Review of Cathay Pacific flight Hong Kong New York in Business

Airline Cathay Pacific
Flight CX846
Class Business
Seat 25K
Aircraft Boeing 777-300ER
Flight time 15:55
Take-off 21 Aug 16, 18:45
Arrival at 21 Aug 16, 22:40
CX   #2 out of 95 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 509 reviews
rbix
By 3973
Published on 11th July 2018
Hello, everyone! Welcome to Part 2 of the final leg of my summer 2016 travel series! This trip report is in continuation from Part 1 where I showcased the flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong where I took flight CX750 onboard the brand-new Airbus A350-900, and now I'll finally be flying back to New York on the good 'ol Boeing 777-300ER, an aircraft that I've known and loved for many years. I guess this report can be a good comparison between the two aircraft and find out whether or not if there was any difference when it comes to overall service. Anyways, I hope I haven't bored you guys already. Let's get to this report! :)

Summer 2016 Trip Report Index:
1) 19 August 2016: CX653 HKG-BKK, A330-300, Business
2a) 21 August 2016: CX750 BKK-HKG, A350-900, Business
2b) 21 August 2016: CX846 HKG-JFK, B777-300ER, Business

Pre-flight:


As mentioned from my previous trip report, I missed my connecting flight (CX840) after a two hour delay from Bangkok. As a result, my family and I were put on the next flight (CX846) which would depart at 6:45 PM. So, after bypassing security at the transfer area, we were already at the departure area near gate 36.
photo dsc09075photo dsc09076


Since the automated people mover goes one way, we had no choice but to take the long walk towards gates 1-4. It's about a 10 minute walk, which is not that bad. By that time, I finally made it towards the duty-free shopping area located not too far from the gate. I eventually discovered that our flight to JFK was departing from gate 15, which gave us the obvious choice to go for The Wing!


Duty-free area
photo dsc09096photo dsc09100

FIDS
photo dsc09098

Gates 1-4 area
photo dsc09104photo dsc09105

On the way to the lounge
photo dsc09107photo dsc09109

Entrance to The Wing
photo dsc09110

Thanks to my father, all of us were able to gain access to the First Class section yet again!
photo dsc09114photo dsc09119

The famous balcony view, the second time around!
photo dsc09118

More shots of the First Class section of the lounge
photo dsc09127photo dsc09137

New boarding pass issued for flight CX846
photo dsc09117

I headed up to the champagne bar and got myself a glass of Veuve Clicquot, which is one of my favourites
photo dsc09122

The customary picture of the bottle
photo dsc09123

A fine glass of Veuve Clicquot
photo dsc09124

After approximately 15 minutes, my family and I went to The Haven (the dining area) and see what the catering options were like over there
photo dsc09129

There were à la carte options as well as choices from the buffet
photo dsc09131photo dsc09132photo dsc09133

While my parents ordered from the à la carte menu, I ended up getting food from the buffet
photo dsc09135

After spending more than 40 minutes in the lounge, we headed towards the gate. In fact, we made it just in time prior to boarding


Gates 15-19 area
photo dsc09153

As always, time to head back home!!
photo dsc09157

After going through secondary security, we were able to board the plane.
photo dsc09162photo dsc09165

Well, time to board!
photo dsc09166

Some pre-flight information:
Date: 21 August 2016
Airline: Cathay Pacific
Flight Number: CX 846
Route: Hong Kong (HKG) - New York (JFK)
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Registration: B-KPR
Distance: 8066 miles
Scheduled Departure Time: 6:45 PM
Actual Departure Time: 7:14 PM
Scheduled Arrival Time: 10:40 PM
Actual Arrival Time: 10:43 PM
Flight Time: 15 hrs 55 mins
Departure Gate at HKG: 15
Arrival Gate at JFK: 6

Inflight:


First class
photo fc

Mini business class cabin
photo dsc09168

Main business class cabin
photo dsc09170

My seat, 25K, along with the inflight controls. What I found weird prior to boarding was that my seat was actually assigned by CX according to what was available onboard. However, I was quite content with the arrangement!
photo dsc09172photo dsc09173

The comfortable legroom
photo dsc09174photo dsc09176

View from my seat: a China Airlines Boeing 737-800 operated by Mandarin Airlines, B-18607, which will serve as AE1842 back to RMQ
photo dsc09175

CX846 is the perfect flight for connecting passengers like myself. By the time boarding was completed, the main business class cabin was completely full!
photo dsc09178

Pre-departure drink: Orange juice
photo dsc09185

Hot towel
photo dsc09190

Flight info
photo dsc09192photo dsc09194

I was well-settled into my seat for the next 15 hours! ;)
photo dsc09196

Once boarding was finally complete, the captain came on with her pre-flight welcome, advising us that we would be a slight delay in arriving to New York by a few minutes due to heavy departure traffic in HKG, as well as that there was going to be the usual turbulence which would occur on and off throughout the entire flight, which is generally expected on these kind of flights.
photo dsc09197

We pushed back at 6:51 PM
photo dsc09198photo dsc09200

The views with a beautiful sunset
photo dsc09202photo dsc09204

Cabin view with mood lighting in preparation for takeoff
photo dsc09206photo dsc09210

HKG Control Tower
photo dsc09208

Views during the taxi
photo dsc09211photo dsc09212

Taxiing to Runway 25L
photo dsc09214

We then took off 30 minutes behind schedule at approximately 7:15 PM

Making a turn towards Taiwan
photo dsc09221photo dsc09224

Peace out, Hong Kong!
photo dsc09234photo dsc09227

Within 10 minutes after departure, the crew came around the cabin to distribute menus as other amenities
photo dsc09228photo dsc09229

Menu for today's flight
photo dsc09231photo dsc09232

Amenity kit, mineral water bottle, and US Customs forms were distributed
photo dsc09237

Discovering what's on studioCX
photo dsc09238photo dsc09239

I immediately started with Hello, My Name is Doris, primarily due to the fact that it stars Sally Field and I'm quite a fan of her movies. In particular: Norma Rae, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Lincoln. Sorry that I keep going off track when it comes to movies! Let's get back to the flight! ;)
photo dsc09250

Soon, the dinner service started with the cabin crew taking drink orders. Like always, I got a Perrier
photo dsc09251

Table setup with the appetiser and garlic bread
photo dsc09253

A second round? Don't mind if I do!
photo dsc09254

For the main course, I ended up going for the Malaysian seafood curry, which was not bad
photo dsc09258

Just as I expected, there was bound to be some turbulence. This was where the first round occurred.
photo dsc09262photo dsc09267

It took about 20 minutes before things started to smooth out, allowing the crew to resume the dinner service. At that time, the trolley with fruit and cheese plates passed by. Since I wasn't in the mood for dessert, I just asked for some fruit.
photo dsc09274

Cabin view from the back of the main J cabin
photo dsc09241

Hot towel to officially end the dinner service
photo dsc09280

Once the dinner service was over, I headed on to the bathroom with the standard J sink
photo dsc09288

Once I got back to my seat, the next thing I knew was the cabin lights changed, ultimately leading to complete darkness.
photo dsc09287photo dsc09320

I decided to open up the inflight map to find out our current location. We were currently cruising above Japan heading towards the Pacific Ocean with more than 11 hours left of remaining flight time.
photo dsc09292photo dsc09294

After looking for more programs to watch during the flight, I ultimately went for New Girl yet again!
photo newgirl

I completed watching an episode of New Girl until I realised that the seat belt sign was back on, indicating we were going towards another round of turbulence somewhere near Mt. Fuji. It eventually subsided after 15 minutes.
photo dsc09301photo dsc09302

After watching a couple of episodes of New Girl, I decided to call it a night after passing Japan.
photo dsc09314photo dsc09315

As always, it didn't take long for me to set the seat in the fully flat position, and spread out the duvet. Before I knew it, I was ready for bed!
photo dsc09322

Surprisingly, I slept for a good 8 hours only to wake up just in time for the breakfast service
photo dsc09323

Orange juice to start my "morning" even though I knew it was approaching night-time in New York
photo dsc09324

Fruit platter along with yogurt
photo dsc09325photo dsc09332

Waking up above Canada
photo dsc09328

For the main entrée, I chose one of my favourites: assorted dim sum as well as a mini chicken glutinous rice
photo dsc09334

Meanwhile, I decided to catch up on what I've missed on The Big Bang Theory!
photo tbbt

Cabin views yet again, with different settings of mood lighting
photo dsc09338photo dsc09347

Cruising near Toronto, with approximately an hour left before landing
photo dsc09340photo dsc09342

Time was really flying (No pun intended!)
photo dsc09345

Since there was not much to do at this point, I reclined my seat a little bit and watched a couple of more episodes of The Big Bang Theory for the remainder of the flight.
photo dsc09349

It wasn't long until the captain came on again stating that we are starting the descent into New York and that we would be landing in 30 minutes
photo dsc09354photo dsc09356

Starting the descent
photo dsc09358photo dsc09362

Final shots before landing
photo dsc09355photo dsc09369

Cabin with mood lighting in preparation for landing
photo dsc09371photo dsc09370photo dsc09372

Well, after the crazy journey that my family and I had, we finally landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport a few minutes behind schedule at 10:43 PM
photo dsc09376

Actual flight route
photo dsc09378

Taxiing to Terminal 7
photo dsc09380photo dsc09374

Docking at gate 6
photo dsc09382

Disembarking/Arrival into JFK


Post-flight:


Just like every US arrival, I went through immigration and customs. However, the surprising thing about this arrival process was that it was very quick. In fact, we made it to the arrival hall within 20 minutes!
photo dsc09393photo dsc09394

Anyways, as soon as we collected our bags, we were on our way to meet our private cab driver, and then headed back home.


*In January 2017 (a few months after this flight), I heard that CX was relocating to Terminal 8. In my honest opinion, this was a bittersweet moment. I had flown in and out of Terminal 7 for years, and it's quite sad to see CX moving operations. On the bright side, Terminal 8 is a massive terminal which is claimed to be twice the size of Madison Square Garden, and I think the move would be very beneficial for American Airlines passengers as they don't have to exit the terminal. Although I'm excited to see CX's new home in Terminal 8, I'm really going to miss Terminal 7 so much!
See more

Verdict

Cathay Pacific

9.6/10
Cabin10.0
Cabin crew9.5
Entertainment/wifi9.5
Meal/catering9.5

Cathay Pacific The Wing - First Class Section

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

Hong Kong - HKG

9.8/10
Efficiency9.5
Access10.0
Services9.5
Cleanliness10.0

New York - JFK

8.6/10
Efficiency9.0
Access9.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness9.5

Conclusion

Overall, I would say that this flight was somehow better than I expected. As always, CX always have an outstanding seat onboard business class along with the other features such as the inflight entertainment, crew service, and the meals for the most part. So, I don't have much to complain about. In fact, one thing that I'd like to point out is the somewhat improvement towards the catering, which has been an issue in the past.

I must say, this flight was worth comparing to the Airbus A350-900. It's pretty clear that the 77W has a lack of features that the A350-900 already has, including the Do Not Disturb feature in the seats along with the inflight wi-fi. However, I have heard that that CX will be implementing wi-fi on all aircraft within a few years. So, let's see what happens!

Even though it has been a crazy day for all of us, I thoroughly enjoyed the flight, and I was glad that we were able to make it back to New York City by the end of the day. Anyways, thanks for reading this trip report as this is the end of the Summer 2016 trip report series. I hope you enjoyed them. I will be posting more trip reports in the near future. So, be sure to tune in next time for my next travel series!

Information on the route Hong Kong (HKG) New York (JFK)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 7 avis concernant 1 compagnies sur la ligne Hong Kong (HKG) → New York (JFK).


Useful

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

La durée moyenne des vols est de 15 heures et 58 minutes.

  More information

2 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 453984 by
    JW19 120 Comments
    Moving to terminal 8 significantly improves the lounge situation. BA lounge at T7 I among the worse in JFK.
    • Comment 453986 by
      rbix AUTHOR 73 Comments
      Thanks for the comment. I definitely agree with you in regards of the move to Terminal 8. Even though American Airlines has renovated their lounges, I would say that the British Airways at Terminal 7 needs a major refurbishment. Happy travels!

Login to post a comment.