Update: due to reduced travel demand, this lounge will be closed from 17 February 2020 until further notice.
In January 2018, I had the pleasure of visiting all four Cathay Pacific Business Class lounges in Hong Kong’s airport.
The Bridge is accessible by Business Class passengers on Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon and oneworld airlines, as well as Qantas Gold (oneworld Sapphire) and above status holders travelling in Economy Class.
Airpoints Gold and Elite members, plus one guest, can also access the lounge when departing on a booking with an NZ flight number to New Zealand, including NZ4992, NZ4994 or NZ4998 operated by Cathay Pacific. These same members can also access the lounge when connecting to or from Cathay Pacific/Cathay Dragon flights from Beijing or Shanghai.
My family and I were travelling in Business Class on Cathay Pacific to Auckland, which we had booked one-way for 30,000 Alaska Mileage Plan miles each + taxes.
Lounge details & location
Hong Kong’s Terminal 1 is a huge space! This lounge is located at one of the extremities of the terminal, near Gate 36, a floor down from the main concourse on Level 7.
To speed up the 15-20-minute walking time from security and immigration, you can take an intra-terminal train. In any case, leave ample time to arrive to your departing gate.
The lounge is open from 5:30am until 12:30am daily.
Lounge seating and food & drink
The lounge is split into two wings. Once you arrive at the front desk, you have a Bandersnatch choice to make.
Turn left to the south wing and visit the bistro and coffee loft, a quiet area to rest, and hot showers:
Or turn right to the north wing and visit the bakery and bar:
While obviously you can visit both wings, you may have a preference depending on time and hunger, and willingness to trek back through the front desk area.
Starting with the left, you are greeted by seating areas with views over the apron.
You will pass by the entry to the nine shower rooms, all with great water temperature and pressure. Jurlique products are available in the bathrooms and showers – a quality Australian-made brand!
A small buffet area called “The Bistro” awaits. On offer are a selection of hot and cold food items, desserts, and self-serve drinks.
Be sure to skip the coffee machines, and head straight to The Coffee Loft, which is located at the far end of the wing. The barista can make you a variety of drinks, including signature daily specials. You can also ask for Häagen-Dazs ice cream.
To the left of The Coffee Loft is a small self-serve drinks area, for those who fancy a beer or glass of wine without visiting the bar.
Plus a few extra sweets and snacks.
Looking for a wider selection of drinks, including spirits and cocktails? Then it is time to head to The Long Bar in the right wing of the lounge.
This wing of the lounge also features a bakery-themed buffet, with a range of freshly baked carbs on offer, including pizza.
You can request a custom-made sandwich, or opt for a pre-made ciabatta.
While there are a range of seating options available, I found on this visit that this wing of the lounge was particularly crowded. This has been the case on subsequent visits also. Cathay’s signature ‘Solus’ chairs will provide some privacy to solo travellers.
Amenities
There is no children’s area.
If you cannot easily find power outlets, that is because they are kind of hidden—they either flip or pull out of the tables. All are UK style, but you can borrow an adaptor from the front desk if needed. The USB ports make charging mobile devices easy.
There is a lot of reading material available, in both wings of the lounge.
The Wi-Fi was very acceptable, clocking speeds of 26/34 Mbps download/upload.
The south wing of the lounge has a dedicated office area called The IT Zone.
Lounge access options
- By class of travel: Business and First Class passengers departing on Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon, Air New Zealand or a oneworld airline
- By airline frequent flyer status: Marco Polo Club Silver and above travelling in any cabin on Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon, Air New Zealand or a oneworld airline
- By airline partner frequent flyer status: Qantas Gold and above travelling in any cabin on Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon or a oneworld airline, Airpoints Gold and above departing on a booking with an NZ flight number to New Zealand, including NZ4992, NZ4994 or NZ4998 operated by Cathay Pacific, and Airpoints Gold and above connecting to/from Beijing or Shanghai on Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon
- By alliance frequent flyer status: oneworld Sapphire and above travelling in any cabin on Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon or a oneworld airline
Most of the passengers listed above can guest one other person into the lounge, except for Business Class passengers without status.
Summing up: our take
While The Bridge is a quality lounge, a short walk to Gate 65 will bring you to The Pier. Like Matt, I found the latter to be the best Business Class lounge on offer at Hong Kong International Airport.
Though if you are short on time, or you find The Pier too busy, The Bridge is still a perfectly acceptable lounge to shower, grab a bite to eat, and relax with a bit of plane spotting.
However I recommend sticking to the left wing of the lounge, unless you are specifically looking for a wider range of drinks and hot food options.
What is great
- Great views of the apron and departure gates
- Friendly staff
- Excellent water temperature and pressure for showers
- Good range of buffet food
- Fast Wi-Fi
- Comfortable seating
- Quality baristas
What is not great
- The right wing of the lounge is often crowded
- No children’s area
- Segregated wings means walking via the front desk to access the remainder of the lounge
- No made-to-order noodle bar
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