Review: Cathay Pacific First Class 777-300ER New York JFK To Hong Kong

Didn't know that Cathay flew nonstop to Hong Kong from JFK. Is there still a stop in Vancouver?

Thanks for a great report Ben. Could you review for us the number of miles this required, and the options for booking this trip with miles? Thanks. David O

generally speaking, i find chinese women to be crude and bossy especially when you compare them to other east asian groups. and cantoneses are the worst in all of china.
for this reason, i stop taking cathay pacific for my trip to hong kong.

@ steven k -- Keep in mind that most Cathay Pacific flight attendants aren't Chinese. A vast majority of Cathay Pacific cabin crew I've flown with are from Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

@ Nolan Snoeyink -- They do indeed. They typically have four flights a day -- three are nonstop, and one routes through Vancouver.

@ David O -- Thanks! I redeemed 67,500 American AAdvantage miles for one-way first class. The other best option for booking this would be Alaska Mileage Plan, as they charge 70,000 miles for one-way first class between the US and Asia. The benefit of booking through Alaska is that they allow stopovers on one way awards, so you could stop in Hong Kong for as long as you'd like and then continue onwards.

That shrimp quesadilla *is* shockingly good...

Have you noticed that food service is better when departing from the airline's main departure city instead of the USA airport? I have traveled on CX First from SFO, and Turkish and JAL in business to IST/HND but rode economy home, and have been told by friends it's better when departing from the foreign hubs. Unfortunately, when being economical with miles redemptions, it's more fun to arrive in style than to depart.

Quick nit picky grammar comment-you use "disinterested" twice when you probably mean "uninterested." Disinterested means unbiased, "a disinterested third party will decide" while uninterested is not interested. 🙂

@ Daniel -- Good catch, thanks!

@ Robert ZinSF -- As a general rule of thumb that's definitely true, because an airline has more quality control over their catering at their hub. But in the case of Cathay Pacific specifically, I've actually found catering to often be better out of the US than out of Hong Kong. Not sure why.

As a Captain myself I sometimes wounder what the CX crews are doing just sitting there getting the SHIT beat out of you. In the US we change altitude and about 80% of the time that works. I have been a passenger on CX many times where if it was not nailed down it was on the ceiling. My last one from Hong Kong to London we were in constant moderate with sever for over an HOUR! Everything is First Class was on the floor and the cockpit crew never said one word not one.

People were freaking out and scared. Couple hours later I chatted up the First Officer in the galley. I said from one pilot to another maybe next time say something to calm the people down. He just shrugged his shoulders. It was the 2nd worst turbulence I have been in over 25 years of flying. Seems to be a trend on CX and I do not know why.

@ Tim -- Funny you say that, because I also consistently find Cathay Pacific flights to be the bumpiest. Might just be a function of the amount of flying they do over the Pacific, but it does seem like they don't really try to change altitude to find smoother air. I guess they sort of take the cargo pilot approach.

lucky--you know Cathay F is dine on demand right? You can pick anything off the menu you want and tell them to bring it whenever. The menu perhaps is a little deceptive the way they order it and categorize it. 4/5 flights in F most of the cabin eats the meal right at takeoff and another pre-landing. But Cathay intends F to be dine on demand. You can pick and choose anything for any time, whether from the "first" or "second" meal, or snack.

For example...eggs and caviar are a lot better together!

While I (used to) like Cathay Pacific a lot, my most recent experience with them - business class on an Airbus A330 from Qatar to Hong Kong - was terrible. The flight itself was ok (with a great cabin crew, excellent seats but unimpressive food), I will remember it as one of my worst flight experiencesever (so far), because of the total incompetence that Cathay Pacific displayed when we had to deal with multiple, unexpected and very frustrating flight delays (24 hour in total) at Doha's airport. I wrote a trip report about it here: http://wp.me/p4d1XU-fD0

Re the dense and chewy halibut, denseness is a quality that many prize in halibut, it is not flaky at all, which contributes to its being a fantastic deep fry fish (Just go to the Alaska State Fair). As for it being chewy, perhaps the fish was parcooked or completely cooked during catering, and then heated through for serving. I suppose this is one of the hazards of serving food at 30,000 feet in a small galley.

Guys, don't you know what happen recently for CX?
http://www.cpafau.org.hk/eng/index/

Why do I get a feeling that inflight service manager Didi is also union rep Didi?

I can almost hear the fax going off on the Aerolineas Argentinas plane.
I noticed they changed their livery.

Great photos - especially of the food. They really brought the meal to life and show that, even though the service was a bit indifferent, at least they did a nice job of plating the food.

Unless I'm misinterpreting the flight map, this flight went "left to right" JFK-HKK. So you're saying that the three nonstops fly eastbound, but the one-stop via YVR flies westbound? Interesting. It appears on the antipode site that HKG is more or less directly north of NYC's antipode, so either way would work.

The AM nonstop JFK-HKG flight used to offer breakfast items as an option. Appears to no longer be the case?

Nice pics, Ben. 3 Qs:
1.New camera?
2. How do you take the caviar? Caviar on Bilni, then the cream and garnish on top?
3. I thought JFK-HKG had to be 2 awards as 67.5 AA miles is transpacific, no?

The nuts are in a container because some people are allergic and don't want any cross contamination.

Thanks Ben I'm looking forward to try CX business or first class on my trip to Asia next year. However as I try to redeem with BA avios it asks for 100K miles o/w for business only...and 142K to Bali! I have plenty of BA avios especially as I can accumulate my family's miles and we fly a lot together. Yet should I start accumulating miles on AA instead as it seems they're much more generous in their award redemption? Thanks in advance.

@ Max -- Yep, British Airways has a distance based award chart, while American has a zone based award chart. So while British Airways can be a great value for shorthaul awards, American will be a much better value for longhaul awards.

@ Abe --

1) Nope, same camera.
2) I mix it up. Sometimes just directly off the spoon, sometimes on a blini with garnishes, etc.
3) Nope, that counts as transpacific since it's nonstop.

@ Ryan -- That's interesting. No breakfast items here. Though I believe the flight used to leave a bit earlier (maybe based on daylight savings time), at around 9AM?

@ colleen -- The route is virtually due north, so it is indeed a somewhat different routing than when going through Vancouver.

I stumbled on your twitter account and enjoy your writing. I do not fly much anymore but were I to go to Hong Kong I would have to think long and hard about using Cathay after your review especially if I were paying for it. The issue that stood out for me is the attitude of the crew.Thanks for reporting

Thanks Lucky. I'm new and still learning. I said hello at FTU Dallas this year. I'll be back for FTU advanced in Sept. I just flew this week Cathay Biz LAX to HKG to BKK on the 777 with Alaska miles. I took a hard look at those 6 seats up forward. I also flew Cathay Biz in Feb. Both times I was greeted by name by the ISM and FA. I'm surprised by the snub in the 1st class cabin. I lucked out on the flight home and got JAL first on the 777 from TYO to LAX. I'll check your reviews, but I had a great flight.

Not sure if this is the place to ask. On my Biz flight to BKK I was sitting next to a american who was in the 1st class cabin from LAX to HKG. He told me he gets 2K from his company to get a 1 way ticket LAX to BKK. He said he bought his 1st class ticket last minute from a Hong Kong broker for $2300. He thought the broker somehow gets the tickets from people with Cathay points. He wasn't sure. Have you used these brokers yourself? Again sorry if this is a basic question. I'm reading as fast as I can.

My experience flying CX in F on SFO-HKG was similar in terms of the crews. They did their job and fulfilled all their duties, but there was nothing special beyond that. The hard product was great, food was good (not excellent), but I found service to be disappointing for F.

Another great report by Lucky. Recently flew CX J BKK-SIN for the first time on CX. As reported seats are hard in their new regional J . Service was good, crew friendly , attentive. One of the best 2 hour flights I've had. Also flew JAL F SFO-HND. Good service, but just OK food. Flew ANA F SIN-NRT-SEA 777-300ER, only 2 seats taken both flights. Service great, very attentive cabin crew, food good, onion soup notable as was Waygou beef. Was looking to taking CX F but glad I stuck with Japanese carriers. Culturally, Japanese are much better at service decorum than the Chinese.

I have heard that there are usually difference in service level between US-base crew and HK-base crew. The ones from US are usually more relax... while the ones based in HK is going through some union "things"...

@ Danny -- Yep, there definitely are "cultural" differences between HK and US based crews.

@ Joe Alborn -- Yeah, sounds like he's using someone who buys miles and then resells them. That can be really risky, since it violates the rules of the frequent flyer programs. Happy you enjoyed the trip!

A fair few minor service faults and some minor food faults on no longer leading edge hard product. Not a great record (in Business, acceptable, but First has a higher bar).

Is CX caring less because it's First cabin is mostly redemption these days?

Things are getting very competitive in First market - unwise to trade on former glories.

Hi Ben

I have an award flight on cathay pacific booked with AA miles. If the employees end up going on strike in august and that affects my flight, would AA allow me a free change?

Catering on CX out of JFK tends to be better since it's catered by DO/CO. Ex-YVR flights are catered by CLS Catering Services.

Do you order everything, including caviar? Or do you ask for the things where there are several options, like lunch, to choose from?

@ Mateusz -- You generally choose between options, but if they have enough available you can usually get seconds or try more things.

@ dan -- Yes, assuming your flight is impacted they should let you make a free change as a result.

Oh, I wanted to ask if you have to order the caviar to get it? Or, in order it is the only starter and you don't ask for it- you get it?

@ Mateusz -- Well you have to order everything. They won't serve you anything you don't ask for.

Everything at the same time?

@ Mateusz -- You can order what you want when you want. After takeoff they'll take your order and ask what you'd like. You can order one thing or 10 things, it doesn't matter.

Thank you, sir!

Great piece! I totally agree that the service is a little bit robotic.
Amenity is disappointing, I remember they used to have really nice ones.Why can't they commission Chanel or LV to do a special Kit???
I flew from JFK to HK last Jan and the Chinese food (Ginger/Scallions lobster stir fry) and Snacks (Minced Pork casserole) were excellent.
In terms of attendant's service for First, I think Thai & Ana are better. I felt a little embarrassed that i have to ask for more Krug when I feel my glass should be filled like magic whenever it is low. Also, the entertainment system sucks (same selection of movies to & from HK) and the planes are a little bit too old. And there was a creepy experience on the flight---they let 2 First Class passengers sleeping together in the same bed!!!!!! Having said that Cathay still beats services from any American airlines hands down!!!!!

I even find business class seats are impossible to grab on CX through BA portal. Any suggestions ?

Ben - quick question...I have heard that CX is not good about switching altitudes to avoid turbulence. Do you think Japan Airlines has the same issue, based on your experience? Even though I fly 200k miles a year, I hate turbulence, and it does seem to have had a major impact on the trip you reviewed here.

@ MT25 -- I've definitely had some bumpy flights on JAL as well.

@ frank -- Which routes are you trying to book and how far in advance? I find availability is generally excellent.

Lucky - wrt your comment above about BA being distance based v AA being zoned based. I thought the "new" award chart for BA was zone based? And aren't they the same, ie., the zone is actually allocated based on distance? If I am off the plot here please clarify.
Your review is excellent. What is your first choice now for F from East Coast - HKG and West Coast - HKG?
I asked you a couple of months ago about a tutorial re: which FFP website(s) to access for which specific airline F and J awards, ie, AA v Alaska for CX. Is that type of tutorial available from any of you "experts" and if so can you direct me there? I find that bit of information to be most important and the hardest to find. Tx

@bobtrial:

Yes, it's dine on demand. However, you occasionally need to be assertive about it.

I will often eat before I get on the flight... especially when departing from HKIA and The Wing. So, when I board, I don't want to eat right away. I've had them give me an annoyed look when I say I want to eat later. I've also had them pester the heck out of me until I finally order, presumably so that they can get their meal prep out of the way and be able to ignore me for a few hours.

I've flown almost a dozen segments in CX F. Deleting one sentence from your post pretty much sums up 90% of the flights:

"As far as the service goes, it wasn’t actively bad. But at the same time the crew had no charisma, no charm, and clearly just seemed to be going through the motions. .... But there was no smiling and no asking how anything was."

The thing I find interesting is that the domestics will send me a follow-up survey after every flight. CX doesn't seem to give a rip! Of course, a crappy flight in CX F beats a good flight in domestic F. 🙂

I think the ISM really sets the tone, and your post is just one more illustration of that hypothesis.

@ bobbieddie -- British Airways recently changed their pricing, but it's still a completely distance based award chart. I'd say Cathay Pacific is still the best option for travel to Hong Kong. For searching that space you'll want to use the British Airways website.

Lucky, thank you for this informative and detail reviews. I just came back to San Francisco from Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific First class and had similar experience. Our 2 flight attendants only speak to me when necessary - never any personal greetings such as good evening or good morning. I also had a hard time understanding one of the flight attendant I believed her first language is Japanese. However, I love Cathay Pacific's food both served in First and Business Classes. I don't usually eat dessert, but the ones they served were delicious.

My outbound was on Cathay Pacific Business class which the I think service is more personal and in my opinion is better that First Class. That is really weird.

Do you have any experience with CX policy on allowing guests seated in business to visit friends seated in first? Just for a drink or maybe for a meal?

@ Chris -- Generally not allowed. See here:
https://onemileatatime.com/can-your-travel-companions-visit-you-in-first-class/

I was looking for J RT flights on Cathay ex-CMB for about 2100-2300 to JFK. Are those fares legitimate?

@ Zach -- Yep, fares out of Colombo tend to be pretty cheap in premium cabins!

@Lucky- Thanks; looking forward to getting on a repositioning flight from PVG. The fares seem to go much higher when you book further out.

Hi Lucky. Does CX use two jet bridges on arrival at HK, like JL and SQ do for first class passengers to deplane?

@ Bruno -- Typically they do, I believe.

@Lucky My wife and I will be flying to HKG next year from USA. What's the best CX Aircraft and Lounge to fly out from ?

@ Ton -- Cathay exclusively flies the 777-300ER to the US, so the plane really doesn't matter. That being said, I'd say the Qantas First Lounge, which Cathay Pacific uses at LAX, is the nicest lounge in the US. So all else being equal I'd give LAX the advantage.

Hi. After having read the above report, I'm torn between choosing CX F or JL F - heading to Hongkong.
I read JL recently revamped their aircraft...if you were me, not having flown either in F class, which would you choose? Thanks in advance!

...sorry, LAX to Hongkong.

Hi Lucky,
Thanks for the detailed review, the Salmon Quinoa Salad looks really appertaining! Just wonder did any of the crew recognise you? You know, I always imagine what to say if you happened to be on my flight. I mostly operated on HKGJFK (about three times a month), hopefully one day I can have the chance to serve you onboard.
Cheers!

*appetizing