Cathay Pacific reopens newly designed The Bridge lounge in Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific has officially reopened its redesigned The Bridge lounge at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) from 7th May 2025, restoring a familiar and much-needed facility for eligible travellers, marking a welcome and perhaps unexpected return for the sprawling 27,000+ square foot space.

Indeed the Bridge not only closed n 2020, but was thought to be a permanent casualty of the pandemic, with Cathay Pacific announcing it would not reopen the facility back in September 2021.

Now the lounge is back, in what also ties in with the carrier’s upcoming full-scale renovation of The Wing, its flagship lounge, starting just two weeks from now.

The Bridge location and opening hours

The Bridge retains its original location near Gate 35 in the central area of the terminal.

The facility reopened on 7th May 2025, and now operates daily from 5.30am until the final Cathay Pacific departure, typically just past midnight but as late as 3.30am on certain days.

With seating for around 450 guests, the lounge significantly boosts the airline’s capacity at its home hub, especially important in light of upcoming renovations to its other lounges.

Refreshed layout and dining

The redesigned Bridge lounge adopts Cathay Pacific’s latest design language, aligning it aesthetically with The Pier and The Deck in line with the beautiful “living room” design concept by Studioilse, the London-based studio led by Ilse Crawford.

This is a significant shift from The Bridge’s pre-pandemic design, which featured the airline’s older lounge concept.

The lounge extends in two wings from a central reception, with distinct north and south areas, and offers a mix of familiar traditional favourites plus some new offerings.

Dining options include:

• The Noodle Bar: A Cathay staple, serving freshly made regional noodle dishes like dan dan and wonton noodles.
• The Nook: A new concept featuring Chinese snacks and other light bites, such as made-to-order savoury filled bao, crispy scallion pancakes and steaming rice rolls.
• The Food Hall: Featuring front-of-house ovens for an elevated oven-to-plate concept, including dishes like beef bourguignon, Provencal vegetable bakes, freshly baked pastries, and salad.
• The Bar: A full-service tended bar pouring made-to-order drinks including signature cocktails, wines, and barista-made coffee.

Of course the popular Noodle Bar is still likely to be a go-to favourite for many of our readers, as it is in the carrier’s Singapore lounge.

Travellers can also freshen up in one of nine shower suites, a helpful perk for long-haul connections but not an overly-generous number for a 450-seat lounge, so you may expect to wait at peak times.

Another benefit The Bridge thankfully hasn’t lost is great aircraft views over the parking area, behind the tended bar – always a favourite of ours on previous visits.

New access rules for premium guests

Previously a shared facility for Business Class, First Class, and Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members, The Bridge now incorporates a separate space exclusively for Cathay Pacific First Class passengers and Cathay Diamond members.

Notably, Oneworld Emerald members without Cathay Diamond status are excluded from this section – a surprising departure from alliance norms, and one that may spark debate among frequent flyers.

It’s not without precedent though – British Airways only offers access to the First Class section of its Singapore lounge – The Bar Singapore – to passengers departing in First Class on its own flights.

Nonetheless, Cathay Pacific’s The Deck lounge, located near Gate 6, “will serve as an interim First class lounge during the renovation of The Wing” according to the airline, giving these passengers a new alternative option, in addition to The Pier First Class lounge, which will remain open.

Strategic timing for lounge renovations

As we mentioned earlier, Cathay Pacific previously did not intend to reopen The Bridge in Hong Kong. However, doing so now is perfectly timed.

That’s because the carrier is preparing to launch a full-scale renovation of The Wing, its flagship lounge, starting with the First Class section, which will close from 23rd May 2025, followed by the Business Class wing later in the year. The upgrade is expected to take until 2027 to complete.

In fact, as part of a HK$100 billion investment programme, Cathay Pacific will debut brand new flagship lounges in Hong Kong, Beijing, and – for the first time – New York, over the next two years, so there’s plenty for frequent flyers to look forward to both in Hong Kong and overseas.

Here’s how short-term lounge availability in Hong Kong looks for the Cathay lounges, during this time.

With The Wing offline in phases, The Bridge will play a critical role in maintaining capacity, with The Deck also maintaining an additional dedicated space for First Class customers from 21st May 2025.

While Cathay has not confirmed whether The Bridge will remain open long term, its revival and the obvious cost of renovation suggests a more permanent fixture, especially as the airline looks to grow its network and traffic through Hong Kong in future.

The return of The Bridge is a somewhat essential move by Cathay Pacific, ensuring continuity of lounge space for its premium guests as major renovation works kick off over at The Wing in the coming weeks.

With a refreshed design, new culinary options, but a slightly refined guest access policy in some areas, The Bridge once again rejoins the carrier’s extensive home-base lounge network.

Whether it remains a permanent fixture or a well-timed temporary solution, The Bridge’s reopening is a great news for Cathay Pacific and Oneworld travellers and a signal of the airline’s intent to maintain a premium experience through its home hub during this period of transformation.

(Cover Photo: Cathay Pacific)