Cathay Pacific Airways

Cathay's cabins on regional flights were in need of a re-do and a clean up. Cathay has rolled out a new "regional business class" seat that has partially addressed the upgrade but has totally ignored passenger comfort in the seat. First the seat is hard. On a short sector Manila/Hong Kong I found the seat uncomfortably hard and actually found my back aching. How can they have padded the seat so sparsely? Secondly the seat does offer some recline and an opportunity to snooze although not quite enough especially if one is tall. I'm short 5'8" and my feet were bumping the apparatus in front of me that housed the next seats. Truly 2" more of leg room would have been very good and one wonders why Cathay made the pitch so tight. Thirdly the seat has no foot rest - a true failing. How did this happen? In all Cathay's service is good and attentive but the seat in the new regional business class needs a respectable amount of padding 2" more pitch and a place to rest one's feet when reclined!

Flew SYD-HKG on a codeshare so didn't pay CX prices but this was by far the best carrier of the trip. Staff are attentive and pleasant nothing is too much trouble for them and seat (A330) was very comfortable. If I could afford it I'd definitely fly the whole trip to NZ and back with Cathay.

CX548 HKG-HND Premium Economy. This is a 777-300ER. I like this aircraft because it has a separate washroom in the Premium Economy Cabin. This is the second time that I have taken Premium Economy from HKG to HND. On ground welcome drink is nice. Food is ok but it can improve a bit. Cabin crews are nice and friendly. As usually Cathay Pacific flights on-time. If they add a mid-night flight from HKG to HND will be better just like CX524 HKG-NRT.

YVR-JFK round trip. This flight is a bit weird because it carries passengers from HKG to JFK via YVR. It collects some passengers from YVR to JFK. Captain greeted passengers with weather and flight information. Flight to JFK was full but flight crew served drinks and food together then with another round of drinks before shutting off the lights to let people sleep. An hour before landing flight crew walked the aisles with water jugs to serve water. On the way back from JFK to YVR the flight was only a third full. Check-in staff gave me a full row to myself. My phone charger broke so I asked for one and the FA gave me her personal charger. The 777 has touch screen entertainment with USB access massive collection of movies and TV shows. Good airline overall the HKG-YVR-JFK route however is mostly going to be a red eye flight the return flight was less stressful.

HKG-TPE. I have travelled several times with Cathay Pacific and I am always very impressed with their service. On my return flight I arrived early at the airport. At the check-in they told me that my flight was slightly delayed. Because they feared that I might miss my connection to Europe in Hong Kong they automatically rebooked me on the flight one hour earlier very professional! The flight experience itself was as always impeccable.

I have travelled Cathay Pacific in the past and enjoyed the experience but have to say my last two flights from Perth to Hong Kong then Hong Kong to Tokyo Haneda were very average. The plane was looking old (in economy noted that first class and business looked like they had been renovated). My entertainment system did not work on the first flight. Rarely have I found an airline meal so bad I would not eat it but the Hake was disgusting and the scrambled eggs the next morning also awful. On the first flight the cabin crew were abrupt I realise it was a full flight but I still expect pleasantness. The service was minimal and seemed rushed and a bit sloppy. I thought it might have been just me but when I caught up with my husband and son who had flown the same route two days earlier we laughed because they too had exactly the same experience. I'm hoping to enjoy my return trip in a weeks time more.

CX270 AMS-HKG and CX767 HKG-SGN. Flight from Amsterdam in an A340 had the old herringbone Business Class seats - I actually really liked having my own private 'pod'. The cabin crew were some of the friendliest courteous and most genuine I have ever been served by in the sky - nothing was a problem to them. The inflight food was beautifully presented and cooked. I admit being 6ft 5ins tall the flat bed is too short to lie flat but even though I wish they designed seats for taller people it is still possible to get some sleep. Their lounges at Hong Kong Airport are outstanding - there are 6 of them! The flight to Ho Chi Minh City was on an A330 with the old regional seating not the new 777 with new business class seating (aircraft change) but still the serene comfortable professional service and great food. I'm not surprised that Cathay Pacific is a 5-Star airline - other airlines like BA could learn so much from them. An absolutely brilliant experience!

CX807 March 24 2013 and CX 709 March 25 2013. I have never experienced a more enjoyable travel experience. Cathay is truly on their game and puts other top airlines to shame. I felt at home and cared for which made for a great trip.

HKG-KUL. The plane is embarrassingly old. My seat was broken as was the entertainment system. The flight attendants do their best but the airline really leaves them high and dry with the product they are putting up. It happened that my schedule was such that I returned to HK on Malaysian Airlines (a code share with Cathay) and that was much better. The Malaysian Airlines staff were excellent the plane was new and it all worked very nicely. Cathay's best days appear to be well behind them.

HKG-LAX B77W First Class. Transferred from a regional CX flight and was met at the arrival gate and escorted to a special transfer line for expedited security checking. The Wing First Class Lounge is excellent with attentive staff service good food/beverages and outstanding Cabanas. A second security check of hand luggage prior to boarding but the boarding lines could be better organized. On time departure. Four passengers in a cabin for six. The "pre-refreshed" interior (which I prefer to the latest colors) was well-preserved and clean. Staff friendly but lacked the standard of finesse expected on CX First Class especially when there were only four passengers. The hand-written welcome note on my tray was for another passenger until I pointed out their error. One flight attendant was very young and inexperienced and was unfamiliar with the wine choices available on the flight. The food served is of good quality and tasty but the menu is rather limited with main entrees that are not as good as served a couple of years ago. The AVOD system is outstanding and the seat very specious and private but not very comfortable for sitting in for 14+ hours though excellent for sleeping in the lie-flat position. On-time arrival at LAX but baggage took longer than expected for delivery. Overall I like the CX First Class product very much though I am concerned that standards are slipping slightly especially when some Asian and Middle East competitors are improving their product.