The past year has been incredibly difficult for Hong Kong, and unfortunately, with what’s happening now with the Coronavirus, the city is really feeling the effects. For those who aren’t familiar, the city has been overrun with protests which started on the 15th of March last year, and they haven’t stopped. The goal of the demonstrations is to remove the extradition bill, among other things like the release of protesters from jail as well as the removal of Carrie Lim. The Coronavirus has also exploded worldwide, and Hong Kong is again feeling the impact.
Not only has the protests and virus caused trouble for people living in the city, but also the tourism industry has been heavily impacted, and it looks like this will continue to be the way for some time. As the global demand for flights shrinks by the day, airlines have had to make huge decisions, and a lot of carriers have even cut flights to Hong Kong altogether.
From the 17th of February, Cathay Pacific will be closing down three of their lounges in Hong Kong; no reopening date has been set yet.
The Bridge
Out of the three lounges being closed, two of them are business class facilities. The bridge is Cathay’s newest business lounge offering which opened in, and it is located near gate 35. The bridge was opened up in 2013.
The Bridge Business Class Lounge
The Deck
The Deck is Cathay’s newest lounge offering in Hong Kong, and it was unveiled back in March of 2018
Cathay Pacific The Deck Business Class Lounge
The Pier
And lastly the Pier, one of my favourite lounges I’ve personally had the opportunity to visit. This lounge has an excellent restaurant offering, sleeping/rest areas and had one of the best atmospheres I’ve experienced; it’s peaceful and tranquil.
To see my review of the Pier first class lounge, click the link here.
The Pier First Class Lounge
While the situation in Hong Kong is pretty difficult, I never thought I’d see the airline start to close some of their lounges. The airline has already reduced traffic to and from Hong Kong by 30% which is quite a number
Passengers wanting to access a Cathay first lounge will still be able to access The Wing, and on top of that, The Wing business lounge and Qantas lounge will remain open.
At this point in time, Cathay hasn’t yet announced when the lounges reopen, but I would imagine it’ll be a couple of months before we see things back to normal.
What do you make of the lounges closing?