Cathay Pacific First Class, HKG-LHR
Jul 19, 2003, 7:57 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,011
Cathay Pacific First Class, HKG-LHR
Flight: CX251
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400, B-HOO
Departure time: 2355
Departure gate: 1
Sector: HKG LHR
It was good to see Hong Kong Airport with people in it again, showing passenger numbers are hopefully picking up again post-Sars. The CX First Class check-in currently had two podiums ‘in use’. I couldn’t see any available Customer Services Agents, so I was resigning myself to a wait as I approached the check-in area. Of course, this being CX, I should have known better – as soon as I drew near a podium a CSA came out of the staff area and immediately motioned me over. One of the specially dedicated First Class ‘baggage movers’ came over to take my trolley over to the adjacent conveyor belt for tagging.
The first thing the CSA did after receipting my ticket and passport was to pass me a Health Declaration Form and a pen, so I could fill out the form while she checked me in. I have no idea who designed the form, but generally I appreciate having more than a 5cm line to write my full name.
The timing was perfect, just as I signed on the line the CSA printed off my boarding pass and lounge invitation (which incidentally had The Pier crossed out on it in blue marker). I asked her for an oversize baggage tag for my carry-on – she pulled a face and said it should be ok, whilst simultaneously tagging it anyway.
I strolled over to South immigration and began the gauntlet of checks. First up was a boarding pass check, followed by another boarding pass check and the tag being pulled on the handcarry. Next was the temperature screening station where I handed over my health declaration and passed through the thermal camera check. The immigration lines were short, even though only a couple of stations were open and as always the HK ID card lane moved swiftly. The immigration counters now have plastic shields constructed around the top, presumably to shield the officers from any errant sneezes.
Security was quick, efficient and hassle-free (I appreciated not having to remove my laptop as is required in Auckland, goodness knows why because neither HK nor London ask you to). The view over the airport apron after clearing security is now obstructed by a mass of temporary walls shielding construction – the foodcourt is apparently undergoing a total revamp and an additional area for shops jutting out in front of gate 21 will also be, I hear, opening soon.
Into the Wing… and was met by a mass of teeming people. The First Class lounge was literally packed full – from the open seating area to the Library. A lounge attendant who I’ve met a couple of times recognised me and quickly whisked me over past the agent on duty to where part of the Business Class lounge had been temporarily transformed into additional seating for the First Class lounge. After he returned with my orange juice, he told me that usually while the lounge was fairly quiet during 11am – 9pm, during early morning and late night it would be packed. It didn’t really surprise me – there are a lot of long-hauls leaving past 9pm (most European and a couple of Australian flights) and with the closure of the Pier everyone is jammed into the Wing.
Trying to find a free PC was a mission next to impossible, so I didn’t even bother… the sooner the Pier reopens, the better!
There was a secondary passport check at the gate and a slight delay in boarding, but CX251 still managed an on-time departure. The First Class cabin ended up 9 seats out of 12 filled, and we were offered drinks after we’d settled into our seats and jackets had been hung. The pre take-off canapé has been scrapped, and although I was offered some deliciously warmed cashew nuts on my other flights, these weren’t on offer on this one.
No hot towel service either – instead the crew came round with disposable towelettes in silver packets and also handed out amenity and comfort kits. The slippers and pyjamas have been combined into one kit now, manufactured by Shanghai Tang, which is a fairly well-known supplier in Hong Kong. Newspapers were laid out on the crew workstation table between 2A (my seat) and 2K, although the crew did make a pass through the cabin offering newspapers just before the doors were closed.
The captain and Inflight Service Manager came on the PA system to make their usual announcements, the inflight safety video was played and we began our taxi. Somewhere between boarding and pushback the runway direction shifted from using 25 to 07, meaning we basically had to taxi all the way to the other end of the airport for takeoff. Still, I got some great views of aircraft taking off as we trundled our way down to the western end, including the CX A340-600 jetting off for Sydney.
After takeoff the crew came around with menus and another round of towelettes (somehow ‘disinfectant towelette service’ doesn’t have the same ring as ‘hot towel service’), and took orders for post-takeoff drinks, which were accompanied by some of those delicious nuts. The healthy travelling and plug for Unicef videos were also played as B-HOO climbed up to its cruising altitude.
The ISM came around to introduce herself and pass out arrival cards and Fast Track folders for Heathrow.
SUPPER
Create your own men 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 the flight.
* Vegetarian choice
Caviar and Balik Delight
Oscietra caviar
and
Balik Salmon “Tsar Nicolaj”
served with Warm New Potatoes and Crème Fraiche
Light Option
Fennel, Potato and Leek Soup served with Mini Garlic Baguette
Nicoise Salad served with Herb Vinaigrette Dressing
Main Courses
Grilled Marinated Lamb Chops with Natural Gravy and Roasted Garlic Cloves
served with Boulangere Potatoes and Vegetable Casserole
Mushroom Ravioli with Tomato Basil Sauce*
Snack
Roasted Vegetable with Feta Cheese in Puff Pastry with Salad served with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing*
Cheese Board
Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream
Chinese Favourites
Fried Prawn with Chinjew Sauce
served with Steamed Rice and Stir-fried Pak Choy
Rice Noodles in Soup with Duck and Barbecued Pork
Noodles in Soup with Pork Dumpling Shanghainese Style
Lobster Congee
accompanied by Spring Onion Pancake
Superior Vegetarian Combination
served with Stir-fried E-fu Noodles with Vegetables*
Dessert
Cha Cha
(Assorted Sweet Bean Soup)
Tea and Coffee
Pralines and Cookies
After drinks and nuts were delivered, the purser came round again to take orders for dinner. This was followed shortly by the ritual laying of the table with linen, plastic cutlery, glasses, butter and salt and pepper. The Senior Purser started rolling the salmon and caviar cart around (which I declined) and one of the other pursers came by with the bread basket.
My duck and pork rice noodles was delivered while most of the other passengers were starting on their salad or soup. Served in a red bowl with a lid, it came on a matching red tray with chopsticks, a ceramic soup spoon and a small dish of Guilin chilli sauce. It was an excellent choice – the broth was flavoursome and made a nice snack before bed.
The pursers cleared up my tray table and brought me a duvet. Toothbrushes are now put into the amenity kits so I padded off to the bathroom and got ready for some serious sleeping – at 1am HKT, I needed it.
The rest of the cabin was still in the middle of their meal service when I flattened the seat and slept… and didn’t awake again until two and a half hours out of Heathrow. A purser materialised by my side and took my order for breakfast.
BREAKFAST
Juice Selection
Appetiser
Fresh Seasonal Fruits
Yoghurt Selection
Natural, Fruit or Low Fat Fruit flavoured Yoghurt
Cereals
Muesli, Corn Flakes or Rice Crispies
Main Courses
Eggs ~ Freshly Scrambled, Fried or Boiled
Chinese Rice Roll filled with Chicken and Shrimps
Scottish Kippers
Accompaniments
Grilled Back Bacon and Veal Sausages, Fried Potatoes, Broiled Tomato with Parsley and Fresh Mushrooms
From the Bakery
Croissants, Danish Pastries, English Muffins, Bread Roll, Fresh Toast and Wasa Crackers served with Preserves, Honey and Butter
Tea and Coffee
The purser returned with the linen and cutlery to lay the table, a glass of orange juice and another of those wretched disinfectant toweletes. I slipped off to use the bathroom and returned to find the fresh fruit appetiser had been delivered. It was deliciously refreshing – the highlight being the two sweet chunks of pineapple.
The purser arrived with my four slices of white toast in a napkin-lined basket (brown bread was also offered) and a small plate with three pots of strawberry jam, honey and marmalade. Cathay’s inflight toastmaker never ceases to amaze me – they can consistently manage to turn out what in my view is the perfect piece of toast. Crunchy and white, but not burnt or soggy – if only all toast could be like this!!
I was just munching my way through the last slice when the main course of fried eggs and accompaniments was brought out from the galley, along with a new set of fork and knife to replace those dirtied by the fruit. I pulled up one of my window shades (seeing that most people were awake apart from one in 3K who had sacked out right after takeoff and was still snoozing merrily away) to enjoy the early morning and also initialised the Audio on Demand option. The perfect addition to a Cathay Pacific breakfast: music and a view.
We had made up some time lost due to our long taxi on the ground in HKG during the flight, and the captain came on to advise us of our progress into Heathrow. The pursers cleared away breakfast, collected duvets and performed the usual pre-landing tidy-up as B-HOO descended through fairly clear weather into Heathrow, bumping down a good 20 minutes early at twenty-five minutes past five.
It was a short taxi to our parking bay 326 and a swift exit through door 1L through the empty corridors of Heathrow T3. Fast Track wasn’t open despite the time being just past 5.30 when I reached immigration, and the normal lines were a mess as the barriers were all haphazardly skewed and passengers from Virgin’s early morning flight from HK were forming three queues all of which ended in the same place.
There was a brief wait for the bags to come out on to the belt and my bag was the first off (yay!). Customs was a joke as nobody was there manning the posts.
What I liked
- That sliding armrest of CX’s First Class seat has to be the best, most ingenious invention incorporated into the design of a seat.
- The food: no cutbacks evident as a result of SARS.
- StudioCX: the original teething problems have been sorted out and I had absolutely no difficulty with navigating the system on any of my flights, nor did the system crash even once.
- The HK ground staff: brilliant service and attention to detail.
- The flight was enjoyable and on par with CX’s usual high standards.
What I didn’t like
- The Healthy Travel video – where the hell am I supposed to find a tree to do stretching exercises on board a plane?!
- The disinfectant towelettes.
- The Wing: way too crowded. Will be glad when the Pier reopens in August.
- Heathrow.
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400, B-HOO
Departure time: 2355
Departure gate: 1
Sector: HKG LHR
It was good to see Hong Kong Airport with people in it again, showing passenger numbers are hopefully picking up again post-Sars. The CX First Class check-in currently had two podiums ‘in use’. I couldn’t see any available Customer Services Agents, so I was resigning myself to a wait as I approached the check-in area. Of course, this being CX, I should have known better – as soon as I drew near a podium a CSA came out of the staff area and immediately motioned me over. One of the specially dedicated First Class ‘baggage movers’ came over to take my trolley over to the adjacent conveyor belt for tagging.
The first thing the CSA did after receipting my ticket and passport was to pass me a Health Declaration Form and a pen, so I could fill out the form while she checked me in. I have no idea who designed the form, but generally I appreciate having more than a 5cm line to write my full name.
The timing was perfect, just as I signed on the line the CSA printed off my boarding pass and lounge invitation (which incidentally had The Pier crossed out on it in blue marker). I asked her for an oversize baggage tag for my carry-on – she pulled a face and said it should be ok, whilst simultaneously tagging it anyway.
I strolled over to South immigration and began the gauntlet of checks. First up was a boarding pass check, followed by another boarding pass check and the tag being pulled on the handcarry. Next was the temperature screening station where I handed over my health declaration and passed through the thermal camera check. The immigration lines were short, even though only a couple of stations were open and as always the HK ID card lane moved swiftly. The immigration counters now have plastic shields constructed around the top, presumably to shield the officers from any errant sneezes.
Security was quick, efficient and hassle-free (I appreciated not having to remove my laptop as is required in Auckland, goodness knows why because neither HK nor London ask you to). The view over the airport apron after clearing security is now obstructed by a mass of temporary walls shielding construction – the foodcourt is apparently undergoing a total revamp and an additional area for shops jutting out in front of gate 21 will also be, I hear, opening soon.
Into the Wing… and was met by a mass of teeming people. The First Class lounge was literally packed full – from the open seating area to the Library. A lounge attendant who I’ve met a couple of times recognised me and quickly whisked me over past the agent on duty to where part of the Business Class lounge had been temporarily transformed into additional seating for the First Class lounge. After he returned with my orange juice, he told me that usually while the lounge was fairly quiet during 11am – 9pm, during early morning and late night it would be packed. It didn’t really surprise me – there are a lot of long-hauls leaving past 9pm (most European and a couple of Australian flights) and with the closure of the Pier everyone is jammed into the Wing.
Trying to find a free PC was a mission next to impossible, so I didn’t even bother… the sooner the Pier reopens, the better!
There was a secondary passport check at the gate and a slight delay in boarding, but CX251 still managed an on-time departure. The First Class cabin ended up 9 seats out of 12 filled, and we were offered drinks after we’d settled into our seats and jackets had been hung. The pre take-off canapé has been scrapped, and although I was offered some deliciously warmed cashew nuts on my other flights, these weren’t on offer on this one.
No hot towel service either – instead the crew came round with disposable towelettes in silver packets and also handed out amenity and comfort kits. The slippers and pyjamas have been combined into one kit now, manufactured by Shanghai Tang, which is a fairly well-known supplier in Hong Kong. Newspapers were laid out on the crew workstation table between 2A (my seat) and 2K, although the crew did make a pass through the cabin offering newspapers just before the doors were closed.
The captain and Inflight Service Manager came on the PA system to make their usual announcements, the inflight safety video was played and we began our taxi. Somewhere between boarding and pushback the runway direction shifted from using 25 to 07, meaning we basically had to taxi all the way to the other end of the airport for takeoff. Still, I got some great views of aircraft taking off as we trundled our way down to the western end, including the CX A340-600 jetting off for Sydney.
After takeoff the crew came around with menus and another round of towelettes (somehow ‘disinfectant towelette service’ doesn’t have the same ring as ‘hot towel service’), and took orders for post-takeoff drinks, which were accompanied by some of those delicious nuts. The healthy travelling and plug for Unicef videos were also played as B-HOO climbed up to its cruising altitude.
The ISM came around to introduce herself and pass out arrival cards and Fast Track folders for Heathrow.
SUPPER
Create your own men 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 the flight.
* Vegetarian choice
Caviar and Balik Delight
Oscietra caviar
and
Balik Salmon “Tsar Nicolaj”
served with Warm New Potatoes and Crème Fraiche
Light Option
Fennel, Potato and Leek Soup served with Mini Garlic Baguette
Nicoise Salad served with Herb Vinaigrette Dressing
Main Courses
Grilled Marinated Lamb Chops with Natural Gravy and Roasted Garlic Cloves
served with Boulangere Potatoes and Vegetable Casserole
Mushroom Ravioli with Tomato Basil Sauce*
Snack
Roasted Vegetable with Feta Cheese in Puff Pastry with Salad served with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing*
Cheese Board
Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream
Chinese Favourites
Fried Prawn with Chinjew Sauce
served with Steamed Rice and Stir-fried Pak Choy
Rice Noodles in Soup with Duck and Barbecued Pork
Noodles in Soup with Pork Dumpling Shanghainese Style
Lobster Congee
accompanied by Spring Onion Pancake
Superior Vegetarian Combination
served with Stir-fried E-fu Noodles with Vegetables*
Dessert
Cha Cha
(Assorted Sweet Bean Soup)
Tea and Coffee
Pralines and Cookies
After drinks and nuts were delivered, the purser came round again to take orders for dinner. This was followed shortly by the ritual laying of the table with linen, plastic cutlery, glasses, butter and salt and pepper. The Senior Purser started rolling the salmon and caviar cart around (which I declined) and one of the other pursers came by with the bread basket.
My duck and pork rice noodles was delivered while most of the other passengers were starting on their salad or soup. Served in a red bowl with a lid, it came on a matching red tray with chopsticks, a ceramic soup spoon and a small dish of Guilin chilli sauce. It was an excellent choice – the broth was flavoursome and made a nice snack before bed.
The pursers cleared up my tray table and brought me a duvet. Toothbrushes are now put into the amenity kits so I padded off to the bathroom and got ready for some serious sleeping – at 1am HKT, I needed it.
The rest of the cabin was still in the middle of their meal service when I flattened the seat and slept… and didn’t awake again until two and a half hours out of Heathrow. A purser materialised by my side and took my order for breakfast.
BREAKFAST
Juice Selection
Appetiser
Fresh Seasonal Fruits
Yoghurt Selection
Natural, Fruit or Low Fat Fruit flavoured Yoghurt
Cereals
Muesli, Corn Flakes or Rice Crispies
Main Courses
Eggs ~ Freshly Scrambled, Fried or Boiled
Chinese Rice Roll filled with Chicken and Shrimps
Scottish Kippers
Accompaniments
Grilled Back Bacon and Veal Sausages, Fried Potatoes, Broiled Tomato with Parsley and Fresh Mushrooms
From the Bakery
Croissants, Danish Pastries, English Muffins, Bread Roll, Fresh Toast and Wasa Crackers served with Preserves, Honey and Butter
Tea and Coffee
The purser returned with the linen and cutlery to lay the table, a glass of orange juice and another of those wretched disinfectant toweletes. I slipped off to use the bathroom and returned to find the fresh fruit appetiser had been delivered. It was deliciously refreshing – the highlight being the two sweet chunks of pineapple.
The purser arrived with my four slices of white toast in a napkin-lined basket (brown bread was also offered) and a small plate with three pots of strawberry jam, honey and marmalade. Cathay’s inflight toastmaker never ceases to amaze me – they can consistently manage to turn out what in my view is the perfect piece of toast. Crunchy and white, but not burnt or soggy – if only all toast could be like this!!
I was just munching my way through the last slice when the main course of fried eggs and accompaniments was brought out from the galley, along with a new set of fork and knife to replace those dirtied by the fruit. I pulled up one of my window shades (seeing that most people were awake apart from one in 3K who had sacked out right after takeoff and was still snoozing merrily away) to enjoy the early morning and also initialised the Audio on Demand option. The perfect addition to a Cathay Pacific breakfast: music and a view.
We had made up some time lost due to our long taxi on the ground in HKG during the flight, and the captain came on to advise us of our progress into Heathrow. The pursers cleared away breakfast, collected duvets and performed the usual pre-landing tidy-up as B-HOO descended through fairly clear weather into Heathrow, bumping down a good 20 minutes early at twenty-five minutes past five.
It was a short taxi to our parking bay 326 and a swift exit through door 1L through the empty corridors of Heathrow T3. Fast Track wasn’t open despite the time being just past 5.30 when I reached immigration, and the normal lines were a mess as the barriers were all haphazardly skewed and passengers from Virgin’s early morning flight from HK were forming three queues all of which ended in the same place.
There was a brief wait for the bags to come out on to the belt and my bag was the first off (yay!). Customs was a joke as nobody was there manning the posts.
What I liked
- That sliding armrest of CX’s First Class seat has to be the best, most ingenious invention incorporated into the design of a seat.
- The food: no cutbacks evident as a result of SARS.
- StudioCX: the original teething problems have been sorted out and I had absolutely no difficulty with navigating the system on any of my flights, nor did the system crash even once.
- The HK ground staff: brilliant service and attention to detail.
- The flight was enjoyable and on par with CX’s usual high standards.
What I didn’t like
- The Healthy Travel video – where the hell am I supposed to find a tree to do stretching exercises on board a plane?!
- The disinfectant towelettes.
- The Wing: way too crowded. Will be glad when the Pier reopens in August.
- Heathrow.
Jul 20, 2003, 12:43 pm
#6
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: None any more
Posts: 11,017
The orange oversize baggage tag is something that CX has at HKG (only, as far as I am aware). They put it on your carry-on at check-in and it allows you to get past the gate-guards just before immigration who have the usual bag measuring and weighing devices. The guards detach a part of the tag as you go past.
As a Diamond I can always get one whatever class I'm flying in - I'm not sure which classes of status-less people can have them.
As a Diamond I can always get one whatever class I'm flying in - I'm not sure which classes of status-less people can have them.
Jul 20, 2003, 1:35 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Boston, Jo'burg, HK
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Lifetime Diamond, CX Gold, Mrs. Pickles travels for free
Posts: 13,162
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by christep:
The orange oversize baggage tag is something that CX has at HKG (only, as far as I am aware). They put it on your carry-on at check-in and it allows you to get past the gate-guards just before immigration who have the usual bag measuring and weighing devices. The guards detach a part of the tag as you go past.
As a Diamond I can always get one whatever class I'm flying in - I'm not sure which classes of status-less people can have them.</font>
The orange oversize baggage tag is something that CX has at HKG (only, as far as I am aware). They put it on your carry-on at check-in and it allows you to get past the gate-guards just before immigration who have the usual bag measuring and weighing devices. The guards detach a part of the tag as you go past.
As a Diamond I can always get one whatever class I'm flying in - I'm not sure which classes of status-less people can have them.</font>
But knowing about the "oversize" tag could come in handy to avoid checking in a bag when flying to less-civilized airports, such as those in the US or Europe.
Jul 24, 2003, 2:43 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
Programs: Alaska Million Miler, United Million Miler, Wyndham Rewards Diamond, Choice Hotels Diamond
Posts: 12,148
As always, B-HXB, your report is First Class in every way. Thanks for yet another fine effort!