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Virgin Atlantic has long been known for its small, but distinctive, portfolio of Clubhouse lounges around the world. That portfolio will be a little smaller shortly as its Clubhouse at Hong Kong International Airport is to close from Sunday 5 February 2017.
The reason for the closure is that the lease on the space occupied by the clubhouse has come up for renewal and Virgin Atlantic has decided not to renew the lease for reasons of cost.
Passengers travelling in Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class cabin and Flying Club Gold members will be able to use the third party Plaza Premium lounge.
The Plaza Premium lounge is located near Gate 40 on Level 7, Departures level of Terminal 1. The lounge is open 24 hours a day. Facilities include showers, a bar, and a private resting area.
The London – Hong Kong market is very competitive, which is dominated by up to six daily services a day from Cathay Pacific and twice daily services from British Airways (one flight operated with the A380). It has also seen airlines such as Air New Zealand and Qantas withdraw from the route in recent years. Virgin has itself reduced its presence in Hong Kong, having operated twice daily services to London and daily flights to Sydney at its peak. However, Virgin Atlantic is at pains to emphasise it is still committed to the route, which is served daily with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Virgin Atlantic will also continue to operate Clubhouses outside the UK in New York JFK, Newark, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington Dulles and Johannesburg airports.
