Flight Review: Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300 Business Class – HKG-MNL

After spending a few days in Hong Kong, it was time to move on to the Philippines. We flew Cathay Pacific for the two-hour flight on a Boeing 777-300. I was hoping that Business Class would have lie-flat seats, but they were pretty much like domestic First Class seats in the United States.

Anthony’s Take: The flight was short and went by quickly thanks to the free Wi-Fi given to Business Class passengers. The food served was okay and the service was friendly. I found it easy to check-in online and had no issue using the mobile boarding pass. The highlight here was not the flight, but the lounge we got to visit before it (more below).

Booking

This flight was booked as a one-way paid fare directly with Cathay Pacific. It cost around $1,078 per person in Business Class. When I booked it, only full-fare, flexible tickets were available. I credited the flight to my American AAdvantage® account to earn some miles.

Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)

Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) is one of the best in the world. In Asia, I’d say that only Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) has more shopping and more to do. You’ll find some of the best lounges in the world and just about anything else you could want in an airport here. We visited Cathay Pacific’s The Pier, First Class lounge (review here) before the flight. It’s an excellent lounge and I highly recommend it. We got in thanks to my oneworld® Emerald status.

Boarding

Boarding was on time and followed Cathay Pacific’s Zone boarding process. I mean to say that I think it did. Everyone started pushing forward and the gate agents let lots of people board out of turn.

On-Board

We selected the only two open seats together: 17A and 17C. The aircraft had seven rows of seats in a 2-3.2 configuration. The seats were fine for a short flight like this one, but I would want a lie-flat seat like Cathay has in other planes.

The seats were comfortable and offered decent leg room.

A pillow and headphones were waiting at each seat.

Seat Features

The seats on this Boeing 777-300 were similar to domestic First Class seats. They have more controls, but are still recliners.

Overhead lights were available, but there were no individual air nozzles.

The seatback screen worked well and was a decent size.

A hook for jackets was on one side.

A USB-A port was on the other side.

Outlets were between the seats.

I’m not sure what these pockets are meant to hold. Are they for phones? Mine was too big.

Food

Orange juice and sparkling wine were the choices for pre-departure beverages. Paper menus were handed out prior to taking off.

The menu offered two choices: Slow-Fried Chicken with Pickled Young Ginger and Red Wine Braised Beef with Roasted Mushrooms. I went with the  beef and it was passable. The entire meal was served on one tray.

Wi-Fi

The Wi-Fi is free for Business Class passengers for full access during the flight.

If you’re not in Business Class, it costs between $3.95 and $12.95.

It worked well for the entire time we were in flight. I was able to upload photos and did not experience any outages.

Lavatory

There was one lavatory in the front of the plane. It were pretty standard and consisted of a sink and toilet.

There were also a few toiletries on a shelf.

Service

The flight attendants were friendly. The purser came over and introduced herself before we took off. It was a short flight, but I felt the crew was warm and attentive.

Overall Impression:

I enjoyed this flight and got a good amount done thanks to the Wi-Fi working all of the flight. The meal was nothing special, but the crew was nice throughout. I will definitely be flying Cathay Pacific again.