, though.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Bar Seating
The actual staffed bar is great, and features a range of wines and cocktails (the bar will also make any classic cocktails provided their stock liquor allows it). It also has a barista coffee stand of its own. The champagne on offer is Drappier Carte D’Or Brut champagne.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Bar and Menu
While I’m not sure why you would, there are also soda cans available by the bar.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Soft Drinks and Newspapers
Something I haven’t mentioned so far is the awesome tarmac views that you’ll get at this lounge. While you’ll have a close-up view of gate 65, you’ll also see some aircraft taxiing in the background.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Tarmac Views
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Bureau
If you head to the lounge’s entrance and turn right instead of left, you’ll see a bureau, consisting of more Solo chairs and armchairs, as well as monitors.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Bureau
This is a more intimate space without natural light, meant to be a business centre of sorts – for a while the airline converted this to a yoga area, though it’s since been converted back to support capacity.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Bureau Seating
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Noodle Bar
Back to the main area of the lounge, past the bar is the airline’s signature Noodle Bar. As you’d expect, this is the largest Noodle Bar out of any of Cathay Pacific’s lounges. The area features an upmarket version of cha chaan teng-style cafeteria booth seating, as well as a few bar stools nearer to the actual noodle bar itself.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Noodle Bar
I’ve eaten here countless times in the past, and the selection is delicious. Not only can you get noodles and dim sum, but you can also get Hong Kong-style roasted meat here, which you might not be able to do in some of the airline’s other lounges. Once you do order, regardless of how packed the lounge is, it only takes a few minutes for the food to be ready.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Noodle Bar Menu
Alongside the made-to-order items, you’ll also find a self-serve buffet, consisting of dim sum (including some tasty buns), stir-fried eggplant, Singapore-style fried noodles, and some Chinese-style soup. The food spread is also high-quality – yum!
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Noodle Bar Spread
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Tea Room
Once you head past the noodle bar, you’ll get into the lounge’s Teahouse, which serves a tea menu in partnership with JING Tea. The area itself doesn’t have any natural light, and is a sleek and dimly lit space with Japanese-inspired decor, including birchwood chairs/ceiling and green tiling.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Tea Room
There’s quite an extensive tea menu, which read as follows:
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Tea Menu
I ordered a silver needle tea, which was presented with the below presentation. I enjoyed it.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Tea
Alongside the tea menu, you’ll also find a small spread of pastries and bites, as well as some booster juices.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Tea Bar and Snacks
While this area also filled up during my past visits, it tends to be the least crowded “main” area, due to how far it is from the front entrance.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Rest Area
At the far end of the lounge is a dedicated rest area. Once you walk into the rest area, you’ll see a sofa area with a shared ottoman. When I visited during the afternoon, this area was empty, despite the rest of the lounge being packed.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Rest Area
Walk around the sofa area past the partitions, and you’ll find 18 daybeds with ottomans. You’ll be able to request the same blankets found in regional business class.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Daybeds
This is a great area to rest if you have a long layover between flights.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Showers
Between the Teahouse and the rest area is the airline’s shower area. The shower reception is quite nicely kitted out, with some sofas and cushions on wooden chairs.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Shower Area
There are 14 shower suites at The Pier (one was inoperable during the time of my visit). Unfortunately, Cathay Pacific recently went from four business class lounges with showers to two business class lounges with showers. So my experience has that been during peak hours (especially before the Europe/Australia flights depart late at night), it’s really difficult to get a shower room, and wait times can exceed 1-1.5 hours. During my experience flying out at night, the shower attendant couldn’t give an approximate ETA for when a shower room would be free, and actually had to close bookings for shower rooms, given how overbooked they were. That’s not a good look for a large airline’s hub lounge.
Once I did get a shower suite, I found it to be clean and very well-appointed, featuring Bamford toiletries. There was a rainforest shower, and water pressure was very good.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Shower Room
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Storage Room
In terms of other facilities, you’ll find a luggage storage room by the main entrance. These are padlocked, so you’ll be able to leave the lounge while storing your bag there (though the airline won’t usually be liable if your items are tampered with if you leave the lounge, so it’s at your own risk).
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Storage Room
Conclusion: Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge
From a facilities and catering perspective, Cathay Pacific’s The Pier lounge is world class. The actual facilities hold their own even though the lounge is 10 years old, and I love the numerous local touches, including the noodle bar and Teahouse. The airline’s design philosophy also works extremely well, and I really enjoy visiting Cathay Pacific lounges around the world (including this one).
However, there’s no avoiding the fact that Cathay Pacific’s (temporary) lounge capacity cuts mean that their remaining lounges get really busy at peak times. Even at 1-2 PM (which I wouldn’t consider to be a peak time) during the off-peak season, I found that most seats were occupied throughout the lounge, and it didn’t contribute to the most serene environment. The feature which suffers most are the showers, as it can take up to 1-1.5 hours to get a shower room, to the point where they had to close the waiting list for the night.
Once Cathay Pacific’s lounge renovations are complete (and The Deck returns to the airline’s business class lounge portfolio), I think the airline will have a world class selection of lounges. This is still a lounge worth coming early for to get a bite to eat and a drink at the cocktail bar (or a tea at the Teahouse), though.
