Information Board Inside the Terminal

After completing check-in, I headed to the lounge at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. The digital information boards and other facilities in the terminal have become very modern—completely different from when I last visited about twenty years ago.

To the Lounge

This is the escalator leading up to the floor where the lounge is located.

Duty-Free Area

A view of the duty-free shopping area after clearing immigration.

Entrance to the Air China Lounge

I used the Air China lounge. It appears that Cathay Pacific does not have its own lounge at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. Although Cathay is a oneworld member and Air China belongs to Star Alliance, it seems they have a partnership allowing access to this lounge.

Buffet Counter

This is the buffet counter inside the Air China lounge.

Refrigerator with Drinks and Beer

A look inside the lounge refrigerator.

Red Wine

A bottle of red wine.

Overall, this lounge feels rather simple. Compared to Cathay Pacific lounges, the food area, wine presentation, variety, color coordination, and overall design are clearly less refined.

Food I Had

This is what I had in the lounge.

Beef Noodles

A close-up of the beef noodle soup. The bowl contains various cuts of beef, something like Chinese-style fish cakes, and bok choy on top of the noodles.

It’s completely different from Japanese ramen. If someone only knows Japanese-style ramen, they might be quite surprised by this.

Economy Class Seat

This was my economy class seat for the day. It’s an older-generation Cathay Pacific seat, so it does feel a little worn.

Since I’m a oneworld Emerald member, the moment I sat down, a flight attendant came to greet me personally with a “Thank you for flying with us today.” JAL Diamond members are automatically granted oneworld Emerald status.

Above the Clouds

We departed from Shanghai. This is the view above the clouds.

Kosher Meal (1)

For this flight, I had pre-ordered a Kosher meal, prepared according to Jewish dietary laws. Because the crew are not allowed to touch the food directly, it was delivered tightly wrapped in several layers. I’m not Jewish, but I enjoy trying special meals on flights as a kind of cultural experience.

Kosher Meal (2)

After removing the layers of wrapping, the meal looked like this:

Hong Kong Airport

After enjoying the inflight meal and relaxing for a while, we arrived in Hong Kong surprisingly quickly.

First Class Lounge

This is the entrance to Cathay Pacific’s First Class Lounge, THE PIER. As a oneworld Emerald member, I can access First Class lounges even when flying economy. Gaining this benefit was a major reason I went through the “mileage run” to become a JAL Diamond member.

First Class lounges offer exceptionally luxurious food, drinks, and interiors.

Drink Bar

Inside the First Class Lounge there is a circular bar, where I enjoyed champagne and sparkling water.

Menu

The wine and beverage list. The second page shows the cocktail menu.

Champagne & Pâté

This is one of the small dishes you can order à la carte. I enjoyed pâté as an appetizer along with champagne.

Plant-Based Burger

A vegetarian-friendly burger made entirely from plant-based ingredients. The texture is surprisingly meat-like — an “alternative meat” burger.

Ice Cream

A trio of ice cream flavors served for dessert.

Champagne Bar (1)

In addition to THE PIER, Cathay Pacific also has another lounge called The Wing, which includes both First and Business Class lounges. As an Emerald member, I can use the First Class side. I visited the famous “Champagne Bar” here.

It’s incredibly stylish — champagne bottles and glasses illuminated beautifully.

Champagne Bar (2)

The counter at the Champagne Bar. Three types of champagne were available: one rosé and two white champagnes.

The First Class Lounge in The Wing also features “The Cabana,” a private jacuzzi spa. It’s very popular and limited to around five rooms, so it can be difficult to use unless you have ample time. You can even bring champagne with you and enjoy a soak while sipping.

Champagne Bar (3)

Champagne bottles on display:

Champagne Bar (4)

I sampled two types of champagne poured at the counter.

Counter Overlooking the Apron

After enjoying both rosé and white champagne, I moved to a marble counter overlooking the apron and ordered another glass of white champagne.

Champagne & Snacks

The snacks I enjoyed with champagne:

Breakfast

Later, I also had breakfast:

Lounge Ceiling

The lounge ceiling. The lounge and boarding gates share an open, integrated design.

More Champagne & Tea

After that, I enjoyed another glass of champagne and a cup of tea.

Beverage Station

The beverage station with soft drinks and more.

Macarons, Cheese, and More

Meal I Had Later

I later had a Chinese-style meal as well:

Dan Dan Noodles

Cathay Pacific also serves these Dan Dan noodles in their Haneda lounge.

Boarding Gate

After thoroughly enjoying both lounges over the course of two days, I headed to the boarding gate for my flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Inside the Cabin

This is the economy class cabin on the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. As you can see, the cabin was quite full.

Kosher Meal

I had reserved a Kosher meal in advance — the special inflight meal prepared according to Jewish dietary laws.

Inflight Meal

As expected, the meal was heavily wrapped to ensure that the cabin crew would not touch the food directly, in accordance with Kosher requirements.

Inflight Meal (Contents)

The contents were the same as yesterday’s. It was a very tasty meal.

Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City and will now head into the city center.

Arrival Lobby

This is the arrivals information board located in the arrival lobby of Ho Chi Minh City Airport.