Cathay Pacific Airways

CX-617 from HKG to BKK. The flight was on time. Seat and Entertainment service were fine. The meal served rather disappointing I had a chicken curry on rice which only filled half the container.

HKG-ICN - my wife and myself had some difficulty in getting our seats assigned. Initially I thought this is due to our "ultra competitive fare" not allowing advance seat reservation but the real reason seemed to be that Cathay made an equipment change from A333 to B773 at very short notice only hours before departure. Thus we did not get the desired twin-seat in the Airbus but a neighbour in the 3-3-3 configuration of the 777. All the rest was "standard procedure" in Cathay's five star level. On time departure arrival ahead of schedule well managed inflight service despite a full cabin. Friendly and polite cabin crew but clearly focussed due to the number of pax to be served. AVOD ok but this is not ranking high in my priority list. I prefer a good choice of reading options which I got plus a decent meal and a good beverage selection. This being a morning flight the emphasis was more on tea and coffee - and only later on wine. I got all I needed and am once again really content with Cathay.

SFO-DXB/SIN-SFO Our first time on CX Premium Economy. Seats are fairly comfortable with decent legroom and an excellent VOD system. Food not much different from that served in Economy and they acted surprised when we requested a cocktail before dinner. The much advertised "separate check-in and separate boarding lines" were available in SFO but nowhere else. All in all not a bad experience but they have a long way to go to match the Premium Economy of Air New Zealand and Qantas.

Flew CX in Nov 2013 from BKK-SIN and then SIN-HKG a few days later in economy. Both flights were mediocre. Legroom is very lacking. Food very average. FA's however were very good and attentive. I booked these tickets 6 months earlier yet CX arbitrarily changed our seat assignments on the SIN-HKG leg and my wife and I were seated 10 rows apart. No apology no effort to correct their error. Also I had booked and paid for Premium Economy and was told no PE on these legs. Yet the SIN-HKG flight clearly had a PE cabin which was half empty. Not very fair. Both flights did leave and arrive on time. Baggage delivery by CX quite slow in BKK and SIN and HKG.

Flew LAX-HKG return in Nov 2013 in Premium Economy. Good value for money. Seats were reasonably comfortable with adequate leg room. An inflatable seat cushion made my bottom more comfortable. FA's were friendly and attentive. Food was decent for airplane food. A/V was excellent with high quality screens and a huge program menu. Would certainly recommend CX for transpacific trips. Only complaint would be that there are not enough toilets on this 777 aircraft.

HKG-JFK 25 Nov 2013. Business 777-300ER. Very comfortable pods with lie-flat seats that promote comfortable sleeping conditions. Extremely attentive staff anxious to serve. Decent food very good wine and I believe 4 hot towels during the roughly 15 hour flight. Compared to Korean Air's business class on A380 where the entire upper deck is for business the cabin seemed a bit more confined (and frankly comparable to Korean's 777 business class) but a very good experience. Plenty of storage very clean restrooms (frequently serviced during the flight) good video system and excellent headphones. Certainly an expensive alternative to Premium Economy but clearly a step above.

JFK-HKG 17 Nov 2013. Premium Economy on 777-300ER featured not only more legroom and more deeply reclining seats but a wider arm rest between seats resulting in a sense of not crowding the passenger next to me (or vice versa!). Odd that dinner would be served at approximately 2.00 am when all I wanted to do was sleep. All-in-all a pleasant if lengthy trip and because of a small subsection of the cabin reserved for this class it provided a feeling of relative seclusion. Very attentive staff. Avoid bulkhead seats as people walking down the left aisle using restroom on right side of aircraft must walk across the outstretched legs of passenger reclining there.

Flew from Singapore to Taipei via Hong Kong recently. The departing flight was as usual the new 777-300 regional economy class seats are good with touchscreen VOD but not much selection. Not many complains for this leg except for the fact that there is an irritating pack of stuff on the left hand side of the seat belt. For the return flight from Taipei to Singapore I was surprised that they upgraded the plane from an A340 to a 777-300ER. I loved the seats. I was also surprised that they serve a box of food followed by a packet of oolong tea. The VOD selections for this flight is not much only a selection of music and television programs. Flight from Hong Kong to Singapore was a horrible flight. The boarding procedures for economy class were unbearable I was forced to put my carry on luggage 4 rows behind my seat as the flight was fully loaded and people brought lots and lots of shopping bags onboard the flight. Flight CX735 was delayed 50 mins. The flight attendants were very kind and always offered to help passengers.

In recent years I have noticed massive improvements in the service of CX flight ground staff and reservations etc. I now attempt to use HK as my transit point to anywhere Asia. My most frequent route being LHR-HKG-PEN return so that allows me to test both long haul and regional the same time. Long haul depending on which flight the old configuration on the 747-400 is still very comfortable especially when travelling solo but not great when travelling in pairs or if you like looking out the windows. I always like sitting on the upper deck. The new configuration on the 777-300ER are by far the best business class seats I have ever experience. You can have great view outside or in pairs the middle seats allow both privacy or dining together depending what you enjoy. Extremely comfortable travel all round with great food and service. They clearly take service very seriously as majority of flights I have been on with CX I was asked if I would like to do a detailed written survey. It's extensive but something I am always happy to do. It's clear that consistently over the years the scores are moving more and more positive from my point of view. I used to dread the long journeys but now I look forward to them when I know I am travelling Cathay.

Flying for the second time this year with Cathay Pacific (Economy) and it's not as good as it used to be before. I was not able to reserve a seat online for my flight from MNL to AMS. I called the HQ in Manila and they advised me to come to the airport on time so I could reserve my seat (I wanted to upgrade to premium or business). Arriving at Manila International I found out that I was not able to upgrade in any way. From Manila to Hong Kong the flight was ok we had a new airplane and the seats were comfortable. Though we only got a cheap snack even though our flight was at 8pm and people were hungry. From Hong Kong to Amsterdam the flight was delayed and we had to move from Gate 69 to Gate 31. Finally we got to board our flight to Amsterdam only to find out that we were using an old airplane again. For some reason they use old airplanes to Amsterdam all the time lately. Same with routes from Hong Kong to Rome I was told by a stewardess. But flights from Hong Kong to Milan do have new airplanes. All in all super uncomfortable chairs and again I got back pain during the flight. Really the worst I have experienced with intercontinental flights. On another note: big difference in treatment between business and economy. I mean yes business class and first class do have the right to be treated a bit different since they paid for it. But I haven't experienced a nice service from the crew unlike I am used to when flying other airlines. It would be nice if Cathay can have a look at this. For now I will choose another airline next time going to my home country.