Review: Cathay Pacific First Class Chicago to Hong Kong

I did JFK - HKG in First about a year ago. All six seats taken on the flight to HKG - I was the only one on the way back. (Which is how I charmed my way into an extra pair of pajamas. I love them.)

Similar experience. Stellar bed. Definitely makes most of my other flights seem lame.

The only mistake I made was going through the whole dinner service - I was on the midnight flight and should have just gone to bed, but I had heard so much about the food that I couldn't resist. I was out of my mind tired by the time it was over, but the bed solved that problem.

"She seemed genuinely overjoyed at the prospect of making someone’s flight “special,” so that seemed to be her mission from that point forward."

Once again, that sound you're hearing is Janeses sharpening her claws...

Hong Kong style milk tea would've been better if it had boba 😉

I miss Wannaporn...

on a serious note, they need to do something about the amenity kit... at least the men's one blows. especially compared to Emirates.

As best I can tell, you put your Mom in the little cub seat and sat in your own big seat yourself - telling me she didn't do as good a job as she could have in teaching you chivalry and manners 😉

How much was the taxi to the Conrad?

Another great review.

Unfortunately, I don't see anything of what your mom thought of the whole experience.
You should have like a guest blog post or just a quick review of what she did or did not like.

I'm actually rather interested how she experienced it, as it was her first time flying CX F.

on my last flight with CX, my friend order a HK milk tea. i happened to walk back to use the restroom. to my surprise, i found out it was made from a powder mix. #firstworldproblem

@ Tri -- I believe it was about 250HKD.

@ Dima -- Her review of the flight is still coming. 🙂

@ David -- Yep, that's pretty standard for Hong Kong style milk tea on planes. Believe it's always made from powder (though I could be wrong).

@David 8, Look up how real Hong Kong milk tea is made and you'll understand why it cant be done on an airplane 🙂

I've dated several CX FA's of various tenure and let me tell you, they all hate it when you push the call button regardless of the cabin you're in.

@ Ken Y. -- so you're expected not to get any service for ~10 hours in first class?

Lucky, I live in HK and it's definitely not standard for HK style milk tea to be made from powder! 🙂 Most HK diner makes it fresh. It's actually quiet easy. That's why I am surprised CX uses a powder mix.

agree with Dima... really was interested for this series to see how your mom felt as a different prespective (given how frequently you've reviewed them)

I'm not saying that, but they were trained to leave pax alone. They're just lazy. Or you could say the ones I dated were.

I’m not saying that, but they were *NOT* trained to leave pax alone. They’re just lazy. Or you could say the ones I dated were.

Was Grace by any chance the same flight attendant featured in Cathay Pacific's "A Day in the life" series?

@ Kevin -- Hah, she wasn't. I think I've had at least a handful of Cathay flight attendants named Grace.

I have to say I love your mom. I think it is really lovely that she thinks about waste even though she's having a luxury experience. We all would do well to have a similarly mindful attitude. Great review!

That Grace from the videos has quit. Presumably found a rich husband.

Very nice review. I am all set for another CX F JFK-HKG leg next month. I didn't find the bedding very comfortable last year when I flew them. It seemed too hard to me. But I have a very difficult time sleeping on planes. It will be fun to compare to SQ suites on the return

"My mom had the steamed lobster as the main course, which she thought was okay. The lobster was really, really chewy, though."

"I ordered the ravioli, which was bleh. I just had one piece since I wasn’t especially hungry at this point."

"This was another awesome flight in Cathay Pacific first class. They might not be perfect… but they’re damn close."

Cathay's food and service sounds a long, long way from almost perfect. In some of your earlier reviews you mentioned wondering why the CX first class cabin crews never showed up unless you paged them, just like anyone else would wonder. Now that you've been conditioned to page them for virtually anything you're much less critical but the honest truth is that almost perfect service doesn't need to be paged. That must be some kind of crazy wonderful bed to make up for everything else CX seems to have continued trouble improving upon.

@ Dax -- It's interesting you say that. For example, I love Lufthansa first class, but a lot of people that fly it for the first time don' "get it," because they feel like it's a country club and either you're "in" on the service or you're not.

In the case of Cathay Pacific it took me a while to appreciate the service for what it's worth. I actually kind of like being left alone for 10 hours and not being disturbed with galley from the light or anything unless I page for service. After all, on Singapore I almost feel guilty when I push the call button, since it almost indicates a failure on the part of the crew to anticipate my needs. That's not the case with Cathay.

I don't love their food, but I love every other part of the experience.

Such a bizarre timing of the flight with regards to meal time. You essentially had two dinners and a snack which given the departure time from the US and the arrival time in HK makes sense. However you landed at ~7AM Chicago time...I'd have been sick at the sight of that second dinner and would have wanted a breakfast!

Do any of these long flights to Asia have a more traditional timing/meal schedule?

Ben- Isn't the Airport Express train quicker than a cab?

one thing about HK arrival I dont like is no special ground service for F passengers, everyone que up in the same line, unlike arrival at BKK.

@ Jeremy -- For what it's worth the midnight departures from the US (that arrive in HKG early morning) typically serve supper and then breakfast. Not sure if that makes more sense since you're landing in HKG in the afternoon US time, but what was on this flight seems to be the "norm."

@ John -- During rush hour I always take the Airport Express. That being said, my mom had a huge checked bag and while I don't mind the Airport Express, dragging it onto the bus that connects to hotels didn't seem worth it. The price difference isn't huge when two people are traveling, so I figured a taxi would be easier.

@ choi -- Yeah, totally agree. Wish they'd do something to differentiate the ground experience upon arrival.

Ben- I usually take the Airport Express to the station and from there take a cab to the hotel.

how many aa miles do you need for Los Angeles to Bali using cathy business class?

@ jason -- It would be 55,000 AAdvantage miles one-way.

wow, only 55,000 miles? since i have citi aadvantage it will be 495000 one way? can i also add free one way to hawaii?

@ jason -- Yes, you would be eligible for the 10% mileage refund, though keep in mind you first have to pay the 55,000 miles and then later 5,500 miles would be redeposited.

You couldn't include a Hawaii to Los Angeles one-way, though you could include a one-way from New York to Los Angeles, for example.

Rainy... That's a name I've never heard before. I like it

@Lucky: One of the reasons I enjoy the Ritz-Carlton brand is that they seem to do a good job of anticipating needs and managing expectations across a wide range of customers. To me that's what great service is all about.

Having to page the crew for even basic requests does indeed tend to indicate a failure of service. SQ isn't perfect, not by a long shot, but they seem to have a better understanding of how to manage a wider range of customer expectations than CX does.

Truly great service should't expect you to ignore social etiquette, or come with a learning curve that's invisible to the uninitiated, or require multiple attempts to eventually appreciate. Great service is something you rarely think about because it's always there when you need it and never when you don't.

Although it's nice to be warned that CX may not lift a finger until we take it upon ourselves to initiate an emergency distress call, it's hardly an indication of 'damn near perfect' service, especially when it has to be learned from the words of previous customers rather than from CX themselves.

Should be interesting to see how CX holds up next month when I have my first experience with them.

Cathay foods on first class is pretty disappointing. I flown on F three time this year, and they all consisted of very similar menu. They just switched the menu from different routes. Your ORD- HKG menu is pretty much the same as the one I flown from SFO- HKG on January.

"I always lose interest with the main courses on Cathay Pacific. The western options are always either pasta or a huge (but not especially high quality) sirloin." I had a rack of lamb on this same flt. It was excellent.

There is a mention that the Shanghai Tang Pyjamas are being phased out.

Any guesses or knowledge or rumor of what the new PJ's will be?

@ worldtraveller73 -- They'll be Pye branded. Here's some more information on them:
http://www.ausbt.com.au/cathay-pacific-s-new-first-class-amenity-kits-sleep-suit

Wow Ken Y...bitter, much?

Excellent, love reading your trip reports.

Hi Lucky,

I will be taking the same flight later. On landing in HKG, which side of the airplane do you think has a better view of the HKG city?

Thanks

@ Christer -- Generally speaking there aren't many views to speak of on approach into Hong Kong. This flight was actually one of the first in a while where I had a good view. Really it's 50/50 as to the side of the plane, since it depends what runway they're using for landings.

@ Dax nailed it:

"Having to page the crew for even basic requests does indeed tend to indicate a failure of service."

"Although it’s nice to be warned that CX may not lift a finger until we take it upon ourselves to initiate an emergency distress call,"

My brother flies Cathay regularly, and just rants about the service. I just flew it for the first time and thought it sucked... inattentive.

Now, from readying this, I understand maybe I was supposed to pester them. But I am really uncomfortable with this snobby "ring the bell for the servant" approach.

This notion that "they leave you alone to maximize your privacy, and if you need something you push the call button." is really not necessary.

They can easily "maximize my privacy" by simply wandering down the aisle, without saying anything. When I see them, I can politely say, "Excuse me, may I please have...". Quite frankly, the push-the-call-button smacks of a disrespect for the professionals working the plane, and would make me feel like I'm expecting them to drop whatever they are doing to serve my every whim.

At a minimum, they should probably make an announcement at the beginning of the flight, informing us that we will be expected to call them. Absent that, their reputation could suffer as they grow.

I just booked a business class CP ticket for my next trip. I had the miles, and didn't think first class was worth it. It now seems I would probably have been in for another disappointing flight, and if I hadn't read this, I would've probably made that my last CP flight.

I'm with Lucky. Stay the H out of the cabin unless I ask for you. Don't need or want anyone wandering up and down the aisles asking is there's anything I'd like when I am trying to sleep or relax. If/when I need something, I'll ring. That's what service should be, not fawning mechanical pacing up and down every 5-10 minutes over a 10+ hr flight.

Lucky, is this Grace? : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGEhidjLrI8

Hi Lucky,

I have first class booked for my wife and I for next spring, ORD to HKG and tried to request seats 1A and 2A, as you recommend, but two different reservation agents both told me that seat 2A (and 2K) are basinets seats and can't be reserved. Only available at checkin? Have you experienced this as well?

@ Shawn -- Did you try calling their HK call center? Some tips in this post:
https://onemileatatime.com/how-to-reserve-seats-2a-2k-in-cathay-pacific-777-first-class/

Thanks Lucky, called the HK call center and they switched my wife and I into 1A and 2A, for both our outbound and return.

I would not have realized these were the two best seats in First, without reading the post of you and your mom and why you prefer those two seats, and I would not have been able to reserve them without more advice from you to call HK call center. Thanks very much!

@ Shawn -- Have an awesome trip!

@Lucky, how far out did you have to book your Cathay ticket? How hard or easy was it?

@ Silver -- Cathay Pacific is great about releasing first class award space either far in advance or close to departure -- they don't release much inbetween those times.

Oh baby, Oh baby. I can't wait to….

Lucky, that's a very interesting review! It motivated me to spend almost all my miles to travel from Paris to HKG in First class, with my wife 🙂

Now that the tickets are booked, i see they have allocated seat 1A to me (window), and seat 1D for my wife (middle).
With your mother i see you chose 2 seats following each other so that you could observe & ensure she enjoys the experience.

For travelling with my wife, i am wondering what is the seat she should be getting, so that we can share most of the experience? I actually don't know whether we can share more than the lunch, it seems those seats are well designed for privacy.

cheers
Nicolas

@ Nicool -- The center and window seats are sufficiently far apart that you can't really talk. I'd do 1A & 2A so you both have windows. That's what I always do, at least. Enjoy the trip!

thanks for the advice Lucky 🙂

Do they actually give you the whole bottle of Krug to keep at your seat or do you request it?

@ Phil -- Hah, they don't usually, no.

That menu actually didnt have any sirloin on it for the western items, it had beef tenderloin which looks like it would be good and since its tenderloin not fatty.

I love your reviews Lucky but it seems kinda like you have flown Cathay so many times now that the luxury has worn off for you, but it does seem to be the same with almost all the other luxury First Class companies you review more than once. Seems flying first class to often makes it no longer fun.

If you like the Conrad in general... the one in Dublin is too die for!!!!!!