CX 882 in J
 

Dear folks,

Here is another trip report on Cathay Pacific. It is a pretty typical report, and I will try to be brief. Although I am a pretty big fan of CX, this flight is definitely the worst CX flights that I have taken since January. The food is bland and both the quality and quantity of food goes down, and the canapé service cuts down to a choice of nuts or a single piece of canapé.

August 20, 2002
CX 882 HKG-LAX Lv1610 Arr1430+1
Boeing 747-400 B-HOZ
Check in was done separately at Area B, due to increased security measures. If you are flying first class, you can still check in at the regular F class stations. I did not use the F class station, despite of my newly received Oneworld Emerald status, because I did not have the new card and worry that CX computer has not reflected my new status. The line for J class was a bit long, compared to regular line. One had to add on an extra half an hour to the usual check in time. I got the seat 86A, emergency exit row, again, and the check in agent printed out J class boarding pass, but F class lounge pass and F class priority tags for my two heavy suitcases. I don’t think I need to say more about CX F class lounge, but I enjoyed the buffet. Boarding began at 3:35pm, and I waited a bit before boarding the plane. Door was closed on time, but then some mechanics returned to the plane, as there were some minor problems. Doors were finally closed at 4:17pm, and we waited ten minutes before pushing back, due to an aircraft behind us. Finally, we were off to Runway7R for our takeoff. HKG was quite busy, with couple CX flights to YVR, NRT, ICN, and TPE, and then a MU’s Airbus A300-600R heading to China. We took off at 4:43pm. Flying time was twelve hours and thirty-two minutes and the routing took us first to Taipei on 27,000ft. Then we climbed to 29,000ft before cruising along the Southern coast of Japan, and then we climbed to 31,000ft, and 33,000ft. Then we flew on a more western course after passing Tokyo. Then we climbed to 35,000ft and 37,000ft throughout the cross to the US. We entered the US airspace, as we entered the Monterey and Salinas area. Fairly typical!

Beverage service began quickly, and the new nuts or savory service replaced the old savory tray. The selection for nuts is the pistachio nuts, and the savory course is reduced to one single kind – Sliced chicken roll on top of egg-battered cucumber pancake. Fortunately, the F/A gave me two pieces. If CX is serving a single piece of chicken roll, why bother to serve savories. Then the dinner service started with the appetizer and salad tray, followed by the bread basket and beverage trolley. And then the main course is served in front of you, and the flight attendants place the food into the tray – the traditional first class manner, and then the cheese and fruit cart, followed by the dessert trolley. The wine list for CX North American flights is posted on my last trip report.

Dinner
Salad
Seasonal Salad served with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
cucumber slices, red pepper strips, endives, spinach, and Radichio…

Appetizer
Parma Ham with Melon
the best course – two slices of ham with 2 melon and 3 cantaloupe slices

Main Courses
#Braised Cod Fillet with Preserved Olive and Vegetable
Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Tomato and Pesto Sauce
It was my choice, and the beef was a bit overcooked.
Grilled Chicken Breast with Lime and Herb Butter
Shell Pasta with Pumpkin and Red Capsicum

Accompaniments
Anna Potatoes, Chinese Egg Noodles with Black Mushrooms and Vegetables, Egg Fried Rice with Spring Onion, Stir-Fried Broccoli, Fresh Seasonal Vegetables

Cheese and Fruit
Cheese Selection with Crackers
Fresh Seasonal Fruit
Cheddar and two other kinds… fruits (grapefruit, melon, cantaloupe, strawberry and white grapes

Dessert
Almond Apple Pie served with Vanilla sauce
A very nice apple crumble pie!
Or
Movenpick Ice cream

Bread
Tea and Coffee
Pralines
#A special creation by Mr. Kinsen Kam of “Yung Kee”

After dinner, the snack basket was set up in the rear cabin near the galley. The snack basket has Picnic chocolate bars, almonds, Japanese snacks, dried fruits, Macadamia-Apricot Bars, and a nice Ham and cheese sandwiches. I had a bowl of noodles during mid flight, which was pretty typical. The refreshment list was stated below. In terms of entertainment, the usual Studio CX stuff was shown, and I watched some discovery programs and comedies. The flight attendants on this flight were pretty laid back. No one was doing any water runs, but a bottle of water and some glasses were set up in the bar station. Nevertheless, I was disappointed to see the lack of water services. You rarely saw them, unless you paged them. Therefore, I found the experience a bit disappointing. Lights were turned on at 2:47am, and the brunch service began with the fruit and bread basket, followed by the main course – once again, the trolley showed up.

Refreshment
Your choice of:
Multi-grain Rye Bread with Prosciutto Ham and Pickles
Pizza with Tomato, Olives, and Mozzarella Cheese
Chicken-flavored Instant Noodles
Movenpick Ice Cream

Brunch
Juice
Fresh Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, or Fresh Soya Bean Milk

Appetizer
Fresh Seasonal Fruits
Papaya, melon, grapefruit segment, ½ kiwi, and two slices of orange segments.

Main Courses
Scrambled Egg with Cottage Cheese on English Muffin
Glutinous Rice with Barbecued Pork served with Imperial Soya Sauce
It was okay, but there was no soya sauce provided.
#Dried Bonito and Peanut Congee accompanied by Pan-fried Dumpling

Accompaniments
Grilled Ham Slices, Fried Potatoes, Broiled Tomato with Herb, Button Mushrooms

Bread Selection
Butter Croissant, Blueberry Muffin, or Soft Roll served with Preserves and Butter

Descent began at 4:51am, and our flight landed on R/W25L at 2:15pm. Fortunately, our gate, 101, was available right the way, but it was the furthest gate at the east wing, and it was a long walk to the immigration and custom. Here was the flight report and I hope you enjoyed it. The aircraft was a 74B with old Business Class.

Carfield http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif