Review of Cathay Pacific flight New York Vancouver in Premium Eco

Airline Cathay Pacific
Flight CX889
Class Premium Eco
Seat 32D
Aircraft Boeing 777-300ER
Flight time 05:15
Take-off 24 May 13, 22:15
Arrival at 25 May 13, 00:30
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
Quirrow
By 12374
Published on 9th November 2013
With a late departure from New York's JFK, we had a leisurely drive from Philadelphia, leaving slightly after lunch and arrived in Manhattan around 3pm, giving us time to buy some cupcakes and even have dinner at Hahm Ji Bach in Flushing, NY before heading to the airport. Check-in for the Cathay Pacific flight was fast, and with my Dad seated in Business Class, and some of us having Frequent Flyer status with Cathay Pacific's Marco Polo Club, we were able to use the Business Class check-in line. Not that the Economy Class check-in line is any crowded. This is yet again another reason I fly with Cathay Pacific - I rarely find the need to queue even checking in for Economy Class flights. It took some time for the agent to ascertain the passport and seat arrangement for all 5 passengers but it was pleasant to know 4 of us had been upgraded to the Premium Economy cabin for the flight back to Vancouver. Even for the 5 hour trans-continental crossing, this was really great! Another plus point for staying loyal with Cathay Pacific.

However, the surprise does not stop here. Since my siblings do not have 'elite' Marco Polo Club membership, they did not have lounge access, but seeing that 3 of us had lounge access, the check-in agent made a call to the Galleries Lounge managed by British Airways to inform them of our arrival. And with that, we were given a total of 5 lounge invites!

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BA Galleries lounge at JFK

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Art gallery in the lounge

This is my first visit to the British Airways Galleries Lounge in JFK and I was not expecting much. However the experience was better than average, as the lounge is certainly spacious with lots of seats and dining areas. There are 2 main lounge areas, one just as we enter the lounge with artworks lined along the side of the walls and access to the Elemis spa and shower areas at the end.

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Plenty of space in the lounge

On the left is the main refreshments and snacks area. There are a variety of potato chips, cookies, fruits and soft drinks which is more than the usual North American lounge. There is also a dedicated bar area with tall stools.

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Bar area at the Lounge

Since there was still some time, I decided to freshen myself before the flight and asked for a shower room. The shower are was actually very nice with a separate enclosed shower cubicle and it was kept clean with the shampoo and body wash placed in a wall-mounted container. For those travelling on British Airways Business Class, there was also a dining area with a-la carte service. I do not remember if this service is extended to Cathay Pacific Business Class but none of us felt the need to dine anymore since we just had an excellent Korean BBQ meal prior heading to the airport. We did partake in some chips and soft drinks from the counter and they were adequate for the lounge at this time of the day. While this was not an overly fantastic lounge, it was spacious and nicer than the very small oneworld Lounge in LAX.

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Shower room

After spending some time in the lounge, boarding was called and we walked over to the boarding gate which was a short walk away. It was an very pleasant procedure on boarding as order was maintained and before long we were onboard the Premium Economy cabin. This would be my third time on this cabin, but the first time I was seated on the second row instead of the bulkhead. I will reiterate that the bulkhead seats are the preferred seats in Premium Economy due to the extra legroom. Since our party of 4 obtained 2 aisle seats on the second row and 2 bulkhead seats, I let my Mum and Sister enjoy the bulkhead seats to allow them to get a better rest during the night, though operating the entertainment system is also better for non-bulkhead seats. While I would enjoy being seated to my brother, the one occupying the window seat wanted the view and my aisle seat was good enough anyway.

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Premium Economy seatback onboard Cathay Pacific 777-300ER

As always, pre-departure beverages and hot towels were distributed before pullback and this is one of the distinguishing perks from Economy. The new seats has a nice compartment for the used towels, wallets and phones and this feature is also present on the re-designed Economy seats. Additional storage is definitely welcome especially when travelling in Economy.

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More of the Premium Economy cabin from another flight I took

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Cathay Pacific's Premium Economy, taken from a different flight

However as I mentioned before, the seats in Premium Economy does not seem to be well made as there was some difficulty in getting my Mum's seat to recline after take-off and I would be really disappointed if the seats could not recline in a trans-pacific crossing. Other than that this was an ordinary flight and I was able to catch one movie and some shows while having my supper. The menu for the New York to Vancouver flight was as follows:

Supper ??

Prawns with marinated potato salad ?????????

Stir-fried prawns with X.O sauce, egg fried rice, and mix vegetables X.O????????????

or Grilled USDA prime beef tenderloin with caramelized onion ragout, parsnip mash potatoes and Kenya beans with pepperonata ????????????????????????

or Linguine pasta with truffle oil cream sauce, toasted pine nuts and baby zucchini ????????????????

Peach yoghurt cake ??????

Tea and Coffee ????

Spirits and Aperitifs

Chivas Regal 12 years old

Johnnie Walker Black Label

Cognac

Vodka

Gin

Rum

Campari

Wines 

Germany white wine - Mosel Riesling Feinherb 2011

or French red wine - Maison Belleroche Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

or Dourthe Beau - Mayne Bordeaux 2010

Beer 

Non-alcoholic Beverages

Soft drinks, juices, tea/coffee

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Inflight meal of grilled USDA prime beef tenderloin

I picked the Beef Tenderloin as I had a very excellent piece of steak previously. The only meal service for this flight includes 3 choices of entrees similar to that in the Business Class cabin and this is another perk of Cathay's Premium Economy. The steak was acceptable based on airline standards and the choices were definitely better than those served on North American carriers so-called domestic 'First Class' cabin. The caramelized onion ragout was a great fit with the beef even if the meat was a bit overcooked for my liking.  The meal service also included a piece of Ghirardelli chocolate which I enjoyed at the end of the meal.



Another feature I enjoy in the cabin was the take-off and landing camera views which was easy to access. The service in the Premium Economy cabin is again more or less similar to that of Economy after the conclusion of meal service. With the upgrades and all, this was another excellent flight with Cathay Pacific, and there was little to no queue as we exit the immigration at Vancouver at that time of the night. This was thus a very pleasing conclusion to a good family holiday!
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Verdict

Cathay Pacific

8.6/10
Cabin9.0
Cabin crew7.0
Entertainment/wifi9.5
Meal/catering9.0

British Airways Terraces Lounge - 7

5.9/10
Comfort4.5
Meal/catering4.5
Entertainment/wifi6.0
Services8.5

New York - JFK

6.9/10
Efficiency7.5
Access6.0
Services6.5
Cleanliness7.5

Vancouver - YVR

9.1/10
Efficiency8.0
Access9.5
Services9.5
Cleanliness9.5

Conclusion

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.

  More information

8 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 92241 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this first report on Cathay's Premium Economy on this site! The product looks good overall, especially the catering. The seats don't look as spacious as the press photos I've seen released by Cathay when they introduced this class last year (of course, marketing photos are often flaterring). How is the recline? Beautiful pictures!
    • Comment 283835 by
      Quirrow AUTHOR 155 Comments
      The legroom is very good in the bulkhead, in the rest of the seats, they are slightly more spacious. The recline, though, was comfortable enough for me and I wouldn't mind this Y+ seat if I can get one on the bulkhead. As for the catering, the first main course is from the Business class section, hence it looks real good!
  • Comment 92268 by
    lagentsecret 12186 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this FR

    BA lounge looks quite good, much better as any US lounge as you pointed

    Is the price difference between Y and Y+ a good value for money ?

    Catering looks yummy

    Is the wine list the same as Y ?

    Great pictures as usual

    • Comment 284012 by
      Quirrow AUTHOR 155 Comments
      If asking me to pay for Y+ on this route, I would most probably stick with Y. It would be more worth the price difference for long-haul routes like HKG to Europe or HKG to N. America. I think the wine list is the same for Y and Y+
  • Comment 92281 by
    indianocean SILVER 7572 Comments
    I really like the first picture of the BA Galleries lounge. Although there is no outside view, the lounge is full of light and spacious.
    The pitch of the PE seat is very good.
    Good to know that CX takes very good care of the MPC members.
    Great FR.
  • Comment 92331 by
    jetsetpanda 2283 Comments
    Thanks for sharing another beautifully photographed report. This CX flight is the best North American flight, no matter what class your are flying.
  • Comment 92440 by
    A380B77W 4295 Comments
    Thanks for this good FR :)

    The pictures are very good quality, beautiful !
  • Comment 92708 by
    Quirrow AUTHOR 155 Comments
    Thanks all for the compliments! Glad that you enjoyed the photos!

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