Review of Cathay Pacific flight Dubai Hong Kong in Business

Airline Cathay Pacific
Flight CX746
Class Business
Seat 14D
Aircraft Airbus A330-300
Flight time 06:40
Take-off 29 Dec 12, 17:50
Arrival at 30 Dec 12, 04:30
CX   #2 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 509 reviews
pititom
By GOLD 17159
Published on 10th September 2013
I have translated this particular report to showcase the product delivered by Cathay Pacific in their new business cabin. But if you can read French, or are just pleased enough with photos, feel free to browse the other legs of this routing that I have made on three different airlines :

1. Paris - Zurich, Swiss A320, Business

2. Zurich - Dubai, Swiss A330, Business

3. Dubai - Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific A330, Business

4. Hong Kong - Phuket, Dragonair A321, Business

5. Phuket Hong Kong, Dragonair A321, Economy

6. Hong Kong - Dubai, Cathay Pacific A330, Business

7. Dubai - Zurich, Swiss A330, Business

8. Zurich - Paris, Swiss A320, Business

I do not complexify my routings just for fun : although I may be enthousiastic about flying, I would still take the direct flight if it were the cheapest one. But this never happens and as I always try to find the smartest fare around, I end up with complex routings. Nevertheless, I try to keep a relax pace by making stop-overs on the route, when these are permitted of course.

It is the case here : I came to Dubai specifically to enjoy CX fares ex-UAE, but enjoyed a three days break in Dubaï by coordinating my inbound and outbound tickets. I will then start this report by a quick tourist brief to introduce the destination.

The foutains at Burj Khalifa.

photo DXBHKG-01

Before the 2700 feet tower was raised, an icon of the city was Ski Dubai with its 1200 feet of slopes under the sun.

photo DXBHKG-02

It's fun to try, at least to say I did it :) But the whole Dubaï crazyness does not replace the pleasure of a trek in the desert in the simplicity of its calm immensity.

photo DXBHKG-03

Especially at the end of the day when animals come out and provide a five stars sunset ;)

photo DXBHKG-04

As for accomodation, I visited at the end of October and at this time opened in Dubai the tallest hotel in the world (if we exclude the hotels occupying a part of a higher tower but used for another activity) : the JW Marriott Marquis Dubaï.

photo DXBHKG-05

The rooms are large and nicely decorated (especially by UAE standards ^^) but the actual feature (which is not seen much in the photos) is to provide an opportunity to wake up in the morning at the Empire State Building observation deck height !

photo DXBHKG-06

From the window, you realize how the city came out of nowhere.

photo DXBHKG-07

But enough bonuses of all kinds and let's head to the airport. Traffic signs remind us who's the boss here : you either take EK or you do not take EK ;)

photo DXBHKG-08

And no EK for me today. My destination was terminal 1 where CX is located. I dropped the car at the rental return and quickly made my way to Cathay Pacific check-in booths. Dedicated lines for J pax (no P on the plane), status holders, Premium Economy and drop-off.

photo DXBHKG-09

All well organized and staffed, so check-in was a formality. The check-in attendant requested me (I know the procedure existed but it never happened to me) to show the credit card that was used for the payment of the tickets. Probably an alert raised by the use of a French card to pay for ex-DXB tickets.

photo DXBHKG-10

Priority tags were attached next to the yellow label that some of you may know well ;)

photo DXBHKG-11

Flight documents : my boarding pass for the continuation to Phuket was issued in Dubaï, and I was given an invitation for British Airways lounge together with a printed map of Hong-Kong airport to ease my transfer.

photo DXBHKG-12

The T1 is not as nice as the T3 (Emirates) but it carries the same interactive information panels. You just input where you want to go and an itineray is drawn on the screen.

photo DXBHKG-13

Before I can reach the lounge, I have to go through immigration. Unfortunately, there's a single FastTrack lane for P and J pax of all companies, and it will take at least 20 minutes before I can get my passport stamped.

photo DXBHKG-14

It will be the same for security but with more dedicated lanes, so it will be faster. Funnily, security measures make it impossible to go through screening with a bottle of water, but you can bring along your falcon !

photo DXBHKG-15

After these formalities, I proceeded to a long tunnel which links terminals 1 & 3 and I actually found myself at the C gates were many EK flights are also operating.

photo DXBHKG-17

Being neither a shopaholic nor a spotter, I immediately proceeded to the lounge.

photo DXBHKG-18

Very nice but small. I chose an armchair by the window to watch the trafic…

photo DXBHKG-19

But there is not much to see but EK, EK and EK….

photo DXBHKG-27

If you're ever in DXB and you would like to do much more spotting that I did myself, a good place is the Mc Donald's on the second floor, offering sweeping views of the tarmac.

photo DXBHKG-26

Anyway, back to the lounge, which is hardly empty. I was not surprised as I foresaw only 5 passengers in J from the availability that I had checked earlier. Nevertheless, the J cabin will prove almost full ; I believe the Y was overbooked.

photo DXBHKG-20

The lounge is small but one can find wireless internet, a good selection of magazine, clean toilets, confortable chairs and lots of liquors. What else ^^ ?

photo DXBHKG-21photo DXBHKG-22photo DXBHKG-23

Ok, you may ask for more food choices, as it was limited to some cold sandwiches.

photo DXBHKG-24

My selection : cashews were as bad as they look on the picture ! Champagne was self-service, which is uncommon in a BA lounge.

photo DXBHKG-25

Boarding on time.

photo DXBHKG-29

Crystal clear directions… but there was no other way possible anyway ;)

photo DXBHKG-30

And finally I get to discover this cabin which has received so much praise on this website (among others). There's an immediate feel of spaciousness and comfort : flight is definitely promising. Moreover, the 1-2-1 layout is clearly qualitative for a J cabin.

photo DXBHKG-31

But if the praises seem totally justified for the window seats offering comfort and intimacy to the lone traveler….

photo DXBHKG-33

…the feeling is not just the same with the middle seats. I chose them on purpose because I do not travel alone on this flight. Large screens and nice touch with the fresh orchid.

photo DXBHKG-32

The welcome drink is served very quickly : if you look at the photo of the cabin taken when I was boarding, a FA was already in the cabin with her tray, taken care of the first seated passengers.

photo DXBHKG-34

Once the doors closed, an oshibori is offered with a smile, but unfortunately poorly heated (hot outside and cold in the middle of the roll).

photo DXBHKG-35

The safety video is played during the taxi.

photo DXBHKG-36

And we quickly take off while the night comes over Dubaï.

photo DXBHKG-37

Flight attendants, once unbuckled, delivered the menus, a bottle of water and an amenity kit (signed Agnes B., a big trend in Hong Kong, so I understand CX choice, but I find it quite ugly).

photo DXBHKG-40

Food offering on this flight is not very enticing with a chicken terrine as the only option for starter and a choice of pasta, shrimps or salmon (two fish and a veggie, so no meat…) for main course. The wines are not the finest, but they're okay.

photo DXBHKG-38

The only premium liquor would be the Johnny Walker Gold label ; the rest is just a standard bar list.

photo DXBHKG-39

A cart has been dressed up for the drink service. It is elegant, but seeing on it the juices cartons isn't. Nuts were warmed in the galley but I don't think they will remain so untill the last passenger is served.

We will always be called by name, which is a nice touch, but a bit too artificial as you could see the flight attendant check her list (foreground of picture) before adressing you.

photo DXBHKG-41

I tried a Cathay Delight: one of their signature drinks with Champagne, Gin and orange zest. I did not really like, but this must be due to my taste in drinks, I think it was well done.

photo DXBHKG-42

But it would be perfect for Leadership as the orange peel brings many irregularities that are sources of bubbles, thus helping this photo ;)

photo DXBHKG-43

Waiting for the meal service, I play a little with the IFE. It is reactive, has a large screen and provides a lot of choice. Almost perfect but I note three bad points. First, this magazine is useless : it gives the name of the movie, time and language. Nothing that can help you determine whether or not you want to watch this movie.

photo DXBHKG-45

Second, there are 5 minutes of commercials before the movie, and you cannot skip them ! I really hate that.

photo DXBHKG-46

And finally, a disruption of the clock that made this message (however well intentioned initially) pop-up everytime I tried to watch something.

photo DXBHKG-47

I just have time to watch a short show before the service begins. The table is set and a tray containing all the cutlery, the appetizer and a salad is given. Then another FA offers a selection of breads. It is stylish and well orchestrated but you can see that they did not synchronize the two alleys : my friend even before my drink has been cleaned up.

photo DXBHKG-48

The garlic bread is delicious :) The appetizer is very disappointing, quite tasteless. The salad does not look very fresh, and is served with sauce in a plastic jar (the ones you would find in a fast food joint).

photo DXBHKG-49

For the main course, another cart has been dressed up : the good thing is that you can review all the options before making your decision. Unfortunately, none was very engaging. Being very fish , I opted for the salmon, but without conviction.

photo DXBHKG-50

Indeed, this is an industrial-cut rectangle of fish with stripes of cooking food coloring ; broccoli remind me of ex-USA catering (no offense to the US readers !) and if I take the fish, I expect a low calorie option. But the whole is drowning in oil…

photo DXBHKG-51

My friend opted for the pasta. It doesn't look great either.

photo DXBHKG-52

CX did better with the cheese. Nice selection, again presented on a cart to choose from complete cheese board, and served with a port that I found very good. For dessert, the choice was quite limited between blackcurrant cheesecake (my choice) and fresh fruits (providing they were fresher than the salad…)

photo DXBHKG-53

After this dinner, that could be improved but wasn't so bad, I tried to watch a movie but I fell asleep after a few minutes : maybe this is a proof of how confortable these seats are.

photo DXBHKG-54

The only thing about this seat that I could complain about is their length : it is a bit short for me (62) and finding the adequate position for my feet wasn't obvious.

photo DXBHKG-55

Another good idea of this seat is that in bed mode, the remote control shows the progress of the flight (so no need to turn on the IFE). Unfortunately, it suffered the same clock timing problem as the IFE and the information was irrelevant.

photo DXBHKG-56

Nevertheless, I had a wonderful night in these seats. I didn't even hear the breakfast service and consequently skipped it. The cabin crew let me sleep as long as possible : it means they only woke me up when it was time to set the seats back to the upright position and buckle up for landing.

photo DXBHKG-57photo DXBHKG-58

We arrived 30 minutes early, which means 4:30 am in an almost empty airport….and lots of time before our next flight :)

photo DXBHKG-59
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Verdict

Cathay Pacific

8.3/10
Cabin10.0
Cabin crew9.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Meal/catering5.0

British Airways Lounge

8.2/10
Comfort8.0
Meal/catering8.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Services8.0

Dubai - DXB

8.2/10
Efficiency5.0
Access10.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness9.0

Hong Kong - HKG

10.0/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

I had high expectations for Cathay Pacific (it was my first flight with them) and I was not disappointed. It was not perfect, especially because of the catering. I had minor issues with the IFE but this can be corrected easily. Commercials should be removed too.

The seat is perfect. You can't really beat this in a Business class cabin. But the challenge is not easy : I could have taken so many great compagnies between the Gulf and Southeast Asia !

The cabin crew was great but they follow a bit too artifically their procedures : they lack of passenger interaction and they don't go out of their way (for example, I wish we could have been served dinner together with my friend).

It was a great flight. I would take CX again, no problem !

Information on the route Dubai (DXB) Hong Kong (HKG)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 8 avis concernant 2 compagnies sur la ligne Dubai (DXB) → Hong Kong (HKG).


Useful

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

La durée moyenne des vols est de 7 heures et 25 minutes.

  More information

3 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 86916 by
    AirCanada881 1616 Comments
    Excellent report Sir, you made me very nostalgic with your destination.

    The CX hard product looks amazing but on your flight the catering does leave some to be desired it seems, namely presentation of the main dish and, as you said the taste wasn't there. Serving industrial food on a J class product is a big doozie!

    Thanks again for sharing.
  • Comment 87003 by
    lagentsecret 12186 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this FR

    Great pictures of Dubai

    Food in lounge is very poor, especially for a DXB's lounge

    The cabin is very airy and the seats seem to be confortable : 1-2-1 configuration is a plus

    Salmon is an oily fish(and you can believe me, I'm a kind of expert in grassitude), so don't be surprised of not having a low calorie option with

    Small details are missing to make this flight definitely a great one
  • Comment 87051 by
    Durian 1171 Comments
    Thank you for this report, excellent product indeed. Your main course does not seem to be swimming in oil on the picture ;) but the portion looks small though.
    I can't believe the pax boarding with his falcon... locals' privileges probably... he's probably traveling within the region, I can't imagine landing in HKG or SIN with a live bird, ground staff would totally freak out !!

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