Flying long haul flights can be stressful, but when I was recently given the opportunity to try out Cathay Pacific business class from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, I was thrilled. The flight is about 14.5 hours direct and is overnight from LAX. Hong Kong was not my final destination, Bangkok was, so I was able to utilize the lounges in Hong Kong during my layover, making the trip that much sweeter. This was my first experience with Cathay Pacific, but I know it will not be my last.
Cathay Pacific Business Class: The Experience
Los Angeles
For the Los Angeles to Hong Kong segment, I flew on a Boeing 777-300ER. In the business class section for this flight, there are 27 window seats and 26 dual center seats (which are great for couples or people traveling together – of if you just want to sit there). I prefer a window seat and all but five seats on this plane have dual windows, giving you more light in the day time hours.
When boarding, first and business class passengers board in the front and have a designated line and entry way onto the plane. This gives you plenty of time to get situated, get anything out of your bag that you may need, go through your amenity kit, unpack your blanket and get it situated before take off, put on socks or slippers to get cozy, and prepare for your flight in general.
As soon as I got on the plane and put my luggage in the bin above, I started getting situated in my seat. Staff came through and offered beverage service once boarding was nearly complete and to see if I needed anything. About 30 minutes after take off, dinner service started. Once I finished, I slept for about 9 hours straight. Then I watched a couple movies, charged my phone and camera, and had breakfast about two hours before landing in Hong Kong. I was so tired when I got on board from a long day of travel, that I fell asleep like a baby once I finished dinner. The lie flat beds in Cathay Pacific business class are comfy and have plenty of room.
Seat Info:
- Pitch: 81
- Width: 21
- two windows (on most seats)
- Lie Flat Seating
- Pillow and blanket
- Amenity kit
- Small storage space
- On demand TV – generous selection of movies and entertainment
- White cloth dining service – two meals and plenty of snacks and drinks available
- WiFi available – you can get the entire 14.5 hour flight for just $19.95
Hong Kong
Amenity kit
The nice thing about flying business class is that Cathay Pacific offers you a nice amenity kit for your flight – which means you do not have to dig around in your luggage to find these things.
The amenity kit included:
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Mouthwash
- Ear plugs
- Jurlique Lip Balm, hand cream and lotion
- Eye mask
- all in a nice gray bag that you can keep
Cathay Pacific Business Class: In flight dining
As soon as I boarded the plane. there was already a menu at my seat. Cathay designed a menu that looks like a newspaper and it includes the menus for each meal, snacks available, drink menus for both alcohol and non alcoholic, information about the chef, and some news. Tucked in with the newspaper is a breakfast hanger to hang up on your seat where you can mark your selections. There is even an option to skip breakfast if you are asleep (which is really nice because sometimes you just need to sleep).
Dinner options included the option for a full meal or an express dinner. I went with the express dinner because I was so tired and did not want to wait.
*Please note that menus change and to only use this as reference for similar expectations.
Express Supper:
- Broccoli, quinoa and goat cheese salad, spinach, peas, almonds and preserved lemon
- Yellow pepper lemongrass soup
- Mixed berries and cream for dessert (but I fell asleep and asked for it not to come)
The dinner for Cathay Pacific business class is one of the best in flight meals I have ever had. The lemongrass soup is simply perfection and I hope it never comes off the menu. It was a great introduction to Asian food as well because after I left the flight I had lemongrass nearly everyday of my trip through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Dinner – Lemongrass Soup
Quinoa Salad
Breakfast Options:
- Express breakfast – warm pastries and a beverage
- Traditional Breakfasts
- Chinese – sliced beef and ginger congee stir fried noodles
- Western – seasonal fresh fruit with warm pastry, smoked salmon and omelette with herb, creamed ricotta and wilted spinach
- Continental – seasonal fresh fruit with warm pastry selection and bircher muesli – this is what I ordered
Breakfast came and I enjoyed it with a movie and snuggled in my pod with my blanket and pillow. It was a nice finish to a long flight and made those last couple hours fly by.
Cathay Pacific Business Class: Experience the Lounges
LAX Lounge:
Since I started in Los Angeles and had seven hours to spare before my flight, I was able to enjoy the Oneworld Lounge. I had just come from a long travel day from Tahiti and wanted to shower and relax before starting another journey much farther. If you have a business class ticket, you have access to this lounge and I highly recommend using it. It is a beautiful place to relax inside the airport away from the hustle and bustle and you will find it easy to wind down.
The lounge in the Los Angeles airport for Cathay Pacific business class ticket holders is Oneworld and located on level 5. The lounge itself is very large with plenty of seating options and never felt crowded. I had plenty of space to eat, drink, work, charge my electronics, etc.
The shower facilities in the Oneworld Lounge are pristine and the hot water never ran out. In fact, I did not even have to wait to use a shower either!
The staff was very nice and accommodating, the food and drinks were delicious and the space was comfortable.
Amenities Available at LAX Oneworld Lounge:
- Wifi
- Work stations
- Showers
- Bathrooms
- A large assortment of food
- Bar with drinks for 21+
- An array of non-alcoholic beverages
- Newspapers and magazines are available
- ADA compliant
HKG Lounges
Hong Kong has four lounges for Cathay Pacific business class ticket holders and you can go to all of them if you so choose. All of the lounges are located in Terminal 1 and spread out among the gates.
The four lounges are:
- The Wing – Some of the highlights in this lounge are: a noodle bar, the Long Bar (where you can get drinks and get a nice view over the tarmac), the Coffee Loft which serves up delicious beverages and pastries, work stations, WiFi, showers, magazines and news papers, screens with up to date flight information, and friendly staff to help you with whatever you need.
- The Pier – If you have more than an 90 minutes before your next flight, I would highly recommend this lounge. This is where you want to come if you are looking for total relaxation and delicious food. Highlights of The Pier include a Relaxation Room, yoga and meditation space, showers, noodle bar, incredible Chinese dining, and a tea house with a sensory experience.
- The Deck – The newest lounge available to Cathay Pacific business class ticket holders with highlights that include made to order dishes like dumplings and char siu buns, sunset views at The Deck (make sure and grab a drink here), showers, Noodle Bar, workspace, and WiFi.
- The Bridge – This was my favorite lounge and you can’t miss it. You take a small escalator down and you can choose to go to the left or to the right and each side has different offerings. I went left first because I wanted a shower. Some of the other highlights include incredible food like pizzas and breads as well as Asian cuisine, a coffee bar, The Long Bar, ample space to work, WiFi, and a dedicated staff to assist.
Available to guests in the lounges
Individual Pods
Shower Amenities
Overall Experience with Cathay Pacific Business Class
I genuinely loved flying with Cathay Pacific. I had never flown with them before this flight but I would definitely use them again to get to Asia. The staff exceeded my expectations in being kind, support, meal delivery, helping in every way possible, and making the flight memorable.
The seating was plush and comfortable for upright seating and dining as well as sleeping. I loved that I landed in Hong Kong completely refreshed and was able to shower in one of the lounges before my next flight, and ultimately felt like a new person.
I highly recommend Cathay Pacific!
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Disclaimer: I did work with Cathay Pacific to put out this review, as always, opinions are entirely my own.