Cathay Pacific CX255 from Hong Kong to London, departing at 11.15pm.
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Despite a fierce electrical storm and monsoonal rain wreaking havoc in Hong Kong, my driver gets us there safely and on time. Traffic isn’t an issue and the driver easily finds a spot to pull over at the departures drop-off. The new airport, as it’s often still referred to, has occupied the island of Chek Lap Kok since 1998. At this time of night, the views of the surrounding mountains and sunset from inside the glassy terminal are non-existent, but travel earlier in the day and you may want to miss your flight.
This terminal should be the blueprint for airport design worldwide. Inside there are soaring vaulted ceilings, loads of natural light, vast glass walls and modern finishes alongside mall-size luxury retailers. One of the main features is the Sky Bridge, a 200-metre-long and 28-metre-high glass-floored pedestrian footbridge – high enough to allow an A380 to pass underneath – that connects the main terminal with the North Satellite terminal. Keep an eye out for the purple Allways meet-and-assist buggies, which are modelled after a 1930s-era luxury convertible and used to transport passengers to their departure gates.
Cathay Pacific is part of the Oneworld alliance, so my Qantas Gold status allows me to check in via the priority business-class queue. The process is super quick, and staff invite me to visit any of the three Cathay Pacific business-class lounges, which include The Bridge, The Deck and The Pier. The latter both have the airline’s signature Noodle Bar, serving up dan dan noodles, wonton soup, dumplings and steamed pork buns.
Both immigration and security are swift, as electronics, aerosols, liquids and gels all stay in bags for screening. I’m through to the gate area of the terminal in roughly 10 minutes. It may be a record.
Bet you never thought you’d fly with a goose (there’s a Top Gun joke in here somewhere). Get your dumpling fix at the airport outpost of Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Duddell’s, which packages its golden Duddell’s Airport Roast Goose for transport on board between 10.30am and 11pm daily for $163 (keep in mind there may be border restrictions, depending on where you’re flying). Also in the departures hall is Chinese restaurant Yung Kee, milk tea at Hong Kong diner-style Men Wah Bing Teng, and restaurant and bar Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food to Go.
You’ll forget you’re inside an airport. I’ve never seen so many designer stops in one spot. There’s a double-storey Chanel boutique alongside every other big-name in fashion imaginable, from Louis Vuitton to Balenciaga to Prada and Cartier. Bougie tea is also a hit. Keep calm with your carry-on at the Fortnum & Mason tea boutique or buy gifts from the TWG Tea store.
Expect to do plenty of walking; the gates are spread out, and the numbers aren’t always sequential. Instead of cold water fountains, there are signs directing travellers to hot drinking water, as is common in China. There’s plenty of seating with charging stations near my gate, as well as pods with lie-flat seats or privacy walls near gates 1 and 2.
I’d fly Cathay Pacific again just to transit through this airport. Passenger processing is efficient, and with its Michelin-starred food, mountain views, luxury shopping and world-class lounges, this airport feels like it’s doing everything right.
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