I flew from Toronto to Hong Kong and back on Cathay Pacific Business Class through an awards ticket recently.
Cathay Pacific uses a Boeing 777-300ER type aircraft for this 15-hour flight.
Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300ER
The Business Class seats are set up in a ‘reverse herringbone’ 1-2-1 structure, and both times I had a right-side window seat.
My flight to HK was in November while the return trip was early December. The reason I mention this is because I found out that carriers change their menus every month, so flying in and out during different months can make a difference in terms of what you get to eat.
Toronto-Hong Kong Flight
Checking in:
Cathay Pacific Business Class Counter at YYZ
Checking in at the Cathay Pacific Business Class counter at the Toronto Lester Pearson Airport was uneventful. It was not very fast moving, as compared to Eva Air, but the agents were professional.
Inside the flight
The flight attendants were courteous as I stepped into the aircraft and guided me to my seat.
I got a small glass of orange juice and hot towel before takeoff.
About twenty minutes after takeoff, I received the night-time pouch. It contained a travel toothbrush and tooth paste, a pair of socks and toiletries.
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- Cathay Pacific Business Class to HK – Toiletries
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- Cathay Pacific Business Class to HK – Toiletries
Then came the first round of snacks – bread, butter, dips and fruits. Alcohol, including Champagne Deutz Brut Classic, was available but I went for plain old gin-and-tonic. The mixture was actually good, with the right amount of gin to go with the tonic water.
And then the main meal was served.
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- Toronto-HK Cathay Pacific Business Class November 2015 Menu
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- Toronto-HK Cathay Pacific Business Class November 2015 Menu
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- Snacks Toronto-HK Cathay Pacific Business Class
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- Dinner- Toronto-HK Cathay Pacific Business Class
I chose pan fried cod, egg white dried scallop sauce, kalian, carrots and egg fried rice.
The service was great even if I felt they rushed everything.
After meals, there was still tea, coffee soup and burgers available.
Just before three am, I got another hot towel, followed by tea/coffee and/or juice.
Little later there was fruit bowl, croissants and muffins.
Then came the early morning meal: I chose shredded pork congee and pan-fried turnip case with preserved meats. It is unusually heavy for that time of the day, but then I always like to taste different types of foods.
Toronto-HK Cathay Pacific Business Class Breakfast
Hong Kong – Toronto Flight
Check-in
We checked in at the Business Class counter at the Kowloon Station. It is ideal as it allows to walk around the huge station with its myriad of stores, and then catch a train to the airport.
Check-in was very professional though nothing special.
I reached the airport about 2 hours before the flight, to enjoy the various lounges to which I had access as a business class passenger.
A little after I boarded and took my seat in the aircraft, I was offered orange juice. There was also the option of champagne or even a special juice with coconut flavor.
Then hot towels were provided.
The flight left about 30 minutes past its departure time and the pilot said there were ‘cargo’ issues that caused the delay.
Soon after takeoff, meals were provided. For starters, there was hot smoked creole salmon, roasted potatoes and crème fraiche.
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- HK-Toronto Cathay Pacific Business Class December 2015 Menu
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- HK-Toronto Cathay Pacific Business Class December 2015 Menu
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- HK-Toronto Cathay Pacific Business Class December 2015 Menu
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- HK-Toronto Cathay Pacific Business Class December 2015 Dinner
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- HK-Toronto Cathay Pacific Business Class December 2015 Dinner
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- HK-Toronto Cathay Pacific Business Class December 2015 Dinner
For the main, I chose work-fried prawns in chili sauce with broccoli and jasmine rice. And to end this sumptuous meal, there was cheese and fruits.
About 2.5 hours before landing, breakfast was served but I skipped the main course. In between there were snacks and drinks available upon request.
Final Comments
As I mentioned earlier, Cathay Pacific uses Boeing 777-300ER aircraft for this route, and the Business Class is ‘reverse herringbone’ system on a 1-2-1 basis. I always reserved the right window seat.
I am not big made so the entire quarters including the seat width and pitch were very comfortable for me. But I found the controls for the seat were a little complicated. The aircraft also gave the look and feeling of having seen many, many years of service.
The entertainment system in the Business Class was excellent with hundreds of movies, documentaries and TV shows in a number of languages – from English to German, Tamil, Hindi and of course Cantonese and Mandarin.
The headphones were of great quality. There were charging outlets for iPod as well as as a USB charger and an electric outlet, which is great as I one could charge more than one device at the same time.
All in all, it was a pleasant experience. It might not have been special like my experience with Eva Air in 2014, but then Cathay Pacific staff are very professional. There is consistency in everything – from the cleanliness of the seat quarters to the toilet and the service.
