Hello, everyone! Welcome to yet another leg of my summer 2018 travel series! This trip report is in continuation from where I showcased my flight on Emirates from Dubai to Bangkok where I took flight EK374 onboard the Airbus A380-800, and now I'll finally be flying back to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific's brand-new Airbus A350-1000.
I was beyond excited before the flights as I would be able to compare two of my favourite airlines and see how they compare in terms of overall service. Anyways, I hope I haven't bored you guys already. Let's get to this report! :)
It was about 9:00 AM by the time I got to the arrival hall, and I had more than 3 hours before my flight to Hong Kong. So, I wasn't worried at all as I could take it easy when it came to checking-in, going through security and immigration before finally making it to the lounge to kill some time.
As stated in my previous trip report (Link can be found in the trip report index above), I took an elevator to the departure lobby and made my way towards the Cathay Pacific check-in counters
BKK Departure Lobby
Check-in area for CX
I was able to check-in almost immediately, giving at least 10 minutes for the whole process, including the time waiting in line. The next thing I knew was that my bags were finally checked in to Hong Kong and was issued a boarding pass for the flight.
Mangkorakarn and Maiyarab
So, I thought that the process of going through security and immigration in Suvarnabhumi Airport would be a breeze like always, but I was proven wrong. This time, the line took more than 20 minutes just to get to security!
Post-security
The famous Samudra Manthan exhibit
Airside - with a wide variety of shops and restaurants located throughout the airport
Duty-free area, which was crowded as always
Heading towards the CX lounge
Even though my flight was departing from Concourse E, I still made the usual way to the lounge via Concourse G
FIDS
Concourse G
Making the usual sharp left upon going down the escalator, and made my way until seeing the entrance.
Oh, I wish!
CX Lounge entrance
Lounge invitation
Since I've already talked about the lounge twice before this visit, I'm going to keep the details short. Overall, the Cathay Pacific lounge in Bangkok is decent with a variety of seating and amazing catering selections!
More shots of the lounge
The first thing I did upon arrival was to get some breakfast. In particular, I immediately went to the Noodle Bar and got myself one of my favourite dishes: wontons in noodle soup
While my noodles were getting ready, I eventually got more things to eat
Buzzer which notifies you when your dish is ready. I was impressed that it got ready within 3 minutes upon ordering.
My breakfast
Bar area
Overall lounge view
Boarding pass
View of Concourse G from the lounge
Snacks offered at the bar area
Salad bar
After about an hour, I went to get myself a glass of champagne!
Since I got only 2 hours of sleep on my flight on Emirates from Dubai, I decided to take a quick nap since I had plenty of time to kill
After taking a nap for 1.5 hours, I then proceeded to board my flight
I was beyond excited to try out the new Airbus A350-1000! I haven't felt a rush like this since I tried out the Airbus A350-900 in 2016 (Link can be found here)
Only this time, there were no delays!
Heading towards the gate
Gate E1
Walking down the ramp to the gate area
I felt like a little kid again as soon I saw the new A350-1000!! Also, I was going on the first one that CX has acquired: B-LXA! It looked so beautiful!!
Although there were a couple of delays, it didn't last more than 5 minutes
Gate area and aerobridge
Well, time to board!
Some pre-flight information: Date: 28 July 2018 Airline: Cathay Pacific Flight Number: CX 754 Route: Bangkok (BKK) - Hong Kong (HKG) Aircraft: Airbus A350-1000 Registration: B-LXA Distance: 1049 miles Scheduled Departure Time: 12:35 PM Actual Departure Time: 12:39 PM Scheduled Arrival Time: 4:30 PM Actual Arrival Time: 4:02 PM Flight Time: 2 hrs 55 mins Departure Gate at BKK: E1 Arrival Gate at HKG: 16
Inflight
As always, I started taking pictures like a crazy tourist the minute I entered the cabin!
My seat for today: 21K
Loving the seat signage
Inflight controls along with the headset
Loving the legroom!!
View from my seat
The signature brush-wing logo in the back
Cabin view
Welcome drink - Champagne
The refreshed look of the entertainment system, known as StudioCX
The lovely view from the tail camera
Flight info
Playing around with the interactive map
After approximately 25 minutes, the captain made his usual pre-flight announcement and welcome, stating that we would be landing into Hong Kong ahead of schedule with the flight time of 2 hours and 20 minutes
Hot towel
Ottoman
Storage area, suitable for small items
Before I knew it, we started to push back within 5 minutes
Blanket offered upon request (since this a short-haul flight)
Philippine Airlines Airbus A330-300, RP-C8783, which would later serve as PR731 back to MNL
Settled into my seat, even if it's for 2 hours!
Bangkok Airways Airbus A319-100, HS-PPB
Taxiing to Runway 19L
We took-off from the runway at 12:39 PM that afternoon, with the beautiful sights of Thailand
A couple of minutes after take-off
I'll be back soon, Thailand!
Cruising from the standpoint of the tail camera
The Airbus A350-1000 engine and winglet with the view of Thailand
Exploring the inflight map yet again, bu this time from different perspectives
Menu pages
Menu for today's flight
Drink menu
Discovering the inflight entertainment yet again
Interactive remote control
I went straight to watching The Big Bang Theory
Before I knew it, the crew came towards the cabin taking drink orders as well as setting the tables for the dinner service.
Starting off the flight with some Coke
Table setup including the appetiser and garlic bread
For the main course, I went for the stir fried prawns. Despite the average appearance, it was actually quite good
Ice cream and Hong Kong styled milk tea to finish it off
Cabin views
Once the meal service was over,I headed on to the bathroom
Before I knew it, we only had less than an hour before we were scheduled to land
Time really flies while having fun!
More cabin views
I spent the rest of the flight catching up with watching The Big Bang Theory until the captain came back on with the usual pre-arrival announcement saying that we had 30 minutes before we landed. This was the cue for the seat belt sign, which came back on giving the indication that we had to prepare for landing
Like I've said in previous trip reports that I've enjoyed, all good flights must come to an end!
Approaching HKG
Final shots before landing
Oh, how I wished this flight was longer!
It was quite a clear and sunny day for our arrival!
We landed at 4:02 PM, which was approximately half an hour ahead of schedule. The taxi to the gate took about 5-10 minutes
Actual flight route
I missed being back here!
Taxiing to the gate
Docking at gate 16
Post-flight
Disembarking/Arrival into HKG
B-LXA viewed from the terminal
The walk to immigration was quite short
As always, I breezed through immigration, got my bag, and made it to the arrival hall within 10 minutes
Baggage claim area
I was able to get my bag within 10 minutes
Making my way towards the arrival hall
Arrival hall
Even though I had the invitation to go to The Arrival lounge, I decided to skip it and then made my way towards the Airport Express platform
Airport Express platform
Airport Express train interior
I arrived at Central/Hong Kong station within 30 minutes, where I immediately caught a taxi afterwards and made my journey from there.
I don't know if I have made it clear, but, it felt good to be back!! :)
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Verdict
Cathay Pacific
8.8/10
Cabin9.5
Cabin crew9.0
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Meal/catering8.0
Cathay Pacific Lounge
9.6/10
Comfort9.5
Meal/catering10.0
Entertainment/wifi9.5
Services9.5
Bangkok - BKK
7.3/10
Efficiency5.0
Access6.5
Services8.5
Cleanliness9.0
Hong Kong - HKG
10.0/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0
Conclusion
This flight was somewhat what I expected on Cathay Pacific. The crew were attentive as always, the meals were good, and I was quite impressed with the departure and arrival times of this flight. Of course, being on Emirates First class was a whole different level, but I'm glad I was able to fly two of my favourite airlines back-to-back! Other than that, this flight was remarkable, especially being onboard the brand-new Airbus A350-1000 which I've been looking forward to for months! Nevertheless, thank you so much for reading this report! Stay tuned for the final leg where I'll be heading back to the US!
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Thank you RBIX, for the excellent report sharing this experience in great detail. I really like the BKK CX lounge but my goodness it looked crowded in your pictures. I really appreciated your excitement to fly on a new aircraft type. I feel the same way whether new airline or aircraft. Thanks again for sharing and happy flying.
Thanks for the comment, Socalnow! I have to admit, it was quite crowded from what I expected. However, I would say it was worth it as I can finally check flying on an Airbus A350-1000 off my bucket list! Happy travels!
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