This series will cover my summer pilgrimage home to the US. Our destination this time will be Boston. For the background and planning, please refer to Part 1 of this series.
This report will cover the flight from Hong Kong to Newark.
Pre-flight:
After clearing transfer security at HKG, I took the escalator upstairs to the main level of the terminal.
Well that is convenient, the entrance to The Bridge is right there as I exit the escalators.
Down the escalators I go, where I am greeted by several CX employees who scan my boarding pass and welcome me to the lounge. I ask where the showers are, the agent points me in the direction so I turn left into the lounge.
Artwork at the entrance of the lounge.
Entering the lounge, it looks well appointed and not too busy. The large windows overlook the tarmac for some nice spotting. There was a press/magazine offering as you enter.
I’m still feeling hungry after that disappointing entrée on the previous flight so I take a look at the early afternoon food offerings. Quite a large selection of hot food is available in addition to the standard drink and snack offerings.
My first selection.
The dining area is pretty quiet at this hour.
After eating my first offering, I decide to go take a shower to wash off that airplane feel after the first flight. All of the showers were taken when I went to go check-in, but then the agent decided to just let me use the handicap accessible shower. This was quite spacious with adequate amenities.
After my shower, I wandered off deeper into the lounge where I ended up at The Coffee Loft. I took a seat at the bar and ordered a cappuccino while I nibbled on some pistachio cookies. The barista was Nepalese so ended up having an hour-long conversation with her about how she left home as an 18-year old to come to Hong Kong in search of a better life for her family. She is living the American Dream in Hong Kong. It’s always interesting to hear people’s stories and left me with a good impression of the little people behind CX’s service reputation.
Before I know it, I’ve downed several cups of coffee and it’s getting close to game time. I should note that the tarmac views from the lounge are utterly superb.
I wish the barista all the best and she wishes me a safe trip back to the US. I pack up and head out on the loooooong walk back to Gate 4. The barista said it would be a 20-minute walk so I added 10-minutes of cushion to that for some spotting along the way as I make my way through the iconic HKG terminal.
CX B773.
CX B77W.
HX A333.
CX B774 (HX A320 taking off in the distance). The sight of the Queen still gives me goosebumps.
CI A333 in “Welcome to Taiwan” special livery. That should make Marathon happy.
FJ A332.
Finally reached the duty-free shopping area that is always bustling at HKG.
The FIDS, my flight highlighted in green is still on time departing from Gate 4.
LX A343. A route frequented by Numero_2.
Almost there now…
…but getting close to the gate I see this really long line forming from where my gate is located.
Fortunately, there was a premium cabin lane on the left-hand side that was empty so I was able to quickly go through the carry-on bag search. They threw my bottle of water I took from the lounge in the trash and sent me on my way. A candid shot backwards.
I think these liquid searches are becoming more and more common on flights into the US (at least from China), happened on my PEK-IAH flight. I will give HKG credit though, they did the search before entering the gate area instead of on the jetbridge meaning that boarding wasn’t unnecessarily elongated.
The bad news is that I’m now quarantined at my gate with time to kill. The gate next to mine was a CX A333 departing.
Gate 4 is of course going to be one of those crappy gates that blocks the view of your plane. So this is the best photo I can get of my bird.
The CX gate agents hard at work.
Despite being quarantined, I decided to plant my flag in the corner by the windows as soon as I noticed that we had an active runway next to my gate. The glare off the windows was a slight battle, but here is some of my work.
As standard for an international flight, boarding is finally called slightly late and all the J passengers are huddled into a corner for document checks.
Boarding pass. I like how EWR is now “New York.”
We are then released into the jetbridge. There is press available at the mouth of the plane. Both 1L and 2L are engaged. I enter through 1L even though my seat is behind 2L.
The purser is there to welcome premium cabin passengers aboard. I think this is the only time I ever saw her on the flight until she was there to wish us goodbye in EWR.
Passing through the front J-cabin. This plane is in the 3-class configuration so only J, Y+, and Y are available.
I had to fend off some Y+ passengers that were starting to show up at 2L in order to quickly grab this shot of the empty Y+ cabin for those interested in this product. Looks eerily similar to the regional J product… The first thing you notice is that there are no dedicated lavatories for Y+, an amenity I would expect.
Here is my seat, 22A. It is the second to last seat in the rear mini J-cabin. I guess this will do for the next 16 hours… There is a pillow pre-placed in the seat and the duvet pre-placed on the ottoman.
Seat pitch is good and I think the ottoman is bigger than in the AA seats.
Sitting down, the IFE showing our routing today. A pretty short 8000 mile (12,900 km) haul that we will do in an estimated 14h 23m. The 20:11 arrival time is a really aggressive estimate, one that we would not meet.
Settling in, a FA shows up with the standard pre-departure drinks offering. Is that AZ’s venomous blood orange juice reappearing on CX?
A glass of champagne and water for me. She returned a little bit later with an oshibori (whose picture has somehow evaded my camera)
A brief seat tour, there is a storage cubby under the desk. It says no stowage during take-off and landing, but I was never told to remove my items by any of the crew.
On the other side of the seat, they have the shoe cubby hole.
The all-in-one command center for the CX Cirrus seat. Everything is pretty straightforward and easily accessible from the seat even in bed mode. I think AA has more/better controls and functions in their Cirrus seat.
The CX headphones that were pre-placed in the little cabinet next to the seat.
The duvet. I found it to be nice and comfortable. I though the cabin temperature was on the warmer end of the spectrum (as is common on Asian carriers) so it didn’t have to be super thick.
The retractable armrest of the Cirrus seat. Has to be down for take-off and landing, but can be raised for more privacy while sleeping.
In that photo, you can also see the little pocket for in-seat literature. The standard offering including the safety card for this B77W.
The view of the mini 4-row J cabin from my seat.
As the front doors close, I take a peek out of the window to see a CX A333 parked next door.
The captain comes on and gives us the run through of our trip into EWR. We begin pushback as the safety video plays.
Our taxi takes us past the cargo terminal.
We cut in line to get ahead of this CX A333.
We turn onto the runway.
Some shots of the same CX A333 (she looks really good in that lighting) as our GE90s roar to life.
BA A380 and 9W A330 at remote stands as we power down the runway.
I find it really hard to take pictures in the Cirrus seat because you are so far away from the window and “have” to have your seatbelt fastened. That said, this was the best I could manage until I loosened my seatbelt enough to reach the window.
Leaving HKG.
Beautiful GE90s as we power over Tsing Yi.
Kowloon.
The first of two sunsets on this flight.
As soon as the FAs are released, they pass through the cabin distributing the menus, a bottle of water, amenity kits, and arrival documents.
I don’t know what happened during take-off, but I suddenly developed some very uncomfortable stomach pains. This is kind of the worst-case scenario at the start of a long flight. So when the FAs stopped by offering apertifs, I could only manage water to accompany my cashews.
Those stomach pains also made this menu suddenly look not so exciting.
The drink menu, which is different from the regional drink menu.
The linens for dinner are laid.
The appetizer on a tray is placed down followed by an offering of bread and drinks. The FA could tell something wasn’t right at this point so she asked if I was feeling okay. I explained the stomach pains so she seemed to change her demeanor towards me a little bit. The shrimp were still ice cold, but the vegetables were okay. The salad had only one or two olives in it, but another nice salad loaded with more vegetables than lettuce. As before, the presentation of the appetizer doesn’t look that bad on CX.
When the trolley with the entrées arrived at my row, the FA recommended that I eat the pasta since it would be the easiest on my stomach. So here is the vegetarian linguine that she recommended. Not as sloppy as the entrée on the NGO-HKG sector, but nothing fantastic. I ate about half of the entrée as I nursed my stomach. The pasta was so-so, as one would expect on a carrier other than AZ.
The trolley with fruit and cheese plates came through. I declined cheese and just asked for some fruit to serve as my dessert.
Since the FA knew I wasn’t going to take dessert, she brought me a cup of chamomile tea to sooth my stomach.
The pralines were offered post-meal, but I declined. She said I could take one and save it for later, but chocolate did not sound appetizing at that point in time. Meal service concluded with an oshibori. We were just passing Beijing (??) at this time.
I went up to the lavatory to change for bed. The duvet and my little cocoon in the Cirrus seat. I’m 182cm and didn’t feel cramped at all.
I normally can’t really sleep on planes, but I somehow quickly passed out. 4 hours later I was awoken by talking and a whole bunch of lights. Apparently this family of 4 that was travelling in the middle seats felt this was their private plane. They were all up having normal volume conversations in the middle of the night. The FAs didn’t say a word to them.
The minor positive of this whole debacle was that my stomach magically felt normal again. I hit the call button and requested a hamburger since I felt like I could finally eat food again. A peak outside of the window shows the sun is already rising as we are getting closer to the North Pole.
My midnight snack of an Australian beef burger and chamomile tea. It was still pink in the middle and hit the spot after skipping most of the dinner service.
I made a dash to the bathroom at the very front of the plane. As an aside: the lavatory at the front of the plane is fancier than the lavatory in between the two J cabins. This is a brand new plane so I can’t figure out why this was done. Why have two different style bathrooms in the J cabin?
Coming back to my seat, I see the FA brought me a new cup of chamomile tea and a new bottle of water.
The grumpy businessman in front of me also woke up from the commotion in the cabin and complained to the FA about the noise. At this point, the FAs finally corralled the passengers and told them to continue their conversations in the galley area. Frankly, the FAs should have been more proactive and not allowed for them to disrupt an entire cabin in the middle of a red-eye flight.
With peace and order restored, I returned to slumber as we passed over the icey North Pole.
I woke up again as we were entering the northern reaches of Quebec.
I watched StudioCX for awhile until the mood lighting started to get switched on again.
Mood lighting means mealtime and shortly thereafter oshibori were distributed.
Linens were laid as we were now 2-hours from our scheduled arrival time.
Views over Canada.
Breakfast service starts (always strange for a flight that lands at 21:00, but I guess it is morning back in Hong Kong).
The breakfast tray initially contains a fruit plate and a choice of pastries.
The napkins have the buttonholes.
Cabin view during breakfast.
Next, we are given the choice of yogurts, cereals, etc. I just ask for a yogurt, even though those boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes scream J.
The trolley with mains comes out and my heart sinks looking at the options. I ask if any congee is available, the FA says she will bring it out from the galley.
The seafood congee and pork pie. A bite-sized pie and an average bowl of congee. Not terrible, but just average.
An homage to Nagoya with the Noritake tableware on CX. I made a comment about it to the FA that cleaned up my tray; they asked, “what is Nagoya?” I was tempted to say: “check out your route map sometime.”
I thought breakfast was started way too early. We finished service with still 1h until arrival. At least there was the second sunset to enjoy outside as we entered the US.
We locked onto the Hudson River just north of Albany as we made our southern run into the greater NYC area.
I went back to the lavatory to get dressed for our arrival. Coming back to my seat, I was nice and poised to get ready for what was the highlight of the flight. An evening arrival into EWR on a clear night. Unfortunately, CX leaves the mood lighting on in J (the Y+ and Y cabins had their lights turned off for arrival). Here are the best of the Manhattan skyline photos as we descended into EWR.
We then drop down into EWR, arriving more than 30 minutes early with a smooth landing.
Some spotting as we have a short taxi to our gate. DL B763.
We pull in next to our oneworld brother, a BA B777-200ER that is getting pushed back for service to LHR (BA188). BA is the same, you can tell that the J cabin has the blue mood lighting turned on and the Y cabin has the normal lights on.
A picture of the rear J cabin on arrival. Only 1L is engaged so the FAs shield off the J cabin.
The forward J cabin as we deplane.
The purser magically reappears to thank me for flying as I deplane. Entering the terminal, a look back at our beast on arrival.
Our nextdoor neighbor was this UA B737 in *A special livery sporting some split scimitar winglets.
#Murica.
After the always-awkward immigration conversations with TSA that are usually light-hearted banter, he gives me a very warm “welcome home” as he hands me back my passport, I collected my bag that was already circulating, and took the shuttle to the hotel to spend the night. I will leave off this series here as I begin my overnight stay in Newark before continuing on to Boston. Thanks for reading this report and please stop by the rest of this series!
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Verdict
Cathay Pacific
8.0/10
Cabin9.0
Cabin crew7.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Meal/catering7.0
Cathay Pacific The Bridge
8.2/10
Comfort8.0
Meal/catering8.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Services8.0
Hong Kong - HKG
9.1/10
Efficiency10.0
Access7.5
Services10.0
Cleanliness9.0
Newark - EWR
7.4/10
Efficiency8.0
Access8.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness6.5
Conclusion
An okay ultra long-haul experience with CX: nothing special, but a comfortable flight (for the most part). From a five-star airline, you probably expect something more in a premium cabin on an ultra long-haul route. CX served its purpose and that’s about it.
Cabin comfort: Brand new and clean B77W. I was in the mini-cabin, which I thought would be quieter since it was a 100% load in J. This intimacy was ruined by rude passengers. You are also pretty close to the thirsty GE90s, but I think their drone helped mute out some other noise. The CX Cirrus product is one of the best J-offerings on the market, great seat for sleeping and plenty of privacy. The rear J-cabin gets normal lavatories, not fancy like the ones near the cockpit. Okay amenity kit, had everything I expect other than lip balm and a pen. Is it too much to ask for an Asian carrier to have slippers?
Crew: Eh, nothing special. Non-existent purser. Crew never really seemed engaging. I understand it’s a redeye flight so they are trying to minimize their presence while people are trying to sleep. But even during meals, they just seemed kind of robotic. Other than the one FA that seemed to be more personal towards me, I have no memory of any other interaction with any other crewmembers. Not what you would expect on CX. The handling of the noisy passengers was not proactively handled by the crew.
Meal and catering: The catering is just not inspiring on CX. Nothing on that menu screams exciting or innovative. The appetizer for dinner was ice cold. The pasta, not something I would normally pick but did so given my stomach issues, was okay and so I’ll look past that. I thought the burger was good, or maybe I was just too famished to care. In the galley midflight, there were some other snacks, but not too different than what you would see in Y. The breakfast was fairly complete. I’m glad they had a congee since I prefer that to rubbery eggs. It’s pretty tacky to hand passengers boxes of Kellogg’s cereal in J. Normal protocol was followed with no noticeable deviations in service.
Entertainment: Newspaper available on the jetbridge and the standard seatback literature (I didn’t even bother opening the plastic to look at the magazine on this flight either). StudioCX has a good selection, the moving map could be better, and the ads before each program are annoying. I tried to rest most of the flight so didn’t really probe the offerings too much.
On-time performance: Pretty standard on a long-haul flight, we left late. We landed 40-minutes early so no complaints from me.
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Thanks for sharing this long haul FR on CX which honestly did not impress me. I would have expected more from a carrier with such golden reputation. The catering look basic and it lacks premium touches. For starters, that generic dressing for the salad is just so economy. The portion of the salad is also noticeably minimal and the shrimp appetizer looks very underwhelming, especially placed in such a large plate. The breakfast is nothing exceptional either but the mid-flight hamburger snack seems fitting for a premium cabin. I still think that they should offer more choices for snack.
Good thing that your stomach discomfort did not last for long. That sounded scary for a second. It's also reassuring that the FA took it personally to pay some extra attention to you. Right there is your 5* CX service.
The seat seems to be popular with many carriers. AV configured their 787's with the Cirrus one and it flies on the BOG-MAD route. I almost bit the bullet and took that flight to go to Europe but in the end I went with the schedule that fitted my itinerary the best and that was UA SFO-LHR in Y. You will find out later on.
which honestly did not impress me - Catering is not good, there is no way to avoid that situation. I really think the hamburger was the best thing I ate on this flight. At the end of the day, it comes back to value. What is better catering worth to you? Is it worth $5000 more to fly SQ for better catering and slightly better service? For me, the answer is no. For what I paid, I'm satisfied with what I got. I think catering is the first thing that I will sacrifice for price. The impersonal service is what was more concerning, because that is what CX is known for. Based on the service on the regional route, I would expect the same (if not better) service standards on a flagship route (HKG-NYC).
Good thing that your stomach discomfort did not last for long. That sounded scary for a second. It's also reassuring that the FA took it personally to pay some extra attention to you. Right there is your 5* CX service. - Yes, this had all the makings of a terrible experience. There is nothing worse than getting that sharp pain in your stomach 5 minutes into a 14+ hour flight. And you are right, the FA did go out of her way to assist me given that situation, which was very appreciated.
UA SFO-LHR in Y - I have a UA in Y coming up in two days too ;) (not sure if that should be a tear drop instead...)
Really well made as we can feel like travelling in this plane too.
CX lounge is apparently a relaxing one, not too crowded.
This flight is a bit too long but catering is so nice. I would eat this australian beef burger!! Weird to see that your FA didn't have any knowledge about Nagoya...
When I left the lounge, it was a little bit busier. Overall, I thought the Bridge was quieter than the Cabin or the Wing. The Wing was right next to where my plane departed.
This flight is a bit too long - I would not do this flight in Y. I think those passengers deserve a medal. I do US-Japan often, but the thought of 2-3 hours more just makes my butt sore.
CX sends 3 planes a day to NGO so I would think that FAs should be aware of their own carrier's destinations.
Thank you for this report. Gorgeous pictures. I'm gonna fly this 3-cabin aircraft in a month. Would you choose a seat in the forward cabin or stick with this seat ?
For the 3-cabin configuration, I would go with the mini-cabin. Less people = less chance for distractions. I would go 21K or 23 A/K. 21A is near the lavatory, there is no lavatory on the K side. It looks close to the galley, but there are big closets that buffer the cabin from the lavatory and galley. So when people were gathering, they were closer to the main cabin than the mini cabin. The curtains are closed between J and Y+ the entire time so there is no foot traffic in the mini-cabin. Since CX does front-to-back service by trolley, you'll get served last in the mini-cabin (if that is a consideration).
Thank you for this great report with the great pictures! You are so lucky that you can take photos in the security checking area in HKG! Catering services in this flight seems good and are in Cathay services standard. Looking forward to your next report!
You are so lucky that you can take photos in the security checking area in HKG! - I didn't see any explicit signage at HKG in that area. I don't take pictures on purpose if it is clearly prohibited, but sometimes you can use the ignorant foreigner pass and get away with stuff. Like in the US, I think you aren't technically supposed to take pictures from the time you step off the plane until the time you exit Customs. At EWR, I didn't see no photo signage until the Welcome to the USA sign.
I would say this was below CX standards. Service was done up to standards, but crew didn't really seem engaging.
I saw a no photo sign as soon as I stepped off the jetbridge in EWR off my recent OpenSkies flight. But, I played stupid and started taking pics of my plane parked right out the window and one of the queue minders yelled at me to stop taking pics...pffff whatevs, I was taking pics out the window, not of the customs area, dumb rule.
Such a long flight you did! A nice flight in J class with CX but I would have expected more from CX. The catering looks good but the portion looks minimal...
Such great pictures you did! Really nice spotting ! The BA in EWR looks more a B772 than a B763 for me ;)
I expect more from CX too, but at the end of the day when I consider value (actual price paid versus product), it's a good offering. I'm not a big eater, so for me it's not a problem. I think the appetizers are generally small, but when you consider the entire coursed meal, there is enough food. They also have the on-demand snacks available throughout the flight if you are still hungry.
The BA in EWR looks more a B772 than a B763 for me ;) - It does look very B772ish and that's what I thought it was at first, but it is actually a B763. BA 184 is operated by a B772 and BA 188 is operated by a B763. I got the registration in another picture so I'm 100% confident :) I don't think 4-doors is common on a B763.
Haha so give me a another picture with the registration or the registration because this one you put with the blue mood lighting is a B772 ;)
Its the nose of a B772, the engine of a B772, the main gear (x3 wheel) of a B772, the tail of a B772 and the probes of a B772 :) And you don't have the 2 red lines under each door on a B763, only on the B772 ;)
Thanks for all the #Airplaneporn as usual :-P HKG is a spotters paradise with such a large variety of carriers and widebdy-heavy
Ooh, loving the lounge. Last time I was in HKG, I went to the Wing First Class Lounge and found it kinda meh, now based on your great review of the Bridge Business section, I'll go check out that F section in December.
Gate 4 is of course going to be one of those crappy gates that blocks the view of your plane. - I hate those kinds of gates. I need to be acquainted with the outside of my plane before getting on board.
Boarding pass. I like how EWR is now “New York.” - Eh...it sounds better than Jersey
The first thing you notice is that there are no dedicated lavatories for Y+, an amenity I would expect. - And yet it is very rare to actually have a lav dedicated to Premium Economy on any airline. Have flown on AF, BA, and VS in Premium Economy and always had to go back to steerage.
I find it really hard to take pictures in the Cirrus seat because you are so far away from the window and “have” to have your seatbelt fastened. - True, but it's way better than on a traditional Herringbone layout where you have to be some sort of contortionist to see out the window.
Is it me or does that amenity kit seem really small?
Yikes, stomach pains are the absolute worst on such a long flight. I once spent the better part of a NRT-JFK in the lav--not a fond memory. The minor positive of this whole debacle was that my stomach magically felt normal again. - Amazing what a little sleep can do!
As an aside: the lavatory at the front of the plane is fancier than the lavatory in between the two J cabins. - Most likely it was originally meant to be an F lav, but this plane is config'd without F afterwards.
he gives me a very warm “welcome home” as he hands me back my passport - Ever since I got an American passport, I love hearing Welcome home
Great spotting shots from HKG! The nice weather definately helped.
That's so disturbing when your gate blocks the view of your plane, I get so irritated of it when it happens but there's nothing you can do about the situation.
Oh crap, I'm glad your stomach issues were solved after the sleeping session.
The seats look good with a large IFE screen. You got some great shots of HK right after takeoff, even though taking pictures from these windows wasn't the easiest task.
Catering on this flight doesn't look amazing, but decent. A lot of improvements could be made.
You were unfortunate to have a group of noisy J passengers onboard, the crew should have reacted to that immediately.
Cirrus is one the best in the sky( and the highest clouds :)), and CX ne seem totally good. I hope to try AF one to Japan, one day...^^
I'm always don't impress with CX on board catering, and i won't change my mind with this flight. Nod bad at all, but very far from the best of Asia, japanese compagnies include (i ate a wonderful meal on JL, two years ago)
Being sick on a plane, what a shame, and for a so lonng flight,it can be very painful. Fortunatly, a good rest on Cirrus (miley? :)), and everything is ok !:)
Noisy neighbours, another type of disease on board ^^
I think you collect a lot of good miles on your FFP. Japan airlines for domectics flights now?:)
The barista was Nepalese so ended up having an hour-long conversation with her about how she left home as an 18-year old to come to Hong Kong in search of a better life for her family. -What a cool interaction. This is one of the best parts of travel, peoples' stories.
The mini 4-row J cabin looks quiet and private.
The lighting on push and takeoff made for some lovely pictures.
Glad you bounced back form your turbulent stomach ;)
The burger looks good, and cooked correctly!
An homage to Nagoya with the Noritake tableware on CX. I made a comment about it to the FA that cleaned up my tray; they asked, “what is Nagoya?” I was tempted to say: “check out your route map sometime.” -Wow. I guess I expect flight attendants to be reasonably well traveled...
Sorry the flight was underwhelming. I too would expect better from CX.
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20 Comments
Cool Nike kicks!
And equally cool photo showing the different cabin lighting in the BA aircraft.
I was too groggy at the time, but when I was going trough my photos I noticed that cool BA effect.
Thanks for sharing this long haul FR on CX which honestly did not impress me. I would have expected more from a carrier with such golden reputation. The catering look basic and it lacks premium touches. For starters, that generic dressing for the salad is just so economy. The portion of the salad is also noticeably minimal and the shrimp appetizer looks very underwhelming, especially placed in such a large plate. The breakfast is nothing exceptional either but the mid-flight hamburger snack seems fitting for a premium cabin. I still think that they should offer more choices for snack.
Good thing that your stomach discomfort did not last for long. That sounded scary for a second. It's also reassuring that the FA took it personally to pay some extra attention to you. Right there is your 5* CX service.
The seat seems to be popular with many carriers. AV configured their 787's with the Cirrus one and it flies on the BOG-MAD route. I almost bit the bullet and took that flight to go to Europe but in the end I went with the schedule that fitted my itinerary the best and that was UA SFO-LHR in Y. You will find out later on.
Looking forward to the rest of your reports.
which honestly did not impress me
- Catering is not good, there is no way to avoid that situation. I really think the hamburger was the best thing I ate on this flight. At the end of the day, it comes back to value. What is better catering worth to you? Is it worth $5000 more to fly SQ for better catering and slightly better service? For me, the answer is no. For what I paid, I'm satisfied with what I got. I think catering is the first thing that I will sacrifice for price. The impersonal service is what was more concerning, because that is what CX is known for. Based on the service on the regional route, I would expect the same (if not better) service standards on a flagship route (HKG-NYC).
Good thing that your stomach discomfort did not last for long. That sounded scary for a second. It's also reassuring that the FA took it personally to pay some extra attention to you. Right there is your 5* CX service.
- Yes, this had all the makings of a terrible experience. There is nothing worse than getting that sharp pain in your stomach 5 minutes into a 14+ hour flight. And you are right, the FA did go out of her way to assist me given that situation, which was very appreciated.
UA SFO-LHR in Y
- I have a UA in Y coming up in two days too ;) (not sure if that should be a tear drop instead...)
Really well made as we can feel like travelling in this plane too.
CX lounge is apparently a relaxing one, not too crowded.
This flight is a bit too long but catering is so nice. I would eat this australian beef burger!!
Weird to see that your FA didn't have any knowledge about Nagoya...
When I left the lounge, it was a little bit busier. Overall, I thought the Bridge was quieter than the Cabin or the Wing. The Wing was right next to where my plane departed.
This flight is a bit too long
- I would not do this flight in Y. I think those passengers deserve a medal. I do US-Japan often, but the thought of 2-3 hours more just makes my butt sore.
CX sends 3 planes a day to NGO so I would think that FAs should be aware of their own carrier's destinations.
Gorgeous pictures.
I'm gonna fly this 3-cabin aircraft in a month. Would you choose a seat in the forward cabin or stick with this seat ?
For the 3-cabin configuration, I would go with the mini-cabin. Less people = less chance for distractions. I would go 21K or 23 A/K. 21A is near the lavatory, there is no lavatory on the K side. It looks close to the galley, but there are big closets that buffer the cabin from the lavatory and galley. So when people were gathering, they were closer to the main cabin than the mini cabin. The curtains are closed between J and Y+ the entire time so there is no foot traffic in the mini-cabin. Since CX does front-to-back service by trolley, you'll get served last in the mini-cabin (if that is a consideration).
You are so lucky that you can take photos in the security checking area in HKG!
Catering services in this flight seems good and are in Cathay services standard.
Looking forward to your next report!
You are so lucky that you can take photos in the security checking area in HKG!
- I didn't see any explicit signage at HKG in that area. I don't take pictures on purpose if it is clearly prohibited, but sometimes you can use the ignorant foreigner pass and get away with stuff. Like in the US, I think you aren't technically supposed to take pictures from the time you step off the plane until the time you exit Customs. At EWR, I didn't see no photo signage until the Welcome to the USA sign.
I would say this was below CX standards. Service was done up to standards, but crew didn't really seem engaging.
Such a long flight you did!
A nice flight in J class with CX but I would have expected more from CX.
The catering looks good but the portion looks minimal...
Such great pictures you did! Really nice spotting !
The BA in EWR looks more a B772 than a B763 for me ;)
See you on the next step :)
I expect more from CX too, but at the end of the day when I consider value (actual price paid versus product), it's a good offering. I'm not a big eater, so for me it's not a problem. I think the appetizers are generally small, but when you consider the entire coursed meal, there is enough food. They also have the on-demand snacks available throughout the flight if you are still hungry.
The BA in EWR looks more a B772 than a B763 for me ;)
- It does look very B772ish and that's what I thought it was at first, but it is actually a B763. BA 184 is operated by a B772 and BA 188 is operated by a B763. I got the registration in another picture so I'm 100% confident :) I don't think 4-doors is common on a B763.
Its the nose of a B772, the engine of a B772, the main gear (x3 wheel) of a B772, the tail of a B772 and the probes of a B772 :)
And you don't have the 2 red lines under each door on a B763, only on the B772 ;)
I'm 100% confident :)
Photo is in your inbox.
Thanks for the picture :)
HKG is a spotters paradise with such a large variety of carriers and widebdy-heavy
Ooh, loving the lounge. Last time I was in HKG, I went to the Wing First Class Lounge and found it kinda meh, now based on your great review of the Bridge Business section, I'll go check out that F section in December.
Gate 4 is of course going to be one of those crappy gates that blocks the view of your plane.
- I hate those kinds of gates. I need to be acquainted with the outside of my plane before getting on board.
Boarding pass. I like how EWR is now “New York.”
- Eh...it sounds better than Jersey
The first thing you notice is that there are no dedicated lavatories for Y+, an amenity I would expect.
- And yet it is very rare to actually have a lav dedicated to Premium Economy on any airline. Have flown on AF, BA, and VS in Premium Economy and always had to go back to steerage.
I find it really hard to take pictures in the Cirrus seat because you are so far away from the window and “have” to have your seatbelt fastened.
- True, but it's way better than on a traditional Herringbone layout where you have to be some sort of contortionist to see out the window.
Is it me or does that amenity kit seem really small?
Yikes, stomach pains are the absolute worst on such a long flight. I once spent the better part of a NRT-JFK in the lav--not a fond memory.
The minor positive of this whole debacle was that my stomach magically felt normal again. - Amazing what a little sleep can do!
As an aside: the lavatory at the front of the plane is fancier than the lavatory in between the two J cabins.
- Most likely it was originally meant to be an F lav, but this plane is config'd without F afterwards.
he gives me a very warm “welcome home” as he hands me back my passport
- Ever since I got an American passport, I love hearing Welcome home
See you on the next one!
Great spotting shots from HKG! The nice weather definately helped.
That's so disturbing when your gate blocks the view of your plane, I get so irritated of it when it happens but there's nothing you can do about the situation.
Oh crap, I'm glad your stomach issues were solved after the sleeping session.
The seats look good with a large IFE screen. You got some great shots of HK right after takeoff, even though taking pictures from these windows wasn't the easiest task.
Catering on this flight doesn't look amazing, but decent. A lot of improvements could be made.
You were unfortunate to have a group of noisy J passengers onboard, the crew should have reacted to that immediately.
See you on the next one!
CX loung seem good, with plenty of food and space
Cirrus is one the best in the sky( and the highest clouds :)), and CX ne seem totally good. I hope to try AF one to Japan, one day...^^
I'm always don't impress with CX on board catering, and i won't change my mind with this flight. Nod bad at all, but very far from the best of Asia, japanese compagnies include (i ate a wonderful meal on JL, two years ago)
Being sick on a plane, what a shame, and for a so lonng flight,it can be very painful. Fortunatly, a good rest on Cirrus (miley? :)), and everything is ok !:)
Noisy neighbours, another type of disease on board ^^
I think you collect a lot of good miles on your FFP. Japan airlines for domectics flights now?:)
See you later
The barista was Nepalese so ended up having an hour-long conversation with her about how she left home as an 18-year old to come to Hong Kong in search of a better life for her family.
-What a cool interaction. This is one of the best parts of travel, peoples' stories.
The mini 4-row J cabin looks quiet and private.
The lighting on push and takeoff made for some lovely pictures.
Glad you bounced back form your turbulent stomach ;)
The burger looks good, and cooked correctly!
An homage to Nagoya with the Noritake tableware on CX. I made a comment about it to the FA that cleaned up my tray; they asked, “what is Nagoya?” I was tempted to say: “check out your route map sometime.”
-Wow. I guess I expect flight attendants to be reasonably well traveled...
Sorry the flight was underwhelming. I too would expect better from CX.
Thanks again for sharing and happy flying.
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