Cathay Pacific Airways

HKG-NRT very good service plane is quite new good entertainment system and excellent service. Staff are very friendly and the seats have the new shell design so you won't disturb the person behind you.

JFK-HKG-CMB 12/18. We purposely like to fly out of JFK to catch Cathay's afternoon non-stop to HKG vs. flying out of LAX (plus get a couple of nights in NYC). Check-in at JFK is with BA. They don't offer any of the special services you find at JAL FC check-in or AA Flagship (an airline employee walks you counter check-in through Security to the Lounge). Priority TSA is not available at the early afternoon hour. Luckily regular security did not have long lines. Cathay uses the BA FC Lounge which is not special and needs a major refurb. The 777-300 had Cathay's new refreshed FC cabin. The flight is so special it makes up for the mediocre airport experience. The FAs are simply the best. Lunch and dinner meal services on this 16+ hour flight can't be beat. The menu has a wide variety of choices. I had the lamb which was perfectly cooked to my requested preference medium rare. Turn down service PJs (an upgraded PJ very comfortable) and inflight entertainment are the best of the Asian carriers. Simply the best choice to Asia.

CGK-HKG CX 776 HKG-SFO CX 872. Requests were treated as a big nuisance for the flight attendants. When water was politely requested the FA said "later I'll come back to you" but never did. Overall CX failed to represent its status as a five-star airline.

LAX-HKG / SIN-HKG-LAX - Great flights all around. Wonderful inflight service and all departures were on time. Traveled in Business Class on the B777. The transpacific has lie-flat seats and is the first time in YEARS that I have been able to sleep 6-8 hours. Very comfortable seats with lots of storage space and great selection on the entertainment system.

CX 684 BOM-HKG and CX 685 HKG-BOM. Both flights departed late and landed an hour late. Cabin crew were polite and attentive. Airplane was an old 747 and looked gloomy. They did serve the pre-ordered VLML meal on both legs which is way better than airlines like Thai that take VLML orders on their BOM leg and do not serve them.

CX 418 HKG-Seoul and CX 411 Seoul-HKG. Airplanes looked old with dated video systems. Cabin crew were friendly and helpful. Pre-ordered VLML meals arrived. Flights were pretty much on time.

BLR-HKG-PVG Business. Although Cathay is normally a quite good airline the aircraft used for this crowded flight is ridiculous. The business class seat is not the old fashioned big chair nor the nearly horizontal flat bed slide it can only be defined as "the back cracker". Honestly a coach seat does the job better on this semi-long haul flight. Service and food is no problem but leaving from BLR at almost 3am (scheduled time) leaves no room for enjoying dining but a sleeping urgency after an overcrowded lousy stay in the BLR poor lounge. Do not take this flight if possible it is one of the worst overall.

LHR-HKG Business Class 12th Nov 2013 - Excellent flight on 777. Food and service perfect. Business lounge at HKG great. HKG-SYD Business Class 13th Nov 2013 - Terrible flight on old A330. Seats stained and cramped compared to 777. Service and food good. SYD-HKG Bus Class 2nd Dec 2013. Same tired old A330 terrible. HKG-LHR Bus Class 3rd Dec 2013. Very old 747 with terrible cramped seats worse than A330. This is the worst Business Class flight I have ever been on - a disgrace. I will not fly Cathay Pacific again.

SFO-MAA-SFO. Overall the service seems to be slipping though compared to the competition on this route it still is the best value for money. My wife ordered an Indian veg meal for all legs of the journey. Once again the meal from SFO to HKG was inedible. The same thing happened on an identical itinerary in Feb 2012. Looks like they don't change the special meal menus. The quality improved on the other legs though overall the meal quality (special and regular) has come down. AVOD was fine. The shell seat on the old 747-400 is most uncomfortable though the leg room is fine.

LAX-HKG. B77W. First Class. The aircraft had the newest special dark green paint scheme celebrating Hong Kong. Check-in was good but boarding delayed and not well organized due to late arrival of the aircraft. The much-advertised refurbished First Class cabin is a huge disappointment. The reflection of Chinese heritage through dark stained wood veneer finishes and rich silk-like fabrics have been replaced with very cheap and common-looking grey plastic and light stained wood veneer finishes and ordinary grey fabrics. Perhaps this was a hastily assembled early product for this signature paint scheme aircraft as the fit and finish of most components were very poor and the new seat padding a disappointment on a 15 -hour journey. Cabin service was top-notch from sincerely caring staff. However they could improve in the area of anticipating customers' needs. The meals were well-prepared but the menu offered very few choices and didn't offer more upscale entrees. The beverage selection was excellent with some very good wines on offer. While CX continues to offer an excellent First Class product it needs to up its game in light of recent upscale competitors in Asia and the Middle East. The Wing First Class Lounge at HKG is excellent with attentive staff lovely Cabanas and good food.