Review of Cathay Pacific flight Hong Kong Jakarta in Business

Airline Cathay Pacific
Flight CX777
Class Business
Seat 17K
Aircraft Airbus A330-300
Flight time 04:50
Take-off 29 Aug 15, 09:20
Arrival at 29 Aug 15, 13:10
CX   #2 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 509 reviews
socalnow
By 3478
Published on 12th October 2015
Greetings Flight-Report Community. Thanks for stopping by and having a look at this report.

For this report I will be sharing an exciting RTW adventure with several firsts and perhaps a last chance as well.

The reports will be broken down as follows:

LAX Oneworld/Qantas First Class Lounge and CX LAX-HKG (First)http://flight-report.com/en/report-11852.html
CX The Pier First Class Lounge and CX HKG-CGK (Business)(This report)
MH CGK-KUL (Business)http://flight-report.com/en/report-11877.html
MH Golden Lounge and MH KUL-LHR (First)http://flight-report.com/en/report-11930.html(Coming Soon)
BA LHR-AMS (Business)http://flight-report.com/en/report-12594.html
Aspire Lounge AMS and Delta AMS-PDX(Business)http://flight-report.com/en/report-12595.html

I already had my boarding pass in hand so the only stop would be the transit security checkpoint. The line was substantial but moved along at a good clip. 15 minutes and I was deposited into the sparsely populated terminal. It was still reather early in the morning so most shops were yet to open.

My goal was to locate the newly renovated The Pier first class lounge. I came upon an information desk where I inquired with the host. It was a good walk down the long pier but it felt good to be moving about after a long TPAC. After about 10 minutes and me starting to second guess if I'd gone the wrong way I came upon the entrance sign.

photo 20150828_150154photo 20150828_150208

Credentials were examined bu a large group of disinterested CX staff and I was admitted. No offer of a tour or any information really.

Immediately I could tell this was a special facility. Come, let me show you around.

The main corridor off which other elements of the lounge branch.

photo 20150828_150838

This portion is referred to as the Library. Beautifully designed seating and excellent views.



Bar area adjacent to the Library

photo 20150828_151029

The Pantry is the self serve food area of the lounge. Here it is configured for breakfast. The presentation of the food is exceptional.



The Diningroom.



A full meal was not on my agenda but I did sit and enjoy a cappuccino and an energy beverage: The Vitalizer.



Quick peek at the Business.

photo 20150828_151306

Shower suite.

photo 20150828_155858

Another unique feature of The Pier are the Day Suites. A private room for airplane spotting! Only a couple were in use so I selected one based on the view of the CX 744.



Turns out that by total coincidence my flight to Jakarta was leaving from gate 62 where the aircraft that would fly the sector was in view right outside The Library window.

photo 20150828_171339

I made a couple of selections from The Pantry to enjoy while waiting for my flight to board. I will note that outside of the dining room there doesn't appear to be table service.

photo 20150828_171852photo 20150828_171857

My time in this lovely facility came to end as boarding commenced. I was very impressed by the lounge. Design, materials, layout, and amenities were all on point and felt very first class. I can't wait to return and try The Wing!

photo 20150828_174906photo 20150828_175048

Boarding was about to begin when I arrived at gate 62 and I queued up for the business class cabin.

I had selected seat 18K when booking however upon arriving at the seat I noticed it didn't have a window. Oh no, a travesty to an airplane watching geek. Fortunately 17K was not occupied and after consulting one of the flight attendants I was allowed to relocate.

photo 20150828_180622

Champagne wasn't on offer as a PDB but was happily provided upon request. I assume in respect of the cultural norms of our destination.

photo 20150828_181406

View from 17K.

photo 20150828_180711

We pushed back on time and had a long and scenic taxi.

photo 20150828_184716photo 20150828_184734photo 20150828_185048

Finally lined up for takeoff.

photo 20150828_185539

Hey good lookin'.

photo 20150828_185605

Busy as always at Haeco.

photo 20150828_185628photo 20150828_185739

The fasten seat belt sign was turned off in a reasonable time frame (please teach the US airlines how to do this). I took a quick walk to the loo and snapped a couple of cabin pics.

Mini J cabin.

photo 20150828_193329


AVOD/Cabin ambiance control planel.

photo 20150828_193347

Main J cabin.

photo 20150828_193407

Menus for the breakfast service were distributed.

photo 20150828_193509photo 20150828_194519

Bloody Mary and sparkling water.

photo 20150828_194158

Fruit to start along with champagne.

photo 20150828_200653photo 20150828_200700

I opted for the beef noodle dish. It was not very good. Although the meat was tender it was very salty and the presentation was poor. I will say the service was throughout the meal was excellent. The gentleman serving my section was very friendly and always addressed me by name.

photo 20150828_202830photo 20150828_202835

The rest of the flight I tried to sleep so I would be able to go out later that night in Kuala Lumpur.

Approaching the equator.

photo 20150828_215256photo 20150828_220337

Some shots on final to CGK.

photo 20150828_230903photo 20150828_230912photo 20150828_230957

A prototype 737 model still in development.

photo 20150828_231440
See more

Verdict

Cathay Pacific

8.0/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew8.5
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Meal/catering7.0

Cathay Pacific The Pier - First Class Section

10.0/10
Comfort10.0
Meal/catering10.0
Entertainment/wifi10.0
Services10.0

Hong Kong - HKG

6.9/10
Efficiency3.0
Access7.5
Services8.5
Cleanliness8.5

Jakarta - CGK

4.8/10
Efficiency4.0
Access5.0
Services5.0
Cleanliness5.0

Conclusion

Connecting to a regional J product after a TPAC in First is ripe for a letdown if you don't moderate your expectations. This was my first time flying CX J class and I conclude they have a worthwhile product.

The seat is exceptional for a 4.5 hour flight. Reverse herringbone full flat seats are my preferred J seat for long haul so having it on this short flight was a real plus.

The food was forgettable and could use some improvement.

The service was fantastic throughout the flight. I was addressed by name at each encounter and drinks were topped off without having to ask.

Thank you for reading and please stay tuned for the next installment!

Information on the route Hong Kong (HKG) Jakarta (CGK)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 7 avis concernant 2 compagnies sur la ligne Hong Kong (HKG) → Jakarta (CGK).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Cathay Pacific avec 8.4/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 4 heures et 28 minutes.

  More information

9 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 148482 by
    eminere™ 271 Comments
    The food in CX J has always been extremely salty for me as well.
  • Comment 148484 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    Awesome! Thanks for the thorough visit of the new Pier First Class lounge--it looks AMAZING! Deinitely better than the Wing First class lounge. Too bad the lounge dragons weren't particularly friendly. The only good thing about the Wing that there doesn't seem to be at the Pier is a champagne bar, but I imagine there are several champagnes on offer at the Pier. I see 3 decent champagnes on the dining rom drink menu...do you know if those are all that are on offer or are there more kinds available at the bar. i was expecting to see Krug, like they serve onboard.

    I had selected seat 18K when booking however upon arriving at the seat I noticed it didn't have a window.
    - Good to know! Seatguru makes no mention of a missing or misaligned window so I will keep this in mind if I'm ever on a CX A333 in J.

    Champagne wasn't on offer as a PDB but was happily provided upon request. I assume in respect of the cultural norms of our destination.
    - God I hope so; I'd hate for this to be some sort of new sneaky cost-cutting measure

    The fasten seat belt sign was turned off in a reasonable time frame (please teach the US airlines how to do this).
    - I'm always annoyed at how long the seatbelt sign stays on on U.S. carriers. I guess it's a product of our sue-happy society--can't take any chances.

    I opted for the beef noodle dish. It was not very good. Although the meat was tender it was very salty and the presentation was poor
    - Yet another example of disappointing catering in CX J. I used to think CX could do no wrong...guess not!

    But like you said, if you set your expectations correctly, and we all know not to expect too much from the catering by now, you'll have a great flight. And you did! With a great seat and top notch service, what else can you ask for. Thanks for sharing another great report!


    • Comment 326917 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
      Alas I paused my champagne consumption while in the lounge so I cannot provide a full accounting.
      - I haven't found my pause button...when there's champagne, I consume it :-)
      Yes, please do report back, I'm definitely curious. I can hear that Moët Rosé calling my name already!
    • Comment 326879 by
      socalnow AUTHOR 976 Comments
      I see 3 decent champagnes on the dining rom drink menu...do you know if those are all that are on offer or are there more kinds available at the bar.
      -Alas I paused my champagne consumption while in the lounge so I cannot provide a full accounting. I'll be there next month, and in the evening too, so I can conduct some research.
  • Comment 148490 by
    jetsetpanda 2283 Comments
    Nice to read this continuation of your series with a tour of The Pier which I intend to pay a visit next month. It does look very exclusive and well appointed. I plan to do some lounge hopping starting with the QF lounge followed by the The Bridge and ending with The Pier before my red eye flight to SFO.

    Great configuration for a regional flight. Too bad the catering was not up to par, especially with the saltiness of the dish.

    Thanks for sharing this FR.
    • Comment 326880 by
      socalnow AUTHOR 976 Comments
      Greetings Jetsetpanda and thanks for leaving a note.

      Nice to read this continuation of your series with a tour of The Pier which I intend to pay a visit next month.
      -I'm looking forward to your thoughts on the Pier.

      Too bad the catering was not up to par, especially with the saltiness of the dish.
      -A couple of posters have commented on this too. CX might be developing a reputation for poor J catering.

      Happy flying!
  • Comment 148519 by
    aussenrist 225 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this flight report with great photos especially the new Pier First Class lounge!
    The lounge is so decent!

    But I am doubt if Cathay can still keep their lounge service standard next year because they will change the lounge services provider with effective from May 2016. The current provider has been operated the lounges for nearly 20 years!

    Hope the services level could be maintained.
    • Comment 326887 by
      socalnow AUTHOR 976 Comments
      Greetings Ashleyyau and thank you for the comments.

      That is very interesting that a change in vendors is coming to CX lounges. It will be interesting to observe the transition.

      Thanks again and happy flying!
  • Comment 150569 by
    NGO85 SILVER 1963 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this FR with us!

    I like the food being served in the jars. I saw this somewhere else (can’t remember the lounge of the top of my head), but it’s a classy touch. The views from the lounges at HKG are always suburb, I like how they are a floor down so you get better shots of the planes.

    CX changed their menus in August? The new menu design doesn’t look attractive at all. Almost an identical offering to what I saw on HKG-TPE. On to your point about champagne, I don’t think it is related to destination. I think it is the time of day (you also didn’t get a wine menu). When I’ve done morning flights with CX there has never been alcohol for pre-departure beverages or on the carts during meal service. The fruit plate looks really “clunky,” those are some massive pieces of fruit. The noodles looked good.

    Nice spotting of the old school B737.

Login to post a comment.