This is my first time reporting here. I found this site a few weeks ago and thought it would be nice to join the community.
I have never flown Cathay Pacific before.
So I thought this was the best way to get my introduction, by flying CX Business Class since I have read so much about them.
Airport I didn't sleep much since I had to wake up early at 4AM and arrived 5AM at Melbourne Airport for my 7:40AM flight.
Check in was easy and took less than 2 minutes. CX agent handed me an Arrivals Lounge invitation card for HKG just in case I wanted to use it because I was staying overnight in HK.
I also got my express card and headed to immigration. It was early in the morning so the card wasn't really necessary but I still used it anyway to skip the small queue, and headed to the Qantas International Business Lounge – except it wasn't open! Well not until 5.45AM anyway.
So I headed to the small CX lounge to waste 30 minutes.
Lounge I have reviewed the CX lounge before two years ago in my previous trip report, so I won't go into more details since nothing much has changed. I took some more pictures and tucked into some dumplings and dehydrated omelettes.
Rating 4 out of 10 - Too small and doesn't feel premium, but at least had some hot food options.
Qantas International Business Lounge
At 5.45AM I headed to the QF lounge, and a crowd (8 people) was gathering outside looking at the watch. One new guy came down the escalator, looked at all of us like fools and proceeded to push the door… except it didn't open. LOL I guess he thought we were all just standing outside the lounge having a tea party.
This lounge is big - divided into five sections including a children's playroom, buffet and eating area, business centre and working tables, long bar and a chilling out lounge seating area.
The staff were busy stocking up the self-service buffet area and the bartender/barista was powering up the coffee machine at the long bar.
The staff are really friendly, they all greeted passengers with a smile and made general conversation.
At 6AM in the morning, the lounge didn't offer any hot food options - just cereals, fruits, and pastries. There was also self-service alcohol section at the buffet too.
I didn't eat anything since I didn't fancy cereals, instead I help myself to the lemon/line water, refreshing!
At the long bar, they had a few bottles of wine opened but no champagne, but I saw staff bring out the champagnes from storage and put them in the fridge under the long bar. I thought it was too early at 6AM to be drinking red wine or asking for a glass of champagne, don't you agree?
Rating 6.5 out of 10 - No hot food options but I liked this lounge more because it was much more spacious with lots of comfortable seats.
Flight Cathay Pacific CX134 Melbourne to Hong Kong Airbus A330-300 Seat 11G Depart 7.40AM - Arrive 3:20PM Total flight time 9h 40m
Time to board! I was so excited that I headed to the gate at the advised time. But boarding had not started yet. In fact, the crew haven't even arrived. Apparently CX said the flight from HKG arrived late. So we waited another 20 minutes and the queue for general economy was forming.
Priority boarding was enforced and I was one of the first business passengers onboard. Here are the pictures. No champagne offered, only orange juice or water followed by hot towel.
Rating 5 out of 10 - Delayed boarding was annoying, I hate waiting.
Seat Wow I have read so many trip reports about this seat and I love it. It was spacious, comfortable, well designed and offered privacy regardless of the seat you take. Even if you were seated in the middle, you still cannot see your seat mate.
In sleeping mode, it was fully flat and comfortable.
The crew handed out CX's amenity kit, which had little Jurlique products, socks and glasses cleaner.
My seat was right at the front 11G. To my right, two seats 11K and 12K were reserved For Crew Only. After takeoff, pilots deadheading to HKG emerged from the cockpit and took the seats and went zzzzzzzzzzzz.
Rating 10 out of 10 - The seating upright, reclining and sleeping were all comfortable and there were plenty of storage options for shoes, wallet, phones etc.
Entertainment The IFE screens were a decent size and they had all the latest movie releases as well as TV shows. I didn't use it because I wanted to rest.
Catering On this flight two meals would be served, breakfast and lunch. No on-demand snacks were available. There was also a special French wine promotion wine list too.
For breakfast, there were three options and I chose the stir-fried noodles.
Anyway sorry to say, I have tasted better stir-fried noodles from instant packs. This was very dry, tasted like sesame oil with wilted vegetables and a couple of shrimps. On the other hand, the croissant was nice. The bircher muesli was bland and fresh food was delicious.
For lunch, at last champagne was offered and they poured me a glass of Champagne Deutz Brut Classic.
Salad is salad, I don't want to fill up lettuce! I ordered the Austrian white wine Domaene Gobelsburg Kamptal Gruner Veltliner 2013, it tasted like moscato, it was very sweet! The starter was served. The prosciutto was tasty but ball of cheese was bland, I was expecting it to be like buffalo mozzarella.
I had garlic bread from the bread basket, yum!
You know I wished CX would plate up their meals rather than serve it from the china dish it was loaded onboard with. It looks like a Premium Economy meal rather than business class.
Next I asked for a glass of French red, Chateau Fayan Puisseguin Saint Emilion 2012, when the main course was served. I had the stir-fried chicken. It wasn't as good as my local Chinese takeaway joint and the choy sum was so sad, because it wasn't crunchy as it was overcooked to death - all wilted and stringy.
And the rice was very dry. You can see in the pictures there are dried yellow bits of hardened rice, which wasn't very nice. I think it might have been frozen.
My travel companion had the salmon and mash.
After the meal, they served the cheese platter followed by dessert, which was ice cream from Maggie Beer - burnt fig, honeycomb and caramel and it was delicious! The highlight of the meal, which is not a good thing.
After the meal service, I declined the dessert wine and instead asked for a Baileys on the rocks. I took a few sips and let turbulence over central Australia rock me to sleep in my bed.
Rating 5 out of 10 - I was somewhat disappointed with the catering. After eating some amazing meals in business class on other airlines, I was expecting a lot from CX. The catering falls short when compared to other peer airlines in the same league as CX.
Service The four crew members on my flight were faultless, led by cabin leader Doodle. They were very professional and attentive. Although they had a passenger manifest with names stuck to their trolleys, it was nice to be addressed by name. They were not robotic and I had a chat with Doodle several times thorough the flight. My water and wine glasses were refilled several times and I didn't even notice it! And my tray table was cleared within minutes of finishing my meal.
Rating 10 out of 10 - A professional, warm and welcoming crew
7 out of 10 - I would fly CX again for the right price.
I enjoyed my first flight on CX Business Class, mostly because of the comfortable seat and bed, as well as the crew. The CX lounge in Melbourne is very basic and small, but I guess its better than sitting outside without a lounge at all. I would recommend CX passengers to use the Qantas International Business lounge instead, because it is more spacious. The CX catering onboard was a disappointment. The food taste is very bland and the presentation was more like premium economy.
0 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Thank you for the warm welcome :) Yes the funny socks has grip on them, so you don't slip when you are on slippery surfaces. The glasses cleaner was good, because I used it to clean computer screen :)
Welcome and thank you for sharing your first report with us.
CX is certainly a great carrier but its catering is disappointing at times. A friend who travels with them frequently as a premium passenger has advised me that sometimes it is better to eat at their lounges in HKG and skip the meal onboard, especially on those long haul flights departing around midnight. The cost cutting has been too evident in this area and when I compared a CX menu in J from HKG-SFO against a flight that I took on SQ for the same route and time, the different is eye opening.
Hello Jetsetpanda, CX is a great carrier and they have the most consistent medium-long haul international fleet, at least you know you will get a bed, regardless of Cirrus or the coffin class seat - its not a lottery system with other airlines where if they swap equipment, you could be stuck with angle bed or recliner seat for 10-14 hour flight. The crew are great too, certainly 10 out of 10! But food lets them down BIG time. The funny thing is good, simple and tasty Chinese food is not expensive to cook, my local takeway shop sells $9.50 main meals that tasted better than Cathay food. Also they serve a cheaper champagne on this route, instead of the Billecart Salmon Brut. I haven't flown SQ yet :) I would love to try it one day.
Great first report! Lots of good details and pictures. You really have the instincts of a Flight-Reporter :-) 6AM too early for champagne? Never! It's the breakfast of champions :-) CX catering can be hit or miss, but it's still better than so many other airlines. I wonder if this route is considered regional despite being so long, and maybe the catering is not as elaborate as trans-pacific. The Cirrus seat is great. It really is one of the best, if not the best, business class seat model out there. Thanks for sharing this first report and I look forward to many more!
Thank you KevinDC, I try to be objective and not to be a fan boy and be like omg i love this omg i love this. I want to present an honest review, the good and the bad. I think next time, I will drink champagne at 6AM. Catering was a let down, but on this breakfast/lunch flight it wasn't a big deal. But if it was dinner, I would be very annoyed. The champagne served was not the more expensive Billecart Salmon Brut, so perhaps you are right, CX might see this as a regional flight, even though its almost 10 hours. I agree, the Cirrus seat is great for sitting, relaxing or sleeping, very comfortable. I will aiming to post more reports in future, thank you for your warm welcome!
Thanks for sharing this report with our community!
I have reviewed the CX lounge before two years ago in my previous trip report - Oh really? Just kidding. Lounges are rarely good that early in the morning, I don't think they plan on people spending too much time in there before an early morning flight. I'm actually surprised CX even has a lounge at MEL.
I agree with Kevin, it's never too early for at least a mimosa, but I have never seen champagne offered on a flight departing before 10am.
I don't care for mains being served in ramekins, that is really only acceptable for a shorter regional flight. I also think that the trolley with all of the mains on it is a good idea in that you can see what you are picking (as opposed to dubious menu descriptions). If they are going to do that, then they should serve you family style and prepare your plate at your seat like AZ does. The shrimp on the breakfast noodles look like rubber. I thought the salad starter had a very nice presentation for lunch, but the presentation of the mains very poor (although that piece of salmon looked good). Two full meals on a flight of this length is good (about 10 hours?).
I normally don't fly for the food, but for the seat and that's where CX shines (along with crews). Even though I don't love herringbone seats, the Cirrus product looks great and has great privacy (even in the honeymoon seats). You got the big foot cubby in the bulk head so that was a plus.
It's a shame the catering ruined what would have been otherwise (seat/crew/entertainment), a great experience.
Hi NGO85, thank you for taking the time to comment.
Oh really? Just kidding. Lounges are rarely good that early in the morning, I don't think they plan on people spending too much time in there before an early morning flight. I'm actually surprised CX even has a lounge at MEL.
Haha I have visited the CX lounge before, but it is almost like domestic lounge because food option for lunch is steam dumplings. This is one of CX small lounges in the basement of the airport. If you are flying 1W, i recommend the QF lounge because its bigger and probably have more food options during the day.
I agree with Kevin, it's never too early for at least a mimosa, but I have never seen champagne offered on a flight departing before 10am.
I must try harder to drink :)
I don't care for mains being served in ramekins, that is really only acceptable for a shorter regional flight. I also think that the trolley with all of the mains on it is a good idea in that you can see what you are picking (as opposed to dubious menu descriptions). If they are going to do that, then they should serve you family style and prepare your plate at your seat like AZ does. The shrimp on the breakfast noodles look like rubber. I thought the salad starter had a very nice presentation for lunch, but the presentation of the mains very poor (although that piece of salmon looked good). Two full meals on a flight of this length is good (about 10 hours?).
Some airlines set your table individually or some bring out tray to save time, but the food is plated and individually served from galley. CX ignores all that, they do tray setup and heated ramekin from the factory. if you sit far back, the food on the trolley is cold by the time it reaches you. The shrimp was like rubber, just not tasty at all. CX makes Chinese food look ugly, but how come Singapore makes it look appetising? Yes 2 meals, breakfast and lunch for 10 hours, is very generous, i know that some airlines like Royal Brunei (which i have flown in biz as well) only serve 1 meal for a journey this long.
I normally don't fly for the food, but for the seat and that's where CX shines (along with crews). Even though I don't love herringbone seats, the Cirrus product looks great and has great privacy (even in the honeymoon seats). You got the big foot cubby in the bulk head so that was a plus. It's a shame the catering ruined what would have been otherwise (seat/crew/entertainment), a great experience.
Yes i dont choose an airline solely for the food, but for me, it must be the total package. I enjoy eating, drinking, relaxing, sleeping, so all those factor into my choice to fly an airline. I cant give an airline top rating of 10, if the crew and seats are nice but food is bad, because my stomach would hate me. No point sleeping in comfortable flat bed if your stomach is aching to be fed.
if you sit far back, the food on the trolley is cold by the time it reaches you. - I'll keep that in mind, I was doing seat selection based on proximity to wing for photography, but maybe I should reconsider that... The trolley system they employ just doesn't look logical.
CX makes Chinese food look ugly - MU has done amazing improvements in their presentation recently, but it's still not great catering (no fancy products).
2 meals, breakfast and lunch for 10 hours, is very generous - TATL services (similar lengths west-bound) are getting bad and are often slipping on the second meal.
No point sleeping in comfortable flat bed if your stomach is aching to be fed. - Touche!
Flight-Report is a free website hosting more than 500 000 pictures and 17 000 reviews, without ads, this website can't exist. We understand that ads can be annoying, this is why we only display a maximum of 2 non-invasive ads per page.
To continue using Flight-Report, we invite you to add Flight-Report to your blocker's "white list".
#2 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings.
510 reviews
11 Comments
Beautiful report, nice pictures and funny socks.
Yes the funny socks has grip on them, so you don't slip when you are on slippery surfaces.
The glasses cleaner was good, because I used it to clean computer screen :)
CX is certainly a great carrier but its catering is disappointing at times. A friend who travels with them frequently as a premium passenger has advised me that sometimes it is better to eat at their lounges in HKG and skip the meal onboard, especially on those long haul flights departing around midnight. The cost cutting has been too evident in this area and when I compared a CX menu in J from HKG-SFO against a flight that I took on SQ for the same route and time, the different is eye opening.
CX is a great carrier and they have the most consistent medium-long haul international fleet, at least you know you will get a bed, regardless of Cirrus or the coffin class seat - its not a lottery system with other airlines where if they swap equipment, you could be stuck with angle bed or recliner seat for 10-14 hour flight.
The crew are great too, certainly 10 out of 10!
But food lets them down BIG time.
The funny thing is good, simple and tasty Chinese food is not expensive to cook, my local takeway shop sells $9.50 main meals that tasted better than Cathay food.
Also they serve a cheaper champagne on this route, instead of the Billecart Salmon Brut.
I haven't flown SQ yet :) I would love to try it one day.
6AM too early for champagne? Never! It's the breakfast of champions :-)
CX catering can be hit or miss, but it's still better than so many other airlines.
I wonder if this route is considered regional despite being so long, and maybe the catering is not as elaborate as trans-pacific.
The Cirrus seat is great. It really is one of the best, if not the best, business class seat model out there.
Thanks for sharing this first report and I look forward to many more!
KevinDC - Community Manager
I try to be objective and not to be a fan boy and be like omg i love this omg i love this. I want to present an honest review, the good and the bad.
I think next time, I will drink champagne at 6AM.
Catering was a let down, but on this breakfast/lunch flight it wasn't a big deal. But if it was dinner, I would be very annoyed. The champagne served was not the more expensive Billecart Salmon Brut, so perhaps you are right, CX might see this as a regional flight, even though its almost 10 hours.
I agree, the Cirrus seat is great for sitting, relaxing or sleeping, very comfortable.
I will aiming to post more reports in future, thank you for your warm welcome!
I have reviewed the CX lounge before two years ago in my previous trip report
- Oh really? Just kidding. Lounges are rarely good that early in the morning, I don't think they plan on people spending too much time in there before an early morning flight. I'm actually surprised CX even has a lounge at MEL.
I agree with Kevin, it's never too early for at least a mimosa, but I have never seen champagne offered on a flight departing before 10am.
I don't care for mains being served in ramekins, that is really only acceptable for a shorter regional flight. I also think that the trolley with all of the mains on it is a good idea in that you can see what you are picking (as opposed to dubious menu descriptions). If they are going to do that, then they should serve you family style and prepare your plate at your seat like AZ does. The shrimp on the breakfast noodles look like rubber. I thought the salad starter had a very nice presentation for lunch, but the presentation of the mains very poor (although that piece of salmon looked good). Two full meals on a flight of this length is good (about 10 hours?).
I normally don't fly for the food, but for the seat and that's where CX shines (along with crews). Even though I don't love herringbone seats, the Cirrus product looks great and has great privacy (even in the honeymoon seats). You got the big foot cubby in the bulk head so that was a plus.
It's a shame the catering ruined what would have been otherwise (seat/crew/entertainment), a great experience.
Oh really? Just kidding. Lounges are rarely good that early in the morning, I don't think they plan on people spending too much time in there before an early morning flight. I'm actually surprised CX even has a lounge at MEL.
Haha I have visited the CX lounge before, but it is almost like domestic lounge because food option for lunch is steam dumplings. This is one of CX small lounges in the basement of the airport. If you are flying 1W, i recommend the QF lounge because its bigger and probably have more food options during the day.
I agree with Kevin, it's never too early for at least a mimosa, but I have never seen champagne offered on a flight departing before 10am.
I must try harder to drink :)
I don't care for mains being served in ramekins, that is really only acceptable for a shorter regional flight. I also think that the trolley with all of the mains on it is a good idea in that you can see what you are picking (as opposed to dubious menu descriptions). If they are going to do that, then they should serve you family style and prepare your plate at your seat like AZ does. The shrimp on the breakfast noodles look like rubber. I thought the salad starter had a very nice presentation for lunch, but the presentation of the mains very poor (although that piece of salmon looked good). Two full meals on a flight of this length is good (about 10 hours?).
Some airlines set your table individually or some bring out tray to save time, but the food is plated and individually served from galley. CX ignores all that, they do tray setup and heated ramekin from the factory. if you sit far back, the food on the trolley is cold by the time it reaches you.
The shrimp was like rubber, just not tasty at all. CX makes Chinese food look ugly, but how come Singapore makes it look appetising? Yes 2 meals, breakfast and lunch for 10 hours, is very generous, i know that some airlines like Royal Brunei (which i have flown in biz as well) only serve 1 meal for a journey this long.
I normally don't fly for the food, but for the seat and that's where CX shines (along with crews). Even though I don't love herringbone seats, the Cirrus product looks great and has great privacy (even in the honeymoon seats). You got the big foot cubby in the bulk head so that was a plus.
It's a shame the catering ruined what would have been otherwise (seat/crew/entertainment), a great experience.
Yes i dont choose an airline solely for the food, but for me, it must be the total package. I enjoy eating, drinking, relaxing, sleeping, so all those factor into my choice to fly an airline.
I cant give an airline top rating of 10, if the crew and seats are nice but food is bad, because my stomach would hate me. No point sleeping in comfortable flat bed if your stomach is aching to be fed.
- I'll keep that in mind, I was doing seat selection based on proximity to wing for photography, but maybe I should reconsider that... The trolley system they employ just doesn't look logical.
CX makes Chinese food look ugly
- MU has done amazing improvements in their presentation recently, but it's still not great catering (no fancy products).
2 meals, breakfast and lunch for 10 hours, is very generous
- TATL services (similar lengths west-bound) are getting bad and are often slipping on the second meal.
No point sleeping in comfortable flat bed if your stomach is aching to be fed.
- Touche!
Login to post a comment.