After a busy two days in Sydney, it was time for some much needed rest in Tokyo.

I took a cab to Kingsford Smith Int’l Airport for my early 7:40 departure to Hong Kong.

I was quickly checked-in and my bags were sent to Japan. I had good luck getting them without wait in Sydney, so let’s hope that my luck continues. I went to the lounge for about 15 minutes…small food and beverage selection, nothing special.

But what was special was the flight…

I boarded the aircraft through door 1L, turned left, and was greeted by the extremely invited, much-touted Project Betsy seats. I’ll take a moment and discuss the seats…they are very similar to the QF/BA sleepers but with minor differences. The seats are built into what look like boxes. The PTV is situated on the “box” in front of you, and the screen is huge! The entertainment selection is similar to BA/QF in that you get the normal channels plus a selection of videos, but the selection is not as extensive. The seats are wood-panneled to give an attractive appearance. The audio, video, and seat controls are on the side armrest, with the wood-panneled traytable. The seats are angled more like QF than BA (curved parallel with the side instead of curved towards the side), but for some reason it seems more private than QF. I must admit that CX did an excellent job with the seats!

I was also very impressed with the service. QF has an a la carte menu like BA, so you can eat what you want when you want. The quality of the good was excellent. I had breakfast and later a light lunch aboard. I stayed away from alchohol, but the wine list looked impressive.

To battle jetlag I always try to avoid sleeping on daytime flights, but I don’t think I could resist trying out the bed. I arranged with the flight attendant not to allow to me to sleep more than two hours, because if I overslept it would be hell trying to sleep that night.

I changed into the sleeper suit offered to me. I always feel geeky in these things, but, hey, they are soo comfortable and I guess I am a geek! When I returned I found the seat fully reclined with a feather down quilt. I fit perfectly into the seat with plenty of room to spare (I’m 6’). I slept blissfully.. I felt so comfortable under the feather blanket, in contrast to the cold cabin.

I was waken up as aranged and did a little light reading and enjoyed the aforementioned light lunch. There is a small buffet table in front of the first middle seat pair, and drinks and snacks were set up there for snacking.

This flight was pure bliss. Everything about it, the seat, the service, everything. I was especially impressed that I did absolutely no work on the flight…something I hope to continue in Tokyo. I give high marks to Cathay Pacific.

We arrived into Hong Kong on time. It was a fairly long walk down the concourse. I stopped by the amazing Wing Lounge. Unfortuantely, I had only an hour. The lounge has a nice, soothing atmosphere. I decided I had enough time to take a quick shower, which is what I desperately needed after 9 hours in a plane, so I was led to a beautiful shower room by an attendant. I’d love to have this bathroom in my house! It is finished in stone, frosted glass, and white walls, with a huge rose in the shower. There is a separate closet for your cloths, with a cotton robe and slippers. Even a refrigerated decked out with beverages (alcholic and nonalcholic). I could spend hours in here, but unfortunately had only about twenty minutes. I took a shower, left feeling great and ready for battle.