Introduction
British Airways Galleries First Class Lounge Chicago Airport
Cathay Pacific First Class 777-300ER Chicago To Hong Kong
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific Business Class A330 Hong Kong To Jakarta
Japan Airlines First Class 777-300ER Jakarta To Tokyo Narita
Japan Airlines First Class Lounge Tokyo Narita Airport
Japan Airlines First Class 777-300ER Tokyo Narita To New York JFK
I’ve reviewed Cathay Pacific first class many times before. I’ve actually reviewed Cathay Pacific first class on this exact route when I took my mom on a “round” birthday trip in the summer of 2013.
For the past couple of years I’ve been trying to avoid Cathay Pacific as much as possible, since I do aim to review as many new products as possible. And they’re just so damn good and consistent that there’s not really much I can say about them that I haven’t said before.
That being said, they did change some of their service procedures lately, so I figured I’d give them another shot. And in this case I actually had to be in Hong Kong in a timely manner, and this was the option that worked best.
Cathay Pacific 807
Chicago (ORD) – Hong Kong (HKG)
Friday, February 13
Depart: 2:00PM
Arrive: 7:50PM (+1 day)
Duration: 15hr50min
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 1K (First Class)
Boarding commenced at 1:35PM, which was a bit behind schedule. I boarded through door 2L, at which point I was greeted by Debbie, the inflight manager.
One of her colleagues escorted me to my seat, 1K. This flight featured Cathay Pacific’s “refreshed” first class cabin. While Cathay Pacific doesn’t have fully enclosed suites, they still have one of the best first class hard products out there, in my opinion.
The “refreshed” cabin simply featured updated finishes and upholstery, so I can’t say that I find it to be a significant improvement over the “old” cabins.
Cathay Pacific first class 777-300ER, seat 1K
Cathay Pacific first class 777-300ER, seat 1K
Cathay Pacific first class 777-300ER, seat 1K
Cathay Pacific also has among the most exclusive first class cabins out there. On the 777-300ER, the first class cabin consists of just six seats, spread across two rows in a 1-1-1 configuration.
I’ve written in the past about my preferred seats in Cathay Pacific first class. As a general rule of thumb my first choice would be 1A or 2A, given that the left aisle is just shared by those two seats.
Meanwhile the right aisle is shared by 1K, 2K, 1D, and 2D.
Cathay Pacific first class 777-300ER, seat 2D
But it worked out quite well in this case. There were four passengers, so we each had a window seat, and then the two middle seats stayed empty. Even cooler is that (by chance) the other three passengers were blog readers, so I guess you could say we actually chartered the cabin for a total of 270,000 AAdvantage miles.
Once settled in, the two spectacularly fabulous flight attendants, Helen and Kath, came by to introduce themselves. While I consistently find Cathay Pacific’s Hong Kong based crews to be professional and polished, Helen and Kath were also a lot of fun — they were friendly, constantly smiling, and super attentive.
Once settled in they made more “formal” introductions.
“So that I don’t mess it up, how may I pronounce your last name so I can address you correctly?”
“Oh, it’s Schlappig, but please just call me Ben.”
“Okay Mr. Ben.”
“Just Ben is perfect.”
“Okay Just Ben. Well our flight time today is 16hr11min, so it’s quite a bit longer than usual. I hope you don’t have any Valentine’s Day plans tomorrow night. May I get you a drink to start your flight off right?”
I ordered some champagne (Cathay Pacific serves Krug, which is my favorite). It was quickly served with the pre-departure amuse bouche, which in this case was a salmon tartare. While not substantial, I do think the pre-departure amuse bouche is a nice touch.
Cathay Pacific first class pre-departure Krug
Cathay Pacific first class pre-departure amuse bouche
I was also offered a hot towel.
Cathay Pacific first class pre-departure hot towel
I was then presented with the amenities for the flight, which included PYE pajamas and an Aesop amenity kit.
Cathay Pacific first class pajamas & amenity kit
While the PYE pajamas are perhaps not quite as luxurious as the old Shanghai Tang ones, they’re nice and light, which I appreciate. They also don’t make me look quite as much like an ancient emperor, which I suppose is a good thing? Also in the bag were some super-comfy slippers and eye shades.
Cathay Pacific first class PYE pajamas, slippers, and eyeshades
The Aesop amenity kit was fairly basic in terms of the quantity of products, though at least the quality was good.
Cathay Pacific first class Aesop amenity kit
Cathay Pacific first class Aesop amenity kit contents
I was then presented with Bose headphones. Up until a couple of years ago Cathay Pacific used really cheap headphones in first class, so kudos to Cathay Pacific for adding these.
Cathay Pacific first class Bose headphones
As boarding wrapped up the inflight manager came by to present me with the menu and wine list, and also welcome me aboard again and wish me a pleasant flight. Since the following day was Valentine’s Day and we were arriving late at night, I gave her some chocolates I picked up in duty free to thank her and her crew for working on Valentine’s Day.
Cathay Pacific first class menu & wine list
At around 2PM boarding was complete, at which point the (Australian) captain came on the PA to give us an update on our departure time. Due to the below freezing temperatures in Chicago the water “pipes” were apparently frozen, so they had to call maintenance to get that fixed. That took about 40 minutes.
He also “apologized” that our flight time was extremely long due to an unfavorable jet stream. The flight was nearly an hour longer than usual, at 16hr11min. At that point we were looking at an arrival delay of at least an hour.
Not that I can really complain about a delay when in Cathay Pacific first class.
At around 2:40PM we finally began our pushback, at which point the safety video began to play. Maybe it’s just me, but I find Cathay’s safety video to be so old school for an otherwise very modern airline.
As we taxied to the runway my eyes were glued to the window, given the awesome variety of traffic arriving and departing from Terminal 5. This included SAS, Qatar Airways, ANA, Emirates, etc.
Chicago O’Hare Terminal 5 airlines
ANA 777-300ER Chicago O’Hare Airport
Emirates 777-200LR Chicago O’Hare Airport
Our taxi to the runway was quick, and within 10 minutes we were cleared for takeoff on runway 28R.
Taking off runway 28R Chicago O’Hare Airport
Our takeoff roll was quite long, though once airborne we had a smooth and gradual climb to our cruising altitude.
View on takeoff from Chicago
View after takeoff from Chicago
View after takeoff from Chicago
As usual, the views got considerably nicer once above the clouds.
View after takeoff from Chicago
The seatbelt sign was turned off about 15 minutes after takeoff, at which point the cabin crew immediately closed the curtains between the galley and cabin. The first cabin on the 777 really does feel very open, given the lack of overhead bins.
Cathay Pacific 777-300ER first class cabin view
The one slight “protrusion” is above seat 1D, where there’s an indentation in the ceiling due to the pilot rest area.
Cathay Pacific 777-300ER first class cabin view
After takeoff, Helen immediately brought the signature flower to each seat. Usually it would already be at your seat during boarding, but due to US customs policies, they have to collect them before landing in the US, and can only distribute them after takeoff.
Cathay Pacific first class flower
Kath came by to take meal orders. She explained that I could eat whenever I wanted. I had saved my appetite from earlier in the day, so figured I’d have lunch almost immediately.
The lunch menu read as follows:
And the wine list read as follows:
I started off with a glass of Krug, which was served with cashews.
Cathay Pacific first class Krug & nuts
Cathay Pacific first class nuts
After that my table was set. As usual, I was presented with a “welcome aboard” card signed by the crew. It’s interesting that they gave me the “Diamond member” card. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m oneworld Emerald or not, but I haven’t received it in the past. The inflight manager did say earlier in the flight “I can tell you fly with us a lot,” but I’m not sure that’s related.
Cathay Pacific welcome aboard “note”
This was my first time trying Cathay Pacific’s new caviar service. They used to offer salmon with their caviar, but instead improved the caviar presentation (by giving a whole tin of Calvisius caviar) while eliminating the salmon. I do love the setup, though, given the accompaniments it’s served with. And they also finally have a mother of pearl spoon, which is kind of a big freaking deal.
Cathay Pacific first class lunch starter — caviar
Cathay Pacific first class lunch starter — Calvisius caviar
Cathay Pacific first class lunch starter — Calvisius caviar
The bread basket was especially tasty on this flight, given that it had both garlic and pretzel bread.
Cathay Pacific first class lunch — bread basket
After the caviar I had the mushroom consomme, which was tasty as well.
Cathay Pacific first class lunch soup — wild mushroom consomme
I’ve never been impressed by Cathay Pacific’s western main courses. While I love the caviar, soup, and salad, the main courses are usually a weak point, so I usually skip them. You usually have the option between a sirloin and pasta. The sirloin is usually a big cut of fatty meat, while the pasta usually tastes like something you’d get in the freezer aisle at a supermarket.
So I decided to go with the Chinese main course.
I was served pickled turnip to start.
Cathay Pacific first class Chinese favorites — pickled turnip cold plate
Cathay Pacific first class Chinese favorites — pickled turnip cold plate
And then for the main course I had the Hong Kong style chicken curry. It was extremely flavorful — as you’d expect from a Chinese dish — though the chicken was largely dark meat and quite fatty. I realize that’s by design with Chinese food, which is why I generally stay away from it. But it was definitely a tasty dish.
Cathay Pacific first class Chinese favorites — Hong Kong style chicken curry
After the main course I had a cappuccino.
Cathay Pacific first class cappuccino
And then for dessert I had the orange sweet curd souffle with dulce de leche ice cream. While the presentation was a bit odd given the aluminum cup, the dessert was delicious… especially the ice cream.
Cathay Pacific first class lunch dessert — orange sweet curd souffle with dolce de leche ice cream
Service throughout the meal was top notch. Helen and Kath couldn’t have been a better combo. They were outrageously attentive, friendly, and pleasant to talk to.
After lunch I decided to get a bit of sleep, given that I only slept for a couple of hours the night before. Cathay Pacific doesn’t offer onboard wifi, which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing during the flight, given that I truly can “disconnect,” while it’s a bit of a curse upon landing, when my email inbox reflects that I’ve been neglecting it for 16+ hours.
While Cathay Pacific doesn’t have fully enclosed suites, they have among the most comfortable beds in the sky. The bedding is fantastic and the sleeping surface is huge. While I love a fully enclosed suite, there’s also something to be said for a really spacious bed which doesn’t feel enclosed.
Cathay Pacific first class bed
I managed to get about six hours of sleep, so woke up with another eight hours to go to Hong Kong. At that point I decided to watch some sitcoms. I also had a look at the snack menu, which read as follows:
As I’ve explained a countless number of times in the past, it’s important to understand Cathay Pacific’s first class service mentality. While the crews are very attentive during the meals, they stay out of your way as much as possible during the rest of the flight, in an effort to allow you as much undisturbed rest as possible. If you push the call button they’ll be there in a split second, though.
This is in stark contrast to Singapore Airlines, where flight attendants are through the cabin every 10 or so minutes during a longhaul flight to see if passengers would like anything. I almost feel bad pushing the call button on Singapore, since some crews view the need for that as a failure on their part.
It’s important to understand the mentality, because I get a fair number of emails from readers who say “OMG Cathay Pacific first class sucked, they didn’t come through the cabin once for several hours!!!” And that sentiment is understandable, given that in the US we’re taught to think of the call button as being for emergencies only.
So the moral of the story is that if you’re in Cathay Pacific first class, don’t be shy about pushing the call button.
Anyway, I did push the call button, and within a second Debbie appeared with a snack basket, and asked if she could get me anything.
Cathay Pacific first class snack basket
At first I asked for a glass of Krug, though they had run out. Apparently they only catered three bottles for the entire flight, which seems oddly low. I can usually drink that much on my own on a 16 hour flight.
As far as food goes, while I love the egg tarts on the snack menu when originating in Hong Kong, this snack menu didn’t look quite as interesting. So I just ordered some ice cream and a cappuccino, which were served in a matter of minutes.
Cathay Pacific first class snack — Haagen Dazs ice cream
Cathay Pacific first class cappuccino
The views were quite nice at this point as well.
View enroute to Hong Kong
After the snack I briefly headed to the lavatory, where I ran into the inflight manager and first officer. We ended up talking for about half an hour, as they were both quite interesting.
Once back at my seat I decided to watch about 14 episodes of “The Mentalist” (they had an entire season), and before I knew it we were already 90 minutes out of Hong Kong, and it was time for dinner.
The dinner menu read as follows:
As they took my meal order I asked if it would be possible to have caviar in place of fresh fruit as a starter. Since they still had some left, Helen gladly agreed.
Cathay Pacific first class dinner starter — caviar
For the main course I ordered the sea bass, which was incredible. Usually you expect the quality of the second meal service to be worse than the quality of the food in the first service. But this was hands down the best fish dish I’ve ever had on a plane, and possibly also one of the best fish dishes I’ve had anywhere.
Cathay Pacific first class dinner main course — steamed sea bass
The sea bass was flaky and perfectly seasoned. Absolutely incredible. Actually, my mouth is watering thinking about it now.
Cathay Pacific first class dinner main course — steamed sea bass
Cathay Pacific first class dinner main course — steamed sea bass
For dessert I had the green tea cheesecake. Despite being a rather large portion, it was quite light. I had a cappuccino to accompany it.
Cathay Pacific first class dinner dessert — green tea tiramisu
While we were due into Hong Kong at 7:50PM, the captain came on the PA at 8:45PM to give us updated arrival information. He apologized for the unfavorable winds and departure delay, and said we’d be landing in 30 minutes. Within about five minutes of the announcement we began our descent.
Cathay Pacific airshow enroute to Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific airshow enroute to Hong Kong
This was one of the smoothest longhaul flights I’ve ever had, as we only hit a bit of chop a couple of times. Usually these flights tend to be pretty bumpy.
We touched down on runway 7L at 9:15PM, and at 9:25PM were at our gate, which was 95 minutes after our scheduled arrival time.
I wished the crew a happy Valentine’s Day and bid them farewell, and was off to immigration, where much to my surprise there was no queue.
Cathay Pacific first class bottom line
Cathay Pacific offers one of the world’ most consistent first class products. The seats and service are among the best in the industry. I like Cathay Pacific’s first class food, but don’t love it.
But I don’t think there’s an airline that offers as consistent of a first class experience as Cathay Pacific. If only they offered wifi, I’d probably live in their first class cabins full time.
And at 67,500 American AAdvantage miles for first class travel between the US and Asia, it’s a heck of a deal as well.
If you’ve flown Cathay Pacific first class, what was your experience like?
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