Flight | SIN - KIX Cathay Pacific

28th May 2011 - 3rd June 2011. Written by Xin Li.
BETSY WOULD BE PROUD
The Cathay Pacific Airways has come a long way to today’s five star airline (according to Sky Trax). It started out as a humble airline with a single Douglas DC-3 nicknamed Betsy serving regional routes around Hong Kong, Manila, Sydney, Canton, Shanghai and Singapore. Its vision then was that someday its planes would fly across the Pacific from China (Cathay).

I had the opportunity to ride this established 5-Star airline thanks to their HSBC airfare promotion. The airline had been recommended by fellow bloggers, Glenn and BellaV as well as my sister. Therefore, I was enthusiastic to be able to fly on Cathay Pacific despite the engine fire incident.

28th May 2011, 1030 – 1300 HRS, SIN – HKG, CX 736My first flight was from Singapore to Hong Kong, CX 736 on a B777-300 plane. The departure was delayed by at least 30 minutes due to the heavy traffic at Changi International Airport.

Generally, the B777-300 planes were dated and seemed rather old. My individual screen for the Singapore to Hong Kong flight wasn’t working. The seats has not been changed to the new Fixed Back Shell Seats and I would have to cope with the sudden narrowing of space (sometimes at the risk of spilling your cup of drink) when the passenger in front decides to go to the full recline mode. Snack and drink were being served before the meal, it is the same for all four flights: a Packet of Roasted Peanuts and a drink of your choice (I always go with Apple Juice).

Lunch for CX736 was a Chicken with Potato (there is a Fish with Rice choice too). The meal was served hot (not just warm).The meat is tender/soft with mashed potato, slices of mushroom and vegetables. It was rather tasty even though it might be visually unappetizing (compared to Thai Airways).

There was also the usual bread with butter (no jam =/), a packet of Toblerone, Fruit Salad and Cheesecake. The Cheesecake was sitting in a pool of Strawberry Sauce with a Tea-tasting topping with a texture of a bean curd. Taste wise, it is very sweet.

28th May 2011, 1620 – 2105 HRS, HKG – KIX, CX 502

Lunch was a choice between Pork with Rice and Beef with Rice. I had the Beef with Rice, thinly sliced beef cooked with probably ginger and onion makes a nice companion to the sushi rice and vegetables.

The thinly sliced beef was very tasty.

There was also Cha Soba with dip and Haagen Diaz Vanilla Ice Cream! (Which I ate it together with my bread).

This flight was quite bumpy due to turbulence originating from Songda. Halfway through the flight, a jerk caused a bit of panic in the cabin.

3rd June 2011, 1005 – 1300 HRS, KIX – HKG, CX 503The A340-300 plane is much newer, the individual entertainment system gives you more control and the seats (in Economy Cabin) even have power supply for laptops. It also features the new Fixed Back Shell Seats. The seats will allow you to recline without causing discomfort to the passengers sitting behind you. It works by sliding forward instead of backwards. I found it comfortable but it might pose some problems for taller people.

As usual, pre-meal snacks were being served.

Lunch was a delectable Japanese style Chicken Curry Rice with Soba (and dip) and a slice of Matcha Azuki Cake. I have no complaints for this meal, it was delicious.

Flights to and from Japan seemed to include soba as their appetizer. This time round it was buckwheat soba.

A cake consisting of matcha and red beans makes a yummy ending for the meal.

3rd June 2011. 2000 – 2345 HRS, HKG – SIN, CX 715Dinner was a variation of the Chicken with Potato dish for my flight to Hong Kong. Decent, the meat is again tender/soft with a peppery sauce.

A closer look.

There were also Fruit Salad with green apple, papaya, watermelon and dragon fruit. Here is a tip from my friend who travelled frequently on Cathay Pacific : "Go for the Fruit Platter, their fruits are really fresh and and the portion is generous."

The dessert was a Caramel Flan.

Once again, it was a B777-300 plane, dated and old. The paint on my armrest has wear off.

HEARTS AND MINDSService was good and the Cathay Pacific crew was very efficient and helpful. On the flight back to Singapore, they were able to allocate a seat to me without much delay after I gave up mine for a family. My only complaint was that it took them a while before they clear the food trays on certain flights.

THE OTHER STUFF
Cathay Pacific allows you to skip the long queues by introducing the option to print your own boarding passes. This is something new for me, but my first experience with this resulted in a hiccup with the security at Singapore Changi International Airport. I had to get the boarding pass stamped before I was able to get through.

Cathay Pacific flights tend to transit at Hong Kong, a modern airport designed by the internationally acclaimed Foster + Partners firm (the guys who also designed our new Supreme Court and Expo Station and later the South Beach Entertainment Complex). Hence you could request for a stopover in Hong Kong while you are booking a ticket.

TOUGH CHOICE?
While I enjoyed my Cathay Pacific flight, I still like the aesthetics and food of Thai Airways. However for price considerations, Cathay Pacific beat Thai Airways this time round with their HSBC Promotion (which ends this 30th June). A flight to Japan was at least 300-400 SGD cheaper than what Thai Airways had to offer.

For entertainment, Thai is improving and some of its systems clearly beat Cathay Pacific’s older planes (the ones which you only have channels and no control over it) and it is just a matter of time when both of them becomes on par (Thai Airways has limited choices the last time I flew with it). The Fixed Back Shell Seats and the laptop power supply are a definite plus point.
Nonetheless, I felt that Cathay Pacific is indeed a good airline to consider travelling with and at least till 30th June (unless you have loads of Star Alliance miles and do not know anyone with HSBC cards, the cardholder need no travel), grab their HSBC promotion before it ends!

Cathay Pacific (Singapore)

Reservations
(65) 6533-1333
Email: sin_res@cathaypacific.com

230, Victoria Street,
#11-01/02 Bugis Junction Towers Singapore 188024