The Wing, First is one of the five Cathay Pacific Lounges operated by the airline at its home and primary hub, Hong Kong International Airport. Specifically, The Wing, First is one of the two top-tier Cathay Pacific lounges in Hong Kong, the other being The Pier, First. Although The Wing, First features the airline’s older lounge design language, its unique features keep it relevant and competitive in the face of other lounges.

Lounge Access Rules

Passengers with a same-day reservation on Cathay Pacific and oneworld First Class flights are eligible for access. Passengers connecting to a oneworld flight from an international oneworld First Class and flight are also eligible for entry. When accessing by status, passengers holding Cathay Diamond status are eligible for access with two guests. This also extends to Emerald status holders with oneworld carriers, such as JAL Global Club Diamond and Premier, AAdvantage Executive Platinum, or BA Executive Club Gold. Bear in mind that guest access for oneworld Emerald status holders is limited to one companion only. Refer to the Cathay Pacific website for specific details.

Location

The Wing, First Lounge is located near gates 1 to 4 at Hong Kong International Airport. After clearing immigration, turn left towards the corridor before the escalators. The entrance to the lounge is located at the end of this corridor. Alternatively, when arriving from a connecting flight, follow the signs and walk towards the direction of gates 1 to 4. A shared entrance to The Wing, First and The Wing, Business can be found behind the travelators across from Gate 2.

The Wing First Class Lounge

At the entrance to the lounge is a small reception desk where a lounge agent is waiting. Here, the polite lounge agent took a scan of my boarding pass, stamped it for re-entry, and advised me of my gate number. Despite flying Economy Class, I had access by virtue of my Cathay Diamond tier membership, equivalent to oneworld Emerald.

Lounge Seating and Amenities

As I briefly mentioned in the introduction, The Wing, First features Cathay Pacific’s previous generation lounge design. The lounge was last refurbished in 2013, incorporating the design of the famed British architect, Norman Foster. With its sleek polished black, white marble, and wood lacquer look, the lounge has stood timeless throughout the years.

Champagne Bar

Past the reception is the Champagne Bar, which is one of the unique features only available at The Wing, First. Located here are two sets of oversized red leather sofas arranged in a living room-like setup. Crowning the section is a champagne bar, complete with champagne flutes and a built-in cooler.

Available here for self-pouring are three bottles of champagne, which are also available at The Haven Bar. During my visit, the available was an excellent Champagne Deutz Cuveé William 2009, alongside two bottles of Champagne Thienot Brut NV. Despite the sofas, the idea of this champagne bar was to allow guests to walk into the lounge with a flute of champagne.

Reading area

Following the corridor into the lounge, immediately past the Champagne Bar is a small reading area with a selection of magazines and other literature. Also offered here are four high-walled Solus chairs, specifically designed by Sir Norman Foster for Cathay Pacific.

The chairs were designed to act like an informal desk, given its built-in table and power supply. Notably, the black lacquer shell and red leather colour scheme of the chairs here are specifically for The Wing, First. Normal Solus chairs feature a white shell with grey leather, as you’ll find in The Wing, Business.

Across from this small reading area is The Cabanas, the lounge’s most unique feature which I will expand on later in this review.

Main seating area

The main seating area of The Wing, First can be found right past the reading area. As suggested by the heading, most seats in the lounge are located here. To ensure a feeling of intimacy and greater privacy, the area is divided into six sub-sections each with about six seats. Most of these are soft-leather sofa chairs which are arranged in pairs facing each other.

Each seat features an individual console table and lamp, giving the area a very warm and cosy ambiance, despite the high ceilings of the space. Furthermore, offered here are eight of the same Solus chairs available in the reading area. Apart from the power outlets embedded into the Solus seats, plugs are also available on the floor between each seat.

The Haven Bar

Just behind the main seating area is the bar of The Wing, First, known as The Haven Bar. In addition to the five seats at the bar counter, there are also two tables in this area. Each table features a set of four swivelling chairs, clad in soft red leather. Unlike the main seating area, these seats are ideal for socialising over a drink or two (or more ;)).

The Haven

At the far end of the lounge corridor is The Haven, which is the dedicated restaurant of The Wing, First. Just like a proper restaurant, there is a host desk at the entrance of the space, from which you will be guided to your table by a waiter.

The service here is akin to a sit-down restaurant, with à la carte dining and the same choice of drinks available at the Haven Bar. The à la carte menu is complemented by a small selection of hors d’oeuvres and sweets in a buffet at the far end of the space. I will expand on these in the dining section of this review.

The Teahouse

Finally, at the far end of The Wing, First is The Teahouse, which features a limited food buffet, in addition to a selection of drinks, and the eponymous tea and coffee counter. In this area, there are three communal high-top tables, each with 10 seats.

The three communal tables are complemented by an apron-viewing bar table that runs along the entire length of this section. At the far end are also six café tables, each with a pair of seats, more suited for those travelling together. There are also a selection of magazines offered on shelf embedded into the back wall of this section.

The Cabanas

The Cabanas at The Wing First feature perhaps one of the most unique amenities of any airport lounge in the world. Specifically, The Cabanas are fully private rooms with a self-contained bathtub, shower, washroom, desk, and daybed. As such, this is as private of lounge space as you can get in a commercial airline lounge anywhere in the world.

As if that weren’t enough, clothes-pressing is also offered in The Cabanas, through a discreet two-way valet box near the door. With a press of a button, your wrinkled jacket will be picked up and returned all crisp without having to leave the room.

Furthermore, unlike the Shower Suites, The Cabanas can be used by two people at once, making it ideal for travelling couples. Of course, you can also request a cabana individually, although bear in mind that there may be a long wait given the small number of rooms available.

Lounge Wifi

The Cathay Pacific Lounge has its own WiFi, separate from the network offered in the terminal. Fascinatingly, the network setting is identical to any other Cathay Pacific Lounge in the world. As such, if you’ve been to a Cathay Pacific Lounge (even if not this one), chances are you would be connected to the network automatically.

Dining

The Haven

Having not eaten breakfast yet, I was very hungry when I got to The Wing, First. After taking pictures of the entire lounge for this review, I headed straight to The Haven for a well-deserved meal. From the entrance, I was walked to my table by a very courteous waiter. Once seated, I was shown an à la carte menu from which I could order. The menu read as follows.

After putting in my order, I briefly took a look at the selection of food at the small hors d’oeuvres buffet at the far end of The Haven. In addition to a salad bar, there is a selection of cold cuts and a soup, followed by two hot choices. There are also self-service choices of bread, cheese, and sweets, complemented by soft drinks like fresh fruit juices and water. I found the food to be excellent in quality, though I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

À la carte dining

After checking out the selection, I decided to get a bowl of Potato and Leek Soup as my starter. This warm soup tasted great and definitely hit the spot on my empty stomach. This was shortly followed by my made-to-order mains.

Next, I decided to order a plate of the traditional Cantonese Sweet and Sour Pork. Since I am always interested in a bowl of Wonton Noodles, I requested to have the pork without rice. It was served as requested. As expected, the food tasted excellent and was very satisfying. An amalgamation of two defining Cantonese comfort food, this was the perfect ending to my brief trip to Hong Kong.

Appropriately, I ended the meal with a small serving of Mango Sago Pomelo, a classic Hong Kong dessert. Although it isn’t as great as the other dishes, this still tasted good and high-quality. Overall, a very nice and satisfying dining experience at The Haven!

The Teahouse

In addition to the à la carte dining available at The Haven, a smaller buffet spread is also available in The Teahouse section. Curiously, the food selection here noticeably features more Euro-centric choices. For one, there is a fruit and salad bar, in addition to the hot food and the selection of cakes.

Amongst the hot dishes available during my visit were dishes like Coq au Vin, Ratatouille, New Potatoes with Herbs, Seared Orange Roughy in Lemon Butter Sauce, and Rigatoni with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese. Although the buffet dishes look incredible, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

This area also has a number of drinks available for self-pouring. Amongst the choices available were a selection of eight kinds of wine, alongside a number of soft drinks, fruit juices, as well as Acqua Panna and San Pellegrino water.

Last but not least is the eponymous Tea Bar, which features a large variety of tea sourced in partnership with the premium Jing Tea brand. Before selecting a tea to be brewed, it is possible to request to smell and appreciate the fragrances and tones of each tea available. For those who do not like tea, a very nice barista-prepared selection of coffee is also available here.

Toilet

Located along the corridor of the lounge are the toilets, which are gender segregated. Despite its age, I found the lounge’s dark-toned washroom to look very elegant and sleek. This is quite a contrast to the warm tones of The Cabana. In addition to being clean and well-kept, I appreciated that each toilet stall features its own lavatory.

Overall

Overall, I found Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge to be an exceptional flagship lounge. Between the excellent seating and the beautiful setting, The Wing had set an unprecedented standard in lounge design when it opened. And despite my countless visits, the novelty of being here and taking a bath in The Cabana never really gets old. As always, I was impressed and satisfied with the high-quality food offered at The Haven, which combined with the excellent service made it a restaurant-worthy meal. For one, if there is an airport lounge to arrive early for, make that The Wing First Class.

Read more from this trip!