Airline Review: Things are Looking up at Cathay Dragon
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Summary: Maggie Chooi enjoys war, genuine service and world-class dining on a recent business class flight between Penang and...
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Maggie Chooi enjoys warm, genuine service and world-class dining on a recent business class flight between Penang and Hong Kong with Cathay Dragon. 

Check-in/The Lounge

I checked in for my Cathay Dragon Penang-Hong Kong flight using the Cathay Pacific app but still needed to check my luggage in at the airport. The baggage check was process was efficient and I was quickly making my way to Cathay Dragon’s sister airline Cathay Pacific’s lounge near gate A3, just one floor up from the main concourse.

Having access to the lounge is especially good as Penang Airport goes through renovations, meaning some areas of seating on the main concourse have been removed, putting a premium on the seats remaining. Staff at reception were welcoming and directed me to the main lounge space, which was very full.

For those looking to get a bite before their flight, the lounge serves hot dishes, including stir-fried bak choy, barbeque chicken and white rice, and also offered the airline’s signature made-to-order dishes, including flat rice noodles in soup, fish ball noodles and sweet and sour chicken, as well as basic spirits, juices and wines. My only complaint would be that the lounge was extremely loud, mainly due to a few loud phone conversations and one or two families that let their kids run around literally screaming.

Cathay Dragon business class

Boarding

After an efficient and well-managed boarding process at gate A6, I made my way onto the three-class Airbus A330-300 which features 39 of the airline’s regional business class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration where I received the same warm welcome from the cabin crew, who quickly served juices, water and a signature cocktail called a Rose Infinity, with rum, apple juice, grapefruit juice, rose and sparkling water; as well as antiseptic towels and newspapers. We started taxiing at 1.05 pm for an on-time departure of 1.15 pm.

Dining

The crew did another drinks round 30 minutes into the flight as we climbed to cruising altitude, crossing the Malaysian Peninsula on route to the South China Sea. While I opted for a glass of Piper-Heidsieck Champagne with my warm nuts, there were also some delicious wines on offer, including a Voyager Estate ‘Grit By the Sea’ Chardonnay from Australia’s Margaret River, and a Weingut Abril Spatburgunder from Baden. The dessert wines on Cathay Pacific are also always brilliant, in this case, a Chateau Rondillon 2017 from Loupiac, France.

Cathay Dragon business class

The lunch service began with a starter of smoked duck breast with potato salad, and a season mixed leaf salad with French dressing. For mains we had the choice of Malaysian chicken rendang with French bean sambal served with coconut rice; pesto spaghetti with grilled prawns and roasted green and red capsicum; and stir-fried seafood in oyster sauce, with choy sum, carrot, and jasmine rice. Dessert was Haagen Dazs ice cream.

All meals are halal, and being Malaysian saying goodbye to home, I opted for the rendang, which was well-proportioned, the chicken hot and tender and perfectly seasoned.

Service

I have seen a remarkable upturn in service levels at both Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon over the past few months, and this flight was no different. Gone were the days of cabin crew who ignored Chinese passengers when they thought they could, or who hid away in the galley (although in my experience this was more a Cathay Pacific long-haul issue than a Cathay Dragon one).

On this flight and on several previous flights I found crew to be friendly, efficient and proactive, which you might not notice so much in the economy cabin, where you typically have less direct interaction, but can certainly appreciate when you’re paying to be in business class, even on a relatively short flight like Penang to Hong Kong.

I was especially impressed by a young cabin attendant called Karen, who was attentive, and always smiling, no matter whether she was doing the safety briefing or clearing trays.

Cathay Dragon business class

Summary

After watching two movies on the StudioCX entertainment system, and a thoroughly satisfying meal, we landed on time in sunny Hong Kong. It’s encouraging to see Cathay Pacific making a turn around on its service levels, which were always the only weakness for a carrier that flies the newest aircraft to an extensive network and has long been at the top of the international rankings.

Cathay Dragon Business Class, Hong Kong-Penang return from US$1,388 per person.

Note: The Author travelled on a full fare business class ticket without the airline’s knowledge

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About the Author

Maggie Chooi

Maggie Chooi is a jetset communications and public relations specialist based in Hong Kong. She is the founder and managing director of boutique PR agency Spice Marketing, which specialises in the travel and hospitality industries.