Dualmonitors

Dear All: this is the first time i'm going take CX845 from JFK to HKG on Cathay's Business Class (Thanksgiving week, no less). previously, i've flown many times via United's Business Class (Newark EWR to HKG), but it was unpleasant and many have told me to switch to Cathay, so here i am.

CX845 leaves JFK at 12:50AM, yet serves a full dinner shortly after takeoff.

May I ask if there are any pointers that would help a first timer on this flight? How many hours prior should I arrive at JFK? At that late hour, there isn't much to do at JFK (shops would all be closed).

Arrival in HKG is also very early: 5:35AM in Hong Kong.

Thanks in advance. Any advice, pointers, would be most appreciated.

PS: is Cathay very strict on their baggage size? i.e. their Length + Width + Height TOTAL of the suitcase measurements. Some large suitcases are just over the 62" L+H+W limitation. One of my 2 suitcases for check in baggage is around 65" or 66", so while it's not terrible, it does indeed look rather large. The 2nd piece of checked baggage is much more manageable at around 61" or 62".

CanucksHKG

That's a very broad and general question. I highly recommend you use those dual monitors of yours and have a good read through the FAQ:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/catha...-about-cx.html

If that's still not enough, you could use your 2nd monitor and take advantage of the lovely 'search' button with various keywords of your choice.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/catha...to_forumsearch

While I would love to tell you you're generally safe with checking in both of those luggage at its size, I wouldn't want to give you any false hope and disappointment at the airport. CX is generally not that strict, but various different experiences have been reported.

P.S: We have started a newbie sticky for a reason, please use it:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/catha...s-welcome.html

JALPak

Having a general lounge thread which welcome newbie to participate doesn't mean every newbie or CX newbie has to use it. Not to mention if it is not an one-off question, it's much easier to identify a related thread than a related post in a master thread. Just my 2 cents.

mayodave

It would be a big help if they did and avoid the huge amount of duplicate questions

sxc

Please - no need to debate the right/wrong way to post and create a "situation" that doesn't need to exist. If you don't like a thread, please ignore it.

sxc
Cathay Pacific moderator.

Too much travel

I can't help you out with check-in luggage size as I almost never check anything in. As for arriving at T7, it's a tiny terminal and therefore very efficient: from curbside to the lounge takes five minutes (or I guess in your case with check-in luggage then maybe 15 minutes). There's not much to do but the BA lounge there is a decent enough place to wait.

Everyone has their own approach to that flight: I normally force myself to stay awake and have a late dinner, then sleep all the way to HKG as you'll have a long day ahead of you with the early arrival.

Guy Betsy

That is the best bet...

Try to stay awake, eat. Watch a movie or two. Then time yourself to HK time at least and sleep during the last 10 hour of the flight..Drink lots of water etc. I use holistic supplements so that helps a lot too. Take Antioxidants in form of drinks or food or supplements .. Vitamin C. That helps too.

Enjoy the CX flight over UA !

There will always be duplicate threads of same questions everywhere..

CX828

Congrats for making the switch to CX. I think you will find the flight most pleasant.

As everyone else says, best thing to do is stay awake as long as possible before sleeping. I usually stay awake to 4-5am Eastern time, before sleeping until breakfast or landing.

FYI, not sure if you know, but if EWR is a more convenient airport for you. CX have a daily flight non-stop EWR-HKG starting in March, with the same departure time as the flight you are on.

CanucksHKG

OP is travelling next week

AC*SE

Dine on board--stay up as late as you can practically do and then try for some sleep with about 8 hours or so to run.

Sleep through breakfast service, if you can. You will arrive before the crowds in The Arrival, and you can tuck into a decent breakfast and get a shower there before you head into town.

jona970318

It depends on how long you want to say in the BA terrace at T7 in JFK. I would say 2 hours prior is sufficient enough.

If you want to recieve the full benefits I suggest you take a nap during the day if you wan to eat onboard. Alternatively you can eat in the lounge and snack when you wake up in between meals.

CX is usually not that strict on baggage as long as its not too much over.

Arriving at HK early, you will be able to use the arrival lounge if you prefer to stay at the airport for a little while after arrival, although its not that great

CX828

That comment is in response to OP switching from UA at EWR to CX at JFK. So for OP future's travels considering it seems OP is a frequent EWR-HKG traveler.

CaptRobPhD

I can't speak to CX checked luggage limits either but carry-ons have been a different story for me, although my bought seats have been in PEY. At each check-in (four including ORDx2, MEL, SYD) they've weighed both my carry-ons and said, "Okay, very good" [together less than 7kg, I suppose]. Now, I don't know if they're checking to make sure they are under the stated limit (both are kinda tiny but dense) or are simply weighing to get accurate payload information--in each case I brought them with me. You may get a little more leeway in the premium cabin but I wouldn't go all backpacker like some do domestically stateside and expect to cram everything in 'because they always fit'--doubt the biz cabin will run out of room [biz gets 10kg]. In the one leg [HKGORD] I got upgraded, the FAs were bringing carry-ons from PEY and beyond up into the J-cabin where there was still plenty of room even 90% full of bodies.

In looking at the checked baggage allowance, looks like you get two pieces each <62" linear and <70lbs. I offer a couple options to consider: 1) hopefully your big suitcase is not hardsided on all sides (perhaps a zip out side or the like) and if that is the case--suck it in! or use a wrapping service as baggage spanx; 2) ace the suitcase and put the belongings in an oversized duffel or rucksack, each of which may be humongous but still 'count' as below 62" (http://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_U...ance.html#N1); 3) downside the big suitcase into one hefty carry on to go with your computer case and a smaller suitcase. Given that a Z1 to Z5 excess baggage $$ is $150, it may be worth your money -- especially given your apparent frequent travel on the route -- to get a properly down-sized checked bag.

Sorry, not much insight on JFK ops from me In ORD, check-in even for PEY took all of 5 minutes; I didn't get the premium line at security which you certainly should kinda expediting security at that time of night. Effective the spring, you'll be able to get your EWR-HKG and back to your comfort zone!

yannix

Ask the check-in staff at JFK for "The Arrival" lounge invitation card if you decide to go there.

Fly2Where

I don't recall I ever get "the arrival lounge invitation" in JFK, maybe like you said, need to request it. But I never had issue getting into the arrival just by showing my BP.