Cathay Pacific Airways

Have been flying this airline almost on an annual basis in economy from LHR via HKG to MNL over the last seven years and have seen it deteriorate. The new economy seats might be an improvement over the old clam shell seats but leg space is minimal and being 6'2" I have major problems without the passenger in front even reclining. I find it quite odd that the regionally configured older 777s and 747s offer substantially more legspace than the newer aircraft used on the London route. The cabins are kept at a freezing temperature as standard and there is no respite for my feet as they no longer provide socks. Meals are pretty poor and they don't serve water from a bottle but use tap water that tastes bleachy. CX really appears to have given up on the HKG to MNL route and offer a service akin to a budget airline. Very chaotic boarding dismal catering and no full drinks service are offered on this route.

HGK-MNL Business class 23D Cathay Pacific - everything was perfect. The staff were really friendly polite and professional. Everything were really clean the food was nice excellent entertainment services. I highly recommended flying with Cathay.

LHR-HKG-BNE in Business Class. Cathay Pacific never fail to impress in many aspects of their Business Class product - from check-in to luggage collection it is an excellent product. Heathrow lounge continues to underwhelm and not up to quality of their HKG equivalents however the food and beverage selection were good. LHR-HKG on a spacious 773 and managed to secure the best seat in Business House (11A) which is situated in the first row of the mini-cabin behind First - meaning that I was wined dined and cleared in good time. Lunch starter desert and wines were superb but 'Signature' main course was disappointing service approached 9/10. I prefer the smaller and quieter Cabin lounge at Hong Kong and grabbed a shower and some tasty dim sum prior to the next leg. HKG-BNE flight was simply excellent on the A333. Despite the seat feeling a tad less spacious than on the 773 I managed 5 solid hours of sleep and was treated like royalty by the crew. I was referred to by name at every touch-point and the team provided an excellent dining experience that balanced efficiency anticipation and warmth in equal measure. My only minor gripe was that the main course was served cold however it was swiftly dealt with by the Purser who apologised profusely for the oversight. Cathay Pacific really do value your custom and it is little coincidence that they remain as 'one of the very best in the Business'.

BAH-HKG-MNL. Once again I am very happy and satisfied with every aspect. Friendly cabin crew wide selection of inflight entertainment delicious food and good comfort of the economy class seats. Great job and great service as always! The packaging of their breakfast menu for our HKG-MNL flight was very interesting.

I flew with Cathay Pacific economy class from Amsterdam to Hong Kong and vice versa. It was (at a supplement) possible to reserve a seat next to the emergency exit. This gave me an enormous amount of space for my legs - very comfortable. However it was freezing! Blankets and pillows were of no use at all at this temperature. Other than that - nice aircraft lovely and very diligent flight attendants good attention to cleaning toilets. I liked flying with Cathay Pacific (and Dragonair to/from Cambodia) very much and certainly would do it again.

HKG-MNL Firstly CX's entertainment was so-so so are the staff but the food was an understatement. You are just served with drinks and a sandwich which is so stingy of CX unlike PAL which still offers meals onboard. I didn't like the seat because when you recline it it invades your legroom since it was a "Glide Seat". Although it was an ok flight I still prefer their competitors Cebu and PAL. Its a shame that CX offers this product.

Travelling from Singapore to New York. Both legs (SIN to HKG HKG to JFK) of the flight were perfect. Meals were better than many other airlines and they served good dim sum! Staff were attentive and friendly. I read some reviews complaining that once meals are served and lights are off Cathy crew tend to chat at the rest area. I certainly didn't witness this. My only complain is the lounge at Changi and HKIA. The lounges were far too crowded I couldn't get a seat at The Wing I wished for a shower but I was told that it comes with a 30 minutes wait. I ended up at the public food court for some decent Hong Kong food. Though I managed to rest at G16 during the 3 hours transit. And take note priority boarding almost doesn't exist for Cathay in HKIA. There was an announcement but not exercised by the ground crew. So if you are those who like to board early join the queue early! I've got to say Singapore Airlines manage this much better than Cathay.

CX 701 & 702 (HKG-BKK-HKG). The flights were smooth the services were quite standard; nothing particular worth mentioning. However the food choices and the quality of food were subpar perhaps due to cost-cutting. Inflight entertainment was malfunctioned on return flight. Cathay's economy class looks increasing like a budget airline. Anyway overall it was acceptable for a short flight but nothing was particularly impressive.

LHR-HKG-SYD in December 2014. Flight was delayed and departed LHR nearly an hour late. No problem - relaxed in the business class lounge until flight was called. Boarding process went smoothly. Food during flights was excellent service as always superb. No time to check out lounges in Hong Kong as onward flight was boarding by the time I reached the gate. The only thing I think that lets the airline down is the in-flight entertainment which is a bit limited but it's a very minor issue. Cathay Pacific business class is not cheap but well worth it.

I have had the opportunity to compare several carriers from SYD to FRA and DUS in Economy over the past few years and have just returned with CX from Europe for the first time. The words that come to mind are 'budget' and 'inconsistent service standards'. HKG to FRA return was a vastly different experience from SYD to HKG. On the way to Europe I reserved low fat meals and to say the food amounts were tiny (I am not big nor am I a huge fan of stuffing myself on planes) and certain elements of the meal service were non-existent compared to the regular fare would be an understatement. It was so mediocre that I decided to get the normal food offerings on the way back. One of the meal offerings from HKG to SYD which was a Beef Consume and can only be described as pieces of beef thrown into a clear flavourless broth with white rice was inedible. I am not the fussy however some things I noticed is that there were no hot towels only in premium economy CX are one of the few airlines who only allow 20kgs of checked baggage whereas all competitors TG/SQ/EK/BA allow more and the in season fruit salad consisted of about a handful of tiny pieces of Apple/Rock and Water Melon and soft drinks are poured out of bottles instead of receiving small cans. Apart from the fact that staff on the planes virtually never smile whilst serving passengers at least that was consistent. Furthermore 2 main meals were served within 3 hours of one another on a 9.5 hour flight back to Sydney. Why? When questioned I was told it was company policy. This resulted in not having any food for the last 5 hours to Sydney. Unlike SQ I also didn't notice on board staff helping or caring much about mothers with their young babies either. Now the good bits: Staff are very quick efficient and were always around throughout the flights with drinks and baskets of good snacks throughout FRA-HKG return not so much during SYD-HKG. Ice cream for dessert on two sectors was most welcome. The seats are very comfortable pitch is better than on paper leg room is very good each seat has a USB charger and the entertainment system is one of the easiest most enjoyable I have used although the movie /tv selection was not as vast as on some other carriers. Ground staff at all airports were also most helpful friendly and efficient. Had to unexpectedly break my trip in HKG and ground staff went out of their way to help me.