Cathay Pacific Will Fly The A350 To Newark As Of October 29, 2017

That seat photo is an A330, not A350.

This is great news. Perfect timing for my EWR-HKG-EWR flights in November.

Thanks for the hat tip!

But one thing that I really like is the fact that the aircraft can climb higher at the initial cruise stage. With the 77W, you;re stuck between 29-31000 feet. So it'll be nice to be at around 35-36000 feet for the initial stage of the flight as I don't like turbulence. Not saying that turbulence won't occur at higher altitudes, but you can avoid most of the weather below.

Unfortunately, JFK is still the most convenient option. With EWR, I have to cross the bridge and pay tolls.

But might have to try this flight out just for the hell of it.

@bahrainlad- how can u tell its not a 777-300er?

@ ed – The windows are round. On the 777-300ER, the windows are slightly squarer.

@ BahrainLad – That's because Lucky hasn't taken the A350 on Cathay Pacific, there are plenty of other great (not as great as Lucky's, but still great) reviews on the internet which you can read until Lucky finally decides to get on a Cathay Pacific A350 🙂

@ed - The window.

If we are to believe Seatguru, it would appear the a350 Biz seat is 6" shorter and 1" narrower than the 777-300er.

I know having taken the CX 777 and then a330 back to back the narrowness of the a330 seat is noticeable.

Given the a350 is I believe a derivative of the a330, I think this will be the flight to avoid for super long haul when the 777 is available.

If only they could do something about the schedule. Leaving EWR at 1am to land in HKG at 5am sounds brutal.

@Mike - Actually given the design of the footwell on the a350's seat it's a lot more spacious and comfortable than the 777/a330 seat. I flew it a few months ago.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV2eJq6gXoT/?taken-by=anomander7253

Lucky, just curious - would you prefer CX 777-300ER in first or A350 in business?

I disagree with Pat, I think the schedule is quite convenient. I could have a full day of work in NYC, go home to pack then head to EWR. Return is good too, almost full day in HKG.

Good news and I like the 1 a.m./5 a.m., EWR_HKG timetable. Thanks, Lucky!

just checked the pricing for those flights, over $7K
🙁
hope they open some award seats

@Pat Yes and no. With a 12 hour time change there is NO good schedule. However, from a business perspective, it's convenient to leave after the work day is over and arrive with a full day ahead. It's also great for onward connections. Unfortunately, the cx arrivals lounge in HKG is tiny and VERY overcrowded at that time of day. (Hint: use the priority pass lounge right across)

Perfect! Flying EWR-HKG in J on 11/21! I'll take it! Flew the A350 on QR two weeks ago, and enjoyed it. Pumped to fly it on CX! Return, I'll have to slum it on the 77W to BOS... in F, of course.

I personally wouldn't give up CX F for wifi, but I would certainly like to give the CX A350 a try, but it just wouldn't be my first choice out of the NYC area.

Mike writes:

"Given the a350 is I believe a derivative of the a330, I think this will be the flight to avoid for super long haul when the 777 is available."

I don't think Airbus would be happy to hear you say that.

Most "new" planes are based on earlier models to some extent, e.g. the 777 on the 767. The distinction between a change of make and a change of model can be fluid.

And when you consider the changes to a 737 for 50 years, and the 747 for 45 years, it's clear that a lot can change while things stay the same, even within the same model.

I was quite disappointed with CX A350 biz class earlier this year, I think the seat is noticeably tighter than the 777-300ER, certainly not an upgrade. The entertainment system is upgraded in terms of the screen, but very fussy and slow and fwiw the finishes were already falling apart on the seat I was in.

This big advantages here are the wifi connectivity and the ability to leave from EWR terminal B rather than the crumbling JFK terminal 7. BA lounge (which CX uses) in EWR is also uncrowded, newer and far more pleasant than the JFK galleries lounge.

@Kerry

CX now uses terminal 8 at JFK.

And regarding the finishes on the seats, depending on the registration of the aircraft, the first 3 A350's had all of the business class seats replaced by Zodiac due to manufacturing defects. Apparently, this is not just a CX problem, but rather a widespread problem that lies with Zodiac. Even Finnair has issues with their seats.

Lucky - I am under the impression that (at least for some time during off-peak seasons) CX only flies 3-4x weekly HKG-EWR on 773 (3-cabin config). Will the overall seats remain flat and even increase a bit thanks to the daily service now? Is this similar to the deployment of A359 on HKG-SFO where frequency is up switching from 773 to 359?

Tried using AS miles for EWR-HKG. BA shows 5J available and AS can't see any. Called twice now. Seems to be a growing trend as this isn't the 1st time recently that AS hasn't had similar/same availability. Maybe it's time for a post on this since so many of us use AS miles to fly CX.

This CX schedule now is much more forgiving...... The 77W left EWR at 1:45 a.m! IT is still better then the United 777-200s which have still yet to be reconfigured to Polaris. I wonder what the first route of the first Polaris 767 will be.......

Thankfully, the BOS Flight (with a similar ETD) still has an F cabin. Miles or paid F is still a treat. The A350 is a beautiful aircraft, but I'll the 77W in F any day.

They will start flying to Barcelona as well with the A350

@Mike O.

Good point thanks, had forgotten they switched to T8 at JFK.

I was unaware of the CX issues with Zodiac on their 359s but having googled it many of the reported issues matched my experience, and seems quality issues extended at least through 5th aircraft delivered. Good to hear CX is addressing this but personally, still feel the 77G/77H layout is more comfortable (wifi aside).

I've flown this flight roundtrip in business class twice during the past two years. The timing is actually pretty convenient for transferring in HKG and still arriving early enough at the final destination to not lose the day (in one case BKK, in the other SIN). All four flights were pretty good. Glad wi fi is coming to CX.

@ Alvin | Young Travelers of Hong Kong

Greetings Alvin!

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Ethan

Lucky needs to fly the VN A350, for example CDG to HAN. Delicious.