Cathay Pacific will close Hong Kong’s The Cabin lounge on April 30
By David Flynn, February 27 2018
EXCLUSIVE | Cathay Pacific will pull down the shutters on The Cabin lounge at Hong Kong airport on April 30 2018, closing the business class lounge once its newer sibling The Deck opens in March.
Australian Business Traveller was informed of plans for The Cabin's closure through two sources involved in and with knowledge of the decision, which cannot be named as they are not authorised to speak on behalf of Cathay Pacific.
A spokesperson for Cathay Pacific declined to comment on the fate of The Cabin and refused to confirm or deny plans to close the lounge, telling Australian Business Traveller that "our current focus at this time is on the opening of The Deck in the first quarter of this year, which we are very much looking forward to."
Update: Cathay Pacific has now officially confirmed the closure of The Cabin on April 30, 2018.
The Cabin made its debut in October 2010 as the first of Cathay’s then new-look airport lounges designed by Foster & Partners, headed by famed architect Sir Norman Foster.
That template – later adapted for The Wing flagship first class and business class lounges – featured a sharp style reflecting Foster’s preferences for functional ‘high-tech’ design such as hard glossy surfaces created by wood, bamboo, white marble and dark granite.
A stand-out feature of The Cabin which many travellers appreciated was the view over the tarmac afforded by floor-to-ceiling windows running the entire 90 metre length of the lounge
However, almost eight years on, Cathay Pacific will close The Cabin and direct passengers to nearby lounges at The Wing (near gates 1-4) and most notably The Deck (below) – the refurbished Dragonair G16 lounge above departure gates 16-19, which is expected to open at the end of March.
At least they won’t have to walk far: it’s barely five minutes to either lounge, which reflects one of the oddities of The Cabin – its location near the start of the terminal’s main concourse, between gates 21 and 23, put it just a short walk from The Wing but a much longer walk from The Pier, rather than being centrally positioned along the concourse.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
22 Dec 2017
Total posts 26
This was a lovely little lounge but I'm sure the replacement will shine as well.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
19 Jan 2018
Total posts 91
Thanks for the inside scoop David. Great to hear it first here on AusBT.
12 Dec 2012
Total posts 1027
I've only been in the Cabin once or twice, before I got QF Platinum and while The Wing was closed for refit.
Recently, I've been going to The Pier or the QF lounge. Have only been to The Bridge once (shortly after it opened) and G16 once (moved there from The Pier after a flight delay with G16 overlooking the gate).
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 Jun 2015
Total posts 105
I recently visited The Cabin when i was flying through HKG and while i wasnt there for long i through it was small compared to the other CX lounges around. The self service food selection i thought was rather limited. Again could have been time of day.
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2555
Yes, it's closing permanently - if it was being updated the article would have reflected that. In my experience The Cabin is off the pace compared to The Wing and The Pier, it's always crowded and can get very hot due to the exposure of those lovely large windows. The Deck looks great and should be the same five minutes' walk away as The Wing but offer more of a mini-Pier experience.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
19 Jan 2018
Total posts 91
Totally agreed David. I think the Bridge is somewhat mediocre compared with The Pier and The Wing as well. I suppose it all depends on how far one is willing to walk and the gate from which the flight is departing.
12 Dec 2012
Total posts 1027
If they are closing the lounge permanently, what are they going to do with the space?
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2555
It's being handed back to the HK airport authority, not known if this will be for their use or making the space available to another airliner (ideally a smaller one with fewer flights). "For rent: HKG airport lounge, fully fitted out and ready for you to move in!"
19 Jan 2018
Total posts 87
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2555
In airlines and associated bodies such as airports, contractors etc there are thousands of people with access to and first-hand knowledge of certain information, yet who are not authorised to speak to media on behalf of the airline (a role typically reserved for an airline’s PR people and senior executives). This is why in cases such as this we use only reliable sources and generally will get two independent sources unless an airline is willing to confirm the issue.
19 Sep 2017
Total posts 4
So the deck will be where the Qantas lounge is, above gate 16?
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2555
Yes, if you go to the far end of the Qantas Hong Kong Lounge where there's a 'service desk' off to the right, there's a glass door which is currently not in use – that looks straight across a shared 'terrace' area to The Deck. Assuming that door is reopened, should make it very easy to lounge-hop!
20 Jun 2014
Total posts 59
Fair enough really. CX has four excellent lounges at HKG, I'd rather they spent the money adding or upgrading an outport lounge than upgrading the Cabin.
The Cabin was the first CX lounge I ever visited and I was super impressed. Recently I went back and was really disappointed with how limited and small it felt compared to the new Bridge/Pier.
12 Feb 2013
Total posts 47
Cathay Pacific has announced that The Deck will open on 22 March 2018 and The Cabin will close on 30 April 2018.
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