Group boarding

Ensuring a seamless start to every journey
Green and white boarding group signage numbered 1, 2 and 3 stand in a row inside Hong Kong International Airport. The background shows blue carpeted seating areas and large windows letting in natural light.

A smoother, more streamlined way to board

Settle in with ease. Our group boarding system is designed to make your journey faster and simpler from the very start.

With group boarding, we invite you to board in pre-allocated groups. Simply relax at the gate area and listen for our boarding announcements without waiting in long queues. When your boarding group is called, proceed to the gate with your travel documents and have your boarding pass ready.

How do I board?

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Check in

Check in online and save your boarding pass before arriving at the airport. Or use our self-service kiosks at the airport.

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Get ready to board

Check your boarding pass for your boarding group, departure gate and boarding time.

Boarding begins 30 minutes before departure and the gate closes 10 minutes before. Ensure you arrive on time.

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Relax and wait

Wait comfortably by the gate area.

There's no need to queue before boarding – we'll call your boarding group when it's time to board.

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Follow our signage

Board through the designated lane for your boarding group. Have your passport and boarding pass ready.

When departing from Hong Kong, you'll board via the contactless e-boarding gates.

If you're travelling with others in the same booking, you'll board together. Your group number will be based on either your seat number(s) or the highest eligible Cathay or oneworld membership tier of any passenger in the booking.

What are boarding groups?

Your boarding group is determined by your cabin of travel, Cathay or oneworld membership tier and/or seat location. It will be a number between 0 and 7 and printed on your boarding pass.

After pre-boarding Group 0, we'll invite each group to board in order – starting with Group 1 and ending with Group 6 (or Group 7 on our Airbus A321Neo aircraft).

First class, Business and Premium Economy passengers, as well as Cathay Diamond, Gold and Silver, and eligible oneworld members, are provided priority boarding via Groups 1 to 3.

Refer to the table below to see how boarding groups are allocated.

How do I know which boarding group I'm in?

Your boarding group is printed on your boarding pass. Look for the group number on the top left of your paper boarding pass above your flight information. This number is also clearly indicated on your digital boarding pass.

A diagram showing a boarding pass marked by 'Cathay Pacific' in the top left corner and the brushwing logo in the top right corner. Below the logos are flight details including passenger name, flight number, departure time, seat number and route information. On the right of the boarding pass is a red box indicating the position of where the boarding group number can be found.

How does group boarding work if I'm seated in Economy?

For Economy class, we board in groups starting from the rear of the aircraft forward, so passengers seated in higher-numbered rows towards the back of the aircraft will board first, followed by those in lower-numbered rows closer to the front of the aircraft. This helps reduce congestion in the aisles, making it easier and more comfortable for everyone to find their seats and store their bags.

If you're seated in an emergency exit row, you're invited to board early with Group 4, as you'll need to store all your cabin baggage in an overhead locker.

A diagram showing a seatmap of Economy cabin rows 39 to 47. Rows 39 to 42 are grouped with a red box and indicated as boarding group 6. Rows 43 to 44 are grouped with a beige box and indicated as boarding group 5. On the bottom of the image, rows 45 to 47 are grouped in a green box and indicated as boarding group 4.
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