Cathay Pacific Airways

Flew business class from London to Sydney via Hong Kong this week. London to Hong Kong sector very comfortable with flat bed cubicle. A few things missing no PJS nor pre orderings drinks as is the case with Qantas and Virgin. Second leg HK to Sydney - huge disappointment. The airline switched aircraft's at very last minute meaning business class (read premium economy) had no flat bed cubicles just seats. No passengers were advised ahead of time and the response to my complaint letter said the airline was sorry but nothing could be done about it.

LHR-HKG (B777) then HKG-PER (A330) and return. Business class. (No First Class on the aircraft I used). Both aircraft's are similar from the point of view of the seat itself and the service you get although the A330 seat is slightly smaller but that is only really noticeable in the smaller side-cupboard by the seat. Storage is impressive and is everywhere. The headphone cabinet has more storage space too and it has a mirror. Seat firm but comfortable. You don't get pyjamas or a mattress with business class with Cathay only in their First Class. Initially I was miffed but actually I didn't notice not having the mattress and I slept well. The amenity kit has ear plugs anyway. Cathay dining is esoteric and not always to a western palate. It is served from a trolley so you get to see the product before you select it which is rather good. Cathay service is practical and competent but I feel that it is not polished like say BA or Emirates. I chose Cathay because I wanted the best seat for a 24 hr flight and in that respect any short-comings in other departments (food no mattress humourless but efficient staff) are insignificant: these seats will get you there in comfort. I was most impressed and will use them again. The seat does it for me - it is what makes a difference after the flight.

Cathay did provide the best service between New York and Hong Kong. The service by the mostly Hong Kong crew was excellent. The Cathay chef knows how to concoct those airline meals. The small portions are just what I want on a long flight. If you want more there are noodles freely available. So is the champagne wine and Johnnie Walker. Everything comes with linen and silverware. The movie selection is huge and power is available for personal electronics. I usually manage to sleep half of the flight very nice. My last flight Hong Kong to JFK via Vancouver in January began well in business class but soon went downhill. I was late boarding and the head purser made me a beautiful mimosa joking that the look is what counts. It was just the kind of nice little touch which makes for a great flight. Surprisingly the food went downhill from that point. For the first meal I ordered the filet - it was cold overcooked and tough inedible. Hours later the next meal was the same. The duck was greasy stringy and tough. I noticed that the entrees were lined up open on top of the trolley before serving. Passengers at the rear got cold congealed food! Because they were slow with the service the food cooked too long then sat open the whole time. I tried to refuel with their ever available noodles but these came mushy though fragrant. Very frustrating. Except for the one purser who did not appear again the entire cabin crew was new. Looked like they are training a whole new crew for this cabin. I've flown Cathay for years and years and I know they will fix it. But meanwhile methinks Singapore or EVA for a couple of years might be good for me.

Seats were quite comfy movie choice was good music choice was however quite poor unless you are a big fan of Kpop or Chinese music. Food wise choice was ok but quality was quite poor except my partner who got a business class main course as they were short on what he asked for. Also they should be giving small bottles of water instead of glasses if you are sleeping there is nowhere to keep the water safe.

Having flown a number of legs on CX recently I've been mostly impressed by both the seats and the service. I flew on the B777-300 ER and the regional A330 and the service was good on all legs. The seats on the long haul B777s are excellent with plenty of storage space and an excellent entertainment system with a huge choice of movies TV and music. My only disappointment was with the food. The choice is limited (no choice offered for appetisers this always appears to be a form of smoked salmon) and having sampled most of the dishes offered none were particularly impressive. This appears to be at odds with the level of service offered by the airline. The food at the lounges in HKIA in particular at The Wing remains excellent. Other than the average food CX are an excellent airline and the seats and service are about as good as it gets in the air.

Travelled from SIN-HKG and back. Check-in counter waiting time really efficient at Hong Kong Airport Express station and Singapore is really efficient. Aboard flight good movies and TV shows shown on StudioCX and the food was very fresh and tasty. Good flight attendant service with the newest economy class. Clean cabin and toilet and quiet flying experience on Airbus A330-300. I think CX should improve on the array of movies and TV shows as they are fewer than other airlines. but so far I am satisfied on both flights.

I travelled Manchester - Sydney return on 777-300 ER. The service was mediocre on 3 of the 4 legs with a poor selection of food warm champagne and no single malts. The crew were almost robotic and did not show any real deep customer care. The service was rushed and served without any finesse unlike Singapore and Emirates. The new seat/bed was ok but felt tight and squeezed in. Obviously on this airline they have crammed in as many seats as possible with no space to move around the plane. I am 1.80 in height and slim and getting in and out of my seat 17K unless the seat was completely upright was a struggle. Boarding on all 4 legs as a BC passenger was chaotic and a stress. In Hong Kong it was unbelievable. 14 staff and not one singing off the same hymn sheet. Also in HK no one welcomed us onboard either on entry or when we were seated. The crew manager spent all her time at the front of the plane and never entered to serve or speak with the passengers in any class on the HK to Manchester leg on 18 Feb 2015. She was unapproachable and aloof. The business class lounge at Manchester was a joke and in Hong Kong was nice when inside the staff were distant and robotic. In Sydney we used the Qantas lounge winch was a delight. I would not spend £3700 with this airline again but will travel Singapore or Emirates BC when I travel long haul and wouldn't use Manchester again I'll travel through Heathrow.

This airline came highly recommended by friends and I think they must have flown a different airline to me. I recently had 4 international flights with Cathay all of which were late for take off. Our first flight MEL to Hong Kong (late out of MEL) was pleasant the staff were attentive the service went downhill from there. Honk Kong - New York late for take off which caused problems at the New York end having to pay a waiting fee for car service. London-Hong Kong an unpleasant trip staff tired and grumpy from the start toilets dirty and smelly and again a late take off. Hong Kong-MEL well what can I say late take off again (almost an hour). Staff should find another job if they don't want to do long haul flights unpleasant to the point of being down right rude. Toilets were absolutely disgusting. The only saving grace of this airline was the seats enough room to stretch and get some sleep. My expectation is that flights take off on time and an occasional late take off is acceptable but come Cathay 4 late take offs in one trip really is a bit much.

I used to travel CX regularly in the decade 1984-1994 when I lived in Hong Kong. This was my first time in 20 years traveling round-trip to Melbourne from London. The lounges were generally goodwith decent Chinese food but little or no choice in wines. On board I found the seats comfortable. The service was polite and generally efficient. I didn't see much spontaneity or anticipation: You end up having to ask for what you want. The main disappointment was the food particularly from HK to Melbourne and back. It wasn't terrible but it was worse than I remember it 30 years ago. I'd certainly fly Cathay again but I was surprised not to find it better than BA.

After paying to go premium Economy we did not get any extra service. We had to use the economy toilets quite away back in the plane. We have always flown with Qantas before and the cabin crew pay a lot of attention to you even though you are Premium Economy. They came round with water and snacks. We only saw the cabin crew when we first got on the 4 planes (Heathrow to Hong Kong-Hong Kong to Brisbane and returning again) and other than for meals.