Cathay Pacific CX543: Tokyo Haneda to Hong Kong in Economy
Cathay Pacific flight CX543, arriving into Gate 1 at Hong Kong International Airport
Cathay Pacific has been one of my favorite airlines since I returned to Asia in 2017.
Around that time, I shifted most of my flying from Star Alliance to oneworld, and Cathay became a frequent choice, whether for trips to Hong Kong itself or onward connections beyond.
Living in Tokyo, many of those journeys have started at Haneda, with Narita occasionally in the mix as well.
Over the years, Cathay’s Haneda to Hong Kong operation has become a familiar one to me. The overall pattern has stayed broadly the same, with CX543 as the morning departure and CX549 as the later afternoon departure, even as the aircraft have changed over time.
At the time of writing, CX543 is typically operated by the older regional-configuration Boeing 777-300, while CX549 is scheduled with a refurbished Boeing 777-300ER featuring Cathay’s new Aria Suite in business class.
This post looks at CX543, the morning Haneda to Hong Kong flight that I took in economy on January 15, 2026.
Cathay check-in at Haneda opens exactly three hours before departure, and for this 10:10am flight I was already at the counter by 7:05am. That may sound early for a short daytime run to Hong Kong, but there were good reasons for it.
Cathay Pacific check in area at Tokyo Haneda Airport Terminal 3
Cathay’s own lounge at Haneda Terminal 3 opens from 7:30am to 5:00pm daily, and as a oneworld Sapphire member, that is already a strong reason to get through the formalities early.
There was another reason as well. Over the past few years, morning departures from Haneda Terminal 3 have often meant long and sometimes frustrating security lines, especially once the main wave of outbound flights starts building. One useful workaround is the North Security Check, which opens at 7:00am and can be a much better option when the central checkpoint is already congested.
My usual go-to when flying oneworld out of Haneda, including on Cathay, is the Cathay Pacific Lounge.
This time, though, I also wanted to try the newly opened Centurion Lounge by American Express, which opened in July 2025 and which I could access with my American Express Platinum Card.
Since it only opens at 8:00am, I started the morning with a quick stop at the JAL Sakura Lounge for a glass of Michel Tissot & Fils Fête d’Or Blanc de Blancs Brut, a French sparkling wine.
A quick first glass at the JAL Sakura Lounge: Michel Tissot & Fils Fête d’Or Blanc de Blancs Brut, a French sparkling wine.
The Sakura Lounge on the fourth floor is right next door to the Centurion Lounge, so it made for an easy first stop while waiting for Centurion to open. It was not a long visit, just enough to ease into the morning before moving on.
The Centurion Lounge itself made a good impression straight away. It felt polished, premium, and clearly positioned as a higher-end lounge experience. This was my first visit at Haneda, and while it leaned a little more glitzy than I personally prefer, it still felt like a strong addition to Terminal 3.
American Express Centurion Lounge in Haneda Airport Terminal 3
What makes the Centurion Lounge especially useful is that it is not tied to any one airline. Since I can access it regardless of what I am flying, it works as a genuinely valuable option at Haneda Terminal 3. That matters because the lounge experience at the terminal can vary quite a bit depending on alliance and status. On the oneworld side, there is already plenty of choice, with the JAL Sakura Lounge on the fourth floor, Sakura Lounge Sky View on the fifth, Cathay Pacific’s lounge on the sixth, and the JAL First Class Lounge in a separate part of the terminal for oneworld Emerald members. On the Star Alliance side, by contrast, Star Alliance Gold passengers are generally funneled into the ANA Lounge. In that context, the Centurion Lounge becomes a very attractive alternative.
Wine menu at the Centurion Lounge in Haneda Airport Terminal 3
Cocktail, mocktail, and other drinks menu at the Centurion Lounge in Haneda Airport Terminal 3
The food offering also stood out. The breakfast spread included made-to-order onigiri, which gave it a nice local touch, and I also made sure to take a photo of the drink menu at the bar, one of those small details I always like documenting.
For me, both the JAL and ANA lounges at Haneda can feel a little bland in design terms. JAL’s food offerings are perfectly fine, but ANA’s has never been especially memorable to me, so I would give the Centurion Lounge the edge on food as well.
Some of the food offerings at the Centurion Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport Terminal 3
Especially if I were flying Star Alliance out of Haneda, I could easily see myself choosing Centurion Lounge over the ANA Lounge, even though I can access the latter with Star Alliance Gold.
Still, for an oneworld departure from Haneda, the Cathay Pacific Lounge was always going to be the main stop of the morning, so after spending some time at the Centurion Lounge, I headed there next.
The Cathay Pacific Lounge remains my favorite lounge at Haneda Terminal 3. If the Centurion Lounge felt polished and premium, Cathay’s lounge felt more naturally comfortable, more understated, and more genuinely lounge-like, almost like a living room. That is something I have always liked about Cathay lounges in general, and their Haneda lounge captures that feeling especially well.
Breakfast at the Cathay Pacific Lounge in Haneda: clockwise from bottom right, dan dan noodles, wonton noodles, French toast, and a pair of sparkling wines.
The food and drink are a big part of the appeal. There is the Cathay Delight, the airline’s signature non-alcoholic drink, as well as the signature dan dan noodles. Haneda’s lounge also serves French toast, which is well worth mentioning in its own right.
And as the only lounge on the sixth floor, the highest of any lounge in Haneda Terminal 3, it also offers what is probably the best lounge view in the terminal.
Cathay Pacific Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport Terminal 3
Between the atmosphere, the food and drink, and the view, this is the kind of lounge that makes arriving early feel fully justified.
Eventually, it was time to leave the lounge and head for Gate 143. Boarding CX543, the aircraft for the day was Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777-300 in its regional configuration, registered B-HNV, one of the airline’s older non-ER 777-300s. It may not be the newer or more premium of the two Haneda departures, but there is still something satisfying about stepping onto a widebody for a medium-haul intra-Asia flight. In that sense, CX543 felt like a very familiar Cathay way to make the trip from Tokyo to Hong Kong.
Onboard CX543 after boarding at seat 41H in economy class
Once onboard, the overall impression was straightforward but comfortable. This was not a flight about chasing the newest seat or the latest cabin product, but more about the familiar rhythm of a Cathay daytime service. At around five hours, it is a very manageable sector, and for that kind of flight time, the regional 777-300 felt perfectly adequate. Cathay’s inflight entertainment system also helps, as the airline generally offers a strong enough selection to make a flight of this length pass easily.
Soon after takeoff, the meal service began. I ended up with photos of both meal options, as I was traveling with someone else, which made for a nice way to capture the service even if I no longer remember the exact menu.
Economy class meal Japanese selection on Cathay Pacific CX543 from Tokyo Haneda to Hong Kong in January 2026.
Economy class meal Western selection on Cathay Pacific CX543 from Tokyo Haneda to Hong Kong in January 2026.
Unlike many of my Cathay trips, this time I was not connecting onward. Hong Kong itself was the destination, which made this a short and simple trip.
By the time we had finished eating and were a few episodes into The White Lotus, we were already approaching Hong Kong International Airport. We landed on Runway 25L and, after a short taxi, pulled into Gate 1 on a beautiful day in Hong Kong.
