Business Traveller USA - 09.2019

SEPTEMBER 2019 businesstravelerusa.com

60

Cathay Pacific 777-300ER

Business Class

HONG KONG-LOS ANGELES

CHECK-IN Since I was returning to the US

from Bangkok, the first leg of my journey was

from Suvarnabhumi International to Hong

Kong in CX premium economy. Check-in at

BKK was easy with no line. I sailed through

and was offered a fast pass through security,

which I took but did not need. Cathay

operates a branded lounge in Bangkok, which

was quiet, uncrowded and comfortable when

I visited.

The design themes and flow of the lounge

are consistent based on the airline’s signature

lounges in Hong Kong, where I spent my

layover waiting for the midnight return

to LAX. Here in the serenity of the Wing

Lounge, I discovered there are no boarding

announcements, but fortunately the gate was

an easy sprint.

BOARDING Boarding the flight was

little chaotic. I was then randomly chosen

for a security check. Once on the plane, I

passed through the First Class cabin and

sat in 11A, which is the first row behind First

Class. The aircraft offers four classes of

service, including a comfortable Premium

Economy cabin. The 52-seat Business Class

is configured 1-2-1 and divided into two

sections by the galley.

THE SEAT The Business Class seat is a

Cirrus design by Zodiac Aerospace. All seats

have direct access to the aisle and recline

into fully lie-flat beds. Each has a 17-inch

pull-out IFE touchscreen, plenty of storage

space, noise-canceling headphones, power

plugs and USB ports.

As I like to sleep on these flights, I chose a

single seat on the side. However, the seat

was in the first compartment by the galley

and bathrooms so was, at times, noisy. The

herringbone layout means all seats offer

privacy from one another and each had a

pull-out divider for added seclusion.

THE FLIGHT Champagne and a hot

towel came my way once seated and settled.

Although it was just after midnight, dinner

was served shortly after take-off. The menu

included wok-fried seafood in lobster broth,

stir-fried pork and shallot in chili tomato

sauce on egg noodles, or chicken pizzaiola

with polenta. Dessert choices were a cheese

plate, a cream and shortbread crumble, ice

cream, and seasonal fruit. Snacks available

throughout the flight included various sweet

and savory items, such as popcorn, chips

and an interesting attempt at a hamburger.

Closer to our scheduled landing which

was around 9:00 PM LA time, brunch was

served with the usual version of airline egg

scramble and seasonal fruit.

Wines included South African chardonnay,

cabernets from France and Spain and a

Duetz Brut Classic NV. The flight added its

own signature cocktails: the non-alcoholic

Cathay Delight with kiwifruit juice and

coconut milk, and the Pacific Sunrise

combining Champagne and Drambuie with

orange and lemon zest.

The service I would rate as a little

uneven, possibly due to language barriers.

Requests for coffee were misunderstood.

However, once communicated, everything

was managed quickly. Trash was collected

quickly enough at the seat but bathrooms

remained less tended than one would want.

WiFi was not included in the business class

ticket, but was available onboard though

GoGo inflight for $10 per hour or $20 per

flight. As WiFi on international flights seems

nearly always to be spotty I did not try it out.

Rather, I chose to catch up on my sleep for

much of the flight.

ARRIVAL We touched down in Los

Angeles a bit early and had to taxi around

the airport until a gate became available. It

took more than 30 minutes for luggage to

arrive at the carousel at LAX. Bags came

one at a time and no priority was given to

First or Business Class – probably an airport

issue, not the airline’s.

VERDICT Easy and quick connections,

seamless service and consistent and quality

lounge product make Cathay Pacific an easy

choice for sophisticated service from the US

to Hong Kong and beyond to cities in Asia.

Lark Gould

TRIED AND TESTED FLIGHTS

BEST FOR:

Comfortable, fully lie-flat seats, comprehensive

entertainment, caring and attentive service

PRICE:

Roundtrip business class fare started at $5,354.

FLIGHT TIME:

13 hours

CONFIGURATION:

1-2-1

CONTACT

cathaypacific.com