Flight Review: Cathay Pacific First Class

For years, Cathay Pacific’s First Class has been praised to the skies by everyone: The seat is so wide that there is room for two. In order to preserve the passenger’s privacy, the flight attendants spend as little time as possible in the cabin. No more than 5 seconds should supposedly elapse between pressing the call button and appearing at the passenger’s seat.

Now it was time to test the golden goose for myself. Cathay Pacific has been flying between Zurich and Hong Kong with its famous First Class Suite in the Boeing 777-300ER since the beginning of 2016. The flight takes almost eleven hours.

Cabin
The first impression of the cabin with the new First Suites is: understated beige, lots of space. The feeling of space is enhanced by the lack of overhead bins. Instead, there is a small cupboard in the suite with space for shoes and clothes.

On the subject of space: In the area of 33 Economy Class seats, there are 12 Business Class seats further forward. And at the very front in the same area there are only 6 First Class seats divided into two rows in a 1-1-1 arrangement. The outer seats each have three windows to themselves. The ottoman is so far away that even I, at 1.88 cm, have problems putting my feet down.

The seats are so wide that two (slim) people could really sit next to each other! As you would otherwise get a little lost alone with so much space, Cathay Pacific has integrated a fold-out armrest into the seat.

Seat
The seats are turned away from each other, offering a great deal of privacy. The seats on the left-hand side of the flight (1A, 2A) are particularly quiet as they share an aisle – separated from the middle seats (1D, 2D) by a small wall. The seats on the right-hand side share an aisle with the middle seats.

Inflight-Entertainment
With its small size, the monitor is no longer really up to date, it has to be said. Since I have always equipped my Macbook Pro with movies and series when traveling, the system was hardly used. Internet is currently only available in the A350.

Crew and service
While boarding is still in progress, each crew member introduces themselves separately. The flight attendant responsible for us, Philipp, offers the first glass of champagne. We have a little small talk. You can already tell that this is going to be a good flight. A short time later, amenity kits and pyjamas are distributed.

The amenity kit itself is exclusive to Aesop, in plain gray and contains: Camellia Nut Facial Hydrating Cream, Rosehip Seed Lip Cream, a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, earplugs, a comb and a glasses cleaning cloth. The Shanghai Tan pyjamas come with a voucher for a gift in one of the stores in Hong Kong.

After the climb, Yasmin, the in-flight manager, comes by again to check on us. She obviously enjoys the mountains we are flying over so much that my companion and I are asked to take photos of them and especially with her. These and other little encounters where you laugh and chat with the crew make for a great flight.

Food
Afterwards, we are offered the famous Cathay Delight (the Cathay Pacific signature drink). Of course, we had to try it… and then have it returned. Much too strong. As it was already some time after midday, we started eating straight away. Again, the service was courteous, quick and proactive. – Nothing to complain about. The starter – caviar, served with a Mother of Peral Spoon – was fine. The main course – curry with rice – nothing special but good. After a small sweet dessert, bed is quickly made and we can sleep for almost 6 hours. Shortly before Hong Kong, we enjoy a hearty breakfast and leave the plane feeling rested and grateful to have experienced CX First Class for once.

Conclusion
The extra-wide seat, the huge bed and the attentive service make Cathay Pacific First Class a unique experience. Only the simple preparation of the main meal was more like an Economy Class menu and detracted a little from the overall picture.