Cathay Pacific’s The Deck lounge, Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific’s The Pier Business Class Lounge has a tea room. The Wing Business Class has a coffee bar. The Pier First Class has a spa, and The Wing First Class has cabanas. Cathay Pacific’s The Deck… has none of that. But it’s hardly a ‘poor cousin’ of the other lounges. In fact, it’s one of Cathay Pacific’s newest and nicest.

Rather than having a unique ‘Hong Kong theme’ of its own, The Deck mimics the strength of Cathay Pacific’s lounges in other ports. For instance, there’s the much-loved Noodle Bar serving up dishes made fresh to order. When you don’t have time for a stroll down to The Pier, here’s why you might consider making The Deck your next-best alternative.

Location, layout and seating

The Deck isn’t far from Cathay Pacific check-in at Hong Kong International Airport. No doubt, The Wing is a little closer on the left-hand side. But The Deck is over to the right, effectively sitting ‘behind’ the Qantas Hong Kong Lounge. Given the layout of the terminal, you’ll first need to take the escalator downstairs and walk around towards gate six. There, you’ll find an escalator taking you up back upstairs to the entrance.

For the trivia buffs, this space previously belonged to Dragonair’s ‘G16 Lounge’. That airline would later rebrand to Cathay Dragon in 2016, with the lounge reopening as The Deck in 2018. In 2020, Cathay Dragon was merged into Cathay Pacific – and this is now simply a ‘Cathay Pacific’ lounge, like any other.

Its design and style mirror Cathay Pacific’s newest approach of emulating a modern, high-end apartment within the confines of an airport lounge. There’s a scattering of greenery that gives the space more of a ‘lived-in’ feel. A central ‘lounge room’ brings with it a cosy vibe. But this wouldn’t be The Deck… without a deck. Rest assured, there is one – and it’s quite sizeable.

That balcony sits within the air-conditioned confines of the terminal, so you won’t be sweating it out during those hot Hong Kong days. If you’d like to unwind with less of an ‘airport’ vibe, retreat to the relaxation room towards the far back corner of the lounge. The Deck opens daily from 5:30 am until just after midnight – 12:30 am, to be precise.

Food and beverage in Cathay Pacific’s The Deck lounge, Hong Kong

Much like Cathay Pacific’s newer outstation lounges, The Deck brings a similar and signature tilt to dining here in Hong Kong. That’s through the iconic Noodle Bar. Stop by and order from a menu of six substantial dishes plus five dim sum options. Usually, I go for the dan dan mien – but I’m visiting several lounges today, so take the chance to branch out. Instead, I opt for the prawn and porn wonton noodles. It’s delish.

If you’re in the mood for a more Western bite, peruse the buffet instead. Today’s options include meatballs, potatoes, green beans, pasta and soup. There’s also a selection of salad, fruit, cheeses and accompaniments.

One slight downside of The Deck compared to Cathay Pacific’s other lounges is the absence of a bar. Don’t get me wrong – you can still get alcohol here. It’s just that the options are whatever you can pour or mix yourself, as opposed to the broader cocktail menus found in The Wing and The Pier. Naturally, though, you will indeed find Champagne in the fridge.

Speaking of beverages, there’s also no barista for a hand-crafted latte. Espresso drinks are served through the automated machine, so if you prefer something a little nicer, The Wing might also be more appealing to you.

Amenities in The Deck by Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong

Rounding out the offerings in The Deck, Cathay Pacific has thought to include shower suites here. Just speak to an attendant to access a room or add your name to the waitlist when it’s busy.

One big plus of The Deck is the lounge’s Wi-Fi connection. It seems that because this lounge is newer, it benefits from faster connectivity than is offered in Cathay Pacific’s other lounges. Inside The Deck, I measure average download speeds of 90Mbps and average uploads of around 92Mbps. That’s very good for just about everything, including cloud backups, large file transfers and streaming in crisp 4K quality.

For context, those speeds are around three times as fast as I experienced at The Wing on the same day. It’s also nearly four times as zippy as the connection I tested at The Pier and almost five times as fast as the speeds typically on offer in the nearby Qantas Hong Kong Lounge, measured on previous visits.

It’s fair to observe, though, that at the time of testing, The Deck was reasonably quiet – and those other lounges were a tad busier. But for Cathay Pacific passengers, that’s part of The Deck’s appeal. The Wing is often the go-to for those who don’t want to venture far. The Pier is a favourite of those with more time or flying further afield. But The Deck? You have to go looking for it. Now you’re in on the secret.

Accessing The Deck in Hong Kong

Here’s a breakdown of who can access Cathay Pacific’s The Deck lounge, excluding those eligible for Cathay’s First Class lounges.

• By cabin:
  • Business Class on Cathay Pacific, Qantas, other oneworld airlines and Fiji Airways (no guests).
  • Passengers connecting between a oneworld international flight of 5+ hours in Business Class and a oneworld flight of fewer than five hours in a lower cabin (no guests). For example, arriving from Australia in Business and connecting to Mainland China in Economy.
  • Travellers arriving in Cathay Pacific Business Class and connecting to another Cathay Pacific flight in any cabin to any destination, regardless of flight length (no guests).
• By frequent flyer status:
  • Cathay Silver members departing on Cathay Pacific or a CX codeshare flight operated by any airline (no guests).
  • Cathay Gold cardholders departing on Cathay Pacific, Qantas, another oneworld airline or on a CX codeshare flight operated by any airline (one guest).
  • Cathay Cargo Clan Elite, Qantas Gold and other oneworld Sapphire members departing on Cathay Pacific, Qantas or a oneworld marketed and operated flight (one guest).
• Via lounge membership or other pass:
  • Fiji Airways Tabua Club Plus members, when flying Cathay Pacific to Bangkok and Singapore or Fiji Airways to Nadi (one guest).
  • Fiji Airways Tabua Club cardholders, only when flying Fiji Airways to Nadi (no guests).
  • Cathay Green members (and above) claiming a lounge pass as a ‘mid-status benefit’ for use when flying Cathay Pacific.
  • Cathay Silver members (and above) who purchase a lounge pass for a travel companion exceeding any complimentary guest allowance. Or, who redeem Asia Miles for a lounge pass valid for use when flying with any airline.
  • Travellers with the Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard ‘Priority Banking’ and ‘Priority Private’ credit cards (issued in Hong Kong) redeeming one of their eligible lounge invitations.

The verdict

Altogether, The Deck largely resembles the style of lounge that Cathay Pacific operates further abroad – but adapted for the space here in Hong Kong. For those who regularly travel with Cathay Pacific, the ‘feeling’ of the lounge is very familiar and on-brand. For an airline that flies near and far, that’s certainly not a bad thing.

A lot of thought has clearly gone into the design here, and the many subtle ways of reinforcing the Cathay Pacific brand. Travellers with a keen eye might notice the greenish tiles around the Noodle Bar. That’s no accident. Not only do they shine in the airline’s ‘Cathay Jade’ brand colour, but their style even mimics jade itself. Some accents in the lounge also mirror ‘Sand’ and ‘Slate’ – other defined brand colours. In a subtle way, these reflect the hues of gold and silver (respectively) of Cathay’s tiered membership cards: the very members using this space.

Of course, a typical guest mightn’t notice all of that. But for those paying attention, it’s very much ‘I see what you did there’. When you’re so often visiting rooms at airports with chairs and food, they can all start to look and feel the same. But when a lounge like this brings its own twist while retaining a familiar feel, time spent here is all that more memorable.

Also reviewed: Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 Business Class (Hong Kong – Melbourne)

Featured image courtesy of Cathay Pacific. Other photography by Chris Chamberlin, who travelled as a guest of Cathay Pacific.

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