March 09, 2011
Hong Kong - Johannesburg
Cathay Pacific First Class
Boeing 747-400 B-HUG Seat 2A
11:45pm – 6:35am Flight time: 12:51
The Day Rest rooms at Cathay’s “other” First Class lounge The Pier provide quiet, climate controlled solitude at no additional cost to the passenger. After having spent the past fourteen hours between San Francisco and Hong Kong without any sleep at all, I was well and truly depleted by the time I dragged myself into The Pier. Four hours later I was not feeling all that much better but at least I’d knocked off four hours of sleep, meaning that I’d need that much less sleep on the flight over to Johannesburg. Remember kids – the best way to enjoy a world class First Class service such as Cathay’s is to remain conscious for as long as possible. Are you writing this down?! I’m givin’ you pearls of wisdom here…
Waiting at Gate 61 was B-HUG, the first of Cathay’s 747-400s that I ever logged a flight upon, way back in 2004. With the addition of its new, spacious First Class suites, this airplane was looking even better today that it did eight years ago. When boarding was called, I wasted no time in heading down the jetway to reacquaint myself.
Soon I was comfortably established in Suite 2A, sipping from a glass of nicely chilled Krug whilst seeing how much seat recline I could get away with before the flight attendants were forced to address the situation pre-takeoff.
The Captain stopped by via the PA system to offer a cordial welcome aboard and inform us of the bad news. Despite our westbound heading, we’d actually “enjoy” a slight tailwind over much of our route resulting in a flight time of just eleven hours and fifty minutes. Damn it! I honestly felt cheated. I mean, how does this happen? We’re flying westbound, fer cryin’ out loud! I was hoping for at least twelve and a half, maybe even thirteen hours! Sigh… I swallowed my disappointment with a big swill of Krug and upon request returned my seat to its full upright position in preparation for takeoff.
Soon after we’d taken off – as in like three or four minutes – I attempted to recline my seat into a fully flat position. I was so tired that I didn’t care whether the flight attendants were able to make me a proper bed or not. All I needed was flatness and I’d be fine. After all, as some of you may know by now, I can actually sleep quite nicely on airport floors.
There was just one problem. The seat wouldn’t fully recline. It got about halfway down before it made a series of noises not unlike those I initially heard from the third engine in my Mazda pick-up shortly before it shot a rod at oh dark thirty out in the middle of the Utah desert. I tried returning the seat to the upright position and then attempting to recline again. This was met with the same result, but with worse noises. I sniffed for smoke and looked for oil. Thankfully there was none. I returned to an almost upright position and considered my situation…
I’d noticed during boarding that we had a lot of people booked in First Class this evening. I was briefly overcome by panic at the possibility that First Class might be booked full and I’d have nowhere else to go but back to Business Class which also looked to be pretty full. We were still climbing out of Hong Kong at a pretty good angle making it inadvisable for me to get up and check for empty suites. Then it occurred to me that if indeed there were no empty suites, the compensation quite possibly might be substantial. I began to feel a bit better. And what the heck, if the crew could just find me a little bit of extra floor space somewhere, I’d be able to sleep just fine atop my Thermarest pad.
As it turned out, there was one empty suite in First Class this evening and it was 3A, the one directly behind me. Of course, transferring over there attracted the attention of the flight attendants who were only too happy to make up my bed. So, ultimately I ended up with one suite to sleep in and another to work in. I knocked off another four and a half hours of sleep before awaking at almost exactly the same location as I did last year – over the channel between southern India and Sri Lanka. The Sky Map indicated another seven hours of flying before we’d reach Johannesburg and here I was well rested and ready to enjoy every bit of it. Have I got this down, or what?!
Seven more hours to go
Cathay Pacific’s First Class flight attendants have an uncanny ability to detect when any of their charges have woken. I don’t know how they do it because it’s not like they’re hanging out at the galley curtains keeping an eye on things. Then again, maybe they are. Either way, shortly after I’d shaken the cobwebs from my head and relocated to Suite 2A, Kyoko appeared and asked if I were ready for my dinner.
Way back when we’d just departed Hong Kong and I was having my bed turned down while everyone else in the forward cabin was getting ready for dinner, I’d had a chance to look over the menu and place my dinner order in advance. Let’s take a moment now to check out that menu and wine list, noting that the wine list also offers some different selections. Notably absent on this sector was the
Lynch Bages.
WINE LIST
Champagne
Krug Grande Cuvée Champagne
White Wines
Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes 2008
Chain of Ponds Corkscrew Road Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2006
Red Wines
Sauvion Dilection Chinon 2010
Chateau Branaire-Ducru, 4eme Cru Classe 2007
Avondale Jonty’s Ducks 2009
Port
Ramos Pinto Quinta da Ervamoira 10 Year Old Tawny Port
Aperitifs and Cocktails
Campari, Martini Rosso, Martini Extra Dry, Tio Pepe Sherry,
Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sweet Sherry, Tanqueray Ten Gin, Bacardi Rum,
Belvedere Vodka, Bloody Mary, Screw Driver
Whiskies
Chivas Regal 12 Years Old, Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Canadian Club,
Gentleman Jack Bourbon, MaCallan 17 Fine Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Cognac
Tesseron Lot 76 XO Tradition
Liqueurs
Cointreau, Drambuie, Kahlua, Bailey’s Irish Cream
Beer
International Selection
DINNER
Hong Kong to Johannesburg
Caviar and Balik Salmon Delight
Oscietra Caviar and Balik Salmon “Tsar Nicolaj”
Served with Warm New Potatoes and Crème Fraiche
Soup
White bean garlic and herb soup
Salad
Mesclun salad, green olive with feta, sun-dried tomato
Served with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Bread Basket
Assorted Bread and Rolls
** ***** **
INTERNATIONAL FAVOURITES
Grilled U.S. Angus Beef Tenderloin
Accented with red wine sauce and served with gratin potato, asparagus and baby carrots
Wild Mushroom and Ricotta Cheese Agnoletti
Presented with mushroom sauce and chopped parsley
CHINESE FAVOURITES
Starters
Pork Soup with winter melon and dried duck gizzard
Cold Plate – Deep fried sea bass with sweet vinegar dressing
Braised Duck with Onion Sauce
Served with steamed jasmine rice, black mushroom with oyster sauce and choy sum
** ***** **
CHEESE AND DESSERT
Forme d’Ambert, Manchego, Arenberger and French Brie
Seasonal Fresh Berries in ginger syrup
Cherry Clafoutis Cake with vanilla ice cream and raspberry coulis
Sweet Taro and Sago Coconut Soup
TEA and COFFEE
Pralines
Well now, even though it had been a good twelve hours since I’d last eaten, first and foremost I required a cup of good, hot coffee. This I requested and shortly was presented with a full coffee service that included not only a cup of coffee but also a small pitcher of heated milk, a small plate of cubed sugar and a couple of biscotti.
Coffee Cathay Style
Now then, what about dinner? Hmm… Well, we’ll definitely start with the caviar and salmon. After all, who am I to trifle with such well-established tradition? Besides, I actually like caviar, especially with all the accoutrements spread on melba toast or better yet, a warm piece of toasted garlic bread. I’ll also have both the soup and the salad, and for the main course… let’s go with the beef tenderloin.
I know, I know, what am I doing ordering the beef tenderloin two flights in a row? Honestly, I regret that decision even now. It’s not that the tenderloin wasn’t nicely prepared and flavorful – it was. But if I had it to do all over again, I’d have ordered the Chinese meal, particularly out of Hong Kong. I think I was scared off by the dried duck gizzard and deep fried sea bass with sweet vinegar dressing. Still, I could have easily substituted those items with the regular soup and salad offerings or perhaps even something from the snack menu:
SNACKS
Assorted Sandwiches
Cherry cream cheese with toasted pecan, smoked turkey with earl grey honey butter, smoked salmon with lemon cream cheese
Beef Skewer
With salad and capsicum relish
Shrimp Wontons in Noodle Soup
Ice Cream
I promise I will try and make this reprehensible transgression up to you all in a future trip report. Unless of course the main course is duck gizzard with sweet vinegar dressing.
In the meantime, dinner was quite good. The caviar and salmon were exquisite, particularly the caviar which seemed especially flavorful this evening. Perhaps some Sevruga or even Malossol was substituted by accident?
Caviar over the Indian Ocean
The white bean garlic and herb soup was delicious, especially with the inclusion of bits of cooked bacon. The salad was solid and as I mentioned earlier, the beef also passed muster. Speaking of which, I wish Cathay would offer mustard with its steaks. British Airways does – both hot English mustard and milder Dijon mustard. For me at least, mustard is a great accompaniment to most red meats.
White bean garlic and herb soup
Mesclun salad with green olives, feta and sun-dried tomatoes
Grilled U.S. Angus Beef Tenderloin
I passed on the cheese course but did request a bowl of seasonal fresh berries in ginger syrup along with a refill on the coffee. In fact, I asked for an entire pot of coffee with which I enjoyed the fresh berries and surprise scoop of ice cream immensely.
Seasonal Fresh Berries in ginger syrup
The next four hours were spent pecking out this report. I am still amazed at how fast the time just flew by! I mean, we’re talking about the same amount of time as one would experience while flying from Chicago to the west coast. Occasionally those flights can really drag on – even if you’re sat in First Class. Ah, but I’m not just sat in any ordinary First Class. I’m in Cathay Pacific’s First Class where the level of service and comfort combine to create a Zen like ecstasy not unlike that experienced by practitioners of exotic eastern religions or users of a very select group of fungi. Honestly, my only real complaint with Cathay Pacific is that the flights are too short. Perhaps Boeing could develop a fuel sipping, ultra economic propeller driven version of its 747…
Dang! We’re almost there!
All too soon it was time to clear my table and get ready for the breakfast service. As ever, Cathay provided a delectable array of morning foodstuffs:
BREAKFAST
Orange, Apple or Grapefruit Juice
Pink Guava Smoothie
Fresh Seasonal Fruit
Natural or Fruit Yogurt from La Ferme du Manege
Assorted Cereals
** ***** **
MAIN COURSES
Organic Free Range Eggs ~ Freshly Scrambled, Fried or Boiled
Served with your choice of broiled back bacon, pork sausage, Lyonnaise potatoes with parsley,
Roma tomato and sautéed mushrooms
Dim Sum with Chilli Sauce
Crab meat with chive parcel, shrimp and pork dumpling, beef meat ball, mini vegetable glutinous rice
Wrapped in lotus leaf
Poached Smoked Haddock
Offered with butter and fresh milk
Bread Basket
Assorted Breakfast Bread and Fresh Toast
Served with Mrs. Bridges Scottish Preserves, Tasmanian Meadow Honey and Butter
Tea and Coffee
At home I usually have cereal and/or yogurt for breakfast. I generally save eggs for when I’m eating out or if I’m cooking breakfast for others. Flying for me is the same as eating out. It’s a special treat and I aim to take full advantage of it. A couple of years ago though, while flying from Hong Kong to San Francisco on Cathay, I ordered the Dim Sum with Chilli Sauce for breakfast. While the Dim Sum certainly tasted good enough, they also tasted more like lunch. Same goes for the fish. So, let’s consider the egg options…
Whenever I see that term “Free Range” I always picture the chickens or cows running towards each other in slow motion through a big grassy field – totally free and unencumbered by the grim realities of commercial beef and chicken production…
Oh, uh, sorry there, Kyoko! I must’ve drifted off. I’ll have the boiled eggs, please. Two of them with the works, thanks. I’ll also try some of that French yogurt along with a guava smoothie. And more coffee!
The yogurt was presented on a plate in its own jar. Although I would have expected the flight attendants to have scooped it into a proper serving dish, the amount of yogurt in the jar was small enough that perhaps it might have looked more silly than appetizing in one of Cathay’s larger bowls. Regardless, it was rich and creamy – as good a yogurt as ever I’ve had.
The eggs were nicely boiled though as you can see, the presentation was nowhere near as photogenic as a proper plate of fried eggs surrounded by all the trimmings. Though it’s hard to imagine that my future food selections should ever be predicated upon photographic appeal, I think that in the future I’ll stick with a plate of fried eggs.
Boiled Eggs with all the trimmings for breakfast
Well, I managed to almost get through episode seven of Breaking Bad before the inflight entertainment system was turned off. Things are definitely starting to heat up for Jesse and Mr. White, not to mention the rest of the characters involved in this fascinating drama. I still can’t believe I am liking this show as much as I am! I’m already looking forward to my return flights so that I can check out the rest of this season’s episodes. And, if I get really lucky, maybe Cathay will show a season or two of Sons of Anarchy on my next trip!
The morning sun crept over the horizon nicely illuminating our way as we descended ever lower towards the gentle plains of the Gauteng. Finally, at 6:17am, after a flight of twelve hours and six minutes, our wheels touched down on the wide expanse of runway 21R. The Captain applied the 747’s carbon fiber brakes and we slowed ever so smoothly, allowing us a stately taxi to our stand at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport.
Once again, Cathay Pacific had delivered a memorable flight across one of the world’s longest and most remote air routes. Rarely has a twelve-hour flight passed by so quickly! Between the food, the entertainment, a comfortable bed and superb service from the cabin crew, I cannot imagine any better way to fly. Well done, Cathay Pacific!
As for me, I’m headed down to the coast to see some elephants and check out this fantastic little hotel I’ve heard about and subsequently booked for a few nights in Knysna. I will not be in South Africa for long though. I’ve got a Premier Class train to catch out of Cape Town next Saturday, followed by a First Class return flight to Hong Kong, San Francisco and Seattle where a comfortable bedroom awaits aboard Amtrak’s crack streamliner “
The Empire Builder”. From there it’s a two day journey across the northern plains to Chicago.
I’d be more than willing to write a trip report covering that journey, but at this point I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if most of you are so despondent over having had to slog through yet another boring trip report about First Class travel aboard Cathay Pacific that I might very likely risk suspension and even possible banishment from FlyerTalk were I to write even one more word on the subject.
So – to all of you who’ve actually managed to make your way through all 10,193 words of this report, thank you for your fortitude and patience. I do hope you’ve found it worth your time to read it all and that those of you who may have started it last night still managed to get a good night’s sleep.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a train to catch.