Besides operating a network of excellent departure lounges, Cathay Pacific also operates an arrival lounge – aptly named “The Arrival” – at its base in Hong Kong.
Since the lounge is accessible to all Cathay Pacific first and business class passengers arriving in Hong Kong, I had a chance to visit it after my first class flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong. The lounge is also accessible to oneworld Emerald status holders.
The Cathay Pacific arrival lounge is located landside after clearing immigration, on the way from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2. Just look for “Lounge” sign and take the escalator one floor down.
[one_half padding=”010px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/one_half]
[one_half_last padding=”010px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/one_half_last]
It’s open every day from 5AM until midnight – and for reference, I arrived there shortly before 11PM.
[full_width padding=”10px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/full_width]
Lounge Overview
Right past the reception, there was a magazine rack.
[full_width padding=”10px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/full_width]
There were two main seating areas in the lounge – both of which only sat a handful of people.
The first one was a living room-like seating zone to the left of the magazine rack. It featured seven sofa chairs arranged around a wall-mounted TV.
[full_width padding=”10px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/full_width]
The second one was a dining area with three tables and six chairs, as well as a buffet counter with some refreshments. There was also an a la carte offering of meals, but more on that further down.
[full_width padding=”10px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/full_width]
[full_width padding=”10px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/full_width]
There was some more seating along the sides of the lounge.
On one side, there were three workstations with computers and printers.
[full_width padding=”10px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/full_width]
On the other side, there was a long counter with stools and a couple of iMacs.
[full_width padding=”10px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/full_width]
[one_half padding=”010px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/one_half]
[one_half_last padding=”010px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/one_half_last]
Perhaps the most useful feature of the lounge were the reasonably-well equipped showers of which I took advantage right after my arrival.
[full_width padding=”10px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/full_width]
[one_half padding=”010px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/one_half]
[one_half_last padding=”010px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/one_half_last]
Food and Drinks Selection
As mentioned above, there was a buffet counter at the very back of the lounge that housed some drinks as well as food.
The drinks included coffee and tea, as well as canned Coca-Cola and Sprite. There was also bottled water – both still and sparkling. There were also juices available, though those had to be ordered from the staff.
[one_half padding=”010px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/one_half]
[one_half_last padding=”010px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/one_half_last]
The food on the buffet counter included sandwiches, salad, apples, some desserts and salty snacks, as well as mushroom soup.
[one_half padding=”010px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/one_half]
[one_half_last padding=”010px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/one_half_last]
[one_half padding=”010px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/one_half]
[one_half_last padding=”010px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/one_half_last]
Separately from the above, there was also an a la carte menu of meals that was brought to me as soon as I sat down.
[full_width padding=”10px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/full_width]
I decided to have the “barbecue chicken and cheese in sourdough sandwich.” While the portion was more than sufficient – in fact it might have been a bit too large – the chicken was a bit too dry for my liking and next time I would pick something else.
[full_width padding=”10px 10px 10px 10px”]
[/full_width]
Cathay Pacific “The Arrival” Lounge Hong Kong Summary
Overall, I think it’s great that Cathay Pacific offers an arrival lounge in Hong Kong.
While it’s not a place to spend a long time at, it is definitely a great place to have a quick shower after a long haul flight or a breakfast after an early morning arrival.
Click here to read more Cathay Pacific flight and lounge reviews
