This is a rare economy class flight I actually wish was longer

The airline: Cathay Pacific

• Route Hong Kong to Perth, flight CX171
• Frequency 11 times a week
• Aircraft Boeing 777-300ER
• Class Economy, seat 44C
• Flight time 7 hours 35 minutes. The flight was delayed by 35 minutes and arrived 16 minutes after its scheduled landing.

Cathay Pacific flies between Hong Kong and Perth six times a week.

Checking in

The self-service check-in counter is a breeze, with an attendant eager to assist, perhaps bored with the lack of passengers. There’s no queue at bag drop-off, either. I put my bag on the conveyor belt, and an iPad touchscreen takes my photo. I use the scan gun to process my bag and a receipt is printed. The whole process takes less than 15 minutes. I suspect I’ll spend longer at the airport Disney store.

Baggage

Allowance includes one checked bag up to 23 kilograms and one piece of cabin baggage up to seven kilograms.

Loyalty scheme

Guests can earn Asia Miles points (Cathay Pacific’s loyalty program) or Qantas Frequent Flyer points and status credits as part of Oneworld alliance.

The seat

Economy seats are in a 3-4-3 layout.Credit: Bloomberg

I’m comfortably seated on the aisle in the cabin’s 3-4-3 layout. The seats are 17.2 inches (44cm) wide with a pitch of 32 inches (81cm) and are sufficiently padded to endure a seven-hour-plus journey. The seat also features a wrap-around neck headrest with a pillow and blanket supplied.

Entertainment + tech

Cathay ranked second at this year’s Skytrax World Awards for the World’s Best Inflight Entertainment.Credit: Bloomberg

I am spoiled for choice. Cathay ranked second at this year’s Skytrax World Airline Awards for world’s best inflight entertainment. There are more than 1000 options, including recent Hollywood releases, Disney+ and Chinese cinema on its 11.6-inch (29-centimetre) 4K ultra-high-definition screens.

I experience some glitches, such as selecting one movie option and another random one appearing. A flight attendant fixes the problem by rebooting my system. Speaking of hiccups, Wi-Fi is being rolled out on Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777 fleet, and while it appears to be available, I have no luck connecting. When working, it is $US19.95 ($30) for the duration of the flight or $US9.95 ($15) for one hour of continuous use.

Service

Service lacks warmth, but my limited interactions with crew members are pleasant and professional. Two requests for soda water are swiftly attended to outside the regular beverage services.

Food

There are three dinner options: a locally inspired steamed pork dish with Shek O preserved mustard greens, braised chicken with vegetables, and paneer cheese with cumin rice. I choose the paneer, but it’s a bit too spicy for me. The meal is paired with an unappealing cold bread roll with Lurpak butter, cannellini bean salad, fresh fruit salad and Häagen-Dazs chocolate ice-cream. A snack box is served four hours later with a small chicken panini, cookies and dark chocolate.

Carbon emissions

Total CO² emissions are 310 kilograms. Guests can offset their flights by online payment or redemption of Asia Miles.

One more thing

Cathay Pacific continues to serve its specially crafted pale ale Betsy, brewed by the award-winning Hong Kong Beer Co. The airline has also recently started a global fleet overhaul of its Boeing 777-300ERs, which is set to include refreshed economy cabins, though dates for the Australian roll-out are yet to be confirmed.

The price

From $1133 return ex Perth.**

The verdict

With enough entertainment options and comfortable seating, I feel like I could’ve handled a few more hours onboard. It’s hardly normal to say that about economy class.

My overall rating loses one star with food, but that’s on me choosing to spice up my flight with the wrong dish.

Our rating out of five

★★★★

The writer was a guest of Hong Kong Tourism Board.

*For more information about air travel and sustainability, see iata.org

**Fares are based on those available for travel three to four months from the time of publication and subject to change.