Cathay Pacific’s business class product is still a market leader on the competitive ultra-long-haul routes between Asia and the US, finds Nick Walton on a recent journey between Hong Kong and Washington D.C.
Check-in/The Lounge
I checked in for my flight the day before using the Cathay Pacific app, of which I’m a fan, but still needed to visit the counters at Hong Kong International Airport’s Aisle B to deposit my bags. A computer glitch was quickly fixed by a young custom service officer named Hillary and as the airport was quiet, I was quickly through security and immigration and arriving at Cathay Pacific’s The Bridge lounge, which was conveniently located for my departure gate, 41.
This lounge is great, but it’s also always very busy, mainly because it serves many gates on both the east and west concourses. I finally found a chair in a corner and settled down with some steamed char siu buns, a selection of salads, and a gin and tonic. The lounge offers a variety of seating styles, including bar stools (which are particularly popular), and the airline’s signature (and coveted) Solus chairs. There’s a long bar which makes a great martini, a hot and cold buffet, views across the apron from floor-to-ceiling windows, and fast wifi. If you arrive and find the lounge to be particularly busy head back to reception and continue over the lesser-known side, where the food and beverage options aren’t as extensive but there are typically less travellers.
Boarding
After the quick (and rather pointless) interview of each guest by security – I gather it’s required by US authorities – the boarding process began onto the three-class Airbus A350-1000XWB, one of Cathay Pacific’s newest aircraft. We have flown this beautiful plane quite a bit of late, as the airline uses it on quick regional jumps like Hong Kong-Osaka between its long-haul services. Crew welcomed us at the aircraft door and directed us to our given seats within the 46-seat strong business class cabin (the plane also boasts 32 Premium Economy seats and 256 Economy seats).
The Seat
The 46 seats in Cathay Pacific’s business class are set out in the same reverse-herringbone configuration that you’ll find on the airline’s 777-300ERs, which are used on routes like Hong Kong – New York (JFK). The seat is an improvement on the already-impressive business class product found on the 777 and A330, with the main differences being more storage, including a shoulder level compartment where the headphone jack and USB ports are located, and another sizable compartment at knee level;and more room when the seat is in bed mode, when that same compartment becomes part of the bed real estate.
An amenity kit (which I no longer touch in an effort to reduce my own disposable plastic sinning), and a bottle of water were already in place at my window seat, 21A, as was a zipped bag that contained a pillow, mattress liner and duvet. I thought this was a particularly smart move as the first thing that usually happens when you take off is all that Manchester in its plastic bags slides everywhere – having it all contained in one material bag makes it much easier to stow until it’s needed.
Before takeoff, crew also delivered hot towels, glasses of Billecart-Salmon Brut champagne, and Cathay’s novel inflight menus, which are part newspaper part culinary offering – this particular ‘issue’ included an interview with Carole Bamford, founder of the brand that makes the airline’s bedding, and restaurant recommendations for Toronto, Johannesburg and Hong Kong.
After asking passengers not to congregate around places like the bathroom during the flight, another US security policy, the captain announces a travel time of 14 hours and 10 minutes and we depart Hong Kong only a few minutes behind schedule.
Dining
Soon after takeoff, crew start the dinner service with a pre-meal drink, in my case a Betsy 2.0, the new incarnation of the airline’s signature beer, which is produced by Hong Kong brewery Gweilo Beer. Dinner started with slow-cooked chicken breast with romaine lettuce, semi-dried cranberries, roasted peanuts, and a beetroot yoghurt dressing. The dish was light and flavourful and matched the craft beer to perfection.
A choice of mains included prawns simmered in superior broth with vermicelli, baby Chinese cabbage, wolfberries, and steamed rice; fish ball and fish cake with ho fun noodles in soup; roasted duck confit with radicchio, French beans, mashed sweet potato and balsamic jus; roasted butternut squash, spinach and orzo salad with pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, Parmesan cheese and a citrus dressing; a beef burger with Monterey Jack cheese, bacon, pickled onion and chunky fries; and the airline’s new Omnipork Bolognaise – a plant-based pork alternative – with garganelli pasta.
I’ve had the beef burger before and it was great so I opted for it again, surprised that I’ve not seen the US staple on previous flights, although I can imagine it’s a dish that could go sideways quickly in the challenging environment of an aircraft cabin. In this instance, the beef patty was juicy and perfectly cooked, and the pickled onion and fluffy brioche bun made it a heavenly comfort food dish.
For dessert we were offered strawberries with yoghurt cream, ice cream, seasonal fruit or a cheese plate, which I opted for, and which included Arenenberger, French brie, crackers and a delightful spiced pear paste.
During the flight, a range of snack dishes are also available at any time and included the same butternut squash, spinach and orzo salad; the beef burger; and the fish balls. A few packaged snacks were also available in the galley for puckish passengers.
Wine options for the flight included a De Wetshof Estate Limestone Hill Chardonnay from South Africa; a Chateau Macard Bordeaux Superieur from France; and a Catena Zapata Agrelo Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina. However, the Betsy is a brilliant beer and saw me through the meal.
Before arriving in Washington D.C. we were offered breakfast, but the idea of having breakfast at 9 pm threw me off so I decided to skip the meal.
Service
As we have seen in recent months, service levels at Cathay Pacific are really improving and we’re starting to see the airline of old, the one that won every award possible. On our flight across the Pacific, the crew were warm and welcoming, efficient and professional, and quick to respond to call buttons. Despite the long flight time and timezone difference, that warmth and attentiveness extended throughout the journey.
Entertainment
CX’s newest version of its StudioCX may have a curious selection of films, but it’s also very extensive, with selections that will cater to almost any film hankering. I decided to re-watch the original Blade Runner, which is ironically set in the distant future – 2019 – and found the personal monitor to be razor sharp and highly responsive when navigating by touch. Even if you don’t need to the seatside remote for making film selections, I do like the fact that I can watch the plane’s two exterior camera feeds or the interactive flight map on the controller’s screen without interrupting my film on the main monitor.
Summary
In the end, the winds were on our side and we arrived in Washington D.C. 90 minutes early, a great conclusion to a thoroughly enjoyable flight experience where Cathay Pacific managed to display a market leading balance of innovation and Old School hospitality.
Cathay Pacific Hong Kong – Washington D.C. (Dulles), return, in business class from US$6,700 per person.
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