Cathay Pacific Airways

My wife and I flew from Helsinki via Frankfurt and Hong Kong to Ho-Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Flight from HEL to FRA was operated by Finnair and was comfortable as always although the menu prices (especially for drinks) are completely ridiculous. The long legs FRA-HKG-HMC (and back) were operated by Cathay and I must say that I really enjoyed flying with them. The service was excellent and food was really good (comparable to Emirates). IFE was excellent with a pretty wide choice of movies which partly were at that time still showing in the cinemas in Finland. Best part of the flight was the seat. I'm approx. 1.90m tall so I appreciate the room that Cathay is giving the passengers even in Economy. Additionally seats were very comfortable and wide so I could get a good sleep on the long-haul flights. We ran into some pretty heavy turbulence somewhere over the Himalayas and the captain was constantly making announcements as to what was happening. After it was getting too tough they decided to change the route which eventually resulted in a slightly delayed arrival in HKG but a much more relaxed flight. I'm already looking forward to flying Cathay again this year and can highly recommend the airline.

Hong Kong - Sydney (CX139 - Boeing 777-300ER 3 Class). An overall excellent flight with an excellent selection of movies music and games on the seatback IFE. Food was excellent and was presented in a way that make it look like something that is edible. Cathay has never fails to deliver the service needed for a five star airline. The seats were comfortable enough allowing me to catch up on my sleep. However this time around the cabin crew seemed annoyed but did the best to hide it. It was noticeable that the FA's were tired and wished to go to sleep at anytime. But they did their best to hide it which is commendable.

CX252 12 March 2015 LHR-HKG. An excellent service in economy class. Personally being taller than average I miss the clam seat since if the person in front reclines the restriction in legroom is annoying. Unlike other airlines it is not leg breaking just annoying. Food and entertainment are excellent in flight snack selection is 1st class (noodle soup and fresh fruit) and staff are superb. A model for any other airline - don't fly everywhere but make sure the service you supply where you do fly is tip-top regardless of class. Even better - the entertainment system takes standard headphone jack so you can bring your own. Its a long old flight but Cathay make me wish it lasted another two or three hours.

CX736 and CX715 from SIN to HKG. I have to say I've been on a few flights in the past year and in my opinion Cathay Pacific is comparable to a low cost carrier. I've been on All Nippon Airways and Korean Air and I expected that Cathay Pacific would do much better since it's been regarded as the best airline in the world so of course I would have high expectations. But no and here's why: 1) I did not feel welcome from the moment I checked in up to the point I exited the aircraft the atmosphere was "cold" to say the least. Half of the cabin crew were robotic and the service felt really off to me. 2) Food there was no problem with the dinner they served but what annoyed me was the fact that their cutlery was made of plastic. I hate eating with plastic forks and spoons and I was appalled that a five star airline would have the audacity to use plastic tools for people to eat with. 3) In- flight entertainment not up to standard; the content was fine but the equipment was not. It is exactly the type that Jetstar uses and I hate the fact that there were no buttons and that everything was touchscreen. My complaints may seem petty to some individuals but I strongly believe that these three components are some of the basic foundation that defines an airline.

I went with Cathay on a Regional flight from Singapore to Bangkok with their A330. It was an excellent flight. Service was very good food was tasty and drinks felt carefully selected. Screens were good and I could charge my phone by using the USB-contact. Only negative: there was not able to watch films during this short flight.

Ho Chi Minh City to Hong Kong with Economy class. Beside getting the excellent service from ground staff and flight attendants the rest of my experience was no good. Flight was delayed for almost three hours from HCMC-HK then delayed for 1.5 hours from HK-HCMC. Selection of beverages was minimal alcohol was not offered unless you asked for it and the inflight food was awful. I do not think I will fly with this airline again.

I have travelled on CX flights every year since 2004 and I am a Marco Polo member but I do not find any difference in the staff service. When I asked for a comment form the flight managers kept asking to find out what comments I would be writing. Though I had asked for a change of seats on 2 of my flights because there were empty seats. I was told to wait until the door was closed. I waited but the seats were taken by other passengers before the airplane's door was closed though I asked before them. When I was upgraded to business class the hostess chose to give me the noodles burnt and oily dumplings for breakfast. When I asked for a noodle snack (in premium economy) the hostess refused to serve me claiming that breakfast would be served in an hour (actually 1.5 hours later). The staff did not ask what drinks I would like and they just served whatever they liked.

Melbourne - Shanghai via HK and return same route. Had very high expectations of this airline and class judging by the reviews here. For the most part I would have to agree. Cathay Pacific are very good airline and the business class experience is quite fine. Check in smooth and quick virtually no waiting at all and same for express card at immigration. At lounge in Melbourne we were greeted and shown the lounge and told we'd be advised when the flight was ready for boarding. Pretty good selection of reading material strong Wi-Fi and food selection both western and eastern all up a positive experience. HK lounges similar set up and look but bigger and more choices etc. On board was similarly great. Huge amount of room in overhead locker as in business you are not sharing. My jacket was taken off me without asking and stored for the flight. Offered a selection of drinks before flight and shortly after take-off personally welcomed on board. A Nice touch. Lovely hot towels before eating and after eating always a plus. The seat is exactly as you imagine. Large comfortable with plenty of room. Try as I might you just can't touch the next seat ahead of you. Controls simple and easy to use. The screen and entertainment system pretty good but I'd have to say Emirates is better for variety and information. Dinner was served pretty quickly as this was an after midnight departure. Fresh white linen is placed on tray table and simple design of unfussy crockery and cutlery. Lots of attention given with plenty of staff for the cabin always not far away should need them. On the food front I'd say it was tasty and plentiful but not exactly what I'd call luxurious but definitely a step up from economy as it should be. Breakfast approaching HK was better. Fresh juice and smoothies both cold and hot food to eat and a selection of three choices are offered. In terms of the fully reclined bed I couldn't fault the bed itself. I was surprised how far it kept going back. In fact I actually brought up slightly to give my body some support as fully flat felt a little like laying on the floor. I'd also say the cavity where you place your feet is far too hot. Both my partner and I felt a bit like our legs were on fire. That combined with the warmth of the duvet provided made it too warm. This should be addressed somehow. Disembarking is a quick and part of the advantage of flying in this class. Overall it's a very comfortable and spacious flying experience. This seat is used as a first class product by Dragon Air the sister airline and in fact the feel and cabin does feel very first class if a little spartan and pared back. Overall I'd recommend the crew airline and experience. Food cabin temperature aside it's well worth flying business class particularly if you can take advantage of the seat / bed.

Flight 500 / Japan Airlines Flight 7048. HKG-NRT B777-300. Be aware that: Seats 46AK and 49AK are window seats without windows on Cathay's Boeing 777-300. Hard shells weren't too bad afterall on a short haul 4 hour flight. Although seats don't recline and the person at the front won't lean back and occupy your limited space hard shells are not comfortable when compared to other ordinary seats and I don't feel relaxed. On the other hand seat legroom was acceptable but not satisfactory enough. Seat width was good. The entertainment system or AVOD has limited choice and the screen wasn't sensitive enough. The AC power socket provided was not working at my seat. For the food it was Fish w/ Rice or Chicken w/ Pasta both with salad bread a drink and Haagen Dazs as dessert. The crew were friendly and willing to help. In general the flight was on time and was earlier than expected. Everything was OK and above average and were up to standards as a 5-star airline. However there is still room for improvement. CX is reliable and I will travel with CX again.

Sydney to Hong Kong. Regular CX passenger. Chaotic boarding which is unusual. Bus class cabin as good as ever and the new amenity kit is a vast improvement. Lovely staff although the cabin service director oddly absent Will always recommend Cathay for the consistent good crews and great hard product. Only the food is terrible and sadly that is consistent. No salt and pepper shakers in bus class is just dumb and the plastic packets you get if you ask for are too coarse and would embarrass Economy class.