Why Cathay Pacific rivals Gulf carriers: A top choice for European flights
It may take a few hours longer to get to Europe on this international carrier but the food, cabin service and efficient stopover is worth it. And there is a dessert trolley.
It may take a few hours longer to get to Europe on this international carrier but the food, cabin service and effecient stopover is worth it. And there is a dessert trolley.
Take a seat
Check-in at Sydney airport is a breeze thanks to cheerful ground staff. My seat is 20D and unfortunately the least impressive of the 40 seats in the B777-300ER business cabin. It’s right by a toilet and storage cupboard so there’s regular traffic and constant opening and closing of doors. To add to the noise, the galley is directly in front.
Seats are configured 1-2-1 except for 20D and neighbouring 20G in a twosome upfront. There are 14 seats in this section and another 26 in the forward business cabin. Toilets, two in each cabin, are kept clean and well-stocked with toiletries by British brand Bamford.
The seats are doorless (Cathay’s new Aria suites, currently being retrofitted in the carrier’s B777-300ERs, will have doors) but are angled and screened for ample privacy. On the B777, seats are 53.3cm wide; on the Airbus they’re slightly narrower at 50.8cm. Both versions recline to 190.5cm flat-beds. Seats have quilts and mattress toppers, a full pillow cased in white cotton, slippers and Bamford amenity kits (lotions, lip balm, plus standard ear plugs, mask and dental kit). The Studio F.A. Porsche-designed seats on the A350 feel fresher and have updated charging points. There’s storage for laptops, toiletries and reading, and shoes fit under the footrest.
Tech talk
Personal screens are a generous 39.1cm on the B777 and 42.7cm on the A350. There are universal power points and USB chargers in both cabins, and a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. Wi-fi is free for business class passengers but I have to restart it several times.
That’s entertainment
With more than 3000 video, audio and game options, Cathay’s inflight entertainment lineup is one of the best I’ve encountered. Both for the breadth of offerings – more than 1200 films and 2000 TV episodes – and the depth. TV options include dramas from HBO Max and Paramount Plus.
On the menu
The five-spice beef-shank egg noodle I have my eye on for lunch has run out but I snag the last stir-fried seafood in XO sauce. It comes with jasmine rice and a side soup of watercress and chicken. It’s nourishing, but outshone by the entree of tandoori-spiced prawns with a tasty salad. For dessert, a trolley laden with fruit and cheeses, ice creams, apple crumble and chocolate cake swing by. After-dinner pralines are from Hong Kong’s The Peninsula.
The drinks list features six wines, half of them French, and a range of cocktails and spirits. The Cathay Delight, the signature mocktail, is a refreshing blend of kiwi juice, coconut milk and mint.
On the Europe leg, passengers pre-order breakfasts by ticking menu cards and hanging them on coat hooks. Supper menus offer dishes created for Cathay by landmark Hong Kong restaurants Louise (a pleasant chicken fricassee with mushrooms) and Duddell’s (braised beef ribs with port wine). Before touchdown at Barcelona, I order a latte and, while clearly a button-machine job, it’s robust and delicious.
In the bag
Business-class passengers can check in two bags up to 32kg each. In the cabin, it’s one bag up to 10kg and one small item.
At your service
Cabin managers choreograph meal service for dozens of diners with focus and good timing. Staff are bright and ready to assist. However, I am not a fan of plunging the cabin into darkness straight after meal service when it’s only 5pm in Sydney and 2pm in Hong Kong.
On the ground
A bonus for premium guests are the airline’s three lounges at Hong Kong airport. The pick of them is The Pier, an elegant members club with food hall, teahouse, cocktail bar, chill-out area and showers. It’s handily located across from gate 64 where my Barcelona flight awaits.
Make your points
Cathay Pacific belongs to the One World alliance and also has partnerships with LATAM, Lufthansa and Air China.
In the know
The airline relaunched its Covid-shuttered Barcelona flights in 2024. The service runs three times a week from mid-June to the end of October.
The bottom line
A one-way business-class fare Sydney to Barcelona is $6344 based on airline website search departing three months from publication.
The verdict
It’s a couple of hours quicker flying to Europe via the Middle East but Cathay’s cabin service and amenities rival the Gulf carriers. Transiting in the efficient and less- crowded Hong Kong airport is also an attraction, not least for the airline’s lounges. Departure and arrival times are quite reasonable too.
Kendall Hill was a guest of Cathay Pacific.
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