I haven’t flown Cathay Pacific in Economy for over a decade so was keen to see how it compared to more recent flights with Singapore Airlines and Qantas.
The overnight flight between Sydney and Hong Kong was operated by the 777-300ER, which is the backbone of Cathay’s long haul fleet, in a three class configuration (Business, Premium Economy and Economy).
In this post:
Pre Flight
Cathay Pacific Economy Class Seat Selection – Exit Row
For my overnight flight from Sydney to Hong Kong, I was able to select an exit row seat online without charge (usually A$220) due to my temporary American Airlines Gold status from their partnership with Hyatt.
An exit row aisle seat is the best seat in Economy Class and on this plane there were four (43C, 43H, 59C and 59H).
Tip: All OneWorld elites including Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald are able to select extra legroom seats on Cathay Pacific for free
Cathay Pacific Check In Sydney Airport
While I had already used online check in prior to arriving at Sydney Airport, passengers flying to Vietnam need to have their visas checked by staff (as Drew learned in Singapore). The Cathay Pacific check in area was well staffed and I was immediately assisted.
It took a few minutes for the formalities but I soon had my paper boarding passes in hand.
Cathay Pacific Economy Class Review – CX138
Cathay Pacific 138
Sydney (SYD) – Hong Kong (HKG)
Friday, December 13
Depart: 10:20PM
Arrive: 05:00AM
Duration: 9hr40min
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER (77W)
Seat: 59C (Economy Class)
Boarding commenced at Gate 31 on time at 9:40PM with priority boarding of Business Class and OneWorld elites completed before the general boarding call for Economy Class.
One aboard the Captain came on the PA to ask passengers to quickly stow their luggage and take their seats as we were in danger of missing our takeoff slot, and potentially the evening curfew at Sydney Airport.
Cathay Pacific Economy Class Exit Row Seat 59C
My exit row seat was excellent with effectively unlimited legroom and the Inflight Entertainment (IFE) screen located in the armrest for a more comfortable viewing angle.
The only drawback is the IFE controller juts out about an inch from the right side of the seat, but is worth the trade off for extra legroom.
Dinner And Breakfast
Once airborne the efficient cabin crew sprung into action to deliver the dinner service to an almost full Economy cabin.
Besty Beer
First, a round of drinks were offered as the meals were heated in the galley. I’ve always been intrigued by Cathay Pacific’s Betsy Beer, made in Hong Kong with Hong Kong mandarin orange by Gweilo Brewing Company.
Betsy Beer was previously only available in premium cabins on certain routes but as part of the relaunch in October 2019 it is now served in Economy too.
Menu
Attractive printed menus were distributed along with the drinks.
Dinner
Before too long the meal trolley rolled by and I went with the pork in black pepper sauce and rice. The meal was filling, tasty and went well with my Betsy Beer.
Once the the entire cabin had their meals, a round of ice cream was delivered to round out dinner service.
Once dinner had been cleared away, the lights were dimmed and passengers began to turn in for the night.
Breakfast
After a few hours rest, the cabin crew started breakfast service about two hours out from Hong Kong. Delivered on a single plate, I opted for the minced pork congee which needed a bit of pepper for flavour.
Summary
Cathay Pacific Economy Class is a quality product with quality hot meals, inflight entertainment and service. I managed to get a few hours rest and the extra legroom in an exit row seat made for the most comfortable flight possible.
Singapore Airlines still offers hot towels in Economy, a real luxury in Economy Class in the morning on a red eye, but other than that the experience is on par.
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Brilliant blog…