Our Asia trip started in style with first class seats from New York’s JFK to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific. While we enjoyed flying international business class on our way to Amsterdam on Delta, the first class experience on Cathay Pacific was on a whole different level. As we boarded the plane we were welcomed to to the first class cabin and escorted to our seats, then asked if we were interested in a per-departure beverage. Knowing they serve Krug champagne we most definitely did!
Along with our champagne we also received Shanghai Tang pajamas, amenity kits, wine list and menu.
First class seats are arranged in single pods that feature a small ottoman and large TV screen opposite, with a storage locker behind the TV.
As you can see, the seats are quite wide and this single seat easily fit both of us.
We had seat 1A and 2A on the left side of the plane, preferred because they are a bit separated from the other four first class seats. Yes, we are getting picky here :)
One of the nice features of Cathay Pacific is the ability to dine across from each other with one person sitting on the ottoman. We decided to have dinner after takeoff so they set a table in Eric’s pod.
enough wine glasses?
Food list: Caviar and smoked salmon; Saffron cream soup; Lobster and mango salad; Grilled double bone lamb chop with rosemary jus; Fresh seasonal berries with rose syrup and cheese plate.
After dinner we changed into our pajamas while the flight attendants made our seats into beds. At around 16 hours this flight is one of the longer flights in the world, so there is plenty of time to enjoy the bed! We slept for about 7 hours and woke up with a few hours to go, so we each watched movies on our personal screens until we were about two hours out from Hong Kong. At that point we had the attendants remake our table for breakfast. Shortly after that we landed just before the sun came up on Monday morning in Hong Kong.
Since we had a few hours till our next flight we sleepily made our way the first class lounge in the Wing. We knew they had cabana rooms with a shower and tub as well as a chaise lounge where you could relax. What we somehow missed the first time is that the cabanas are on the left, and standard showers on the right… fortunately we rectified that mistake on the way home to NY where we were able to shower and relax in a cabana before our flight.
private lounge area
yes, that is a deep soaking tub in the Hong Kong airport lounge!
The Wing lounge also has a small dining area where we had breakfast on the way to Bangkok and a snack on the way back to NY. In both cases the food was tasty, especially the desserts. Leandra also appreciated their coffee service with it’s separate components.
Overall our first- first class experience was great: the crew was wonderful, the food was tasty, and the lay-flat seats were very comfortable for sleeping. We can’t wait till we can book another first class trip on Cathay Pacific.