Trip report: Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class
It's Hong Kong, but not as we know it. I wanted to experience Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-1000 series, which differs from the older A350s by having a seriously huge business class cabin, rather than one divided into two.
Going from Hong Kong to Perth.
My journey starts in Hong Kong, where I Was to escape one of the world's still most locked down destinations, and head to one of the most remote, and isolated, cities, in a post pandemic world.
However with nothing is really open at Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport. All the cafes, shops, and bars remain firmly closed.
Cathay Pacific Pier Lounge Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific have finally reopened one lounge, out of their normal eight at their hub, and they've made sure it's a good one. The Pier Lounge has a wonderful home from home style, with the latest design. I has a bar, Asian and Western dining, an Asian noodle restaurant, high marble dining benches, a business centre for travellers stuck for many, many hours in Hong Kong, and a tea house. You could seriously spend hours in here, and that's exactly what I did, with a seven hour stopover. What it seems to lack though are passengers.
The lounge seats over 550 travellers in total, although with Covid restrictions in force (at the time of writing), it is rare to find more than a handful of people in it, for the handful of flights are still operating in late 2022.
The Pier Business Class Lounge follows the design template crafted by London-based StudioIlse which elegantly sports its own unique identity, with a trendy bar, and residential touches such as plant pots, arm chairs, rich textiles and artworks much in abundance
The long thin space of The Pier Business Class Lounge is modelled on a 'street' and divided into separate zones, from funky to homely as you wheel your wheelybag through the lounge, up to the empty tea house, where tea, hand sanitiser, and masks are available 24 hours a day.
It also has great comfortable seats, and that most vital of instruments, a sofa you can turn into a bed if you borrow a blanket off the previous flight.
Four hours kip later I needed a drink, and started off with a green monster, called a Cathay Delight, which almost glows with radioactive goodness, or mint, depending on what is left of your taste buds.
Cathay Pacific has it's own brewery beer, the Betsy, which if you ask is still available, but it's it's almost been enhanced out of existence, and replaced by Tsingtao beer, China's second largest brewery.
The Noodle house serves up four key noodle dishes, with everything from one ton noodles with prawns, to dan dan mien, which are with spicy peanuts... with noodles. There are also Steamed barbecue pork and molten custard buns.
I went for the vege ramen, a slurpy soup, plus see through mushroom dumplings, and chillies and spices.
Three good white and red wines are also on offer in the counter. There is free flowing Moet Champagne as well.
Going through Hong Kong, you also need nerves of steel, and an iron will. There are temperature checks dotted through the lounge, and you need your vaccine and PCR documentation to travel.
And with that I left to board my flight to Perth.
Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class
On the Cathay Pacific A350-1000 there is a huge long Business Class cabin, with eleven rows. The smaller 900 series splits up the cabin in two chunks.
As you would expect, there are controls beside the seat to lower it into a fully flat bed, and a huge 18 inch TV screen you can, just about if you crane your neck around, watch on the ground.
Cathay Pacific have modified the classic Zodiac Cirrus design of seat, and given it a slightly better finish. Legroom is excellent with enough space to comfortably stretch forwards, with leg and foot rests that form part of your fully-flat bed. It was a revelation when it launched.
There's no sliding door as you'd find in business class on airlines like Qatar, but there's still a reasonable degree of privacy thanks to the seat's shell, which wraps around each passenger's head.
Next to the seat is a lovely little cupboard, which houses headphones, power and USB socket, along with a mirror.
In the 1000 series there's also a smaller cupboard with a hatch against the wall - and it is easy to forget items in here when you deplane.
Against the aisle, an armrest can be raised after take-off for a more enclosed space while relaxing or sleeping, and spot this - there is even a tiny extension to the bed, of 2 by 6 inches.
Business was about two thirds full. I also had a look at the back of the plane. Premium Economy was about half full.
Cathay Premium Economy has a 2-4-2 layout with 40 inches of pitch - 3 inches more than carriers like Air Canada.
Meanwhile economy was less than a third full. It has a 3-3-3 layout, 32 inches of pitch, but still a relative large TV screen.
Cathay Pacific Business Class Amenity Kit
The Cathay Pacific Amenity Kit made by Bamford have also made a welcome return.
They contain moisturiser, face spray, Toothbrush, paste, mouthwash & eyemask, and are refreshingly just the same as they were before Covid, plus a complimentary decontamination kit.
Within moments of sitting down the crew came over and offer some more of the pre-flight drinks, offering yet more the lurid green minty Cathay Delight. There was also pre-flight Champagne on offer, although it was the somewhat downmarket Billecart-Salmon Brut.
As a late evening flight, Cathay Pacific now offers its new 'sleeper service' on these flights: slippers delivered by the cabin crew, along with a mattress pad which is perfectly shaped to the seat, and softens the bed for a more comfortable rest after a few cocktails.
Thankfully the bathrooms are clean, tidy, and come with virtuall no frills other than sanitising hand gel and a window.
There is also the famous Bamford sleeping pack, and I can confirm it's pretty good!
There is a plush duvet, as well as a large Bamford branded pillow. The duvet is large enough to form a cocoon, and you can use it soften the seat further while still sleeping under the blanke
Cathay Pacific Business Class IFE
There is a large bigger, wider, 18 inch high definition TV screen.
The background images displayed reflect the flight's destination - in this case, roadkill for Western Australia - plenty of films and TV shows are loaded, but noticeable much of the western content that Cathay used to be famous for has been replaced with mainland Chinese movies.
There is live satellite TV, and a bit of surprise, it actually works!
You can also dial up the aircraft's external cameras.
the supplied headphones don't look great, but actually sound pretty good.
It should be possible to select video to play using the remote, but that was dead to me, and the aircraft was clearly showing it's age, of all of 4 years.
Cathay Pacific Business Class meals
Menus are back on Cathay, and they are almost as they were before.
Like some of the cabin crew, who did a ran hot around the cabin, taking meal orders fast, by frequent flyer order. Platinums got first crack at everything, lowly Bronze got the dregs that were left.
I started off with cocktail hour, and went for a Cloud Nine.
This has Absolut Vodka, Cointreau and Sprite - yeah, really - with a sugared rim to the glass for freshness and flavour.
A good hour into the flight before the meal service began - even though the crew confused me by calling it Lunch. Of course meals on board are served according to the destination time, but, still.
The meal times were excellent on this flight, with Cathay serving dinner just as the sky began to bruise.
Quite a thundery sky actually, which kept the pilots busy nipping between the storms.
beginning either with Cannellini bean soup with kale, or chicken with ginger.
The main course offers up either shrimp and pork noodles, barley risotto with leek and mushrooms, chilli beer braised duck, boneless pork ribs, or slow cooked lamb rack.
I went for the Miso glazed chicken with ginger dressing, plus shredded red cabbage, brocolini, and edamame.
The Slow cooked lamb rack with prune sauce, roasted baby carrots and creamy polenta.
There was a cheese course afterwards, with Tomme, Farmers Cheese and Bresse Blue, plus crackers, red grapes, Maggie Beer's spiced pear paste.
Finally the Mango, sago and pomelo pudding wasn't quite what I was expecting: it came in a glass, and looked like rather a decent cocktail.
Cathay Pacific Business Class wine
The Voyager Estate Girt By Sea Chardonnay was lovely with citrus and tropical fruit flavours. There was a brisk acidity, and a fresh mineral finish.
The Sardinian white Cantina Mesa Opale was described as sumptuous, but I found it a bit pedestrian. Although well balanced, it was a little below the energy level I'd normally expect from this vineyard.
The Chris Ringland Shiraz from the Barossa Valley had all the aroma of a rich Christmas pudding, which chocolate raisings and bramble jam. Just taste that palate of rich, velvety smoky biscuit!
Cathay Pacific Business Class second meal
Cathay PAcific is one of the few airlines left which still offers a second meal service: Emirates and Singapore Airlines for example have scrapped them in the name of economy.
I has a light dinner, with Seasonal Fresh Fruit to start
Mains were either Korean grilled chicken bao with kimchi, or Pizzichi Pasta with crispy pancetta in a cream sauce, with sauteed mushrooms and parsley.
Finally for dessert there was White chocolate and pistachio pavlova, plus vanilla yoghurt and fresh strawberries
Cathay Pacific Business Class review
Coming in over the Perth suburbs in the drizzle that seems to be typical of Perth over the autumn. So how did I find my experience on Cathay Pacific?
What was scary about this flight was how I seemed to have gone back in time a couple of years. PCR test, vaccine certificates, mandatory masks, temperature checks... Get the paperwork wrong, and you may be in line for a random PCR test.
All in all, Cathay Pacific have a comfortable fully-flat bed with recent 'sleep service' improvements joined by inflight dining that's also recently been elevated.
Cathay Pacific's Airbus A350-1000 business class is an excellent choice on flights via Hong Kong. If you're prepared to take the risk of going via Hong Kong that is.
There's one other major trap for the unwary. No frequent flyer points. At least, if you book the wrong ticket.
Cathay Pacific have unbundled their business class, and on the light fare you don't get any lounges or perks. However you do get some basic frequent flyer miles.
However on the mid range Business Class fares, you get lounge and some flexibility. However, it books into P class.
Despite this fare being launch several years ago, British Airways hasn't loaded that class into their system, and you earn nothing. However if you credit to another scheme, like Qantas, you get all the miles.
See the full Trip report: Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class video:
Lux-traveller paid its own way for this Trip report: Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class, and travelled incognito.
| Trip report: Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class | |
|---|---|
Lux-traveller.com rating:7 out of10  | |
| Seats: | 4 - Standard business class seats with a little more space |
| Food: | 6 - surprisingly good |
| Service: | 7 - Decent, not exceptional |
| IFE: | 6 - Great |
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