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Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-300ER Boston to Hong Kong
This was the start of the trip. We were ALL SO EXCITED and my mom only found out where she was going when we checked in. She was totally shocked and thought we were going east. I’d also pulled a fast one on my dad and told him that a 2nd first class seat hadn’t opened up. BUT IT DID – about 10 days prior to take off. So I surprised him with his first class ticket and it meant that he and my mom could experience Cathay First together. MISSION Accomplished. Although I couldn’t fly in the same cabin as them, I was able to snag a seat in the mini cabin. I think in a lot of ways this was serendipitous. My last flight with Cathay Pacific in Business Class was in 2015 from JNB-HKG-HND, and in all honesty, wasn’t that great. This would be a much longer flight and interesting to see as a comparison. Prior to boarding I had approached the check-in desk to iron out last minute details about my mom’s surprise birthday cake and the staff could not have been better. A great start to the trip and completely in line with what I had read about Cathay, but hadn’t experience my last time around. Let’s check out my experience on Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-300ER Boston to Hong Kong 🙂
The Deets:
- When: April 2017
- Where: Boston to Hong Kong
- Loyalty: Alaska Air Mileage Plan
- Price: 50k + $93
- Seat: 12D
- Duration: 15 hours 25 minutes
Boarding:
Since my parents were sitting in First Class I boarded with them. The whole crew was there to greet us and the look on my mom’s face when she walked into the First Class cabin was AMAZING. She was sitting in 2D and my dad was in 1A and it was everything I’d hoped for – MILES HAD DONE GOOD! I settled into my seat, 12D, in the mini cabin and soon after the flight manager approached me from first class to discuss when the cake should be delivered. She was unbelievably attentive, interested, and loved that we were on a surprise trip.
I think the cabin coloring is very handsome. Let’s look at the seat.
Much has been written about the Cathay Pacific Business Class seat. It’s a fantastic reverse-herringbone configuration and I would highly recommend it. It’s the same seat featured on American’s 77W business class. If you have the option between the main business cabin and the mini cabin, I’d choose the mini cabin.
Originally I was sitting with my dad in business. But when 1st became avail I moved him up and the rest of the business cabin was full up so I kept my middle seat.
Personally, I’d prefer the window…
The IFE is great with a large selection of movies and tv shows, etc.
Plenty of storage as well.
It’s a great product, no doubt.
Amenity Kit.
The kit has changed since I flew it last in design. While the old kit had a very cool style…I’d never reuse it. This one, however, has a very useful design, and I LOVE the coloring. It features Jurlique products and the basics…
Meal service started and just as I was starting my entree I was summoned to First Class for the Cake presentation
I was brought up to the first class galley as they were prepping the cake. I stopped at my dad’s seat on the way up and he was enjoying a cheese plate and some port. I could tell he was on cloud nine. I asked him how he was liking it and he said gave me a big thumbs up and said the champagne ( Krug ) was outstanding and he couldn’t believe he liked the caviar. HAHA, I’d recommended they try it out while we were in the British Airways Lounge ahead of the flight. I let him know they were presenting the birthday cake soon.
I got to my mom’s seat and she had the biggest smile on here face. The first words out of her mouth, “ZACHARY! Oh my GOD! The Caviar was SO GOOD. And you were right, this KRUG is incredible.” A sidenote – I really, really, really, promoted the caviar and Krug so it made me happy they both had and enjoyed this treat. Just as those words were hitting my ears the crew approached with the Birthday Cake. She was floored. Needless to say…the trip had started off better than I could have expected. My dad was super happy too 🙂
I sipped some Krug with my mom and sat on the ottoman while we enjoyed cake ( it was PHENOMENAL cake – amongst the best I’ve had on dry land) and talked about what she thought so far. A couple hours had passed on the flight at this point, and I probably hung out with my mom for 30 minutes before I headed back to business. The crew could not have been more over the top nice. They were sincerely concerned about the experience for all of us.
The Food in Business
It was good. Was it the best I’d ever had? No, but then again I started my “dinner” after 2AM and wasn’t really that hungry. I also had had a massive slice of cake and some Krug in the middle of my entree…that could have made a difference lol.
The menu:
The food:
As you can see I had prawns as a main…the breakfast omelette, snacks, etc. It was decent business class food – I don’t see a point in going through every last detail. The pics speak for themselves.
The Bed…
Fully flat with a pillow and a blanket. The cabin was kept very cool and the blanket was just the right weight. I slept for 6 or 7 hours. I couldn’t believe it. It was probably 4 am Eastern by the time I hit the hay, and I was very tired, but I slept really well. One of the best sleeps I’ve had on a plane.
Overall:
A great way to fly. The crew exuded the attitude that I had always read about regarding Cathay Pacific. They were excellent and really made me and my family feel like they enjoyed creating a truly memorable experience for us. Yes, the cabins are very nice, but the service is what makes it an incredible memory and experience that will be cherished. Thank you for that.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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