While I had flown Cathay Pacific first class many times before, I was excited to fly them this time because the airline recently announced a major refresh to their first class soft product.
Continue reading: Review: Cathay Pacific 777 First Class
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Between the mistake fare and unrest in HK I have found their soft product lacking recently. I could be mistaken but it seemed that they replaced some of their normal flight attendants with those less experienced (language and service in general). Perhaps that has changed in the past few months but I was disappointed on several of my 2019 flights.
I was privileged to be served that same vintage Krug on my YVR-HKG CX F flight (red-eye) in May and it was amazing. My friends and I had the F cabin to ourselves but they didn't drink any!!!! I ended up drinking 1.5 bottles by myself without any dinner since I do not liking eating too much that late at night! lol It was an incredible flight. One of my 2019 travel highlights for sure.
Tbh, I was nervous I would not enjoy too much since I am not too fond of the normal Krug.
Cathay is one of my favourite airlines. I fly CX in First (paid ticket only) at least 4 times a months. The rest of my flights are with JAL and AF (First). The Pier First class is always a treat and I must confess the Pier business class lounge is also excellent.
I agree totally about Cathay's F service.
I can't help but think that almost everywhere comfort has been compromised for privacy in first and business class - moreso in business class.
I would sacrifice privacy for comfort every time, after all, even in first it's public transport open to all. I think that Cathay's first has lasted while others have continued to play about with their offerings is testimony to the fact that they have got it right.
I am really looking forward to my LAX-HKG CX First class next month booked with AS miles.
great flight, tasty review, although a grown man did use the phrase "nom nom nom nom"
Sorry, Ben, it's just not true that AsiaMiles is the "only" program with last minute CX F space. I'd really encourage you to use less absolute language for this topic. I know you're the expert and I'm just a reader, but I saw CX F JFK-HKG-BKK about a week ago, for a flight 3 days later, on AA.com for 110,000 AAdvantage miles. I hasten to add that I did NOT click through. I was using old/Advanced search method.
Great review as always Ben. I couldn't help but smile seeing the picture of your seat as a bed, in comparison with AA's premium turndown service. #starkconstrasts
I flew CX first a few times last year ex JFK, every single flight was equally memorable. Have to give it to Cathay for ensuring such consistent standards. Looking forward to the first review trip of 2020.
It’s been a few years since I last flew Cathay F so I don’t remember much about the seat. Since then, I’ve flown JAL F, La Premiere, BA F and Emirates F. I have to say I was surprised to see Cathay F’s ottoman size. I had forgotten it’s actually about the same size as BA F which is a bit disappointing. I hope when Cathay eventually get a brand new F, they will install a much larger Ottoman like the ones on Air France or JAL.
FWIW those Pye pyjamas are pure cotton and exceptionally finely tailored. Also the sizes are wacky: Size M is equivalent to size L anywhere else.
What? the FAs did not try to build a rapport by saying "what's up"? how un-American that is?
Mr Lucky Charm - do you know when the Bos-HKG gets the new dining? I’m flying at the end of the month.
Well, if you go to any high end London department stores (Selfridges, etc.), Bamford products are apparently more pricy than Aesop. Not that much of a downgrade, money wise.
Well, based on promotional pics, J pax are getting Bamford amenities as well now?
The egg tarts would've been perfect with a Hong Kong style milk tea; I'm not sure why you didn't have at least one as that's usually one of your favorite drinks!
happy new year.
curious how they cater this flight, knowing the only have (1) F passenger? assuming they have to board all options, not knowing what you’d order, yet still being able to offer a first class product. what happens to all the rest of that food?
i’d have to drink that whole bottle of krug, anxious about wasting a drop of that $300 bottle!
@lucky this is not on topic but did you catch that Aman (yes, the same Aman as the resorts) is launching their own private jet service? https://www.aman.com/private-aviation
Thanks for the review, Ben. It would be good if you could focus a bit more on the wines that are being served in first class. For example, the 2008 Lynch-Bages that was served on your flight is one of the best red wines that is currently offered by any airline. Also, Cathay offers a HK$500 voucher that is redeemable at any Pye Store (The voucher is attached to the bag that contains the pajamas).
Gesundes Neues Jahr 🙂
Looks like an amazing flight with Cathay. I definitely think their F class product looks to be one of the best. Love he handwritten note, and how awesome to get the whole cabin on the 777 to yourself!
Yes, I’ve seen Bamford in a few high end London shops, and they have a stand-alone store in the Royal Exchange.
I do love Aesop, and Bamford refers to the Bamford family behind it. This is the same family who own JCB, and are high profile Brexit supporters. Which puts me off them completely.
I noticed your fetish towards Apple and Bose. No doubt their products are decent, but praising them to that extent is quite irritating considering their specifications are quite a bit behind say Samsung or Sony.
Inquiring minds want to know .... which pillow did you go with / recommend? Soft, medium, or hard?
Ummmm....on such an apparently amazing flight( that you paid $141.00 for) you were disappointed that you didn’t get some sparkling jasmine needle tea and a handwritten note.....which seemed to show up later? Wow. Please realize how privileged you are and try not to complain about such minor service lapses. Perhaps another glass of Krug 2004 might help wash down the sadness?
While it is great to be the only passenger in F,on an otherwise lightly loaded flight, it was my experience in Nov/Dec that this can lead to outright cancellations of CX flights.
Over a window of a few months my simple 2 flight itinerary (JFK-HKG-ADL) had 4 separate involuntary changes due to cancelled flights with the final itinerary being JFK (different departure time)-HKG (much longer layover at the airport)-SYD (not my original arrival point; make-your-own-way-to-ADL).
Fearing further last minute changes I cancelled and got my Alaska miles redeposited.
I then used my JAL Mileage to book JL F JFK-NRT, an overnight stopover at the Narita Nikko, then NRT-MEL in JL J, with an overnight at MEL Mantra , the a QF J morning flight to ADL.
Done that all before, so happy to repeat. JL service is magnificent, and it all went like clockwork, in contrast to the never-ending turmoil with CX !
Great review, as always. I fly CX F to HK almost annually and flew LAX-HKG-LAX over the Christmas holiday nd returned this last Sunday, with the cabin to myself. The new dining concept is fantastic, you’ll love.
One thing you didn't comment on Ben: the left-side toilet is by far more plush than the right-side one, which is meant for pilot use as well. The left toilet is bigger, more "designed" (darker materials), has a touch-free faucet and real hand towels. I could never figure out why CX doesn't make them more consistent.
Great trip report, CX F looks really impressive.
Being the only PAX in F is absolutely great. I remember my experience on LH FRA-KIX with 744 (upper deck) back in 2002. The perfect flight...
@John: couldn't agree more. Recently experienced CX new F service and was such a disappointment. Totally confused flight attendants and food sequence, miserable food, unfriendly service. I even don't like their seat, it is so uncomfortable. Nah, CX is imho one of the worse F experiences out there. Much prefer SQ, LH or EK.
Hi Ben,
Maybe a silly question: can you keep the Bose at the end of the flight?
@DenB® :
>Also the sizes are wacky: Size M is equivalent to size L anywhere else.
+1
When I flied it for my first time, I asked my flight attendant for her suggestion. She suggested a pair of small, to my surprise. I stand 5'9, mid built I normally wear medium, but they fit perfectly. Her guestimation was spot on. I've been requesting small since then.
@M.J.
>curious how they cater this flight, knowing the only have (1) F passenger? assuming they have to board all options, not knowing what you’d order, yet still being able to offer a first class product. what happens to all the rest of that food?
The crew eat them. I don't know if there were any missed connection pax or not, but I was the only pax. When I went to the lav, I saw my flight attendant eating what they looked like ribs and steakhouse fries, out of an aluminum tray. After a while, I was able to connect dots: they were same as the lamb and polenta that I've ordered, ha!
>i’d have to drink that whole bottle of krug, anxious about wasting a drop of that $300 bottle!
In that same solo f cabin, after 4 glasses, my flight attendant asked me if I wanted another glass. With that free WiFi, I was able to see the cost of the bottle, and I found them just fine but not extraordinary (I know nothing about champagne), and remembering the bottle was almost empty, so I felt bad having them open another expensive bottle, I moved on to white wines. Funny somebody like Lucky who used to all luxury felt the same way!
@OT
>One thing you didn’t comment on Ben: the left-side toilet is by far more plush than the right-side one, which is meant for pilot use as well. The left toilet is bigger, more “designed” (darker materials), has a touch-free faucet and real hand towels. I could never figure out why CX doesn’t make them more consistent.
+1
When I was the only pax, the 'sub' lav was always locked when I passed by a couple of times. I always wonder which one is more environmentally friendly in the sky: reusable real towels or disposable paper towels.
@Martin
>Maybe a silly question: can you keep the Bose at the end of the flight?
Maybe it's worth asking FAs, because the used pair probably cost less than a bottle of Krug? It has 3 prongs, so I don't know if we can easily find adapters and for how much.
Lucky,
I've been lucky to be able to fly CX F 3 times last year, it's always fun to read your reviews, especially for something I've also experienced.
The personaized card and the sparkling tea pdd, I may have received once, but I don't really care to remember.
My HKG-YVR-HKG, both segments were full (we wonder why!), but JFK-YVR segment last month was all for myself. At the JFK gate, there were a few people in the same line, but maybe they were Emeralds? I was surprised CX didn't upgrade any of their elites.
I've completely forgotten to check the award availability of that flight last minute by various partner airlines. I'll make sure I'll do that when I fly again in a few weeks!
The service on JFK-YVR was almost same as the long haul: minus caviars, minus pre arrival meal (though you can have your meal anytime you'd like), minus flowers by the windows, and minus Cathay Delight (how disappointing!). I was given a Pye PJ and a Bamford kit, though, heck, even the champagne and white wines were exactly the same as when you reviewed. I loved the whites so much that I didn't try reds and other drinks. I don't think I've ever had their new F dining concept yet.
In October, on my YVR-HKG leg, I was served Amour de Deutz brut millesime 2009, so when Krug vintage 2004 was presented, I told myself 'oh, it's different from October.'. My flight attendant must've heard, she told me they change selections from time to time. I hope my tone of voice was fine and she didn't take it as a complaint!
Surely the best transcon product hands down, I'm sad to see it soon terminated.
@ Maverik -- Happy to hear you've had great experiences! And yep, Emeralds can board with first class, which is why they would have been in that line.
@ Tom -- That's not what I was saying. I review airlines for a living (in part), and one of the reasons I took this flight was to review the new service concept. My issue wasn't that I didn't get a handwritten note at the beginning of the flight and "jasmine needle tea" on boarding. It's that I was hoping to be able to review the new service concept.
Did that cause me to have a bad flight in any way? Of course not. I'm just apologizing to readers that the meal service in this review is "business as usual" for Cathay.
I swear it's not that complicated to understand.
@ Aaron -- I selected the hard, and really liked it. In retrospect, since I had the cabin to myself I should have asked for one of each. Oops.
@ JW -- I'm not a huge Apple fanboy, I just don't want to be the guy with green texts. As far as Bose goes, please let me know which airline has quality Sony headphones! I'm reviewing airline products here, and I do think Bose headphones are the best offered on any airline (I prefer them to Bang & Olufsen).
@ M.J. -- Generally speaking they still cater at least one of everything, and in some cases they'll even cater it for a couple of extra passengers, in case there are any last minute upgrades. Generally the crew can eat the leftovers, though not until the very end of the flight, when they know that the passenger doesn't want to have anything else.
ANA gives out quite high quality Sony noise cancelling headphones in F.
CX F is in desperate need of the new catering.
@Ben
Luckily no excited kid sitting Behind you this time.
Glad you enjoyed the flight. You just missed me as I did that flight the week before.
It's the same as always, except no amuse-bouche any more, no salmon any more. And the food is always blah, but there's a lot of it.
Hands down one of the best beds in the sky! Super plush bedding and ample shoulder space. Have always slept the best in CX F. Interestingly, though my last flight in October 2019, ex-SFO they did not cater Krug in the F cabin.
I’ve been able to fly this (same route) a few times in F and only once with the cabin to myself. Found out that if you order more Krug after you sleep they actually open a new bottle to make sure it’s not flat.
Was a great change from the first time I flew it when the cabin was full and I slept first as I always do on this flight (I take it often, but usually in J, but will often transfer MR or TYP to upgrade if I can) and then they ran out of Krug because some people vacationing on miles drank all of it. Oh well hope they enjoyed themselves but I was exhausted from work and valued the sleep more.
@Lucky: The lavatories were always in pristine condition, with the toilet paper being in a perfect triangle, and there being a paper toilet cover on the seat every time I visited.
Same as QR. Always kept cleaned by the crew.
Anyone from AA or UA would simply refuse that assignment, and the lavatory would looked trashed for 14 hours.
Maybe when Michales K1 visa gets approved Angela and Michael can fly together on air peace first class. Hopefully a flight attendant won’t fuss at them when they request turn down service.
Yes, finish that show - Don't forget the Driver. I loved it. Its very heartwarming and funny!
@JDS How sad are you, bringing politics into an airline review. That you feel the need to do this should put anyone off you as a human being. Get a grip of yourself.
Thank you for a great review. I will be flying Monday 10th Feb in F from SFO. I've always had a hard time getting F or J on CX using AS miles. This is the first time in at least 8 years I have been able to get it. As a person who eats mostly Vegetarian and occasionally Chicken or Seafood, its always disappointing why CX loves to serve Pork, Beef and Duck. It would be nice if they had some mainstream dishes that the majority of people can eat. Pork especially there are people that don't eat it for ethical and religious reasons but the Airline menus seem to be loaded with it (except middle east airlines). Ordering an Asian Vegetarian meal means they serve the same overspiced goop over and over again so I started avoiding that. Anyone have any experience ordering Asian Vegetarian on CX First?
My favorite is Emirates since you don't have to ever order a special meal since they always have a dish that I can eat.
Hi Lucky!
I need your help deciding if taking CX F from CDG-HKG-HND (both legs in real F), or taking BA from CDG-LHR, and then JL F LHR-HND.
CX's F service is supposed to be the same as before covid, but JAL has been downgrading a bit it's offering (no more Hibiki 21 whisky, no more Salon or Cristal outside of HND, etc).