Review of Cathay Pacific flight New York Vancouver in Business

Airline Cathay Pacific
Flight CX889
Class Business
Seat 22K
Aircraft Boeing 777-300ER
Flight time 06:00
Take-off 11 Jun 18, 21:50
Arrival at 12 Jun 18, 00:50
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 3358
Published on 14th October 2018
Hi, everyone! Welcome to the Part 1 of the Summer 2018 travel series where I'll be flying to Vancouver for a mini-vacation! So, my parents had planned a trip to Vancouver sometime in June. I thought to myself that I could join them since I had nothing else better to do!

Since they were coming in from Hong Kong and I had a few things to take care of prior to departure, we came to the conclusion that I would meet them there a few days after them. I thought to myself that this would be yet another great trip since I've been wanting to explore Vancouver for years, and this was my first trip ever to Canada, so I was definitely quite excited!

Routing

Pre-flight


Since there were only a few direct flights from New York to Vancouver, it was rather difficult to decide which airline to fly with. After careful planning, I came to the decision that I would use my Asia Miles to get myself a redemption ticket on Cathay Pacific. After all, it's about time I put it to use! To sum it all up, booking flights for this trip was absolutely smooth, and I was quite excited to try out CX on a 5th freedom flight like this one to YVR.

Anyways, back to the flight. I knew for a fact that there was going to be tons of traffic leading to the airport, especially at peak hour. So, I ended up leading at around 5:30 PM which would give me a good time span to check-in, go through security, explore the terminal, and chill at the lounge.

Terminal 8 Departures exterior
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Terminal 8 Departures interior
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It was a bit crowded. However, I was not surprised since it was the start of the summer peak travel period.
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Cathay Pacific check-in counters. As always, the process of checking-in took 5 minutes.
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Heading towards security
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Post-security


This time, security took quite a while as there was always the long line at the airport. I guess I was at there at a time where there were a lot of departing flights out of Terminal 8. Nevertheless, I made it out within 15 minutes.

The Big Apple
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Airside
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This amazes me every time!
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I came to the airport at a time when all of the shops were open!
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I even got a good opportunity to do some plane spotting!
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American Airlines Boeing 777-300ER, N724AN, which will serve as AA104 to LHR and a Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER right behind it, A7-BEP, preparing to depart for DOH as QR702
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More airside pics


After my usual exploration of the terminal, I headed to the American Airlines Flagship lounge, where the elevators are located a few meters after security
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Lounge invitation
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Lounge entrance
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FIDS
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Shots of the Flagship lounge


I have reviewed this lounge previously on another report back in December 2017. The only difference was that during this visit, the lounge was extremely crowded. In fact, I couldn't even find a single available seat! (Link to my previous trip report can be found here)
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So, I ended up going to the Admirals Club, located just next door
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There were hardly any people, but it was definitely a peaceful place to relax before the flight. Also, it was a better selection in regards to food and drinks, especially with à la carte choices.
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Shots of the Admirals Club


Bar area
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Boarding pass
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I have to admit, I felt quite comfortable with a small lounge like this!
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After taking a look at the menu (which I completely forgot to take a picture of), I decided to get a light bite before the flight.

Ginger ale
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My à la carte dish, flatbread margarita pizza
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By around 9:00 PM, I decided to get ready to leave in order to board the plane since I knew it was going to be a long walk to the gate
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The journey consisted of going through the usual walkaways and escalators


Plane to YVR & HKG: B-KPG
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The underground tunnel with a lot of advertising for the new Incredibles 2 movie, which was something that I've been waiting for 14 years!
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Heading towards gate 47
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Gate 43-47 area
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By the time I got to the gate, I eventually found out to my surprise that the flight was delayed due to the incoming aircraft arriving late. I initially thought it was going to be a 10-15 minute wait, but I was wrong. We ended up waiting at the gate for quite some time before the gate agents announced the new departure time, which was at 10:25 PM.
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Since there was approximately an hour left, I ended up going back to the lounge!
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It was a bit annoying to find out that our flight was delayed and we had to wait for a long time before boarding!
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Heading back to the main concourse of the terminal


I ultimately went back to the Flagship Lounge, which was mostly empty at that point.
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Portrait of the Empire State Building yet again
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I guess most flights operating out of Terminal 8 have taken off already.
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Some of the catering options, which I wasn't really a huge fan of
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On the bright side, I could finally get my favourite seat facing the tarmac!
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A small bottle of San Pellegrino
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Shots of the Flagship lounge
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I was there for about 15 minutes until the boarding call was made for our flight
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Here we go again!


Heading towards gate 47
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The boarding process was not that bad
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Heading down the aerobridges
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Some pre-flight information:
Date: 11 June 2018
Airline: Cathay Pacific
Flight Number: CX 889
Route: New York (JFK) - Vancouver (YVR)
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Registration: B-KPG
Distance: 2443 miles
Scheduled Departure Time: 9:50 PM (delayed to 10:25 PM)
Actual Departure Time: 10:48 PM
Scheduled Arrival Time: 12:50 AM
Actual Arrival Time: 1:04 AM
Flight Time: 6 hrs
Departure Gate at JFK: 47
Arrival Gate at YVR: D65

Inflight


Main business class cabin
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My seat, 22K, along with the inflight controls
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View from my seat
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The comfortable legroom in J!
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Pre-departure beverage: Orange juice
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This was my first 5th freedom flight on CX, and it honestly felt a little strange not flying directly to Hong Kong.

Flight info
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It was quite a light load in business class
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Settling into my seat!
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As always, once boarding was complete, the captain came on with the rather quick pre-flight welcome along with an apology for the late departure due to the inbound flight being delayed. He did state that time was going to be made up by the time we arrived into Vancouver with the flight time of approximately 5 hours and 20 minutes.

Hot towel
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Approximately 20 minutes later, we were cleared for pushback!
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Views from pushback
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Cabin lights were dimmed in preparation for takeoff
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View during the taxi, with a slight view of the Manhattan skyline
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After the many delays which lasted for more than an hour, we finally took off!

I'll be back soon, America!
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After 15 minutes, the crew came around to distribute menus, water bottles, and amenity kits.
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West Coast bound!
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Surprisingly, I ended up chatting with the ISM since she noticed me taking photos earlier on. We ended up having a fun and interesting conversation about various topics ranging from Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong, and our never-ending interest in flying, even on such a short flight like this one to YVR!

Menu cover
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Menu for today's flight
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Drink selection
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Time to discover the inflight entertainment!
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To my shock, I was able to find episodes of The Big Bang Theory, which I ended up watching
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Cabin views
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Before I knew it, the crew came around to start the dinner service as well as taking drink orders.

Perrier, my standard drink!
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I ultimately decided to skip the dinner service since I already ate at the lounge and I wasn't feeling too hungry in general.
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Hot towel to conclude the dinner service
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The cabin lights changed a couple of minutes later
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I then thought this would be the perfect time to switch to the inflight map to find out our current location
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Making it in good time over Michigan
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I then resumed to watching The Big Bang Theory.

After a couple of episodes, I headed to the bathroom with the standard J sink (which was nothing special)
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It wasn't long before I decided to call it a night while above Minnesota
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A dark cabin, perfect for passengers to rest
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Within less than 5 minutes, I set the seat in the fully flat position, lay the duvet all nicely spread out, and I was ready for bed!
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I was able to get about 2.5 hours of sleep until the captain woke us up with his pre-arrival announcement saying that they are now starting the descent into Vancouver and we had 30 minutes till we landed. I thought to myself "Wow, this flight really flew by so fast!"
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From my perspective, I found the time frame of this flight similar to flights going from Hong Kong to India, as they depart in the evening only to arrive past midnight.

Pre-arrival drink: Orange juice again! I think this is a new concept on CX, but I really don't know.
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Suddenly, the seat belt sign came back on giving the indication that we had to prepare for landing, which didn't take long.

Approaching YVR
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Final shots before landing
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Time flies when you have fun!
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Mood lighting in preparation for landing
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The lights of Vancouver during the descent
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We landed approximately 15 minutes behind of schedule at 1:04 AM due to the late departure. However, the taxi to the gate was quite short.

Mood lighting change yet again
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Actual flight route
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Docking at gate D65, next to a China Eastern Airlines Airbus A330-200, B-5926, which will serve as MU598 back to PVG
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Post-flight


Most of us (including myself) got off in YVR whereas there were only a few passengers who were travelling onwards to HKG, and had to remain onboard. It was definitely going to be a long journey for them
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Disembarking
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Apparently, there were agents who were checking whether or not we were actually getting off in YVR
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Arrival into YVR
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Air Canada Boeing 787-900, C-FRSA, which will serve as AC44 to DEL
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Right off the bat, I was amazed with the terminal! I've heard a lot about YVR prior to arrival, and it didn't disappoint me one bit!


Departure area viewed from arrivals
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Heading towards immigration


An amazing fountain display!
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Immigration took about 5 minutes, since it was a late arrival
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Baggage claim area
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As always, I was able to get my bag within 5 minutes
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Making my way towards the arrival hall
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By the time I got there, my parents spotted me within seconds, which eventually led to a short but well-lived reunion!
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Arrival hall
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We were able to get a cab since there was no line and we were on our way to our hotel where I was ready for a fun-filled vacation in Vancouver!!!
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See more

Verdict

Cathay Pacific

8.3/10
Cabin9.5
Cabin crew9.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Meal/catering6.5

American Airlines Flagship Lounge - 8

8.9/10
Comfort10.0
Meal/catering7.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Services9.5

New York - JFK

8.3/10
Efficiency7.5
Access8.0
Services8.5
Cleanliness9.0

Vancouver - YVR

9.5/10
Efficiency10.0
Access9.5
Services9.0
Cleanliness9.5

Conclusion

Like I've said on most of my flight reports, Cathay Pacific always has an outstanding seat onboard business class along with the crew service, which I found impressive. However, the inflight entertainment selection was somewhat average, and I didn't really get a chance to try out the catering options since I wasn't in the mood. Also, one downside about this flight was the annoying fact that my flight was delayed for an hour and arriving late into YVR. However, this was nonetheless a decent fifth freedom flight on one of my favourite airlines, even if it was a short one! Overall, this was yet an average flight on an airline that I've known and loved for so long. It was worth the miles!

Anyways, thanks for reading this trip report. I hope you enjoyed it. Tune in next time for the return flight which I'll be posting soon!

Information on the route New York (JFK) Vancouver (YVR)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 4 avis concernant 1 compagnies sur la ligne New York (JFK) → Vancouver (YVR).


Useful

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

La durée moyenne des vols est de 5 heures et 47 minutes.

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