Cathay Pacific Airways

✅ Verified Review | Sydney to Madrid return via Hong Kong. This was my fourth journey to Europe on Cathay Pacific in Premium Economy in the last two years. While seat comfort and IFE remain excellent, cabin service and food quality have declined noticeably. Meals used to be a notch below Business Class; now they are basically standard Economy Class (I compared as I walked through the Economy section). Cabin crew serve Premium Economy food, and then continue into Economy, and eventually return to collect trays. They are rarely seen between meal times. Service and food standards are now virtually the same as Economy, but the fare is marked up 200-300% - a big difference for about 40% more space. You also have to walk back through Economy and compete for lavatories. Cathay Pacific Premium Economy is not good value any more, and unlikely to remain on my shopping list. This is disappointing for an otherwise excellent airline.

✅ Verified Review | Flew Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong to London Satisfactory flight, nothing special typical Cathay service. On time arrival. But it turned out to be somehow below my expectation. I book CX at higher price instead of BA for their better seat in business, but this flight they used an airplane of older configuration. It is strange that, despite the fact that this is a 777, a newer type of aircraft, the seat was of the old type. I thought they have re-equipped all planes for the newer configuration, but apparently I was wrong. I am not saying that this flight is bad, but I expected them to use the newer seat.

✅ Verified Review | This was definitely one of the most enjoyable flights I have flown from Hong Kong to London Gatwick. The A350 was much quieter than the other planes I have flown on, therefore I found it much easier to fall asleep. The cabin crew were much more attentive on this flight than the other long-haul Cathay flights I have flown, they distributed snacks and drinks throughout the flight, which hasn't happened to me on the other long-haul Cathay flights I have flown. The seat was better than the one on the 777 and the 330, it offered a lot more privacy. The seat was raised above than the actual footrest when it is on take-off/landing mode which is kind of annoying unlike the old one which was on the same level. Overall, It is really enjoyable to fly with Cathay especially when you are on an A350 as it is much quieter and the air is much better. I would definitely recommend people to fly on this route.

✅ Verified Review | Singapore to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific. Great airline, great service and on time departure and arrival. On the outward leg and without making a request I was upgraded to business class at check-in. This was the fourth upgrade received from Cathay Pacific this year. Admittedly it is my favourite airline but as a long term member of the Marco Polo Club they really do look after their members.

✅ Verified Review | I flew London to Brisbane via Hong Kong return for a 3 week holiday in Australia. Very impressed with the Cathay Pacific experience. Flying Premium Economy enabled me to use the dedicated check in for that class. No queue and very speedy. Staff delightful. Inflight experience was great. Glass of champagne before take off, bottles of water provided and the food excellent. I chose the gluten free meal option (as I try to avoid gluten if possible) and loved the meals. Lots of fruit, and light fish dishes, perfect when on a long haul journey. Plenty of room and the seat was comfortable. Excellent choice of inflight entertainment and cabin crew very attentive. Flying via Hong Kong for the first time, I booked a shower in the terminal between outbound flights, so arrived in Brisbane feeling reasonably fresh. Highly recommend this carrier.

✅ Verified Review | Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur roundtrip was full in both directions. On the outbound flight, my dinner of pasta was good. IFE was very good, but there wasn't enough time to take full advantage of it. The inbound flight on a B777 and my original seat request ended up being a seat on the last row. But since the flight was only 3.5 hours, I didn't need to recline my seat. I wasn't hungry by the time dinner was served and I refused it, but asked for a drink instead. The flight attendant asked if I wanted some bread and fruit instead and I agreed.

✅ Verified Review | Manchester to Sydney via Hong Kong. I was impressed with the way we were boarded, strict listing of seats with staff asking people who were clearly trying to shove their way on, to sit down until late called. I have waited many years to see the silly passengers who run to get on first, which causes issues with them blocking aisles being told to sit down. I look forward to the return trip and hope he staff this end are as professional. I also loved the way the staff greet us at check in, stood to say good morning, these small things make the difference. Great job.

Recently, I travelled from Kolkata to New York JFK twice - once through Doha on Qatar Airways and the second time through HKG on Cathay Pacific. Gave me an opportunity to compare the business class product on two well regarded One World airlines. Qatar Airways uses Boeing 787 on CCU-DOH route - a much superior aircraft compared to the A320 that is operated by Cathay Drgaon on the CCU-HKG run on behalf of Cathay Pacific. The aircraft on the longer haul - DOH-JFK and HKG-JFK for both airlines is the Boeing 777-300. However, the seating layout on Cathay Pacific is 1-2-1 and in the herring bone format offering unmatched privacy. In contrast, the 777-300 on Qatar was 2-2-2 format with no privacy whatsoever. With the option of meals on request, throughout the duration of the flight, cabin attendants were scurrying up and down the aisles serving food and removing plates and table cloths, lights coming up, glare from the entertainment screen. Flight attendants on both airlines are attentive, speak good English. The entertainment systems were quite comprehensive on both segments of Qatar Airways but only so on Cathay's HKG-JFK segment. An ipad was provided on CCU-HKG sector. Amenities bags were provided on all segments. Quality and portions of food are comparable and both airlines offer a complement of international drinks. Schedule - Qatar leaves CCU at the unearthly hour of 3:30 at night; Cathay's departure is slightly more sensible at just past 1 an night. The transit time at both hubs - DOH and HKG are similar - and the overall journey is slightly faster on Qatar Airways by an hour or so. The flights were all on schedule. Transiting Hong Kong is a more relaxing and well-organized airport to transit though a bus carried us between two terminals. The security check had no crowds. Doha presented a picture of huge crowds, the security check area looked frantic. The flight announcement board was crammed with information that it was impossible to locate your connecting flight gate. I found the Wings lounge very appealing from the range of food and drinks to the reliability of the wi-fi service to the cleanliness of the shower facilities. I used the lounge at Doha to escape the crowd, did not try the food or the showers, but it was comfortable though the wi-fi service was spotty. The fare is comparable and you can earn miles on both airlines by being a OneWorld member. So, overall, while both airlines offered a good quality product, I give a slight edge to Cathay Pacific -- for departure time, transfer at Hong Kong, and the privacy offered by the cabin layout. It does take a little bit longer to fly through Hong Kong than through Doha and while Qatar's 787 is a splendid plane, you cannot really enjoy it - you board the aircraft and go to sleep as soon as the plane takes off, but you do get to sleep on the flat bed seat, an option not available on Cathay Dragon's standard business seat in its A320.

The flight from Auckland to Hong Kong (CX0198) was very good, in seat 30B. The flight from Hong Kong to Manchester was also late, and was amongst the worst. The seating was crushed and the staff not up to the standard I have come to expect. The menu was switched so Breakfast was served in the middle of the night and dinner served at 0730 UK time. I must have flown on Boeing 777s before but can't recall when, and certainly haven't felt as crowded and uncomfortable in Premium Economy. I have been travelling to or through Hong Kong for just over 64 years and that trip goes into my book as the worst. I have several more bookings made, so will just have to hope for the best.

✅ Verified Review | CX 178, Melbourne to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific Airways. This red-eye flight was uneventful thanks to the efficient service by the flight attendants, good quality food (incl. Maggie Beer Ice cream and Evian water) and comfortable seat. Passengers were served shortly after take-off so that they could have an uninterrupted sleep during the majority of the flight. However, I was a little disappointed when I was told by one of the flight attendants that no snacks were available since this was a red-eye flight. I would've thought snacks would available on all flights regardless. IFE was great, the noise-cancelling headphones were a nice touch. Still recommend flying this airline on this route.