First Class from wonderland: CX234 MXP-HKG B77W F
Jul 28, 2014, 9:37 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Hong Kong, occasionally in London
Programs: CX MPC DM, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Exp
Posts: 173
First Class from wonderland: CX234 MXP-HKG B77W F
Hello FT people,
Its been a while since my amazing flight on the inaugural OZ A380 service,
(which could be found here ---> http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-kong-jcl.html)
I've embarked on a 10 day trip to Italy. My most recent visit there was in July 2013, where I spent weeks walking through the famous sights that I've heard so much about. This time round, I decided to revisit the country but for the second tier cities. Having based in Milan, I made several short day trips around Northern Italy.
Bergamo:
Lake Como, yeah yeah Clooney's house and Bond movies:
Cinque Terre, often referred to as the little Amalfi:
.JPG)
Having flown in from Hong Kong, the only direct flight option was on Cathay with the CX233/234 service. I was booked on J class for both legs, but with around 100,000 CXAM miles to kill I tried for an upgrade with miles online. Upgrading from Business to First on HKG-MXP v.v would cost 50,000 miles per leg, but it came to my attention soon after that the premium cabins were often full on this route. My agent suggested me to try again at check in on the day as it is common for CX to release seats at the very last minute. I ran out of luck on the outbound, so I kept my fingers crossed and hoped to be second time lucky.
Pre-departure
As I've been on this exact flight last year, I had a pretty good idea in managing the time needed to travel to Malpensa. However, as I was staying in the Park Hyatt this time, I was told to take the Malpensa Express thru Cadorna Stazione rather than Centrale. Cadorna was only 5 minutes away from the hotel and the journey itself took ~30 minutes compared to the 50 minutes if I was to board from Centrale.
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Check-In
I found myself in the basement of MXP shortly after 1000, with more than three hours before the 1315 departure time.
.JPG)
The Check-in counters were almost deserted when I have arrived, and I figured that I would have a very good chance of being upgraded if only a few J class pax have checked in. After some quick phone calls, the check-in agent confirmed that only one passenger was booked into F, and my upgraded was granted! She even went out of her way in asking for my seat preference
Being seated in row 1 has always been a personal favourite, so with 1A taken, my next best option for a window seat would be 1K.
The agent soon handed me my BP and Lounge Invitation.
.JPG)
Tarmac movements:
.JPG)
Like last year, the most time consuming part when flying out of MXP was to go through Customs for the VAT items. Worst still, an Air China flight to Shanghai departs around the same time as we do. We all know that Mainland Chinese Tourists (in Milan)=lots of shopping. Just queuing up costed me a good 45min.
.JPG)
Boarding and Flight
I got everying settled at approx 1115, a little more an hour before boarding at 1230. The F/J class lounge at MXP was compact but is surely does not have the variety of any of the HKG lounges. I grabbed a few drinks and some snacks before walking down towards our gate for some plane spotting.
My ride today, B-KPS (It operated my CX233 flight last year so no new reg
)
The "albino" SQ Star Alliance cs, 9V-SWJ, being pushed back for a return flight to SIN as SQ366
(Slightly OT, dont expect any proper planespotting in MXP airside, those lumpy boarding bridges would prevent any decent shots)
Boarding began slightly late at 12:35, with First and Business class pax invited to board first as usual.
Boarding thru door L1
.JPG)
Once onboard the plane, I was warmly welcomed by my name. The ISM came by to introduce herself and offered me drinks/newspaper.
Amuse Bouche
Some cabin shots
All 6 First class seats were occupied, so were the other classes. In other words 100% load factor:P
Captain A. Sealey soon came over the PA welcoming us onboard and announced that the flight time today would be a short 10h45m
Flight path:
.jpg)
The cabin crew came by to give us the amenity kits by Ergemglido (Trussadi for ladies) with Aesop lotions. I really like the Aesop product, probably the best lotion that comes with an amenity kit. Kudos to Cathay!
_edited.jpg)
_edited.jpg)
Our flight was soon underway with pushback 4 mins earlier than schedule, and we were airborne 15 mins later.
As we climb to our crusing altitude of FL350, the ISM came to offer me nuts and wine. Cathay had a special wine promotion featuring 4 Bordeaux Reds.
Cashews with Chateau Dassault, Grand Cru Classe Saint-Emillion 2004 -- The red was absolutely brilliant, great choice of wine there!
The famous Cavier service soon came by together with creme fraiche and brioche rounds.
...and mixed greens with smoked mozzarella, having had the most amazing salad with mozzarella, this one is definitely sub-par
Cream of asparagus soup
My personal favourite of this meal service must be the charcoal grilled rack of lamb. Extremely juicy and very well cooked. Does shut a few critics up with this fantastic piece of meat. I must say though that portions and presentations must be improved to live up to FCL standards.
I was too full after such good food and skipped desert.
A bit of time to look around my comfortable suite:
And the toilet of course
The FAs soon came by to have my bed set:
Very good for fighting off jetlag and quality sleep
...and the next thing I knew, the ladies were already serving breakfast. As much as I wanted to try the freshly cooked scrambled egg, my stomach didnt have the room after feasting in Italy and I only went for a fruit plate.
Descent and Arrival
The captain once again came over the PA announcing that we have commenced decent into HKIA, with an estimated touch down time of 0555. We were over 40 mins ahead of schedule.
The final minutes of the flight was rather uneventful, with the pilot making a near perfect landing.
Well there we are, my long anticipated first class ride with CX. Absolutely happy in terms of hard product, food, wine, and crew. I'm also very happy to see Cathay doing so well on this route.
Customary cockpit shots:
And CX's newest 77W -- B-KQN -- to finish off
Verdict
Very very happy to see Cathay offer a first class product that is of such high standard, which definitely sets itself apart from its competitors. I sincerely hope that they can maintain this quality and I look forward to flying more on F with them in the future. A very satisfying experience all round!
Sorry if it wasn't the most detailed TR but I certainly hope you enjoyed reading it.
Comments are most welcome
Camera Used: Nikon D300 with Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8
Its been a while since my amazing flight on the inaugural OZ A380 service,
(which could be found here ---> http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-kong-jcl.html)
I've embarked on a 10 day trip to Italy. My most recent visit there was in July 2013, where I spent weeks walking through the famous sights that I've heard so much about. This time round, I decided to revisit the country but for the second tier cities. Having based in Milan, I made several short day trips around Northern Italy.
Bergamo:
Lake Como, yeah yeah Clooney's house and Bond movies:
Cinque Terre, often referred to as the little Amalfi:
Having flown in from Hong Kong, the only direct flight option was on Cathay with the CX233/234 service. I was booked on J class for both legs, but with around 100,000 CXAM miles to kill I tried for an upgrade with miles online. Upgrading from Business to First on HKG-MXP v.v would cost 50,000 miles per leg, but it came to my attention soon after that the premium cabins were often full on this route. My agent suggested me to try again at check in on the day as it is common for CX to release seats at the very last minute. I ran out of luck on the outbound, so I kept my fingers crossed and hoped to be second time lucky.
Pre-departure
As I've been on this exact flight last year, I had a pretty good idea in managing the time needed to travel to Malpensa. However, as I was staying in the Park Hyatt this time, I was told to take the Malpensa Express thru Cadorna Stazione rather than Centrale. Cadorna was only 5 minutes away from the hotel and the journey itself took ~30 minutes compared to the 50 minutes if I was to board from Centrale.
Check-In
I found myself in the basement of MXP shortly after 1000, with more than three hours before the 1315 departure time.
The Check-in counters were almost deserted when I have arrived, and I figured that I would have a very good chance of being upgraded if only a few J class pax have checked in. After some quick phone calls, the check-in agent confirmed that only one passenger was booked into F, and my upgraded was granted! She even went out of her way in asking for my seat preference
Being seated in row 1 has always been a personal favourite, so with 1A taken, my next best option for a window seat would be 1K.The agent soon handed me my BP and Lounge Invitation.
Tarmac movements:
Like last year, the most time consuming part when flying out of MXP was to go through Customs for the VAT items. Worst still, an Air China flight to Shanghai departs around the same time as we do. We all know that Mainland Chinese Tourists (in Milan)=lots of shopping. Just queuing up costed me a good 45min.
Boarding and Flight
I got everying settled at approx 1115, a little more an hour before boarding at 1230. The F/J class lounge at MXP was compact but is surely does not have the variety of any of the HKG lounges. I grabbed a few drinks and some snacks before walking down towards our gate for some plane spotting.
My ride today, B-KPS (It operated my CX233 flight last year so no new reg
)The "albino" SQ Star Alliance cs, 9V-SWJ, being pushed back for a return flight to SIN as SQ366
(Slightly OT, dont expect any proper planespotting in MXP airside, those lumpy boarding bridges would prevent any decent shots)
Boarding began slightly late at 12:35, with First and Business class pax invited to board first as usual.
Boarding thru door L1
Once onboard the plane, I was warmly welcomed by my name. The ISM came by to introduce herself and offered me drinks/newspaper.
Amuse Bouche
Some cabin shots
All 6 First class seats were occupied, so were the other classes. In other words 100% load factor:P
Captain A. Sealey soon came over the PA welcoming us onboard and announced that the flight time today would be a short 10h45m
Flight path:
The cabin crew came by to give us the amenity kits by Ergemglido (Trussadi for ladies) with Aesop lotions. I really like the Aesop product, probably the best lotion that comes with an amenity kit. Kudos to Cathay!
Our flight was soon underway with pushback 4 mins earlier than schedule, and we were airborne 15 mins later.
As we climb to our crusing altitude of FL350, the ISM came to offer me nuts and wine. Cathay had a special wine promotion featuring 4 Bordeaux Reds.
Cashews with Chateau Dassault, Grand Cru Classe Saint-Emillion 2004 -- The red was absolutely brilliant, great choice of wine there!
The famous Cavier service soon came by together with creme fraiche and brioche rounds.
...and mixed greens with smoked mozzarella, having had the most amazing salad with mozzarella, this one is definitely sub-par
Cream of asparagus soup
My personal favourite of this meal service must be the charcoal grilled rack of lamb. Extremely juicy and very well cooked. Does shut a few critics up with this fantastic piece of meat. I must say though that portions and presentations must be improved to live up to FCL standards.
I was too full after such good food and skipped desert.
A bit of time to look around my comfortable suite:
And the toilet of course
The FAs soon came by to have my bed set:
Very good for fighting off jetlag and quality sleep
...and the next thing I knew, the ladies were already serving breakfast. As much as I wanted to try the freshly cooked scrambled egg, my stomach didnt have the room after feasting in Italy and I only went for a fruit plate.
Descent and Arrival
The captain once again came over the PA announcing that we have commenced decent into HKIA, with an estimated touch down time of 0555. We were over 40 mins ahead of schedule.
The final minutes of the flight was rather uneventful, with the pilot making a near perfect landing.
Well there we are, my long anticipated first class ride with CX. Absolutely happy in terms of hard product, food, wine, and crew. I'm also very happy to see Cathay doing so well on this route.
Customary cockpit shots:
And CX's newest 77W -- B-KQN -- to finish off
Verdict
Very very happy to see Cathay offer a first class product that is of such high standard, which definitely sets itself apart from its competitors. I sincerely hope that they can maintain this quality and I look forward to flying more on F with them in the future. A very satisfying experience all round!
Sorry if it wasn't the most detailed TR but I certainly hope you enjoyed reading it.
Comments are most welcome
Camera Used: Nikon D300 with Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8
Last edited by freakinflyer001; Sep 6, 2014 at 9:22 am
Jul 28, 2014, 11:45 am
#6
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Auckland, NZ/New York, NY/ATL
Programs: DL DM MM, BIS 2.4MM, EK Gold, SQ Gold, Marriott Gold, HH Gold,
Posts: 5,213
Bravo!
FYI, the express from Cadorna has always been better/faster than from Centrale. They run every 30 minutes but are more prone to being cancelled during strikes (Le Nord tends to be affected during every strike). Done more than my fair share of bus trips from MXP-Milano.
Grazie!!
FYI, the express from Cadorna has always been better/faster than from Centrale. They run every 30 minutes but are more prone to being cancelled during strikes (Le Nord tends to be affected during every strike). Done more than my fair share of bus trips from MXP-Milano.
Grazie!!
Jul 28, 2014, 9:04 pm
#9
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: IAD
Posts: 319
They made the change earlier this year. No more Balik, no potatoes, but individual tins of caviar on a frozen caviar server and mother of pearl spoons. I recently flew CX F SFO-HKG and when I finally get around to finishing the TR, there's going to be a caviar rant.
Jul 29, 2014, 10:15 pm
#11
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: YTO/DEL/BOM/GAU
Programs: A few airlines, hotel programs and car rentals
Posts: 1,238
Having flown in from Hong Kong, the only direct flight option was on Cathay with the CX233/234 service. I was booked on J class for both legs, but with around 100,000 CXAM miles to kill I tried for an upgrade with miles online. Upgrading from Business to First on HKG-MXP v.v would cost 50,000 miles per leg, but it came to my attention soon after that the premium cabins were often full on this route. My agent suggested me to try again at check in on the day as it is common for CX to release seats at the very last minute. I ran out of luck on the outbound, so I kept my fingers crossed and hoped to be second time lucky.
Thanks again for the report. The pics are awesome!!
Jul 30, 2014, 1:26 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Hong Kong, occasionally in London
Programs: CX MPC DM, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Exp
Posts: 173
Awesome trip report. I just started reading, and I'm already hooked!! Question regarding the upgrade: was it an upgrade from a paid J? If yes, then was it an op-up/because of your elite status with CX/OW Emerald, or something else? Just curious. Thanks again for the report. The pics are awesome!!
Thanks again for the report. The pics are awesome!!I actually did the upgrade with miles, 50K oneway... Whether you get it or not depends on seat availability and your FFP/OW status.
Hope it helps!
Jul 30, 2014, 8:11 am
#13
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: YTO/DEL/BOM/GAU
Programs: A few airlines, hotel programs and car rentals
Posts: 1,238
Jul 31, 2014, 9:30 pm
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Hong Kong, occasionally in London
Programs: CX MPC DM, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Exp
Posts: 173
Jul 31, 2014, 9:36 pm
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Denver • DEN-APA
Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold, AA EXP, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 21,592
Excellent report with some great pics of one of my favorite airlines.
I'm looking forward to enjoying 24 hours on CX next week on MLE-HKG-LAX.
What camera and lens did you use for your superb pics?
I'm looking forward to enjoying 24 hours on CX next week on MLE-HKG-LAX.
What camera and lens did you use for your superb pics?