Trip Reports - PART 3-YVR-JFK on Cathay 888

Well, I now know what all of the members of this board mean when they say that CX is one great airline. The flight from YVR-JFK in my quest for my 2 100K bonus mile trip, was nothing short of remarkable. First of all the CX lounge for First Class passengers in YVR is very impressive. Not only are the perople who run it very friendly, but imageine having freshly made sandwiches, dim sum, french pastries, brewed coffee, espresso, etc. and a full bar open for the asking! ( at 10AM no less ). After this little morning snack, the trek to Gate 94 took me through some interesting Duty Free Shopping areas in the international terminal. Then on to the flight. The 747-400 packed to the gills, mostly from passengers who had just come in from HKG. First Class was set up downstairs with a total of 18 seats. Upon arriving Krug champagne or water was offered. Immediately I knew that I would be in for something special. Seats were green fabric and were very comfortable. Personal TV were about 6 inches diagonal. Entertainment was NOT on demand, but on a continuous reel that repeated the programming every 2 hours. However, the clarity of the scree was excellent. Air Show revealed our position at all times.
Menus were handed out immediately after take off. Starters included an antipasto choice of dried beef with parmesan cheese, grilled zucchini, mushrooms, and calamari with excellent sweet peppers. Then came the hot and sour szechuan soup followed by a trolley of tiger prawns, seared salmon, stir fried beef and penne pasta. Vegetables included fried rice, potato croquettes, string beans and eggplant. This was followed by a choice of fresh fruit or cheese platter, WHICH WAS FOLLOWED by a corbet cake and espresso. Great meal. ( What is wrong with our US airlines???) Haagan Dazs ice cream bars and cookis were handed out prior to landing at JFK. Very quick flight. Incidentally, champagne was sensational. Never knew how great Krug could taste at 37,000 feet. Wines were good, but did not try this segment of the trip. On to Barcelona via Frankfurt.....

Thanks for the report. Like you, I will be taking those flights between YVR and JFK later next month on "the quest".

Having experienced the dim sum on a previous visit to the CX Lounge at YVR -- on a J-class flight to HKG and onward to Sri Lanka last year -- I started salivating the moment I hung up from booking the ticket as the memories of waiting for that flight flooded back. One of the advantages of being elite and having lounge access irregardless of the fare paid. (My ticket, by the way, arrived the next day by FedEx with no additional charge made to me: this for the $429 special fare! Was this normal service or because I'm a Cdn+ Gold/oneworld Sapphire?)

Since I've not flown in the back cabin on CX -- I envy your budget to be able to do this in F-class -- I am still not sure what to expect on this "transborder" flight.

Look forward to your next dispatches. And your thoughts about Barcelona, which is my destination (albeit on AA's IB codeshare directly from JFK).

[This message has been edited by Shareholder (edited 10-29-1999).]

Great report! I flew CX 888 in March 98 from HKG to JFK on its C class. It was a great flight, and the upper deck was half full on the YVR to JFK sector. Back then, they served a hors d'oeuvre and sushi and ice-cream before landing. Anyway, it is such a short flight that a second refreshment course is amazing in itself.

Have a safe flight to FRA! Are you flying AA for JFK to FRA?

Safe flying,
Carfield