Planning & Booking
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class San Francisco to Hong Kong
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
The Bridge Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge
Cathay Pacific A330 Business Class Hong Kong to Taipei
W Taipei
Cathay Pacific 777 Business Class Taipei to Hong Kong
The Wing Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge
Cathay Pacific 777-300ER First Class Hong Kong to Los Angeles
We were originally slated to fly home the next day on American's direct service from Hong Kong to Dallas. I had been looking for other options prior to the trip but couldn't find anything. The night before we were supposed to head home, I found availability on Cathay Pacific first class. Because there were some challenges in switching our flight, I'm going to write a separate post about what we did and how we did it. But now onto the trip report...
After spending a wonderful afternoon in The Wing, we made our way down to the gate. Boarding had already begun and we were on the plane within minutes. Cathay Pacific only has 6 first seats on their 777-300ER (vs. 8 on Singapore for example) so the cabin feels incredibly wide and spacious. We were shown to our seats (1D and 1K) with Emily taking the window seats and me in the aisle.
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| Cathay Pacific First Class |
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| Oh hey 1K |
Our plane had Cathay's "refreshed" first seat which was cool. While there isn't a door that closes, this is probably my second favorite first class seat (next to Singapore Suites). The seat is unbelievable comfortable for both lounging and sleeping. There is a fold out tv which can be angled to ensure you get the perfect viewing angle. There's a touch screen seat control, remote, two reading lights, and power ports. On the left hand side of my seat was a cubby to store small items.
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| First of many glasses of Krug |
The ottoman doubles as a buddy seat (more on this later) complete with a seatbelt. There's plenty of room under the ottoman for a carry-on (we had checked bags). Facing the aisle is a closet with a hanging bar and plenty of space underneath for additional items.
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| Buddy seat and TV |
Once we settled in, we were both presented with menus, amenity kits, and pajamas.
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| Amenity kits and pajama "tote" |
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| PYE PJs |
Of all the first class pajamas we've received over the last few years, these are our favorites. Made of organic cotton by PYE, they are incredibly soft and comfortable. In fact, I'm wearing them now as I write this post 6 weeks after our flight! The pajama "bag" also included slippers and an eye mask.
We were served an amuse-bouche on the ground along with a glass of (what else) Krug.
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| Pre departure amuse-bouche and champs |
The first cabin is separated by a permanent wall on the left side of the aisle. So the while the setup is 1-1-1 the seats on the left hand side just have the wall to the right. There were two other passengers seated on the other side of the "wall" but we had the right side all to ourselves.
After a quick taxi and impressive takeoff in my favorite aircraft, the real fun began. We had two LA based flight attendants (Devin and Koji) who were outstanding. We placed our orders and asked if we could dine together. "Of course!" was the answer.
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| Caviar setup |
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| Dinner at 37,000 feet |
Generally people don't rave about Cathay's food and I get it. The caviar setup was beautifully presented but it's hard to mess that up. Emily ordered a steak which was very well done and seriously like 14oz. I'm not sure anyone could eat this piece of meat on the ground after running a marathon let alone sitting in a metal tube for 12 hours.
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| How big is this steak? |
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| Salad |
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| I can't remember what I ordered |
That said, our wine glasses were never empty and both flight attendants made the dining together experience pretty fun. I sat in the "buddy seat" facing Emily. They bring in an extra "leaf" to make the tray table larger and our dishes all fit comfortably on the table.
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| Can't beat this view |
After a great meal we both changed into our pajamas and asked for our beds to be made. When we returned, both beds were turned down with bottles of water in our cup holders.
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| Tea and macarons |
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| Apple pie |
I turned on a movie but was so tired after a long travel day and the meal that I passed out and slept comfortably for almost 6 hours. When I woke up we were about 2.5 hours out from landing so I watched some shows on my computer and then changed back into my street clothes for breakfast.
I ordered a cappuccino, fruit, and eggs which were amazing. The best eggs I've had on a plane.
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| Solid breakfast |
After breakfast, we were only about 40 minutes out from landing so I watched the belly cam for a bit. After a smooth touchdown, we taxied to a remote gate were buses took us to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Thanks to Global Entry, we were picking up our bags and headed to Terminal 7 for our United flight to Denver in less than 15 minutes.
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| Our ride from HKG to LAX |
I loved Cathay Pacific first. So much so that we'll be flying the product again from JFK to Vancouver in April. Then again, I'll fly to Hong Kong from LA with my brother. Singapore Airlines is still number one in my book in terms of overall service and experience although Cathay's a close second. I can't wait to fly them again.
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