CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  31 December 2008 : by M Cousens   (USA)

I flew last night on the new CX business class product. They can call it business class because it lays flat. It is so narrow that your elbows touch the side of the hard side cubicle box that is as pleasant as entering an MRI machine. As for laying flat, the seat is constructed in sections so that it lays flat in pieces and has ribs that stick up. As these seats age they will become even more uncomfortable. If you are a portly person and have purchased a business class seat for the extra room, forget it, you will not fit into the horrible cramped cubicle. The tall men I saw sleeping had their feet sticking out into the extremely narrow aisle. You have the consolation prize of an excellent entertainment center and large screen. The service is still good but the food mediocre.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  31 December 2008 : by M Le Roux   (South Africa)

JNB-HKG, HKG-HKK, BKK-HKG and HKG-JNB. Travelled on Cathay four times these past 3 weeks. We were very impressed with the service we received from the staff. All spoke proper English, the food was excellent, the entertainment systems all in working order with plenty to choose from. Our first 3 flights were onboard the older aircraft model, but the cabin well maintained. The last flight from Hong Kong to Johannesburg was on the newer version of the plane with the new seats. We both found these to be more uncomfortable than the older reclining eats. My husband is tall and there just isn't enough space for the lower part of your legs. He was in a considerable degree of discomfort for the entire flight. On the lighter side the trays are now bigger, the IFE systems are much more advanced and there is now a plug for your laptop computer. Some points have to be deducted for the screaming baby onboard this last flight, who cried nonstop for at least 8 of the 13 hours. No attempt was made to approach the mother, even though numerous passengers were visbly agitated. Overall I must say that I really loved using this airline. They are perhaps not quite up to par with Thai Airways, but I won't hesitate to use them again in the future.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  31 December 2008 : by T Patrick   (Hong Kong)

HK-JNB, then BA to CPT economy. The plane was old style and quite old and tatty in places, bathrooms etc didnt look up to usual standard. TV selection the worst ever. To be fair, flight was full and full of people who dont seem to know how to act on a plane - lots of wandering around while seatbelt fasten signs on. The crew were excellent - dealt with a few tricky passengers well and made the flight more bearable.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  27 December 2008 : by F Pang   (Qatar)

HKG-AKL-HKG Economy. I flew the same journey on CX in Oct, but this time I boarded a 747 w/ their new economy product, so a good comparison could be made. The new economy seat gave me much more legroom than the old one. I used to complain (my previous review) that when flying w/ old CX economy seats, my ankle always touched the back of seat in front of me (I am only 173cm tall), but this problem no longer happened on the new seat. I could stretch my legs straight as I could do w/ QR (which also offers generous legrooms). Superb. There were a small hook and two small storage spaces in front of you, which were handy when storing stuffs like amenity bags, freeing legroom spaces. A very caring design. The new IFE was also excellent. It was easy to navigate, menus were clear and there were much more content to choose from. Regarding services, outbound journey ex-HKG was good as usual, w/ FA being efficient and professional during the whole flight. The return journey was much worse. When serving hot drinks, they seemed to be running along aisle in order to accomplish the task rather than asking passengers and serving them.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  25 December 2008 : by J Ethelston-Brown   (UK)

LHR-HKG-ADL in Business class. I was a bit concerned about the new seats as there have been so many bad reviews. They are great! It's the only flight I have managed to sleep more than half way! They are comfortable and spacious. TV screens are the biggest I have seen on a flight. I think it's a bonus that you cannot see other passengers and you feel isolated - makes it a bit more personal. You can see out the window if you try hard enough but the comfort of the seat makes up for that! If you want to travel in peace and quiet and extreme comfort this is the ticket!

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  24 December 2008 : by Paul Budd   (UK)

HKG-LHR in Business on new config A330-300. Priority boarding allowed a quick transition from the lounge to the plane and I was greeted by two very friendly F/A's and shown to my seat in the main business cabin. The new seats are a massive improvement and the additional privacy was welcome. I am an athletic very tall guy and found that there was sufficient shoulder width to read and plenty of legroom in the pod to be comfortable in any position. I cannot understand about people claiming it is hard to see out of the window because all it demanded was 90 degree turning of the head. The seat was very comfy especially in reclined position to watch films and read; and even better horizontal for sleeping. I have never been on a plane where the whole cabin has been fast asleep (even the women were snoring), I believe that is proof enough of the quality of the seat. IFE was a plus point and the films and program variety was very good. The news screens are also vastly improved from the old fixed position monitors. Food was good but not great, lovely fresh croissants and fruit but hot breakfast option was poor. The service was by far the best I have experienced on a plane and everything was carried out with a smile and a graciousness seldom found on non-asian carriers. All in all a much improved experience from the old config product from CX, well done, they have got it spot on. Would have given ten if the food was better!

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  23 December 2008 : by P Smith   (Canada)

HKG-YYZ business class. Nice plane (777-300), very comfortable pod seats, highly attentive service (always great in this regard) and possibly the best IFE anywhere. Cathay also has a new inflight map system (3D graphics) which is quite novel and fun to consult during the flight. The remarkable thing was that the flight left and arrived on time despite a raging snowstorm in Toronto - a credit to the airline and the airport. All in all a very pleasant experience.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  20 December 2008 : by Paul Budd   (UK)

Business Class LHR-HKG. Just completed the first leg on my way to Sydney in Business and have to admit I was a little disappointed by the experience. After a seamless transition through check and security I managed to locate the terribly positioned lounge in T3. The lounge was very good with a well stocked bar, nice facilities and tasty snacks. Upon boarding I was very annoyed to find the old business class which is not the norm for a 747 on a premium business route, although my exit seat on the top deck provided me with additional legroom (which I badly needed upon inspection of the normal seat pitch). The controls are too limited and only provide few comfortable positions to eat, watch movies and sleep. I felt the bed was really uncomfortable but I did manage 4 hours sleep, although interrupted. AVOD system was very good and provided a good variety of films and programmes. Although the seat was not up to standard the catering, wine and service were top notch and senior FA was delightful. The meal services were timed perfectly and I enjoyed the gastronomic offering (the chinese option). It was a good effort by Cathay but I am praying for the flat bed for the onward leg to SYD and for the return to London.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  15 December 2008 : by Edward Impey   (UK)

LHR-HK-MNL Economy class. Check in at LHR slightly traumatic as we were herded into a 'cattle pen' then gradually released for check in. No decent seats left as we had not done an online check in, which is advisable. Once checked in we made for the gate and were eventually boarded without fuss or incident. Seating was as expected, cramped, fairly uncomfortable and inflexible. However I guess you can expect no more of any economy cabin. The inflight entertainment seemed to work ok, and the food was fine but absolutely typical of the class. Wine, beer and drinks were offered during the meal and snacks were available during the night if required. Attendants were attentive to a degree but you really felt like economy passengers, not valued customers. HK transit was easy and embarkation without fuss or confusion. Return was mirror image of the flights and service standards, however check in at MNL is a zoo. All in all, not bad for an economy flight.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  10 December 2008 : by Riccardo Lehmann   (Singapore)

Doing various regular flights in the last year SIN-HKG-SIN on Friday, return Sunday, I choose CX as they are a bit cheaper compared to SQ, even though they have the slightly less comfortable schedule on Fridays and no mileage for the special rate. Economy cabin is always full. One thing which really is annoying is the inconsistancy of the cabin service. While check-in in SIN is friendly, with cabin crew its hit and miss. Sometimes the crew is talkative, friendly, makes you feel welcome and is very generous - sometimes you feel like its a crew of robots, no smiles, no flexibility. One thing, however, is great -if you dont mind to have (surprisingly) fish for your meal, order the low fat / low calorie meal in advance, its really good, fresh, European / Mediteranean style and really tasty for airline food.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  10 December 2008 : by M Cassie   (USA)

YYZ-HKG-PEK, return to JFK. New business class on 777-300ER. Outbound crew delightful and tended to every need. Seat was great, although a bit narrow with the high walls. On the return, the walls seemed a bit lower but wasn't sure. The seat was great for sleeping, especially if you sleep on your side. If you like to lay flat, that will be a problem. Travellers of any real size will hit the walls and at least one foot will flop off as the end of the seat is very narrow. I like to curl up on my side with one leg pulled in so it was great for me. IFE was a delight and there was something for everyone. Only real complaint was the transit stop in YVR on the return to JFK. We had to de-plane and mill about a secured transit area for about 2 hours before getting back on. At least there was a vending machine that took credit cards as well as an Internet kiosk. We landed in JFK about 45 minutes early and couldn't deplane until US Customs opened at 6AM.