What’s it like flying business class on Cathay Pacific?

The hallmark of a top airline is consistent on board experiences when travelling. You should be able to board and know exactly what is going to happen, from the service to food and entertainment, it should be seamless.

Cathay Pacific certainly hit the mark in this regard. It’s a quality airline but more importantly, it’s consistent. Booking a flight from Sydney to Hong Kong meant I knew what I was in for. After some time in the Qantas business class lounge in Sydney, it was time to board.

CX138 – Sydney to Hong Kong (SYD-HKG)
27 November 2019
Boeing 777-300ER – B-KQS
Seat: Business Class 11A
Departure: 22:20 Arrival: 05:00+1

One thing the oneworld alliance airlines generally get right is priority boarding. First class, business class and high level frequent flyers board first and I like having that perk.

Cathay Pacific Business Class Seat

Lie flat seats give everyone in business class aisle access. At your seat is a bottle of water, amenity kit, a menu, plus slippers, pillow, blanket and mattress topper for comfortable sleeping.

You get two windows to see out of, plus there is plenty of storage. As I like to change into pyjamas once airborne, I stored the ones I brought with me below the cocktail table.

A Breakfast Menu To Fill Out

Just like in a hotel, where you can fill out a breakfast menu and leave it on your door, you do the same when flying Cathay Pacific. You tick what you want, then hang it on the coat hook for the crew to take away.

A welcome drink is offered and I always have the Champagne. Following this I completed my breakfast menu and was given a hot towel to refresh myself after the airport experience.

What’s On The Menu Sydney to Hong Kong?

The menu is a large newspaper style affair and as tonight’s departure was after 10pm, supper is offered once in the air, with breakfast coming before landing.

A large array of drinks are available, from alcoholic to non-alcoholic, so there is something for everyone. My go to drinks are the Billecart-Salmon Champagne, Hong Kong Style Milk Tea and plenty of water.

Time to Fly and Get Changed

Once everyone is on board, it’s time for the video safety demonstration, before heading out to the runway. By now the breakfast menu had been collected and the cabin secured for take-off.

Ding! The seatbelt sign is off, so I immediately head to the forward toilet to get changed. I am consistent in this as it is far more comfortable to be out of jeans. Inside is a lovely basin and there is a pull down seat where you can lay your clothes while changing. Once done, it was back to my seat for more of the HBO series Chernobyl.

Supper Time

In the mood for something a little different, I selected the Five spiced beef shank with egg noodle soup. A side salad is available on request, so I also decided to have that. Bread is offered from the basket and I chose the delicious hot garlic bread.

You can choose to eat with chopsticks or western cutlery, and I usually go with the chopsticks. When in Rome and all that! The soup, salad, meat and bread are all utterly superb. There are few finer meals in the sky, so I was very pleased. It is also presented well.

How About Some Dessert?

For dessert, I decided to pig out and asked if I could have both the Apple crumble and the Ice cream. Both were duly delivered by the accommodating crew. Their consistent service style makes for a happy flight.

Both were very lovely and it looked like there was gold leaf on the apple crumble fruit. Once done, the crew offer you a chocolate from a box of chocolates and I never refuse. After this, I settled in with some movies and then had a bit of a nap.

Consistent Congee After Waking Up

Two hours before landing, the lights come up gradually, with the mood lighting easing you into the new “day”. A drink and a hot towel are offered to refresh you post snooze, before breakfast arrives.

On my order, I selected a fruit smoothie and wrote down that I wanted Hong Kong Style Milk tea. All of it came and I settled in to eat it all. The congee on Cathay Pacific is super tasty and I wouldn’t choose anything else. So, so good! Once done, it was time to land and we landed nice and early in Hong Kong.

Overall Thoughts

Consistent service, tasty and filling food, service that is efficient and friendly, a flat bed seat, an entertainment system with up to date content, noise cancelling headphones, well priced Wi-Fi service and sheer comfort and space makes for a wonderful flying experience.

Cathay Pacific do business class right, and I find everything about it suits me very well. The only thing missing really is a set of pyjamas for passengers in business. At the moment they are only offered to first class people. Perhaps one day!

Have you flown with Cathay Pacific before? How do you find them? Do you find it all good or have another opinion? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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