Cathay Pacific will leave the American Airlines terminal 8 at New York JFK airport and relocate to the new terminal 6 once the first 5 gates open there, projected for “early 2026.”

Cathay will open its own roughly 10,000 square foot lounge there, its second in the U.S. after San Francisco. The airline says this move will give customers “a signature Cathay Pacific airport experience” suggesting that they do not have one now in the American terminal:

Cathay Pacific Senior Vice President, Americas Chris van den Hooven said: “This represents a huge milestone in Cathay Pacific’s 28 years of connecting New York with our home, Hong Kong and from 1 July it will be 20 years since we commenced our regular non-stop service. It has long been our ambition to provide our customers a signature Cathay Pacific airport experience at JFK. We are delighted about our partnership with JFK Millennium Partners, which will make this dream a reality.

Rendering of Cathay Pacific Check-in, New York JFK Terminal 6

Cathay Pacific currently operates 3 non-stop flights daily between New York JFK and Hong Kong – two on board Airbus A350s and one with a Boeing 777-300ER featuring first class. Historically they’ve also offered one-stop service via Vancouver, a legacy of their original New York service dating to 1996 which only operated for its first eight years with that stop.

Cathay Pacific First Class

In a later phase of the terminal 6 project, an additional 5 gates will open, and a the facility will feature space supporting “up to” five airside lounges plus an arrivals lounge.

Cathay Pacific Lounge, San Francisco

Cathay Pacific Lounge, San Francisco

The Hong Kong government’s coronavirus response, which kept the region closed far longer than most, hit the airline hard. They shed pilots, and now face a pilot shortage as they seek rebuild. However Hong Kong itself has declined in importance as it turns inward towards the ‘Greater Bay Area’ of mainland China amidst a crackdown on civil liberties.

Hong Kong

Meanwhile, American Airlines can no longer codeshare with Cathay on New York JFK – Hong Kong, due to restrictions on Russian overflight by U.S. carriers and those flights on which they place their code.

American also no longer flies to Hong Kong, so doesn’t need to place its code on Cathay’s flights within Asia. There was some speculation last year over potentially deepening ties between American and Cathay, especially since meaningful prospects for a productive relationship with China Southern, which American has invested in, have yet to materialize.

However it seems just as likely that Air China could expand its stake in Cathay, take control, and move it out of the oneworld alliance.