Another guest post from my friend that just recently flew on Cathay Pacific in Business Class. I asked her to provide a review while the flight was still fresh in her memory.
I took this flight last year in January, but not at the 01:30 departure time and I didn’t remember much about the quality of the aircraft (Boeing 777) or the impeccable service of the fourteen flight attendants on board. This trip, I’m paying much closer attention, and am delighted at every detail Cathay Pacific puts into their business class service.
The boarding process was handled swiftly and each FA greeted onboarding passengers and served drinks while we settled into the small suite-like areas that were quite luxurious. Each “suite” came with a nice sized TV, a premium pillow and comforter, noise cancelling headphones and enough room to organize your belongings and stretch out on a fully reclining seat/bed for when it was time for shut-eye.
At take off I was exhausted, it was 1:30am after all, and I was quite full from having a late and delicious dinner at Momofuku in the East Village after the Reach for the Miles Meet-Up. I passed on the dinner service, opting for sleep (advice from Fozz), so I could try to curtail any oncoming jet lag.
The fully reclining seat quickly turned into a super cozy bed making the 14:30 hour journey not only bearable, but enjoyable. The pillow provided support and the comforter was just warm enough. I tossed a bit, but when I awoke at 8am EST I realized I must haven’t stirred that much as I managed to get in a full six hours of sleep. I awoke to a loud voice and wasn’t able to fall back to sleep.
I drank some juice and water (hydration advice from Mike), and applied some of the Jurlique lip balm from the useful amenity kit. My dried out lips were instantly softened and I tried some of the face cream as well…fully hydrated.
I got up to stretch my legs and refill my water when I ran into a flight attendant delivering a fantastic looking hamburger. Consulting the menu I saw that the burger was US prime beef with onion confit on a Kaiser roll and deemed a “snack”. It put any domestic business class service meal to shame and looked like something that just walked out of the kitchen at Minetta Tavern. I was still too full to eat, damn! Breakfast would have to be my meal and I decided to watch Mark Wahlberg in The Gambler before falling asleep again.
Cutlery gently clinking against china was the sound I awoke to, along with the smell of beef. I looked across the aisle and saw the girl in the adjacent seat polishing off the burger. The smell was divine, like salty perfume with a top note of pickle. I still wasn’t hungry, damn! So I went to sleep again dreaming of breakfast and whether I’d choose beef congee or the avocado omelet.
When I awoke again I immediately looked at the clock on the remote and saw I’d logged another three hours! Then I smelled fragrant citrus floating through the cabin. Breakfast service was about to begin and I was ready, finally. It was still pitch black outside, but that was okay with me.
Breakfast came in three courses. The first was a fruit plate with cantaloupe, honeydew, berries and orange with a side of croissant and Bonne Mamman jam. Next was a cereal yogurt course, followed by the main. I chose the omelet that was a delicate blend of cheese, avocado and sautéed spinach with roasted tomatoes. A slice of bacon and a small potato gratin were on the side. I found out that Cathay’s awesome Ceylon tea is their own brand.
The omelet was a fresh and flavorful, but didn’t come close to tasting the way the burger smelled. I’ll have to plan accordingly for the return flight!
Overall, Cathay Pacific’s Business Class service was splendid. There wasn’t anything to change. I’m looking forward to my return flight!
