Qantas’ Excellent Hong Kong Lounge is Back

Qantas has reopened its Hong Kong Lounge, and the service is just as good as ever.

I visited last week, and in my opinion, this is now the best lounge at Hong Kong Airport. (Yes, I visited Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Lounge as well.)

Originally unveiled in 2014, Qantas had announced during the pandemic that it was permanently closing its popular Hong Kong Lounge. But demand has recovered faster than expected, to the point that Qantas is even now running Airbus A380s to Hong Kong.

Luckily, the old lounge space was still available and Qantas managed to reclaim it. With a fresh coat of paint and some new furnishings, Qantas reopened the lounge to passengers last month.

You can find the lounge by turning right immediately after clearing security and immigration.

Upon entering the lounge, I immediately recognised some familiar faces including Paul. The lounge is now under new management, with Sodexo (the operator of the Cathay Pacific lounges) having taken over from Accor at this particular port. But many of the old staff have returned, and are now working alongside a few new (but equally good) staff.

My travelling companion and I were welcomed very warmly into the lounge and offered a table in the dining area.

The lounge space

Open daily from 2.30pm until 10pm, the Qantas Hong Kong Lounge doesn’t just serve passengers on the evening Qantas departures to Australia. It’s also accessible to eligible frequent flyers and Business/First Class passengers of Cathay Pacific, and other Oneworld carriers such as Malaysia Airlines and Japan Airlines.

A fairly large and airy space above the main terminal concourse, the lounge has a capacity of 290 people. It was fairly quiet during my visit, prior to boarding QF128, so the space was nice and peaceful.

The lounge offers great tarmac views. And of course, there are toilets and showers available.

Food & beverage

One of the best things about the Qantas Hong Kong Lounge has always been the food. I’m pleased to say that this hasn’t changed. There’s still a very good buffet selection…

The lounge also has a rotating “plate of the day” menu. During my visit, the specials were beef brisket noodle soup and a couple of classics that have returned from the old lounge menu – Guangdong style chicken and BBQ pork.

The BBQ pork was especially tasty.

The staff also brought us a small serve of Qantas’ famous salt & pepper squid, which can normally be found on the Qantas First Lounge menus in Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore and Los Angeles.

But perhaps the highlight was the yum cha trolley, which was a pre-COVID favourite at the Qantas Hong Kong Lounge.

The bar was well-stocked and the bartenders could make you a wide selection of drinks.

There was also self-service wine available…

…and a range of non-alcoholic beverages.

Special service for Platinum One members

The Qantas Hong Kong Lounge is a combined space for Business & First Class passengers, as well as Qantas Gold, Platinum, Platinum One and Oneworld Sapphire & Emerald frequent flyers. Complimentary Qantas lounge invitations are also accepted here if you’re departing on a Qantas flight.

There is no differentiated service for Gold and Platinum members, but Qantas Platinum One and Chairman’s Lounge members get a little bit of extra attention. There isn’t a dedicated seating area for VIPs, but the staff know who they are and check on them more often. There’s also a nicer champagne reserved for Platinum One and Chairman’s Lounge members.

Summary

The Qantas Hong Kong Lounge is open again, and the lounge staff are clearly proud to show off the newly reopened space. It has (almost) everything you need, great food and drinks, and warm service, making it a great place to spend a few hours before you fly out of Hong Kong.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.