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• Flight: CX897
• Route: LAX-HKG
• Equipment: Boeing 777-300ER
• Cabin: First Class
• Seat: 1A/2K
We’ve flown Cathay Pacific First Class a few times before and we’ve always received very good and consistent service on all of them. Needless to say, we were very excited to be flying them again.
We spent the night in Los Angeles, and arrived at LAX’s Tom Bradley International Terminal about 2 hours before our 8:30 am flight. We used one of the self check-in kiosks in the terminal and made our way to security. The line was quite long at security , but we made it through in about 15 minutes.
We walked over to the Qantas First Class Lounge, one floor above the departures terminal. This was our first time visiting the lounge and we’ve heard lots of good things about it. We were greeted by a female lounge agent upon arrival, and were shown inside the lounge. She asked if it was our first time at the lounge, and we said yes. She mentioned some of the basic offerings of the lounge, like the full bar, a la carte dining, and showers; and she wished us a pleasant stay.
We made our way to the dining room to get some breakfast. We took a seat, and were approached, and given a menu by a friendly server. We ordered some coffee , which was promptly brought by another server. Then I ordered 2 poached eggs, and some bacon. The server seemed surprised and asked if we wanted anything else from the menu, but we declined and mentioned that we were going to be eating again during the flight.
It took a while for our order to arrive, but when it did, it was delicious! The poached egg was perfectly cooked, and the bacon…well for those of you who know me, you know that I can eat bacon everyday.
After the delicious meal, boarding was announced and we made our hike way to the gate area. For some reason, we always end up with flights at the very end of the concourse. It took us about 10 minutes of brisk walking before we arrived at the gate.
They were already pre-boarding when we got to the gate, so we didn’t have to wait long. First and Business Class passengers had priority boarding so we were one of the first people in the plane. Upon arriving at the door, we were greeted by Pushpa, the in-flight service manager, and Jariya, a Senior Purser. In charge of the First Class galley was Winnie, a flight purser. I was seated in 2K, while my companion was in 1A. Jariya walked me over to my seat, and once I was settled returned with a hot towel and asked what I wanted to drink. I ordered a glass of Krug, which was brought over almost immediately along with some crab amuse bouche. The amuse bouche was light and the Krug refreshing. Jariya soon came back and offered me an amenity kit, and pajamas.
The seat configuration in the First Class cabin on Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777-300ER is a very generous 1-1-1. This makes the cabin extra spacious. There are also no overhead bins in First Class. Instead, you stow your belongings in the hidden wardrobe and storage closet behind the IFE monitor.
While still at the gate, Pushpa came over to bring us the dining menu and landing cards for Hong Kong. She also thanked us for flying Cathay Pacific. Then she asked if we wouldn’t mind filling-out a customer survey form, we gladly obliged. We had a slight 20 minute delay on the ground, which meant I had a few more refills of Krug. The captain soon made his pre-flight announcements and mentioned our “long” flight time of 15 hours and 20 minutes to Hong Kong. The safety video started playing and we soon pushed back from the gate.
During taxi, Jariya took our beverage and meal orders. As to be expected, taxi to the runway took almost 20 minutes because of all the flights coming in and out of LAX, but we had a nice and smooth takeoff roll and ascent once we reached the runway.
About 10 minutes into the flight, the captain switched off the seatbelt sign. Jariya soon came with some more Krug and asked if she could to set my table for the meal. I said yes, and took the opportunity to change into my pajamas.
When I returned to my seat, my table was already set – complete with a handwritten thank you note from the crew.
I ordered fresh fruits for the starter course, which was served with some croissants and jam.
For the main, I opted for the Dim Sum which was served in a steam basked. It was delicious!
Then I ordered some Hong Kong Style Milk Tea to finish the meal.
My table was promptly cleared and Jariya asked if she could make my bed. I said yes, and went to lavatory to freshen up. There are 2 First Class Lavatories in front of the First Class cabin. They are on the smaller side, but are very clean and nicely stocked with Aésop Toiletries. I noticed that the flight attendants would always freshen up the lavatories every time a passenger gets out of one, which I very much appreciated.
My bed was already made by the time I got back to my seat. I also found a full size Evian bottled water next to my seat. I love Cathay Pacific’s First Class bed. Although it’s not a fully enclosed suite, it is still very private. It’s also wide enough, so that you don’t feel claustrophobic when lying down. The mattress pad, pillows and duvet were also of high quality and very comfortable.
I checked out the in-flight entertainment selection a bit. There were plenty of movies, TV shows, games, and audio programming available, but ultimately I just decided on just watching the moving map, as I dozed off to lala land.
I slept a good 5 hours, and woke up hungry. I then walked over to the galley and ordered a burger and a diet coke from Jariya. She said it will take about 20 minutes to prepare, which was fine. My table was once again set, and my order arrived within a few minutes. The burger was huge! I was expecting it to be more like a slider, but this definitely was not. It was served on a brioche bun, with veggies, and pickles. It was delicious!
After the snack, I went back to bed and slept for another few hours. About 2.5 hours before landing, my companion and I asked Winnie if we could dine together. She happily obliged, took our orders, and proceeded to setup the table on seat 2A, which was unoccupied. Winnie mentioned that the seat recline was inoperable on that seat, so it remained empty for our flight.
My companion and I both opted for the caviar as our starter, and we continued with the Krug and water for our drink. The caviar was served in individual tins, along with the usual accoutrements, and complete with a mother of pearl spoon. -Delish!
Then there was the salad and soup course, I ordered the chicken tortilla soup, while my companion ordered the prosciutto salad.
For the main course, I ordered the Beef Fillet, which was cooked to a perfect medium. My companion had the Sea Bass with Gai Lan, and Steamed Rice. Both were beautifully presented, and very good!
Winnie then rolled the cart over and offered us some cheese. We picked the ones we liked, and she plated it for us. I also ordered a glass of port.
At this point, we were already stuffed and decided to just share one dessert. It was vanilla ice cream, and raspberry financier cake.
After the meal, I went to the lavatory to change out of my pajamas, and freshen up while Jariya and Winnie put away my bed. I was also given a hot towel, and a box of chocolates upon returning to my seat.
A few minutes later, the Captain announced our descent into Hong Kong. We hit a few chops during the descent, but it became smooth after we were below the clouds. The descent and landing were smooth and uneventful.
Taxi to the gate was quick, and we soon bid farewell to the crew. Thanks to eChannel, passport control took no more than a minute.
I loved how Hong Kong airport was all decked out for the Holidays when we arrived.
We walked over to the Cathay Pacific’s The Arrival lounge to take a quick shower before venturing out to the city. The friendly lounge attendant offered us an a la carte dining menu before we hit the showers and insisted that we ordered something to eat. We ended up ordering a Katsu Curry bento box. We took our shower and our order was ready by the time we got out. I thought that was awesome and the meal was delicious!
So before I give an overall impression of this flight, I have to give much props and thanks to Winnie for the pre-landing meal service. It seemed that her colleagues were on break when we ordered our meal, so she prepared and served a complete meal service for two all by herself! -And it all looked so effortless and seamless, not to mention delicious! It must be a result of all the rigorous training Cathay gives to their flight attendants. Jariya also did an excellent job in taking care of us during the rest of the flight.
I continue to be impressed with Cathay Pacific’s First Class in-flight offering. The hard product may be a little outdated these days, but it was still very comfortable even for a long haul flight. The service was prompt and efficient, yet very polished and appeared effortless. This was yet another amazing flight with Cathay Pacific! I give this flight a perfect 10 out of 10. #love
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