Here’s a review of a segment of a roundtrip Cathay/British Airways/Emirates flight I did from Oslo to Heathrow to Hong Kong to Sydney to Christchurch (return) in Business Class – a lot of flying! My itinerary for this segment was as follows:
CX0256
Dep: LHR, 20:15
Arr: HKG, 15:00
We boarded promptly, and Business Class priority gave me time to snap a few pictures before the cabin completely filled up.
Just as a warning, the combination of intense exhaustion and complimentary wine meant that my photography skills were sub-optimal, to say the least, both in quality and quantity. I forgot to take a single picture of the food!
The Seat
Cathay Pacific’s international Business Class is a reverse herringbone layout. This means each seat has direct aisle access and is angled away from it. It gives each seat a lot of privacy, and is one of my favourite layouts. The bed lies flat, and, at 6’2″, I got a good amount of sleep, which is rare. The seat also has plenty storage space, including a cocktail table, meal table and various compartments and cupboards. A minor point, but I also love their colour scheme.
The Service
I always find Cathay’s service to be polished, professional and friendly. That’s a given. But a truly good flight attendant will make you feel special and valued as a passenger. Fortunately, there was a stellar example of such a crew member onboard this flight. I could see that they really enjoyed their job and making every customer feel welcome.
Cathay Pacific adopt the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to cabin service. They can spot straight away when you need something, but are otherwise quite stand-offish and not over the top. In sleeping time, the cabin crew retire to their rest-area/galley and you won’t hear a peep til the next meal service. That being said, ring the bell and they’ll be by your side within 10 seconds, more than happy to help. This is in contrast to a lot of other airlines, who check up on their premium class passengers every 10 seconds and their presence is always on hand. Different service styles will appeal to different people.
The Food and Drink
Like I said, I can’t show you any pictures of the food, but here is the menu:
I generally pick the authentic meal on an international airline (e.g. a Chinese meal on Cathay/ an Indian meal on Air India), because I figure that that’s going to be their specialty. Cathay never disappoints. Their Chinese food is always tasty and well-cooked and the prawns were no exception. Their dim sum for breakfast was equally as delicious. The fact that they served illy coffee on board was mightILLY impressive (ha…ha…) – I appreciate good coffee. Their soft drink/wine list was equally as comprehensive and pleasant.
Other Features
Their in-flight entertainment system looked pretty good, though I didn’t have a chance to try it out. The lavatory was always pleasant and well-stocked with amenities.
Final Thoughts
I was very impressed by Cathay Pacific’s Business Class. I had four segments flying it, and all were up to the same high standard, meaning that it is a very reliable product, both in terms of service/food, and the seat itself.
Have you flown CX Business Class? Would you recommend it? Would you fly it now?
Let us know down below!
jesus christ that menu has shrunk badly. There used to be a frickin salad with some smoked salmon on top, another appetizer of some sort. then came at least 3 choices for a main, always a red meat dish, a white meat dish and a pasta dish for vegetarians.
After that there’d be fruits served on a cart, a proper cake, cheese and pralines
theres literally f$@#k all on their dinner service now.
and we’re talking two years ago.
This is true. Airline cost-cutting I guess. Though, to be fair, all of the food was very good, and I felt the portion sizes were big enough. The lounge food quantity and quality were equally as good.