Total Score: 17.3 / 20
Service 4.8 / 5
Food 4.5 / 5
Seat 4.2 / 5
Amenities and IFE 3.8 / 5
Flight Number CX 331
Departure from Beijing at 4:40 PM
Seat 15A
With so many daily nonstop flights between these two cities, you have several airlines and types of aircraft to choose from. Cathay Pacific’s business class on this version of the A330 with reverse herringbone seats is without a doubt one of the best ways to fly between Beijing and Hong Kong.
Boarding
After a gate change followed by a 2.5 hour delay, we were finally cleared to board the plane.
Several flights getting delayed
The business cabin was full on this flight, so boarding took a bit longer than usual. Once onboard, I was greeted by some friendly crew and directed to my seat 15A. We sat on the plane for an additional hour or so before starting to taxi. It’s delays like this when I really appreciate sitting in business class where I can stretch out, rather than being miserable at the back of the plane waiting to leave!
Just Relaxing…
We finally took off as the sun was setting, so I appreciated at least getting to watch an incredible sunset after worrying for hours that I would be stuck in Beijing one more night.
Seat and Cabin
Cathay has a few different business class layouts on their A330 aircraft. This one had 39 reverse herringbone seats across 10 rows, with four seats per row and one row with three seats.
A330 Business Class Cabin Map
All the window seats are quite private and great for passengers who are traveling alone, while the two middle seats are better for couples. While not the newest, Cathay Pacific has an elegant business class cabin which has been among my favorites throughout the years.
The seats themselves are quite comfortable at 21 inches wide and 45 inches of pitch. The seats feature plenty of storage space including a compartment next to the seat, small pocket in front of the seat, as well as a large triangular table adjacent to the seat.
There’s also a compartment with a sliding door (a bit difficult to notice) under the armrest meant for storing your shoes.
Do you notice the small compartment under the armrest?
The seat controls, IFE remote and power plug are all conveniently located on a panel next to the seat for easy access.
The IFE screen swings out from the panel in front of the seat, though must be stowed for takeoff and landing. While it certainly beats any economy class screen, the screen and the content on it are a bit dated, though Cathay has significantly improved this on their A350 aircraft.
I found the footwell on this seat to be quite spacious and had no trouble getting comfortable while lying down.
The Cathay Pacific business class seat is one of my favorites and I was perfectly happy and comfortable with it on this 3.5 hour flight.
Food
We were served a full meal on this flight that was scheduled to depart around 16:40, though didn’t actually depart until 19:40. The menu read as follows:
To start, I had the salmon and some garlic bread which was very tasty (I highly recommend the Cathay garlic bread!!).
For the main course, Cathay rolled out a cart with all the available dishes so each passenger can see the dish before selecting it. I chose the beef dish which was quite tasty and finished off the meal with a vanilla ice cream.
Service
Once seated I was offered a welcome drink and hot towel. I chose a nice glass of champagne and a cup of water to keep me hydrated. There were no amenity kits given out on this relatively short flight.
The crew on this flight were excellent and just about matched the level of service I had gotten flying Singapore Airlines business class just a few days before. Once the crew members found out I can speak Chinese, one by one they came by for a chat and helped me learn a few new Chinese words which I really appreciated. I now know how to say “vanilla ice cream” in Chinese!
Bottom Line
This was certainly one of the best shorthaul business class flights I’ve had in a long time. Cathay has a great business class seat on this aircraft and matches it with excellent food and service. As I have the opportunity to fly more and more Asian carriers, Cathay Pacific has remained one of my favorites for their consistency and all around great product.