Cathay Pacific Reopens ‘The Deck’ Lounge in Hong Kong

With pandemic travel restrictions finally eased in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific is reopening its business class lounge ‘The Deck’ at the city’s airport (HKG), three years after it was mothballed.

From Monday, February 6, business class travelers on Cathay Pacific and its oneworld partner airlines can access the luxurious Deck near gate 6 in terminal 1. It’s open daily between 5:30 AM and 12:30 AM.

At The Deck, guests can choose between leather loungers and comfortable sofas in a living room-style area or more casual seating on its namesake Deck, an L-shaped terrace with panoramic views of the airport’s runways. The Deck has eight showers stocked with Aesop toiletries for those eager to freshen up before their next flight.

Photo: Courtesy of Cathay Pacific

To mark the lounge’s reopening, Cathay Pacific is also revamping the menu at the lounge’s Noodle Bar. New culinary delights, such as Hong Kong fish ball rice-noodle soup, poached Chinese vegetables, and Chinese soup, appear alongside old favorites such as the signature Wonton Noodles, Dan Dan Mien, and dim sum. International dishes are available in a self-serve buffet in the Food Hall.

The Deck hasn’t welcomed guests since February 17, 2020, when Cathay Pacific shut all lounges at HKG amid the coronavirus pandemic. The lounges remained closed for nearly three years as Hong Kong maintained some of the world’s strictest travel restrictions, including with mainland China.

But in January, with Hong Kong’s border with China finally reopened, Cathay Pacific, threw open the doors of its The Wing first-class lounge and Pier business class lounge at its home airport. Now The Deck is also open for business.

Cathay Pacific is relaunching the lounges, expecting a resurgence of traveler numbers. The Hong Kong flag carrier intends to operate at around 70% of pre-pandemic passenger capacity by the end of 2023 to return to pre-pandemic normal by the end of 2024.

“Cathay Pacific understands its airport lounges are highly appreciated by its customers, and the airline has used the time while these spaces have been closed to further invest in its lounge experience,” the airline said in a statement.

Cathay Pacific’s first-class suite / Photo: Courtesy of Cathay Pacific

Over the next six months, the Wing business class lounge and Pier first class lounge will also reopen at Hong Kong airport.

Cathay Pacific is also progressively reopening its more far-flung lounges. This month, its lounge at Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) will reopen at new premises, near gate 71 and with double the space and seating of its previous lounge. Guests can take in artwork from Japanese studios Belle Fleur and Arita Porcelain Lab and enjoy traditional local dishes such as sushi, grilled fish, miso soup, and curry with rice.

Also in February, it will pull up the shutters at its lounge at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN).

The spring will see the reopening of the Cathay Pacific lounges at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) (March) and Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) (April).

Throughout the rest of the year, Cathay Pacific will relaunch its lounges in Beijing (PEK), San Francisco (SFO), Taipei (TPE), and Vancouver (YVR).

Meanwhile, Hong Kong will give away half a million free flights to travelers this year to revive its tourism industry. Cathay Pacific is one of the three airlines, including HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines, that will distribute the tickets through prize drawings, games, and “buy one, get one free” deals.