Cathay Pacific reopens flagship The Wing First Class lounge in Hong Kong

Back in May 2025, Cathay Pacific closed the First Class section of The Wing, its flagship lounge in Hong Kong, to embark on a major overhaul that would introduce a new design blueprint for its global lounge network

Located on the east side of Terminal 1, The Wing has long been regarded as one of the best First Class lounges in the world, with its striking design, restaurant-style dining, champagne bar,  and of course, those legendary cabana suites with deep soaking tubs. But with the last renovation dating back to 2013, it was overdue for a makeover, which Cathay entrusted to its long-time partner StudioIlse.

11 months later, Cathay is ready to take the wraps off the First Class section. The new lounge will start accepting guests on 22 April 2026, but before you rush to check it out, there are two things you should know.

First, those iconic cabanas have made way for a new wellness concept called The Retreat, which offers spa treatments. Second, Cathay will be limiting access to its own First Class and elite members initially, with oneworld First Class and Emerald members directed to The Pier instead.

Who gets access?

Let’s start with the decision that will no doubt be very unpopular (or popular, depending on where you sit!).

As with everything new and shiny, Cathay Pacific is expecting very strong demand to visit The Wing, First. Therefore, access will initially be restricted to:

• First Class passengers travelling in Cathay Pacific First Class (+1 guest)
• Cathay Diamond, Diamond Exec and Diamond Plus members travelling on any Cathay Pacific or oneworld member airline (+1-2 guests)
• SCB Cathay Mastercard First Class lounge pass holders

Cathay describes this as a temporary measure to ensure service standards.

We currently welcome Cathay Pacific First Class passengers and all Cathay Diamond members to The Wing, First. During the initial reopening period, we anticipate strong demand from our members and passengers.

To ensure that we maintain our high standard of service at this time, we temporarily invite oneworld Emerald members to visit our lounge at The Pier, First or other Cathay Pacific and oneworld lounges at Hong Kong International Airport.

-Cathay Pacific

It remains to be seen how long this “initial period” lasts, but my guess is that other First Class and oneworld Emerald members shouldn’t expect to get access until late Q3/early Q4 this year.

In the meantime, they’ll be directed to The Pier instead, which is also an excellent First Class lounge, though obviously nowhere as novel. The Pier is located near Gate 63, however, which makes it rather inconvenient for passengers departing from lower-numbered gates.

Overview: The Wing

The Wing, First is located on Level 7 of Terminal 1, immediately after the Zone A security checkpoint. The lounge measures 1,675 square metres, with capacity for 237 guests, and opens from 5.30 a.m until Cathay’s last flight for the day.

StudioIlse has transformed the lounge into a warm, residential space, with a colour palette featuring green onyx and walnut wood. Granite is being used as the flooring for the first time, which Cathay says honours its heritage in traditional Chinese architecture. 

Guests are greeted at reception by a long foyer that ushers them into the lounge, though the open concept design never lets you forget that you’re in an oasis amidst the bustle of the airport.

In a pinch, the foyer can serve as a reading area for those who don’t want to venture too far inside. Champagne service will also be available, perhaps a nod to the much-loved champagne lounge with its burgundy couches that used to occupy this space. 

The Atrium

The heart of The Wing, First is the Atrium, a light-filled, open space that is anchored by Cathay Pacific’s signature green onyx bar. As a centrepiece, this bar has “design-for-Instagram” written all over it, with its attractive fluted panels and brass trim.

Cathay says that the menu in the Atrium will evolve throughout the day, featuring lighter wellness-led breakfast options, afternoon tea, and evening bistro-style dining. The press photos show items like scones, finger sandwiches and even a lobster roll, which I’m sure will be in high demand.

The Pantry

The Pantry complements the Atrium, with an extensive selection of self-serve light and bite-sized delicacies such as cold cuts, cheese, fresh fruit, cakes, pastries and desserts.

This would be more suited to guests on tight connections, who don’t have the time for all the pageantry of a full meal service. 

The Dining Room

If you have time, however, you’ll definitely want to visit the Dining Room, where Cathay Pacific will be serving up an a la carte menu created in partnership with the award-winning Mott 32 restaurant. This is an evolution of The Haven, with its own bar at the far end, and table service throughout.

Guests can look forward to an all-day dining menu featuring Iberico char siew with honeyed soy beans, Australian wagyu hanger steak, and other seasonal offerings.

The Retreat

If you were a fan of the cabanas in the old lounge, I have some bad news. These marble-clad sanctuaries have been replaced by a new concept known as the Retreat.

This wellness space is similar to the one found at The Pier, First, and offers seven private booths with handcrafted wood panels, bespoke furniture and ambient lighting. Guests can enjoy a complimentary 15-minute foot, neck or shoulder massage.

Executive Traveller adds the helpful tidbit that passengers travelling in Cathay First Class, as well as Diamond, Diamond Exec and Diamond Plus members can book their treatments directly within the Cathay app, up to 48 hours in advance.

I’ll be honest though: I will miss the cabanas. With their deep soaking tubs, rain showers and day bed, the cabanas were one of the most surreal experiences you could have in an airport. I remember visiting with The MileLioness on our honeymoon (yes, the tub takes two), and standing there for a full five minutes with our jaws agape, marvelling at how opulent the whole thing was. There really is nothing like it in the lounge game, and it’s one of the things that made Cathay’s ground experience truly distinctive.

The Alcove

The Alcove features five semi-private nooks, each with a compact table and charging facilities for light dining, reading, or catching up on work.

That said, I don’t think these look comfortable enough for prolonged work sessions, and I wish they had come up with some kind of evolution of the Solus workstations, or productivity pods like the ones you’ll find in the Singapore Airlines lounges (though perhaps those might not have fit with the lounge’s otherwise open design).

The Bureau

Speaking of work, the Bureau is a fully-enclosed workspace for conference calls or meetings, with charging outlets and dual lighting modes. However, there are only two of them available, and I wonder if they’ll be first-come, first-served or, like The Retreat, open to pre-bookings. 

Shower suites

The removal of the cabanas has created space for nine washrooms and 12 shower suites, decked out in solemn stone and travertine. I cannot tell from the photo whether the shower suites have ensuite toilets (Qatar famously removed these from the Al Mourjan Garden Lounge to make room for more suites, and perhaps improve turnover), but I certainly hope so.

Cathay also talks about “innovative water and lighting technologies”, which could be as impressive as a chromotherapy shower, or simply a selector switch on the shower head!

Lounge reshuffle at Hong Kong

With the reopening of The Wing, First, there will be operational changes to Cathay’s other Hong Kong lounges:

• The Deck, which was serving as an interim First Class lounge since 21 May 2025, will revert to a Business Class lounge
• The Wing, Business will shutter for renovations from 23 April 2026, and will only reopen in mid-2027

Elsewhere, The Bridge will continue to operate as a Business Class lounge. This returned to service in 2025 following an eye-catching StudioIlse renovation of its own, with all the essential Cathay trappings like the Noodle Bar and manned bar. 

There is also no impact on The Pier, First, or The Pier, Business, both of which remain open as usual. 

Conclusion

Cathay Pacific will soon be reopening The Wing, First after an extensive renovation that should cement its position as one of the world’s best First Class lounges for some time to come. 

The new lounge looks absolutely stunning, though oneworld First Class and Emerald members will need to be patient as they won’t enjoy access during the initial opening phase. Longtime visitors will also be mourning the loss of the cabanas, and I believe this now makes the Lufthansa First Class Terminal the only airline lounge in the world with bathtubs (correct me if you know otherwise!).

I should have an opportunity to visit this lounge next month, so stay tuned for a hands-on look.