CATHAY DRAGON BUSINESS CLASS, DAD-HKG
With an original three nights in Da Nang shortened to two, I was heading back to the airport in what felt like no time. I arrived at an empty check-in line, feeling a bit smug knowing I was about to get a First Class boarding pass on Cathay’s priciest route. I remember looking at Cathay’s HKG-JFK First Class prices a few years back, and seeing a casual 240 000HKD appear on the screen. The most expensive price for a return ticket I had ever seen.
Well, shortly I could claim to be a paying F class passenger on Cathay too. Only I was paying peanuts - 2.5% of the usual fare. Life treats you well sometimes.
Sure enough, I was handed an attractive pair of boarding passes – 11K & 2A. I was very happy to still have my original seat on the F segment, since 2A is considered the best seat on the plane by many - and I have a track record of being kicked off my assigned seat.
The airport and lounge situation at Da Nang was pleasantly surprising. Both were modern and well-designed, which I definitely wasn’t expecting. Cathay uses the Orchid Lounge at Da Nang - the only lounge at the airport. It was fairly sizeable, with many more seats than people, and some nice pods to sit in. The food was average, but there were plenty of drinks and snacks to go around, so I was satisfied.
Orchid Lounge, Da Nang Airport
Orchid Lounge, Da Nang Airport
The gate was right next to the lounge, and I made my way down there 20min before boarding. There were more people in the business class line than the economy line, so it wasn’t at all efficient. Two DYKWIA types managed to guilt one of the staff to let them cut through the entire line, though I’m not sure why since they weren’t in the business cabin. Probably diamonds; definitely knobs.
I waited at the back before making my way onto the plane. The business class cabin was full, despite being quite sizeable for a relatively small aircraft. Everyone complains about Cathay’s regional business class seats, but I find them more than comfortable enough for short regional hops.
Cathay Dragon business class
Cathay Dragon business class
Service as usual started with a refreshment, and the flight attendants addressed me by name. I’m not sure if they did this with everyone, or because of having a Cathay Gold card, but it was nice either way.
Once in the air, I had some chicken noodles as the main course for dinner. As per usual on Cathay, the food was average. Edible, but not particularly tasty. I skipped out on ice cream for dessert, and spent the rest of the 1hr 40min flight reading my Kindle.
This was a short hop, so nothing particularly exciting. I’m more than happy flying economy on flights as short as this (and even flights 4x longer) so I was just happy to be in HK on time, and the comfort of business was a nice bonus. Deplaning was quick, as was immigration due to having a HKID. I was out of the airport in no time, and off to the city to catch up with a friend for the night before the jaunt over to JFK the next morning.