CX J ORD-HKG
CX807 – 777-300ER
Planned T/O – 1500
Actual T/O - 1542
Planned Arrival – 1955
Actual Arrival – 2043
Seat – 11A
This was to be my first time on Cathay on an international flight and I was very excited. Their business class has had some great reviews and I was keen to compare it to my usual mode of transport (BA Club World). As I had used my hard earned BA miles to book this ticket, I had high hopes it would be better.
Transportation
I used the hotel shuttle to get to the airport, which was painless. In fact I had allowed time for faffing when there was none and arrived a shade too early.
Check-in
I had to wait about 5 mins for the check in desks to open at 1130 and there was 1 person in front of me at the First check-in. I could use First because of my Oneworld Emerald status. The economy line was about 10 deep when they opened the desks. A lady came out to check I was in First or Business and when I showed her my BA Gold card she rushed me off to another desk that was empty - a great first impression! The check-in lady was very pleasant and informed me that the flight would be a little late and told me about the Swiss Lounge that I could use. A great experience and a warm welcome to my first international Cathay flight.
Lounge – SWISS Lounge
For some reason, Cathay use the SWISS lounge (although that may have changed now) but as the BA Lounge does not open until the Cathay flight is due to board I guess that is the reason. This seems an odd arrangement to me – surely the BA lounge could open earlier and be staffed by Cathay folks to ensure Oneworld continuity. Anyhow I entered the Swiss Lounge, which is well signposted to accommodate the Cathay passengers but when I entered I was shocked at how small it really is. I counted 18 seats total - the food smelt nice but a very limited selection and the wine choice was pretty poor.
Two whites and 2 reds, no sparkly/champagne, and the wines themselves were not the most expensive ever seen in a lounge! I guess all the lounge money has gone into the fabulous lounges in Hong Kong!
There was also a very annoying woman who refused to turn the sound down on her iPod and so we were subjected to a very annoying whistle and whoop every time she got mail. She also started playing a game with the sound on, completely oblivious to the dirty looks she was receiving - some folks really don't know how to play nicely in small spaces with modern technology!!!
After reading a few discussions on FT, I realized I was actually in the Business Class lounge, not the First lounge. As Oneworld Emerald I am normally entitled to use the F lounges, despite only traveling in J however when I questioned the lounge dragon, she was adamant that I could only use the J lounge. When I asked why as I was Emerald I was told the lounges are the same but the F lounge is very small. I am still not convinced but I hope to goodness the F lounge is better than the tiny pathetic J lounge! I actually only wanted to go in there for a glass of bubbly but I guess that will have to wait until I get on the flight.....or I manage to sneak into the welcoming arms of the BA First lounge down the corridor........!!!
I had noticed that BA had a Terraces lounge and a First lounge just down the corridor and as my flight was going to be delayed I decided to try and see what they were like! The sign says it is open at 1400 but that was not the case today. I finally managed to get into the First lounge at 1435 and received a very unfriendly welcome! She told me to go to the Cathay lounge, when I said this was full she just looked at me. Then she said well this will be full too - there was not a soul in it at this stage and I said well I will only be in for 15 mins as we will be boarding shortly - Oh OK well then I guess you can come in! At least this lounge had champagne, even if it is pretty cheap stuff! It had a better view than the Cathay one too! Quite honestly, the Oneworld lounges in Chicago are pretty unfriendly places despite being a BA Gold card holder
.
Chicago Term 5 is pretty poor to hang around in - the duty free is small and there were no places to eat. That said, the was a lot of building work going on and signs that indicated that this should improve in the near future with a couple of new restaurants. Why American airports don't want to try and get you to spend money when bored waiting for a flight is beyond me - LAX is the same though the new terminal there will hopefully improve that.
Overall, I won’t be rushing back to ORD in the future - I thought LAX was bad but this place beats it hands down!
Anyway – on to the flight. Boarding was a very strange affair - it seemed like half the aircraft needed wheelchairs - most folks seemed fine walking around until the boarding announcement was made......Also I am pretty sure some folks just grabbed the nearest child too so that they could board early. All a bit of a nightmare really however it was all worth it.........
Flight
It is not often that I am speechless when flying these days but wow - the first impression of the Cathay business class seat was just amazing. I actually thought I had wandered into First Class! I had booked 11A, which is in a mini cabin of 2 rows of business class seats and it was a great choice. The seat was like a little mini suite and I can honestly say that despite my extensive research and reading of trip reports, no pictures could ever do the seat justification. I now see why folks think the BA Club World seat is behind the drag curve! I hope that the soft product lives up to the hard product - the first glass of champagne is very nice although I am not sure what it is yet! I also think I have missed the very friendly Cathay hostess welcome but maybe it is because it is boarding time and they are busy.......we shall see!
I find myself looking forward towards First Class but not with envy as I normally do on BA, more with curiosity!
I was welcomed by the senior cabin manager for being an Emerald card holder - a nice touch and one that I wish BA would follow. I have only ever been welcomed by the crew on the LAS route and have felt distinctly unwelcome on the LAX route!
Alcohol – Not long after take off the cabin crew came round with the first drink and a snack of warm almonds. I had a glass of champagne, which was very nice. I had not heard of the Deutz before but it was very pleasant.
The drink choices were:
Champagne Deutz - Brut Classic
Simi Somona Country Chardonnay 2009
Peter Schweiger Gruner Veltliner Kamptal Terrassen DAC Reserve 2010
Clos Du Bois North Coast Cabernet Sauvingnon 2008
Chateau Hanteillan Haut Medoc Cru Bourgeois 2010
Plenty of hard liquor and beer
Oriental Breeze & Cloud Nine non-alcoholic cocktails.
I stuck with the champagne......
Menu – menus were out very quickly and I felt like I could eat any one of the choices. The menu was:
Starter
Cardamom spiced prawns with curried eggs and roasted peppers
Seasonal mixed salad with portabello mushroom and sesame oriental dressing
The starters were delicious and the salad dressing was one I could have eaten over and over again. The egg and prawns were a strange combination but worked and I finished it all.
Main Courses
Grilled USDA beef tenderloin with cabernet sauce, potato gratin and sautéed baby spinach
Cod with sweet wine sauce, steamed jasmine rice and stir-fried pak choy with carrots
Herb roasted corn fed chicken breast with chive cream sauce, corn bread stuffing and green beans
Artichoke and cheese cannelloni with tomato sauce and cream sauce
The main of cod was well cooked, very tasty and again I cleared the plate.
Cheese and Desert
Camembert, Cheddar, Danish blue
Fresh seasonal fruit
Burnt caramel flan cheese cake with chocolate sauce
I am big fan of cheese and biscuits and very rarely go for pudding but on this flight I had both! The cheese was yummy and the cheesecake was to die for - it really was tasty.
Tea & Coffee
Pralines
Snacks
Grilled saffron marinated prawns skewer with cucumber raita
Wontons in noodle soup
Ice Cream
Refreshments
Starter
Fresh seasonal fruit
Main Course
Cedar plank roasted halibut with gremolata, roasted fingerling potatoes and asparagus
Stir-fried chicken with black pepper sauce, egg fried rice, kailan and carrots
Portobello mushroom ravioli with roasted red pepper sauce, vegetable ribbon, toasted almonds and parmesan cheese
Desert
Cherry linzer cake with raspberry coulis
Tea & Coffee
Quite simply the whole menu sounded delicious and I really did not know what to go for. During the main meal, my champagne was constantly topped up although I noticed I they had swapped from Deutz for Moet & Chandon Imperial. Not sure which is better as they tasted very similar.