CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  3 March 2009 : by Paul Budd   (UK)

SYD-LHR via HKG. Superb Business Class product especially for the very reasonable £2,700 price tag. Fully flat seats on both sectors and upper deck seating for the LHR leg on the 747-400. Used the Qantas Club lounge at SYD, a great lounge with good food, seating, showers and beverages. During the flights I found the onboard service was the best I have experienced with smiling FA's. Food and wines of a high standard and the chinese options and mid flight broth style soups a delight (although main meals should be better presented on plates like Singapore Airlines). The flat bed was a massive improvement from the awful angle lie flat seat - the herringbone layout provides good privacy and leg room. The seat, although a little narrow was comfortable in sitting and sleeping positions. IFE on demand and had a decent variety of films, shows and music. The whole experience was an absolute joy and the ground services were exceptional with priority boarding and air bridges at HKG made passengers feel that Cathay truly value their premium passengers.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  1 March 2009 : by Victoria Forsey   (UK)

Heathrow via HK to Sydney and back to Heathrow. First plane very tired looking interior, old style seats which I found lumpy but at least they reclined enough to stop my head from falling forward when sleeping! Other three flights had new design seats, and all I can comment on is whoever designed them obviously has never sat in them for any length of time. They were the most uncomfortable seats. The back was really hard with no padding and no leg room - I am not very tall! I sat next to a large man for 12 hours and he had no room and encroached into my space! Cabin crew very efficient and entertainment good, however due to the seats I will not be using Cathay Pacific again.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  28 February 2009 : by Marc Julien   (Canada)

YYZ-HKG. The new seats quite comfortable, and the service excellent. We really have no complaints. We will definitely fly Cathay Pacific business class again!

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  27 February 2009 : by Y Lee   (Australia)

LHR to HKG (stopover) to AKL one way. We flew on Christmas eve and CX upgraded as many passengers as they could on the Xmas flight. We were one of the lucky ones and enjoyed the Business class flight. Entertainment, food and services were excellent. Flat bed allowed good sleep and we woke up refreshed and spent the first day sightseeing without jetlag. CX also gave discounts for hotels in HK if you booked with the flights - good value. Economy to AKL was good. Food and services are better than Air New Zealand.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  27 February 2009 : by Julian Dight   (Australia)

SYD-HKG-SYD on new A330's. The new fixed back seats take a little getting used to but after a while you can find a comfortable position. The crew were pleasant and helpful but unfortunately the food did not live up to expectations. I had two breakfasts and two dinners and whilst both breakfasts were fine, the dinners were not. The wines for economy were dreadful. The other thing I found intriguing was that on the way to HKG, the second meal was served 4 hours before landing which in my opinion is too early having just had the first meal 3.5 hours before. The flight attendants made a good effort in keeping the lavatories clean and responded to passenger requests quickly and were obliging when doing so. CX also gets brownie points for serving Johnnie Walker Black label in economy class over the cheaper Red Label. Ironically, on my connection to Shanghai with Dragonair which is only a 4 star airline, I had a much more pleasant experience. The food served onboard was extremely tasty and flight attendants were decidedly more upbeat. I tried both choices offered in economy and would have to say that they were the most tasty meals I have ever had on any economy flight. On the return flight to HKG, passengers were even handed a little menu which was a nice touch for a 2 hour flight.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  27 February 2009 : by J Tan   (Hong Kong)

HKG-KHI via BKK in business. A330 in old configuration. There are not so many options to Pakistan from HKG. Service was good but I was disappointed by the food selection and quantity. It seems that they have removed appetizers from the meal service. It is now simply a salad, main course & dessert. As it was an older aircraft, there was no AVOD, movie selection was average, with the short films shown on HKG-BKK and movies from BKK-KHI. My biggest grouse would be the time it took the crew to serve supper on the return leg from KHI to HKG. Departing KHI at midnight, I expected the crew to get to work immediately serving supper once we leveled out. Instead it took over an hour before the meal service started. Since it was a 4 hour flight, it was rest time was significantly reduced.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  9 February 2009 : by Susan Maclaurin   (Australia)

Cairn to Johanesburg and back on two different Cathay Pacific aircraft. The planes with the older seating were more comfortable but entertainment was not very good. The new seats on the B747-400 are very uncomfortable as there is no padding at all. They are the hardest airline seats I have ever had to sit in and the journey was over 12 hours. However I do like the idea of people in front not reclining into my space. Apart from lack of padding the rest of the seat design was comfortable. One of the most annoying things for my whole family were the lack of magazine racks. Having them under the seat is pointless and irritating. The cabin was too hot which I don't like at all.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  9 February 2009 : by K Teo   (Singapore)

SIN-HKG-SIN on the old A330s. Generally well-maintained aircraft with working IFE systems. The selection has always been very western-biased with few Asian movies and music channels. Getting really annoyed with the old seats because of the recline and the cushion. I don't understand why many other passenger complained about the new Y-class seats found on the refurbished B747s and the new B773ERs. I prefer those new seats as they are more comfortable to sit on and the person in front of you would not intrude into your space. Meal service was generally good but very predictable selection made available. Having travelled quite extensively on these two sectors over the last 12 months, I can say that the meal choices are very limited in Y-class and they keep repeating the same old dishes. It's also the case for special meals. The cabin attendants were friendly and helpful.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  2 February 2009 : by S Moodley   (South Africa)

JNB-HKG on Cathay Pacific for the first time. Knowing that they're a five star airline, I was expecting a lot but sadly I was very disappointed. The new generation 747-400 was used and the seats are uncomfortable - two thin cushions in a plastic bucket-like thing with a leather headrest. The seats do not recline but simply slide forwards. Cabin crew tried their best and were quite friendly but on a 12 hour flight, you need to be fed quite a bit! Sadly we were only given two meals - that didn't even taste good - and when asked for snacks, I was directed to the galley where I found a few savouries and a limited selection of drinks. This was fine but what shocked me was the fact that I had to serve myself! In-flight entertainment is acceptable but needs to be upgraded as the selection isn't as broad as I would have hoped it to be. Screen size and resolution are very good.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  2 February 2009 : by R Wieland   (Hong Kong)

HKG-LAX-HKG. Outbound on B777-300ER and return on 747 both with the new business class seats - I don't see the problem with these seats. The thick blanket is a nice touch and I got about 8 hours sleep on each flight. Inflight entertainment top notch. Lots of movies, tons of TV shows and hundreds of CD's to choose from, you can even make your own play-list. Flight to LA was good, chose their new "light" supper choice where you get a salad, cheesecake and soup all presented on one tray so you can eat and rest. Flight back to HKG was exceptional - lots of smiles and a very relaxed attitude made for a great long flight.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS review :  1 February 2009 : by P Tyrrell   (Ireland)

London-Hong Kong-manila return. Ecellent ground crew at all the airports. Inflight attendants excellent. Service delivered professionally. Food first class and good choice. Inflight entertainment great. Having said all of this, I was most disappointed with the new cabin configuration and let down by the business seat which I found cramped and uncomfortable. Most awkward to find a good place for a book or your glasses, and very easy to knock over a drink. On the outward night journey I was able to sleep okay after getting more used to the sleep position, but on the return day flight on almost a 13 hour journey I found it almost impossible to get comfortable. I would probably use Cathay business class on a night flight - their prices are quite competitive at the moment but I would certainly not use them during the day (long haul) - I found that whole end of the trip to be an absolute nightmare. The new seat was the only disappointment of an otherwise excellent service. For me the seat comes before the service. Avoid seat 92A and 91K upper deck, and if you like looking out the window 12A/K are good without having to strain to see out in any way