Since May last year, Cathay Pacific has closed the first class section of The Wing for renovations, in order to help it adopt the lounge’s new-style standard that you’ll see at some of the airline’s newer lounges. There’s an update to the status of the lounge this week, and Cathay Pacific is moving around access requirements across a few of their other lounges to accommodate these changes.
Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Completes Renovations, with Tight Access Requirements
After around a year of renovations, Cathay Pacific is reopening the first class section of The Wing as of April 22, 2026. The new lounge shares elements of The Pier, with a retro-style bar, an elegant cigar bar-style dining area, and residence-style seating.
David from Executive Traveller (met him recently in Sydney – he’s an awesome guy) was in Hong Kong recently, and he’s shared a few Cathay PR photos of the new The Wing lounge, as well as a couple of his own:
Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge, Hong Kong (credit: Executive Traveller)
In terms of the lounge’s features, expect a couple of distinct areas with their own a-la-carte menus (including lobster brioche and wagyu cheeseburgers), a new massage area called The Retreat, and a separate “The 18” area for Cathay Pacific’s own first class passengers and Diamond Plus members.
Here’s the catch – when the lounge opens, the entire lounge will only be open to Cathay Pacific’s first class passengers, or Cathay Diamond members, as well as SCB Cathay Mastercard First class holders. This measure is meant to be temporary, in order to “alleviate overcrowding” and “ensure consistent service delivery”. Flying British Airways first class, or hold Executive Platinum status with American Airlines with a Cathay Pacific business class ticket? You can’t access this lounge (yet, apparently) – such passengers will be invited to use The Pier, or other Oneworld lounges.
Since Cathay Pacific only operates first class on a limited handful of routes (especially with a gradual migration to business class being the top cabin, especially with more flagship routes adopting the Aria Suite), many may find themselves only able to enter if they specifically have Cathay Diamond status.
Cathay Pacific’s first class is being operated on a smaller and smaller handful of routes, at least for now
With the introduction of a Cathay Diamond-member only space at The Bridge as well and the requirement that you now have to have your status-holding account on your booking in order to use the perks, I know there’s some nervousness around Cathay Pacific moving away from their current friendly state towards Oneworld elites, and more exclusively towards their frequent flyer programme elites (this is a direction that some other airlines such as Qatar Airways have headed in, granting inferior lounge access to Oneworld elites compared to their own premium passengers).
Cathay Pacific’s The Deck reverts to a business class lounge
Starting Wednesday, Cathay Pacific’s The Deck will revert to being a business class lounge, after having been set apart as a first class lounge since May last year.
This is generally a win for business class passengers – The Wing’s business class section will be closing (as I’ll detail below) so there isn’t any extra lounge capacity, though The Wing’s shower section had been closed for years. The Deck has eight shower suites, so the total number of shower suites available for business class passengers will increase from 23 to 31 (a 35% increase). Cathay Pacific really struggles with shower capacity over peak hours, especially in the late evening, so it’s great to see a change come to this.
The Deck’s shower suites aren’t any better than at the other lounges, though Cathay Pacific’s shower capacity will increase by 35% overnight
Of course that’s reallocated shower capacity from first class passengers, though the first class section of The Pier didn’t have a known shower wait time issue, so hopefully this doesn’t change in the meantime.
The Deck is marginally smaller than The Wing, though The Wing was never crowded in the same way that Cathay Pacific’s two newer business class lounges were (The Bridge and The Pier). It’ll replace The Wing as the weakest offering of the three, not featuring a bar or even barista coffee (whereas The Wing did). However, travellers will of course continue to have access to The Bridge and The Pier.
The Deck is weaker than The Bridge and The Pier as a lounge offering, though shower capacity was a big bottleneck, so it’s good to see it rejoin the business class portfolio
Cathay Pacific’s The Wing business class lounge closes for renovations, will re-open mid-2027
As hinted above, with the reopening of The Wing’s first class section and the re-allocation of The Bridge, Cathay Pacific’s The Wing business class lounge will close for renovations. We expect that the lounge will see a similar refresh to the airline’s newer-style lounges, and Cathay also aims for The Wing to become a flagship lounge of sorts.
The lounge was a good size, and acted as a fairly serene environment during peak hours (amidst overcrowding from The Bridge and The Pier), though it’s definitely past its prime. I’m excited for the lounge to get a much-needed refresh, where it’s slated to re-open in 2027 (along with new shower suites, which will further increase shower capacity for business class lounges at the airport).
Cathay Pacific’s The Wing lounge gets a much-needed refresh
My recommendation for business class passengers at the moment continues to be to either visit The Bridge or The Pier. While both lounges are quite busy, there’s still much to love, including excellent barista coffee and cocktails, fantastic noodle bars, and a large variety of extremely comfortable seating. Head to The Bridge for an exclusive Chinese street food-style stall, or The Pier to use one of their 18 daybeds or to sample tea from their Jing tea bar.
Cathay Pacific’s The Bridge lounge is awesome, though can be slammed at peak hour
Alternatively, no changes are happening to the Qantas Lounge Hong Kong, which features fantastic coffee, cocktails, and made-to-order small plates at certain hours. This lounge is consistently a lot less emptier, and a great alternative option if you’re flying Cathay Pacific business class.
The Qantas Lounge Hong Kong remains a brilliant option for Cathay Pacific business class passengers
Once The Wing reopens, I imagine the Oneworld lounge portfolio at Hong Kong Airport will be a force to be reckoned with.
Conclusion
Cathay Pacific is reopening the first class section of The Wing on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, though it’ll only be open to Cathay Pacific first class passengers and top-tier elites for the time being (The Pier’s first class section will remain open to all first class passengers and Oneworld Emerald members).
Simultaneously, they’re closing the business class section for an immediate start to renovation work there, slated to end mid-2027. In the meantime, The Deck will transition over to a business class lounge overnight, resulting in a lot of extra shower capacity in the interim.
With The Bridge, The Pier, The Deck, The Wing and the Qantas lounge all open, Oneworld will have a second-to-none business class lounge portfolio at Hong Kong Airport.
What are you most looking forward to, in terms of Cathay Pacific’s lounge portfolio at Hong Kong Airport?
