Lounge review: Cathay Pacific The Wing Business Class Lounge

Cathay Pacific has a multitude of lounges at Hong Kong International Airport for travellers to choose from, and of these The Wing is among the oldest, having been launched way back in 1998 in the early days of the airport. Since then, the lounge has undergone an extensive redesign effort to the facility, with the final phase of the project being completed in February 2013.

I was catching Cathay Pacific flight CX882 from Hong Kong to Los Angeles earlier this month, and The Wing was the closest lounge to my departure gate. Having previously reviewed the airline’s excellent The Pier Business Class Lounge, I thought it would be interesting to see how The Wing compares.

On level 6 of Terminal 1 near gates 1 to 4.

First and business class passengers flying on either Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon, or another Oneworld carrier. These passengers can also bring one guest.

Regardless of cabin class flown, Marco Polo Club silver members on Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon flights can access the lounge without any guests. Gold members flying with Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon or another Oneworld carrier can access the lounge and bring one guest. Diamond members travelling on Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon and Oneworld carriers can access the lounge and bring two guests.

Cargo Clan Elite members on Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon or another Oneworld carrier can access the lounge and bring one guest.

Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members on Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon or another Oneworld airline can access the lounge and bring one guest.

Fiji Airways Tabua Plus cardholders can also access this lounge and bring one guest if they are flying from Hong Kong to Nadi, Fiji; Hong Kong to Bangkok; or Hong Kong to Singapore.

Given that this lounge is open air to the terminal, the entire lounge is bathed in natural light during the daytime.

At the rear of the below picture, you can see the Long Bar. In front of the bar, there are some cosy-looking pod-like seats, though all of these were occupied when I arrived after lunchtime. They are equipped with sockets for charging your device, so if you want to get a bit of work done in relative privacy you should try to park yourself in one of these seats when the lounge is less busy.

Although the pod seats were are taken, some other comfortable seating – namely, these leather armchairs – was available. It should be noted that if you’re travelling alone, you have to sit either right next to someone or directly facing someone, so these seats afford less privacy than the pods.

If you’re working on any sensitive projects, it would be easy for your neighbour, or anyone walking behind you, to view your laptop screen.

There is also some similar seating with atmospheric lamps beside each seat.

I was impressed by the selection of newspapers and magazines. Most of the major daily newspapers and news magazines you could hope for are represented, as well as a good selection of more lifestyle-oriented publications. They are also quite elegantly displayed, and I noticed a staff member (pictured below) was diligently maintaining them.

You certainly won’t want for reading material should you forget to bring your own.

Fans of Cathay’s Noodle Bar will be pleased to know that this feature is also available in The Wing.

This open-kitchen concept serves a selection of local classics, plus regional and Asian specialties such as Sichuanese dan dan noodles, Singapore Laksa, and Taiwanese beef noodles.

I’d already eaten a delicious Impossible Burger in the Plaza Premium First Lounge, so unfortunately I didn’t have an appetite to eat anything at The Noodle Bar this time. I have tried The Noodle Bar before, though, in Cathay’s The Pier Business Class Lounge, and can attest that the food is rather tasty.

There is also plenty of seating where you can sit and enjoy your food.

In a section called The Coffee Loft, you can relax with a hot drink. The signage is in need of repair; as you’ll see from the photo below, the ‘C’ had fallen off the word ‘coffee’. For readers of Chinese, though, all three characters remain intact.

Hopefully they’ll get it fixed soon.

The Coffee Loft was quite busy when I arrived, though there was some stool seating that was mostly unused overlooking a small section of the concourse below. I perched there for a short while and people watched.

There are also additional newspapers and magazines here, in case you forgot to pick up any from the above-mentioned area on the way in.

There is a nice selection of ergonomic armchairs.

It’s great to have the option of a higher-quality barista-made coffee, rather than only self-serve, especially if you’re connecting in Hong Kong and feeling jet lagged.

Besides in The Coffee Loft, self-serve hot drinks, as well as other food and beverages, are also available in the main section of the lounge.

Below, you can see that the hot dishes are kept on hot plates to keep them warm. There are also various breads you can help yourself to.

Again, I was a little too full from my indulgences in Plaza Premium First, so I didn’t actually eat any of the food. From my observations, though, it was a decent spread, though there was less choice than in The Pier.

If you’re hoping to eat a full meal in this lounge, I would recommend visiting The Noodle Bar as your first port of call. If you’re just after a snack, then the main section of the lounge will suit you just fine.

Below, you can see (from left to right) mixed garden leaf salad; tomato, red onion and rocket with balsamic vinaigrette; Mediterranean salad with feta, orecchiette and Kalamata olives; and assorted fresh cut fruits.

I noticed that some drinks machines were out of order, though this didn’t really inconvenience me. It might slow things down if the lounge were busy, however.

Unless you were in a serious rush, or seriously impatient, I don’t foresee this being a major problem and I assume Cathay will have this fixed as soon as possible.

One feature I particularly enjoyed is the Long Bar in the main area. Here, I saw several people sipping glasses of champagne. I abstained, given the time of day (just after lunch) and the fact that I wanted to save myself for the on-board alcohol offerings, opting instead for a coffee and sparkling water. If you’re an aviation enthusiast, it’s a nice place to watch the planes taking off. You could easily while away an hour or more here with a glass of bubbly and your FlightRadar24 app open.

In case you wish to freshen up, The Wing has 23 shower rooms, each equipped with bath products and towels. You can ask the shower attendants to serve you with personal amenities, including hair and shaving products. I didn’t use the showers on this occasion, however, as I had already showered not long ago at home.

While the Pier Business Class Lounge is newer and has an overall more extensive offering, this is still a comfortable lounge with plenty of decent amenities. It has most of the features that CX lounge-goers love. The Long Bar is arguably better than the bar in The Pier, given that the former has an open air view of the tarmac and the latter has no view.

If you’re taking a flight leaving from gate 1, 2, 3 or 4, this lounge is extremely convenient as it sits right above these gates.

If you have Plaza Premium access, it’s also convenient to lounge hop between either of the two nearby Plaza Premium lounges – preferably their First lounge if you have access to that.

• Opening hours: Open daily from 5:30am until last departure
• Location: Level 6, Terminal 1 near gates 1 to 4