After flying from Singapore to Hong Kong on 25th June, I was on CX472 and CX473 on 26th June, flying to Taipei, and then immediately back to Hong Kong with the same aircraft and the same set of crew.
I arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport at 8am. My flight was scheduled to depart at 15:45, but since I had First Class Lounge Access, which was redeemed by a Diamond member (Top Tier) of the Marco Polo Club, I got there early so that I could spend more time at the lounge.
During check in, the staff recognised me. She had helped me to check in before. The boarding pass, as well as the lounge invitation printed by the machine of her counter were poorly printed. Since she knew that I am an aviation lover, she went to her colleague and asked her to print a better one for me.
After checking in, I proceed to The Wing, First Class Lounge. It was located at the balcony level, right next to the immigration. Since I was holding a Business Class boarding pass, without knowing that I had First Class Lounge access, the lounge agent informed me that the Business Class Lounge is located at Level 6, next to gate 2. I then showed her my lounge pass with the wordings "First Class" printed on it. She immediately said sorry and let me in.
After entering the lounge, I went to The Haven, the restaurant inside the lounge, for breakfast. I ordered two sets of breakfast - Homemade Pancakes and English Breakfast set.
After a rich breakfast, I visited the cabanas. The cabana was spacious, which allowed me to shower/bath and rest.
I stayed there for 2 hours before leaving the First Class Lounge for the Business Class Lounge. The Wing, Business Class Lounge is just right next to the First Class Lounge. I love the long bar inside the Business Class Lounge very much. I got myself a glass of Shirley Temple.
I also got myself some cakes and cheese.
It was time to say goodbye to The Wing.
Next stop: The Pier, First Class Lounge. This lounge received the World's Best First Class Lounge Award a few years ago.
Inside the lounge, there were some day suites for passengers to take a rest in. I slept for an hour inside before having lunch.
My flight was slightly delayed. By the time I arrived at the gate, they were already making the final call announcement. Economy Class passengers were boarding. The team leader of the ground staff team helped me to jump the long boarding queue. Once I stepped into the aircraft, Senior Purser, Aiko brought me to my seat.
I had Cathay Delight as my welcome drink.
Cathay Dragon (B-HYB) - Spirit of Hong Kong Special Livery
Meal service started right after take off - Aiko introduced the entree choices to me one by one patiently. I had the pork rib with jasmine rice, it was tasty.
We soon arrived at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport.
After disembarking, I passed through the security check and rushed to the lounge. I would be taking the same flight - CX473 back to Hong Kong immediately in Economy Class. At the lounge, I had a quick dinner - Beef in soup noodles and Taiwanese minced pork with rice
After the meal, I went back to the gate. Boarding has just begun.
When the ground staff helped me to scan my boarding pass, the machine beeped. I was then informed that I was moved to Premium Economy Class from Economy due to the overbooking.
I had the Fruit Platter Meal.
Youtube version (More precise and detailed)
Credit where credit is due Ken. You certainly got your fill of food for a 1,000 mile trip. Good job! (I love those Cathay Delights.)
Show up waaay early for a one-hour flight to check out great lounges? Check. Fly someplace just to turn around and fly back just for the experience? Check. Making a day out of a couple hours of flying? Check. Snag that opup at boarding time? Check.
You, sir, are my kind of traveler.
Thanks for an entertaining report on these short segments... CX service looks, and sounds, about on par with what I experienced with BR on this route, perhaps a bit more personalized based on your descriptions of the attention from Aiko.
And the lounge food looked great, both in HKG and TPE. Thanks again!