G-CIVC

Hello and after long I am attempting to write a TR again. Brief introduction about myself and this trip, I live in HKG and go to college in ORD. Thanks to non-intervention a bit of support from my family, I've had to good fortune to indulge in being an avgeek and some perks, including the pass to CX F lounges and upgrades coveted status of AA EXP, etcetera.

A very long time ago, I snagged an F award TYO-HKG using Avios when I knew that CX F on the 747 wasn't meant to last. Getting there was not a big problem as I had an unused flexi PEY HKG-HND leg that was part of a TYO-HKG-ORD-HKG-TYO back-to-school ticket. It was an attractive deal back then when the Yen was at 125, and before I found out even cheaper deals such as ex-JNB and ex-CMB.

As my summer internship came to an end I started getting excited about this trip. I wasn't sure if I could get the dates I wanted as Cathay locked up all their award inventory on the 747 TYO flights over the summer. Fortunately, around 2 weeks prior they released a ton of seats again and 2Z were available on many dates. So I decided to take my mom with me to experience this together, if only as a gesture of thanks for her unconditional support for making me EXP, flying in J and such all the time. (She also does all the MSing in Hong Kong, as I call it, 'Avios printing', including paying for my college tuition, but she has no clue/is too busy to know how to use whatever points she has.)

I could have used TYPs to upgrade from PEY to J on the outbound, but as I was traveling with mom and it was a short flight, it was cheaper and made more sense for us to just settle for PEY in the couple seats.

Fast forward to the week before departure, we actually weren't exactly sure when to go as multiple typhoons were hitting Japan/TYO one after another. As I figured it would be better for her to travel with me together just in case of IRROPs rebooking/treatment, we settled to travel together on the afternoon departure to HND. That meant two extra hotel nights (since HND-HKG was also in the morning), but alas it was the 747 so it's a good price to pay.

I met her at the rather deserted Cathay premium check in aisle 3 hours before departure so we could get a leisurely lunch at the Pier.


We checked in at the F zone where she was a bit puzzled by how our bags were taken away without us having to do anything, and she also asked me how they could tell if I was Emerald right away, and what would they do if they found out I wasn't. Well, I guess I don't hope to know the answer in person...

We whisked through security and took the train to the Pier, where we went to the largely empty restaurant right away. Here's the menu, which has since been 'enhanced':


A bit overwhelmed, she settled with the Winter Melon Thick Soup and a Latte while I got myself the scallops and a Cathay Delight (as always). They were all solid, and service was attentive.



These were followed by mains including the Dan Dan Mian and Pan-fried Salmon followed by desserts, the Apple Tart and the Cheese board. The salmon was tender enough but the cheese was a bit too cold and lacking in taste.





The dining room remained empty and it was very relaxing with sunlight seeping in from outside. While the servers were attentive they were not standing around and spying on us all the time still. After reassuring mom for multiple times that this was all free and we could head out any time, she was reluctantly convinced and we moved on to the lounging area to wait for our flight. She still didn't quite get how 'me flying a lot with AA' (which wasn't true anyway) meant that Cathay would be treating us lunch. Anyway, I digress.




So we lounged a bit and I went for a quick shower. (She said no to both showers and massages, unsurprisingly) I always love the Pier F showers. They beat all the other lounges in terms of space, amenities and water pressure. The Cabanas in the Wing do not have Aesop, and for a 'quick shower' the showers here at Pier F are a lot more practical I would say. People have commented on how competitive the ones at Pier J are, but the shower suites are all smaller than the ones here at Pier F.




I am lucky enough to never have experienced overcrowding here while some other FTers in the CX forum have complained about. A few more snaps of how peaceful and serene the environment was, before we headed out to our boarding gate.



But just before that, I pleaded to visit the Pier J for a quick look as I haven't been since it opened. We walked around each zone very briefly and the takeaway was mom being puzzled if they actually mixed up naming the F and J lounge, as well as commenting that she now has good inspiration for our next apartment renovation.






The J lounge was truly mind blowing and I must say I've had my fair share of layover and lounging there since then. What I've pictured is also only around half of the space available, if that tells how spacious it is. The CX new style lounges are really unbeatable.

Our boarding gate, N32, was a short walk away and we arrived as boarding began. Lines already formed but given that this was a Japanese flight, the quietness and orderliness was unreal.



Given the light load in PEY, I did not worry about overhead space so did not rush to board. Most importantly, I would be an utter fool to pass on the opportunity to capture the Queen at its full beauty and grace. Our ship today, B-HUI, was a familiar face as I had been on as a little kid in the back surviving those hard shells to LAX and SFO, as well as another memorable trip last year in the upper deck also to HND. This would be my first (and last) time on the CX 747 in PEY, however.





I still find it hard to believe that as of today, these are all history, but eventually we boarded through the F boarding line without having to wait.

G-CIVC

Moving forward to our flight to TYO.

Cathay Pacific CX 542 / Japan Airlines JL 7032
Hong Kong (HKG) to Tokyo Haneda (HND)
August 29th 2016
Estimated departure/arrival: 1625 - 2135
Actual departure/arrival: 1632 - 2126
Flying time: 3h 25m
Equipment: Boeing 747-467 B-HUI
Seat 30H

We settled with the bulkhead couple seats of 30H/K, which were excellent with leg rests and three windows with a view of the wing and engines.




As soon as we settled down, cabin purser Chieko, an elegant Japanese lady came by and said hi to me. I introduced my mom to her as Mrs G-CIVC. She greeted both of us warmly and said assured us that she would take care of us for the flight today and would check back on us after departure. She didn't offer us anything to drink but seeing that there were more than 15 CX DMs onboard, it was still a nice gesture to be greeted by her.

The ISM was Dora, who also happened to be the Chairperson of the CX FA union. Unfortunately, she did not stop by to say hi, but Chieko and her juniors were superb so I was fine about that.

We pushed back as a colorful CI A330 pulled into the gate next to us. There were some interesting traffic on our way such as the oneworld ship B-KPL. We rolled away from runway 7L 30 minutes past departure time, which was not bad at all for a regional afternoon departure out of HK nowadays. I was praying that we could get out ASAP as the typhoon was expected to hit TYO overnight.




The 747 wing can flex too.

As we cleared the cloud cover above HKG, drinks service began after a string of announcements. Even on a route as premium as HND, the PEY service is identical as Economy, so there was no champagne or anything fancy offered. I had a can of sparkling water and declined the packaged nuts offered as they are now made in China, another enhancement for this year. Chieko came by and offered us blankets, and surprisingly they were the longhaul PEY ones instead of the rather unappealing shorthaul blankets where Cathay only caters 50 for 300 pax on shorthaul sectors.




We were cruising fast at over 1000kph towards Taiwan, when somehow both mom and I dozed off. Once we woke, the sun had already set, the cabin lights were on and the rest of the passengers were having their meals.

Before I pressed the call bell, Chieko appeared from the galley just in front of us, greeting us by name and asking us if we would like to have dinner now. She reserved two of both choices for us, which I greatly appreciate. We both chose to have the sweet and sour pork chop with egg fried rice (something like that, no menus are distributed for CX shorthauls in the back.) Knowing how hopeless CX catering is nowadays, it was surprisingly edible although the other offerings alongside the main course were all completely forgettable.




Once the meal service was done, I walked around the plane knowing that I won't have many chances anymore. Loading in economy was substantial but not exactly full. On shorthaul sectors, the PEY cabin is not sealed off from the economy cabin, as a lot of you may know. (Well, I guess it's a good thing this time.)





For the remainder of the flight we just roamed around on StudioCX, where I was delighted to see that I am a Singer 4, a reality show that I liked a lot was loaded. Only the first four episodes were there but now CX has the whole season so you seldom see me complaining about CX IFE even though there's been cuts here and there. A positive note for regional PEY is that we still got the longhaul PEY headsets, fair enough.



As we made landfall on Southern Japan, Chieko came by again and discreetly asked us if we would like leftover desserts from the front. My mom politely declined, while I got myself mango sorbet which was served in J class plating minus the linens. Despite it being rock hard I really appreciated her gesture. She also wished us a great time in Japan.



Soon, the captain came on the PA, asking us to belt up early before descent as we were in for a ride into the typhoon. I must admit that now the wing view became quite scary as the thick clouds meant the landing lights kept on flashing at us while we rolled and swayed all the way til touchdown, without seeing a thing outside. Nevertheless, how would I doubt a Cathay jumbo pilot and we landed into a pouring Haneda 15 minutes ahead of schedule thanks to good headwinds enroute.



A final shoot of the majestic B-HUI that flew us over.

I am so glad that we managed to land before the typhoon hit, as the next morning we saw/learnt of cancelations and disruptions around the TYO area. Our bags were among the first ten to emerge, before we reached the belts, and we were on our way to our hotel in Shiodome on the Keikyu line soon. We settled in our hotel room less than 90 minutes after arrival.

G-CIVC

Having stayed here before, I recommended Park Hotel in Shiodome and my mom (who is an IC fan, I don't know why) was very impressed as her only knowledge of Japanese hotels were the 10sqm cubicles you get in business hotels. We opted not to splurge for the Conrad next door as this was only a fraction of its price, and it was equally convenient. Service, room size and English levels were all decent, although they weren't able to give us a room with a Tokyo Tower view.



Since the purpose of the trip was to bid the 747 farewell, I did not have too much of an agenda for the next three days. We ended up doing some touristy stuff as mom hasn't been in TYO for a long time, and sought out for food as well, but really we didn't do a lot.

When a typhoon hits Hong Kong directly, most of the city is shut down and we don't go to school/work. Apparently, there's no such equivalent of a day off in Tokyo so the hotel concierge told us that everything was open. The next morning, we went for breakfast at bills, one of my favorite breakfast places not only in Tokyo but worldwide. I have only been to the Omotesando branch but since the weather was terrible, we went to the Odaiba one instead, which was larger anyway and was only a few stops away on the Yurikamome which stopped right next to our hotel.




The ricotta pancakes and varlhona chocolate were to die for. It was a bit pricey however, at around $40 in total for two.

We spent the rest of the day roaming around the deserted malls of Odaiba. The skies calmed down momentarily but the view was still rather suboptimal, and the gusts were intense.



We then took the JR to Shinjuku and spent the late afternoon and early evening at Kinokuniya before moving to Takashimaya and Tokyu Hands for some shopping. We had dinner at a unagi restaurant there as recommended by a friend. It was amazing with a great view and good English-speaking servers too. We followed the instructions and ate in three 'rounds' adding in different condiments each time.



The next day, the weather was back to sunny and hot and we strolled around in Roppongi before having lunch at Robuchon. It was actually quite meh but given how cheap it is compared to the HK branch, we both enjoyed the lunch and the service was good too. My mom also enjoyed people watching, notably some parents taking their little children to lunch here after picking them up at the kindergarten nearby.





It was time to be touristy as we hit Takeshita street in Harajuku and Shibuya later on in the evening. It was incredibly fun to have conveyor belt sushi while not understanding any of the signage and instructions. Turns out they counted our dishes just by scanning, which was cool (in Hong Kong, they count one by one)



The next morning, we decided to hit Tsukiji. Now, although at that time Tsukiji was scheduled to close down very soon, I didn't want to ask my mom to wake at 2am just to get to Sushi Dai. We settled with this alternative as we arrived at around 10 or 11. It was still solid but not as good as Sushi Dai/Daiwa that I had before. Nonetheless it was still a fun experience.



Got a bit touristy again as we went to Asakusa and people-watched those in Kimonos.



The heat however was getting unbearable. We then went to Marunouchi in search of HARBS, a cake shop that caught our eyes in Shinjuku but the wait there was way too long. Here there was no waiting and we spent a delightful afternoon munching on cake and coffee. Unfortunately I didn't quite get the hype about it - I think Lady M in HK/NYC is better...but the cakes here did look fancy at least



In the evening, we stopped by Caretta, a commercial building in Shiodome next to our hotel that had a rather low-key observation space on its top floor with sweeping views of the Sumida river and Tokyo Bay in the distance. Cool.



It was an enjoyable three days in Tokyo but I must say I was excited all along for CX F back home. I was a bit nervous beginning the afternoon the day before, hoping to make sure that they didn't swop out the 747 last minute on the flight coming in

jdtravels

Great photos and TR! I can totally understand what you mean by parents being clueless about how airline alliances work and amazed when they discover benefits - similar background, but UK instead of USA; when my parents flew to LHR to visit, my dad opened BAEC and Finnair accounts just to credit BA and AY flights respectively, not realising that he could have credited them to his MPC instead. Ah well, we all started from somewhere!

Looking forward to the rest!!! ^

nequine

Great pictures there and looking forward to reading more.

DanielW

Some tasty eats in Tokyo.

Looks like the Tsukiji move has been postponed again(?).

freakinflyer001

Good read as usual! I did a 3 day trip to Tokyo for a ride on the Queen with a very similar itinerary.

I tried to wake up at 3 for Sushi Dai/Daiwa but ultimately thought it was too ambitious. Have you been? Is it worth the early morning start?

I was also pleasantly surprised to see I am a singer to be loaded on the IFE. Is that Hacken Lee you're watching? He's one of my fav cantopop singers

Anyway I look forward to seeing the rest of it!

Adrian

G-CIVC

Finally, the highlight of the whole trip, CX F (and a lot of lounge hopping fanfare before that too). Also happens to be my first time!

We woke up early and checked out to a gorgeous view out of our hotel lobby, featuring Tokyo Tower and Toranomon Hills. No luck with Mount Fuji in the Summer, however.


As we were prepared to go I turned on my phone and got the notification from CX that the flight was delayed for 25 minutes because of late arrival the day before. I guess delays are perfect when you are in F for leisure.

So we still set off from the hotel early, taking the Toei subway and Keikyu train which was crowded but efficient. Within 25 minutes we were at HND International terminal.


Don't know why but I just love the HND Int'l terminal a lot. It was bustling with people, even though it wasn't even 8 am.



Since we didn't want to lug souvenirs around and knowing that there would be an abundant supply of choices at the airport, we decided to shop around on what is an Edogawa-themed shopping/eating complex located above departures level in the terminal. The variety was impressive and we filled our suitcases to the brim, with mom deciding that the 8% tax differential wasn't worth having to carry everything onto the plane ourselves instead.


After that, we headed for the CX check in area at Aisle J which was surprisingly deserted. We were escorted to the F counter and were checked in right away, always appreciate the professionalism and warmth of the HND ground staff and today was no exception. The check-in equipment were all updated with the new CX branding, visually appealing but practically not too convenient for the eye.




F pax (but not J pax) were eligible for the priority lane, but as we had to return our wifi device by post and the lines weren't long either, we just opted for the central screening area. All tremendously efficient, quiet and peaceful. TSA and CBP can really learn a thing or two here.

Another great thing to be done with souvenir shopping is that we could head to the lounges right away. Now, knowing that we were in F, there was no reason to pass on the JL Flounge although the CX lounge at Haneda is one of the best outport lounges as well. Time was on our side anyway.



The agents politely reminded us that we could also access the CX lounge, but other than that the only thing they kept saying was 'thank you' :P As we walked inside the Zen-like decor was stunning but as a lot have commented, the main lounge area feels slightly too 'corporate' with so many businessmen around too.


We sat down at the dining area at the long table with open, sweeping views of the tarmac and Tokyo in the background. I grabbed myself just some light bites and the famous made-to-order galette, which was incredibly tasty!





The rest of the spread was standard and sufficient of Western and Japanese options. Some more snaps of the sitting areas to both sides of the dining area.




Business center

Next up was the highlight before CX F itself, the RED suite. I explained to my mum that it's more like a museum within a lounge, and it certainly was impressive. Any aficionado of aviation should really make an effort to stop by if they can. I'll let the pictures do the talking.


Entrance to the RED Suite








Within the RED suite, there was also a shoe-shine area where the shoe-shine professional on duty was chatting with a Japanese businessman. There's also a cellar-like champagne corner with free flow Laurent-Perrier.



The RED Suite was so serene and it felt so timeless. I hope to visit it again, hopefully when I have a much longer layover so I can take my time contemplating each exhibit, including the very fancy wall of navigational maps. I really wish that CX can one day set up something like this in HKG too, it will surely be mind-blowing for us CX fans out there

We didn't stop by the washrooms or shower suites, but they are nothing special.

Next, we moved on to the CX lounge which was 2 flights above the JAL lounge and required a bit of additional walking, closer to our departure gate. Featuring Pier-style Studioilse furnishings, the Haneda lounge is certainly the best outport lounge there, or perhaps now the best mixed-class one after the Heathrow lounge has opened.



Entrance and reception area

When you walk inside, you will see most of the lounge. To the leftmost is the dining hall area where hot food is served, and in front of that is the 'pantry area' with a counter that serves cold, light bites with some seating, followed by a large living room area on the right and the bar and business center behind it.


Pantry area


'Restaurant' area with classic CX noodle bar

Living room

Bar area

Business center

Pier-style bathroom with Aesop amenities

The CX lounge is catered and serviced by Hotel Okura so the software is also of very high quality. Given that, I ordered a full breakfast, Japanese style. You can also see the other options available. We settled at a secluded area in front of the pantry area, with full floor to ceiling windows facing the tarmac and Tokyo. The area was also equipped with the latest CX 'Solo' chairs, very functional and comfy fully equipped with bells and whistles like reading lights, electric outlets etc...
The signature tables with 'pull-out' sockets were also in place.






Since the flight was delayed and it does take a while to get airborne departing out of Haneda, I liberally went for a second helping, having the light bites this time. They were all excellent. I also went to the bar, where I got the special cocktail 'Sweet Haneda' as they didn't have Cathay Delight and the other signature Cathay special drinks. It looked good but the taste was not that nice.


The 'snack counter'

Snacks including smoked salmon, liver terrine, fruit salad, mochi, grass jelly etc

'Sweet Haneda'

Perhaps helped by the light 70% load factor today, the lounge was not very full the entire time we were there, it was quiet and atmospheric. Given its bright abundance of daylight, I'd say it was even more comfortable than the Pier at this time of the day. That being said, we punctually left the lounge as I really wanted to maximize every minute I had on the jumbo later.

First sights of the jumbo parked and being prepared for boarding

Our boarding gate today was 145, where four-class boarding was strictly enforced (without too much need for any active discipline, I just love Japan.). The gates had some sort of turnstiles which were lowered punctually to the point at the rescheduled boarding time.



We went down the escalators and finally, the jumbo in full sight. She really is one hell of a plane. Today's ship would be B-HUJ, the very last Cathay 747-400 to be retired that would also be in charge of both the revenue and charity final flights.




Cathay Pacific CX 543 / Japan Airlines JL 7031
Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Hong Kong (HKG)
September 2nd 2016
Estimated departure/arrival: 1035 - 1410
Actual departure/arrival: 1139 - 1516
Flying time: 3h 59m
Equipment: Boeing 747-467 B-HUJ
Seat 1A

We turned left onto the first jetbridge where we were warmly greeted by senior purser in charge of the First cabin. The flight purser behind immediately acknowledged us by name and escorted us to our coveted seats of 1A and 1K. Unfortunately, I can't recall their names since most of the interaction I had was with the ISM on this flight.

The flight purser introduced herself again in Cantonese and confirmed with us that we would like to have the Kaiseki meal, as I previously emailed the TYO office to see if they take an advanced request. I asked her to hold on with the PDBs as I wanted to take pictures of the cabin before the other pax boarded.




The cabin was in pristine condition and the plush carpeting was particularly impressive, a luxury that I definitely don't get to experience in my regular J travels. I can't believe that this was a 20+ year old ship about to be retired. Some more close ups of our suites 1A and 1K:







The spaciousness, privacy and comfort of these two suites and the ambience of the F cabin having only a few people was a feeling that none of my past experiences were felt close to. I think I felt even more excited than my first time in business over economy many years ago.

I was then offered PDB of full bar which I requested for the Champagne, Amour de Deutz Blanc de Blancs 2006. Good stuff. And yes they did do the fancy ritual of carrying the whole bottle over and pouring it in front of myself
The tranquility was unreal as I quietly sipped and watched the 200+ people descend from the jetbridge to their much more compact spaces behind.


The ISM, Susan, from Hong Kong, came by and welcomed us onboard. At this moment, I asked if I could visit the cockpit and she told me to follow her upstairs and she will ask the captain.


Not as fancy in comparison...

The captain (from Australia) obliged while informing Susan that control in Hong Kong had halted all departures from outports for at least 90 minutes. There was bad weather and rolling delays with priority for long-haul flights so we were put on hold. I guess it's my lucky day and it was hard for me to hide my beam!

With that, the captain asked that I don't take pictures of the cockpit, understandably, while we all chatted a bit. The first officer was from Hong Kong. I told them that this will be my last flight on the Cathay jumbo, and it happened that it was the same for all of them, the pilots and the ISM. They also talked about the 'good old days' of flying these birds into Kai Tak, which I could only wish I had the chance to experience with vivid memory.

Once I returned to my suite, the flight purser came again to top up my drink as well as gave me a hot oshibori.


As the ground stop was announced, the FAs continued with their service by having the senior purser distributing the menus and greeting us individually, followed by another round of full bar beverage service accompanied with heated nuts/Japanese snack mix. I ordered an Oriental Breeze as it was now September and the glass was more than double the size of that in business




Since it was now evident that we weren't going anywhere soon, I relaxed myself by adjusting my seat and also visited the legendary F lavatory, while the flight purser kept checking with each passenger if they wanted anything else.



The lavatory was nicely decorated, double-windowed and also had Aesop toiletries.





You can see that I'm not exactly petite but the suite was really completely overkill in both length and width. Now, how can I suck it up in J anymore???

Eventually, we were cleared to go earlier than expected, around 75 minutes past original departure time, or about 90 minutes after I boarded. Nooooooo!!

G-CIVC

The safety video played as soon as we pushed back.


Not surprisingly, we had to take off from the 'reclaimed' new runway which meant a very long taxi from the international terminal, with interesting sights along the way:



Stopped short of another runway for a JL 737 landing

NH 789



As we reached the runway we rolled away with intensity of the RR engines and a stunning front-facing view out of my suite. Meanwhile, my mom was dozing off already...


The skies were beautiful outside. If you are from Hong Kong, this was a truly Triumph in the Skies moment.

I moved to my mom's seat, 1K, for some sightseeing. We soon made landfall again over Shizuoka, and Mount Fuji was right there in front of our eyes. It is believed that seeing Mount Fuji relates to a bringing of good fortune. Wait...but where's the snow?




Mount Fuji, apparently

Shizuoka

Next, it was showtime. We did 'pre-order' the Kaiseki meal but here's the menu and wine list for today:







My mom wanted to watch TV so we declined the duo-dining option. The meal kicked off with assorted sushi featuring mackerel, scallop and salmon. I ordered another glass of Oriental Breeze and sparkling water to go with the meal:



The sushi were of suitable temperature and texture. I had never had anything like that on a plane before, so couldn't draw any comparisons, but it was no different from sushi consumed on the ground. Very nice.

Next, the appetizer of simmered prawn flavored with yuzu citrus, minced duck with egg cake, candied marron chestnut, pickled radish with sweet and vinegar sauce and marinated salmon roe was served on a black oval tray. The prawn tasted fresh and the other condiments were as variedly flavorful as the description suggested. The green apple liquer was so refreshing and paired well with the appetizers.




Then, the braised dish was served together with the clear soup. This was served on another tray that fit in with the appetizer tray. Perhaps because of the heavy load (8/9) in the F cabin (or maybe I was indulged in the IFE), the service was not extremely attentive in that my drinks were not proactively topped up. That being said, the senior purser serving us asked if I would like green tea to go with this dish which I happily accepted.





I was watching an HK TV show featuring Helen To, a celebrity host known for her expertise in Japanese stuff. I was trying to check if this Kaiseki was authentic enough compared to those served on the ground. It was pretty much close to that

It was moderately turbulent as we were riding on the jetstream off the coast of Japan. But the skies looked great and honestly at that moment I couldn't think of a better place to be at.

One of the best things about 1A/1K is that there are never any FAs walking past your seat. That being said, I'm sure that the senior purser discreetly checked on us as once I was finished with each course, she appeared and took action within moments. So finally, here comes the masterpiece.







What can I say about the main? There was no compromise between quantity and quality since it was full marks for both of them. The fish was flaky and the beef was flavorful and tender. I don't know what they did with the rice, but it was miles more delicate and sweet than the hard and flavorless small bowls they serve in business. There was no lack of attention to detail with no snafus in chilling and heating the appropriate components within the tray.

The extravagance ended on a lighter note with some fruit to conclude. It did taste fresh compared to J class catering again. I did think of getting the Western meal dessert, but I guess you can tell how filling the Japanese meal itself was


I might have to take back my claim that no drink refills were made, or it was just that the meal was a bit too lengthy, somehow I visited the lav again. When I returned, the post-meal pralines and an oshibori were neatly placed on my side table. By then, we had left Japan and headed onto above the East China Sea already.





Completely stuffed, I walked around the plane and it just feels gigantic compared to the 77Ws that I normally fly on. Seems like most people onboard were having a great time enjoying themselves with the relatively light load today.


From the very back!

Light load in PEY

Main deck J

I then set up my suite in 'bed mode'. Unfortunately, the Haneda flight doesn't get the full set of turndown, duvet etc...but it was still incredibly comfy to just lounge around, move freely and watch some more TV. Naturally, I was so excited, it was impossible for me to take a nap. But my mom was enjoying her flat bed pretty much.




So sooner or later, I was up again walking around the plane! I went to the J class common area where I chatted quite a bit with the ISM Susan and another J class purser. We talked about how sad it was that Cathay was dumping all these jumbos straight to the scrapyard, and how much the Cathay onboard offerings had changed throughout the years. Apparently the crew all loved the jumbo as the crewax ratio is a lot higher than the new-generation aircraft. She was also surprised to learn that as an AA elite I actually spend more than 90% of my qualified flying through Cathay, and fly with them basically to everywhere. A DM seated in PEY soon joined, also flying today just for the jumbo and we all had a bit of fun taking photos of one another around the iconic stairwell area, where Susan also played with the lighting






More pictures around the galley area and the upper deck:





I then returned to my suite for more lazy lounging, enjoying the moment and hoping it won't end. Alas, we were soon above the Taiwan strait where I ordered a cup of Hong Kong style milk tea to freshen up before arrival. It was nicely presented and tasted okay.



Will certainly treasure this rare opportunity to be at the pointy end...



Prior to descent, the captain gave a bit of a monologue by describing the plane as the one and only Queen of the Skies, thanking the plane for its service with Cathay before thanking us for flying today. It indeed was a rather tearful moment.

The next thing I knew, we were circling above the waters to the East of Hong Kong as we gradually descended into a rather cloudy Hong Kong with bumpy skies. The crew came by again to thank us individually and wished us a great day ahead.

We were landing on runway 25R today, which meant great views of the HKG skyline before arrival.

Sai Kung

Tsing Yi Island

Lantau Island
The Port of Hong Kong, under construction, with Tung Chung in the background

The 'forward-facing' nose view was once again unreal and I felt like I was flying the plane. Even my mom was completely wowed by this.



We landed and exited the runway very quickly. We pulled into our arrival gate S43 soon, more than an hour late. Well, I wish we were ten hours late and I wouldn't mind either!

Some final shots as the F cabin unwillingly parted with the jumbo and the crew:




A special bonus: before the long ride home my mom wanted to grab a bite, so I told her that we have the option of free food in the arrival lounge. However, I must say that the food was a bit...anticlimatic after all that good food onboard and in Japan Anyway, it was deserted at that time of day so we just chilled there for a while before grabbing our cab home.





To conclude, I think I shall say that my regular flying are flights, but this was an experience. The onboard meal was certainly insanely amazing, but I've had better service on CX. Still, the nostalgia and fanfare of flying on a 747 in the nose still makes this a most memorable and impressive trip, certainly unforgettable for the years to come I would certainly love to try the 'full package' of CX F soon, but I'm no pro at churning and all that so I can't see myself flying CX F long haul any time soon. And it's not like that the 777 experience can replicate the feeling of sitting in the very tip of the aircraft with absolutely no one walking past you, and a much more airy cabin. I can only say that it's now even more boring and meh when I fly in CX J nowadays Also, I thought CX could have done a bit more for F passengers when on the ground, especially when the number of F seats into HKG is actually decreasing. At some outports, they do a fantastic job such as the famed ORD escort service, but I'd like to see that extended into HND and HKG and other ports.

Thanks for watching!

Next up: "A 'CX EXP''s take on AA 77W J LAX-HKG-LAX: does it really blow CX out of the water?"

Billiken

Great report.
Thank you.

Long live the Queen.

tennislover9

Wonderful TR. Thanks for sharing. The Queen will be missed.

SPBanker

Great TR! Brings back many great memories of HKG, HND and many points between.

G-CIVC

Thanks jdtravels. Indeed, explaining the concept of oneworld is quite difficult, especially in HKG, one of the world's most monopolised aviation markets

G-CIVC

Thanks nequine for your kind words.

Thanks DanielW for the reply. Indeed, the Tsukiji move is now put off until early 2017, but a lot of locals speculate that it won't happen even then. As a big Tsukiji fan, I don't mind at all!

G-CIVC

Thanks Adrian! Yes it indeed is Hacken Lee, haha.

My first time to Sushi Dai was two years ago. Arrived at 5:30 on the first train out of Shinjuku, I think we were let in after 2-3 hours wait.

Last month, I went there again, at 5:30 they already cut the queue for the day. I stayed onsite at a hotel in the Tsukiji 'block' but still waited for 3 hours arriving at 4am. Must say it's crazy, but it's also very worth it, fresh and tasty, unlike anything in HK - but the chefs speak Cantonese too!

If I have a chance to go there again before it closes down I might try Daiwa, but Sushi Dai is really good (and of good value), so I decided to return instead