ACfly
Oct 22, 03, 9:57 pm
This is a series of trip reports on CX from YYZ-HKG-BKK. I will post all of the segments in this one post, including a review of CX's First Class Lounge - The PIER.
After having an excellent first time experience on CX in Business Class on a trip recently from HKG-DPS, I wanted to up the ante and try CX's long haul First Class product. I also heard from the CX forum that after April 2004, CX will no longer offer First Class from YYZ and will be converting all of their A340 into 2-class plane. Because I had been to HKG before, I didn’t want to stay in HKG for the week, so instead, I booked a trip to BKK via HKG (with 3 night stay in HKG). I have never been to BKK, but have always wanted to go.
This trip was really a last minute splurge - to get away after a rather intense time at work. I called my travel agent and she was able to book my flight with no issues to HKG.. However, for BKK, CX only offered limited flights to BKK with first class service.. With a little bit of investigating, she was able to book me on the flights to BKK from HKG. I received the tickets 2 days after my booking.
Review of First Segment:
Flight: Cathay Pacific (CX) flight 829
Route: YYZ-HKG with a refueling stop in YVR
Aircraft Type: Airbus 340-300
Class: First Class
Departure: October 10, 2003 (Friday) 23:55h
Arrival: October 12, 2003 (Sunday) 08:00h
Pictures of YYZ lounge can be found here:
http://public.fotki.com/ACfly/air_travel/cx_yyz-hkg_in_f/
CX departs from Terminal 3 at Pearson International Airport (YYZ). I checked in two hours prior to the flight, even though CX recommends 3 hours prior to flight (I guess that would be right for Y class but way too long for J or F). The lines were jammed packed at check-in for Y (see pictures). Business Class line was also full. Luckily, First Class line was wide open, but I saw no agent at the check-in counter. As I approached the line, a very friendly agent who was manning the business class line escorted me to the first class check-in counter and efficiently processed my paperwork. I had no luggage to check in. She handed me the boarding pass and an invitation pass to use the First class Lounge (must have been a typo - because there was no First Class lounge). I made my way to the lounge. There were no lines at all through security.
CX uses BA's Executive Lounge (see pictures). What I found surprising was that Korean Air (a non Oneworld member) also uses this lounge. The lounge has no First class section. When I arrived it was rather empty. However, it became very crowded quickly with CX Business, First and Marco Polo members. I was a bit disappointed with the lounge..The dining area was closed (so no meals prior to the flight). There were no computers, no access to Internet other than several pay phones, and no snacks other than crackers and those cholesterol ridden Walkers Butter biscuits. There were some newspapers and magazines (but not a lot). There was only one television, and a rather limited drink selection (probably because all of the good drinks were located in the dining area which was closed at this hour). BA has a separate smoking room, and unfortunately, given how crowded the place was, some passengers had to sit in the smoking section. There was no call for boarding in the lounge.. Overall, not a great lounge (definitely not Pier or Wing or even the Air Canada Maple leaf Lounge)- no food, limited drinks and reading selection, no computers. I, fortunately, brought 20 previous editions of the Economist which I intended to read on this trip and this helped to kill the time. Next time, if I do this trip in F or Business I would arrive an hour before flight and skip the lounge altogether.
Lounge Rating: 2/5
- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
CX 829 HKG-YYZ:
I was the last person to leave the lounge, and when I got to the gate, there were only a few people in economy still boarding. CX uses Airbus 340-300 on this route. First class section is configured 1-2-1 with 2 rows for a total of 8 seats (see pictures. Note: these pictures are for the BKK segment, which employs the same 340-300).
I was the last person to board the F section - It was a full flight - all 8 seats in First were occupied, which was surprising, given that CX is planning to discontinue F class on this segment. Immediately upon entering the F section, I was asked by the FA in First if I mind moving my seat from the coveted 2A to 1A because the passenger in 1A was traveling with another person who was seated in 2C. I, however, declined. If anyone is traveling alone, I highly recommend seat 2A (on the A340), which is located further away from the F class galley - so less noise, and no light from the galley to disturb your sleep). As a bonus, passenger in 2A gets served. Passenger in 2K gets served last. As I sat down, the FA offered champagne or water. I took the water.. which came with some shrimp appetizer (but I didn't really feel like eat). There was a big pillow on top of the seat. There were 2 FA’s serving the FC section.
Unlike in Business class where the Purser only greets Emerald members, in First Class, the Purser came around to each and every one of the First Class passengers and greeted them. Of course, sitting in 2A, I was the first passenger that she approached. She greeted me by name and wished me a pleasant flight.
Once we took off, the FA handed out menus, Delecor amenity kit (see pictures) and the wonderful Shanghai Tang sleeper set with matching eyeshades and slippers (see pictures). The color on the sleeper set was a mustard color with red trims. I did not particularly like the color but they were oh so comfortable to wear. Also, I had never heard of the brand Shanghai Tang until now. Apparently Shanghai Tang is a premium Asian inspired brand. It's the Banana Republic equivalence in Asia and has a huge following. I immediately changed into the sleeper set prior to Supper. I could swear that CX’s First Class Amenity kit used to be supplied by LaPrarie (??). Anyway, I never heard of Delecor. The kit was simple. They had two versions: one for men and the other for women. The men’s version had toothbrush, toothpaste, lip balm, aftershave, mouthwash, and an oil balm recommended for the legs (to improve circulation). Interestingly, the First Class Washrooms (2 washrooms for the 8 first class passengers) had LaPrarie hand crèmes and face sprays. There were also Evian water sprays, razors and shaving lotions. In addition, rather than paper towels, the washrooms had cloth towels, which you throw away.
The following was the Supper menu (for the YYZ-YVR segment of the flight):
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
SUPPER
Caviar and Fine Fish Carving:
Oscietra Caviar and Fine Smoked Salmon served with Warm New Potatoes and Crème Fraiche
A la Carte Menu:
Create your own menu from our "a la carte Menu", which gives you the choice to eat what, and when you like. Our cabin crew will be happy to assist you in taking your order at any time during this flight.
Mushroom and Asparagus Soup
Teriyaki Chicken with Caesar Salad served with Caesar dressing
Main Courses: Veal Medallions with Sautéed Portobello Mushrooms in Cream Sauce served with Mashed Red Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetable Parcels Rigatoni with Spicy Grilled Tomato Sauce
Snack: Smoked Salmon with Green Zucchini Parmigiana Prosciutto with Melon on Green Zucchini Parmigiana
Cheese Board
Ice Cream
Anytime Meals:
Chinese Favorites: Steamed Sea bass with Preserved Vegetables and Sweet Soya Sauce served with Egg Fried Rice and Stir-Fried Pak Choy Noodle in Soup with Wonton and Shui Gaw Cantonese Style Chicken and Abalone Congee Hot Pot Rice with Daily Soup Lo-hon Vegetables with Bean Curd served with Steamed Rice
Bread Basket: Assorted Bread and Rolls
Tea and Coffee
Pralines and Cookies
Condiments of Guilin chili Sauce, Soya sauce and Chinese Red Vinegar are available to accompany your choice.
- - - - - - - - -
Drink List:
Fruit: Orange, Apple, Tomato
Soft Drinks: Coke, Coke Light, Lemon Coke Light, Sprite, Fanta Orange, Tonic Water, Soda Water, Ginger Ale, Perrier Water
Selection of Coffee: Freshly brewed Coffee, Regular or Deca Expresso, Cappuccino and Cafe Latte
Teas: Fuding Jasmine Needle, Nanyan Supreme Ti Guan Yin, Ceylon, Chamomile, Earl Grey, Japanese, Peppermint
Hot Chocolate</font>
What was interesting about the meal service (unlike the business class) was there was no cart service - so you could not see what you were ordering. I guess that the "a la carte" element to it. Also what was interesting was that you could order anything on the menu at anytime... Therefore there was not a separate menu (unlike J class - where you were limited to noodles, pizzas, etc..). I was not particularly hungry (as I had a big dinner prior to arriving at the airport). I instead turned on the CX studio and saw the Matrix Reloaded... 30 minutes into the movie I fell asleep. Somehow, during my sleep the FA had wrapped me in the duvet and had moved my seats to 180 position. I have to say, the CX First Class seat is AMAZING.. so comfortable, and the privacy screen and drop down armrest are ingenious. I didn't wake up until we landed in YVR for a refueling stop. I, unfortunately, did not take pictures of the Supper service (as I slept through most of it).
The only thing I did not like about this flight was the stop in YVR. I didn’t particularly enjoy the fact that the plane had to make a refueling stop in the middle of the night (04:00h EST) when most of the passengers were in REM sleep. I guess the A340-300 cannot travel non-stop to HKG. However, that said, the stop was quick. Passengers were asked to stay in their seats during the ordeal and we did not have to leave the aircraft. A new set of crew boarded to take us to HKG. Within 45 minutes we took off for HKG.
The new FA's went around the cabin introducing themselves and offered us drinks and a meal. I was exhausted and went back to bed. Six hours into the flight, I woke up and was hungry. The FA's saw I was up, came over and asked if I would like to have anything to eat. I chose the Rice Hotpot, which came with soup. It was truly amazing especially the flavorful soup. (See pictures) I saw another movie (Illegally Blonde 2), listened to more of the CX Audio on Demand CD's...and fell asleep for another 2 hours. I must say, I do not really like the headset (Bose look-alike). It says Noise canceling, but I did not think it was. The headset was uncomfortable to wear and became sweaty after a while.
I decided to take a quick stroll around the J/Y cabin. And to my surprise, this flight was completely jam-packed. Every single seat was taken. I guess a lot of people would prefer to travel CX than Air Canada. Even with a refueling stop in YVR, the CX flight is still shorter than the AC flight which now stop in YVR to pick up more passengers before heading off to HKG.
I managed to fall asleep for another 2 hours and woke up hungry again (It was Lunch time in Toronto). This time I ordered the sandwich and the wonton soup along with coffee (see pictures) . Again the food was delicious and well portioned. I turned on Studio CX and saw some more films..... At all times, the FA’s came around constantly to check on the needs of passengers. Most of the passengers were asleep.
Two hours before landing, breakfast was served. Prior to the takeoff from YVR, the FA's had asked each of the passengers in advance when they would like to have breakfast. I had mine 2 hours prior to arrival.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
Breakfast Selection
Juice Selection
Appetizers: Fresh Seasonal Fruits
Yoghourt: Natural Fruit or low Fat Fruit Yoghurt
Cereals:
Raisin Bran, Corn Flakes or Rice Crispies
Breakfast Dishes: Egg-Freshly scrambled, Fried or Boiled Assorted Dim Sum and Pan-Fried Turnip Cake served with Soya Sauce
Accompaniments:
Grilled Canadian Ham, Turkey Sausage Patty, Hash Brown Potatoes, Grilled Tomato and Boiled Whole Mushroom
From the Bakery:
Croissants, Danish Pastries, Muffins, Bagel, Bread Roll and Fresh Toast served with Preserves, Honey and Butter
Tea and Coffee
Light Cream Cheese for Bagel is available
In order to serve you better, all meal orders have to be finalized at least 45 minutes prior to landing.</font>
I had, what the Brit's called an "English Breakfast" - Scrambled Eggs with Ham and Sausage and Grilled Tomatoes. The breakfast was delicious and very filling. The bread was freshly toasted on board, eggs were cooked to order, and the croissants were hot, flaky and perfect.
Within an hour of finishing breakfast, we landed in HKG.
Overall, the flight was fantastic (other than the YVR refueling stop).
Service was impeccable... CX really does train these FA's well. Why can't all airlines have FA's like CX. The service was attentive, but not intrusive.
Oh, one interesting observation. Unlike Asiana, CX relief pilot does not sit in First class, but in Business. I saw the pilot get changed to civilian clothing and headed to the J section. The co-pilot - and relief sleep in the crew compartment right behind the cockpit. Also, the cockpit crew got Business class meals only, not first class. I saw the FA's bringing the crew Business meals.
Check-in: 5/5 Outstanding. Fast, efficient and friendly
Seat: 5/5 Outstanding. Flat bed. I never slept better
Service: 6/5 Beyond Outstanding. Enough Said
Food: 5/5 Simply delicious
[This message has been edited by ACfly (edited 10-22-2003).]
[This message has been edited by ACfly (edited 10-22-2003).]
After having an excellent first time experience on CX in Business Class on a trip recently from HKG-DPS, I wanted to up the ante and try CX's long haul First Class product. I also heard from the CX forum that after April 2004, CX will no longer offer First Class from YYZ and will be converting all of their A340 into 2-class plane. Because I had been to HKG before, I didn’t want to stay in HKG for the week, so instead, I booked a trip to BKK via HKG (with 3 night stay in HKG). I have never been to BKK, but have always wanted to go.
This trip was really a last minute splurge - to get away after a rather intense time at work. I called my travel agent and she was able to book my flight with no issues to HKG.. However, for BKK, CX only offered limited flights to BKK with first class service.. With a little bit of investigating, she was able to book me on the flights to BKK from HKG. I received the tickets 2 days after my booking.
Review of First Segment:
Flight: Cathay Pacific (CX) flight 829
Route: YYZ-HKG with a refueling stop in YVR
Aircraft Type: Airbus 340-300
Class: First Class
Departure: October 10, 2003 (Friday) 23:55h
Arrival: October 12, 2003 (Sunday) 08:00h
Pictures of YYZ lounge can be found here:
http://public.fotki.com/ACfly/air_travel/cx_yyz-hkg_in_f/
CX departs from Terminal 3 at Pearson International Airport (YYZ). I checked in two hours prior to the flight, even though CX recommends 3 hours prior to flight (I guess that would be right for Y class but way too long for J or F). The lines were jammed packed at check-in for Y (see pictures). Business Class line was also full. Luckily, First Class line was wide open, but I saw no agent at the check-in counter. As I approached the line, a very friendly agent who was manning the business class line escorted me to the first class check-in counter and efficiently processed my paperwork. I had no luggage to check in. She handed me the boarding pass and an invitation pass to use the First class Lounge (must have been a typo - because there was no First Class lounge). I made my way to the lounge. There were no lines at all through security.
CX uses BA's Executive Lounge (see pictures). What I found surprising was that Korean Air (a non Oneworld member) also uses this lounge. The lounge has no First class section. When I arrived it was rather empty. However, it became very crowded quickly with CX Business, First and Marco Polo members. I was a bit disappointed with the lounge..The dining area was closed (so no meals prior to the flight). There were no computers, no access to Internet other than several pay phones, and no snacks other than crackers and those cholesterol ridden Walkers Butter biscuits. There were some newspapers and magazines (but not a lot). There was only one television, and a rather limited drink selection (probably because all of the good drinks were located in the dining area which was closed at this hour). BA has a separate smoking room, and unfortunately, given how crowded the place was, some passengers had to sit in the smoking section. There was no call for boarding in the lounge.. Overall, not a great lounge (definitely not Pier or Wing or even the Air Canada Maple leaf Lounge)- no food, limited drinks and reading selection, no computers. I, fortunately, brought 20 previous editions of the Economist which I intended to read on this trip and this helped to kill the time. Next time, if I do this trip in F or Business I would arrive an hour before flight and skip the lounge altogether.
Lounge Rating: 2/5
- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
CX 829 HKG-YYZ:
I was the last person to leave the lounge, and when I got to the gate, there were only a few people in economy still boarding. CX uses Airbus 340-300 on this route. First class section is configured 1-2-1 with 2 rows for a total of 8 seats (see pictures. Note: these pictures are for the BKK segment, which employs the same 340-300).
I was the last person to board the F section - It was a full flight - all 8 seats in First were occupied, which was surprising, given that CX is planning to discontinue F class on this segment. Immediately upon entering the F section, I was asked by the FA in First if I mind moving my seat from the coveted 2A to 1A because the passenger in 1A was traveling with another person who was seated in 2C. I, however, declined. If anyone is traveling alone, I highly recommend seat 2A (on the A340), which is located further away from the F class galley - so less noise, and no light from the galley to disturb your sleep). As a bonus, passenger in 2A gets served. Passenger in 2K gets served last. As I sat down, the FA offered champagne or water. I took the water.. which came with some shrimp appetizer (but I didn't really feel like eat). There was a big pillow on top of the seat. There were 2 FA’s serving the FC section.
Unlike in Business class where the Purser only greets Emerald members, in First Class, the Purser came around to each and every one of the First Class passengers and greeted them. Of course, sitting in 2A, I was the first passenger that she approached. She greeted me by name and wished me a pleasant flight.
Once we took off, the FA handed out menus, Delecor amenity kit (see pictures) and the wonderful Shanghai Tang sleeper set with matching eyeshades and slippers (see pictures). The color on the sleeper set was a mustard color with red trims. I did not particularly like the color but they were oh so comfortable to wear. Also, I had never heard of the brand Shanghai Tang until now. Apparently Shanghai Tang is a premium Asian inspired brand. It's the Banana Republic equivalence in Asia and has a huge following. I immediately changed into the sleeper set prior to Supper. I could swear that CX’s First Class Amenity kit used to be supplied by LaPrarie (??). Anyway, I never heard of Delecor. The kit was simple. They had two versions: one for men and the other for women. The men’s version had toothbrush, toothpaste, lip balm, aftershave, mouthwash, and an oil balm recommended for the legs (to improve circulation). Interestingly, the First Class Washrooms (2 washrooms for the 8 first class passengers) had LaPrarie hand crèmes and face sprays. There were also Evian water sprays, razors and shaving lotions. In addition, rather than paper towels, the washrooms had cloth towels, which you throw away.
The following was the Supper menu (for the YYZ-YVR segment of the flight):
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
SUPPER
Caviar and Fine Fish Carving:
Oscietra Caviar and Fine Smoked Salmon served with Warm New Potatoes and Crème Fraiche
A la Carte Menu:
Create your own menu from our "a la carte Menu", which gives you the choice to eat what, and when you like. Our cabin crew will be happy to assist you in taking your order at any time during this flight.
Mushroom and Asparagus Soup
Teriyaki Chicken with Caesar Salad served with Caesar dressing
Main Courses: Veal Medallions with Sautéed Portobello Mushrooms in Cream Sauce served with Mashed Red Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetable Parcels Rigatoni with Spicy Grilled Tomato Sauce
Snack: Smoked Salmon with Green Zucchini Parmigiana Prosciutto with Melon on Green Zucchini Parmigiana
Cheese Board
Ice Cream
Anytime Meals:
Chinese Favorites: Steamed Sea bass with Preserved Vegetables and Sweet Soya Sauce served with Egg Fried Rice and Stir-Fried Pak Choy Noodle in Soup with Wonton and Shui Gaw Cantonese Style Chicken and Abalone Congee Hot Pot Rice with Daily Soup Lo-hon Vegetables with Bean Curd served with Steamed Rice
Bread Basket: Assorted Bread and Rolls
Tea and Coffee
Pralines and Cookies
Condiments of Guilin chili Sauce, Soya sauce and Chinese Red Vinegar are available to accompany your choice.
- - - - - - - - -
Drink List:
Fruit: Orange, Apple, Tomato
Soft Drinks: Coke, Coke Light, Lemon Coke Light, Sprite, Fanta Orange, Tonic Water, Soda Water, Ginger Ale, Perrier Water
Selection of Coffee: Freshly brewed Coffee, Regular or Deca Expresso, Cappuccino and Cafe Latte
Teas: Fuding Jasmine Needle, Nanyan Supreme Ti Guan Yin, Ceylon, Chamomile, Earl Grey, Japanese, Peppermint
Hot Chocolate</font>
What was interesting about the meal service (unlike the business class) was there was no cart service - so you could not see what you were ordering. I guess that the "a la carte" element to it. Also what was interesting was that you could order anything on the menu at anytime... Therefore there was not a separate menu (unlike J class - where you were limited to noodles, pizzas, etc..). I was not particularly hungry (as I had a big dinner prior to arriving at the airport). I instead turned on the CX studio and saw the Matrix Reloaded... 30 minutes into the movie I fell asleep. Somehow, during my sleep the FA had wrapped me in the duvet and had moved my seats to 180 position. I have to say, the CX First Class seat is AMAZING.. so comfortable, and the privacy screen and drop down armrest are ingenious. I didn't wake up until we landed in YVR for a refueling stop. I, unfortunately, did not take pictures of the Supper service (as I slept through most of it).
The only thing I did not like about this flight was the stop in YVR. I didn’t particularly enjoy the fact that the plane had to make a refueling stop in the middle of the night (04:00h EST) when most of the passengers were in REM sleep. I guess the A340-300 cannot travel non-stop to HKG. However, that said, the stop was quick. Passengers were asked to stay in their seats during the ordeal and we did not have to leave the aircraft. A new set of crew boarded to take us to HKG. Within 45 minutes we took off for HKG.
The new FA's went around the cabin introducing themselves and offered us drinks and a meal. I was exhausted and went back to bed. Six hours into the flight, I woke up and was hungry. The FA's saw I was up, came over and asked if I would like to have anything to eat. I chose the Rice Hotpot, which came with soup. It was truly amazing especially the flavorful soup. (See pictures) I saw another movie (Illegally Blonde 2), listened to more of the CX Audio on Demand CD's...and fell asleep for another 2 hours. I must say, I do not really like the headset (Bose look-alike). It says Noise canceling, but I did not think it was. The headset was uncomfortable to wear and became sweaty after a while.
I decided to take a quick stroll around the J/Y cabin. And to my surprise, this flight was completely jam-packed. Every single seat was taken. I guess a lot of people would prefer to travel CX than Air Canada. Even with a refueling stop in YVR, the CX flight is still shorter than the AC flight which now stop in YVR to pick up more passengers before heading off to HKG.
I managed to fall asleep for another 2 hours and woke up hungry again (It was Lunch time in Toronto). This time I ordered the sandwich and the wonton soup along with coffee (see pictures) . Again the food was delicious and well portioned. I turned on Studio CX and saw some more films..... At all times, the FA’s came around constantly to check on the needs of passengers. Most of the passengers were asleep.
Two hours before landing, breakfast was served. Prior to the takeoff from YVR, the FA's had asked each of the passengers in advance when they would like to have breakfast. I had mine 2 hours prior to arrival.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
Breakfast Selection
Juice Selection
Appetizers: Fresh Seasonal Fruits
Yoghourt: Natural Fruit or low Fat Fruit Yoghurt
Cereals:
Raisin Bran, Corn Flakes or Rice Crispies
Breakfast Dishes: Egg-Freshly scrambled, Fried or Boiled Assorted Dim Sum and Pan-Fried Turnip Cake served with Soya Sauce
Accompaniments:
Grilled Canadian Ham, Turkey Sausage Patty, Hash Brown Potatoes, Grilled Tomato and Boiled Whole Mushroom
From the Bakery:
Croissants, Danish Pastries, Muffins, Bagel, Bread Roll and Fresh Toast served with Preserves, Honey and Butter
Tea and Coffee
Light Cream Cheese for Bagel is available
In order to serve you better, all meal orders have to be finalized at least 45 minutes prior to landing.</font>
I had, what the Brit's called an "English Breakfast" - Scrambled Eggs with Ham and Sausage and Grilled Tomatoes. The breakfast was delicious and very filling. The bread was freshly toasted on board, eggs were cooked to order, and the croissants were hot, flaky and perfect.
Within an hour of finishing breakfast, we landed in HKG.
Overall, the flight was fantastic (other than the YVR refueling stop).
Service was impeccable... CX really does train these FA's well. Why can't all airlines have FA's like CX. The service was attentive, but not intrusive.
Oh, one interesting observation. Unlike Asiana, CX relief pilot does not sit in First class, but in Business. I saw the pilot get changed to civilian clothing and headed to the J section. The co-pilot - and relief sleep in the crew compartment right behind the cockpit. Also, the cockpit crew got Business class meals only, not first class. I saw the FA's bringing the crew Business meals.
Check-in: 5/5 Outstanding. Fast, efficient and friendly
Seat: 5/5 Outstanding. Flat bed. I never slept better
Service: 6/5 Beyond Outstanding. Enough Said
Food: 5/5 Simply delicious
[This message has been edited by ACfly (edited 10-22-2003).]
[This message has been edited by ACfly (edited 10-22-2003).]