Average, especially for business class. The best was the Peking Duck noodle soup. However I do think it could be better.
Average, especially for business class. The best was the Peking Duck noodle soup. However I do think it could be better.
32 - 36 of 16,960 reviews
We have flown with Cathay Pacific numerous times and have always enjoyed their inflight experience. Within a six month period the standard of business class has noticeably declined. They are understaffed and the quality and choice of food is
below average. The condition of the plane's interior looks tired and the cleaning process shoddy. On our last flight, two of the toilets were not functioning - not good for an 11 hour flight. Their staff have always been very accommodating and professional. I doubt that we will fly with Cathay Pacific in the future.
I've flown them to Europe and back twice this year, so 8 flights in total, and I could say a lot. Check-in in Sydney on my second trip was the worst I've experienced in 30 years of international travel. They now force you to use self serve kiosks and there was a huge backlog due to people needing assistance. There were two long queues in opposite directions leading to a bottleneck where the queues met. This was poorly managed by a staff member who only let one queue advance for about 20 minutes, even though she'd set up both queues. Give me a regular check-in queue any day!
I noticed the quality of the in-flight service decline over just a couple of months. They give you a bottle of water and no longer serve any other drinks or snacks between meals unless you ask for them. Basically, once the main meal service is done, the crew disappear for several hours.
Speaking of the meal service, it's always so slow and chaotic on this airline. They stop half way through and frequently serve some passengers in one row but leave others waiting, leading to confusion and frustration among passengers.
Food ranges from decent to inedible. I made the mistake of ordering a vegetarian (not vegan) meal on one flight, and got given a horrible diet jelly for dessert while those around me enjoyed ice cream. Last time I checked, ice cream was also vegetarian!?
Entertainment is good, plenty of options. Purchased in-flight WiFi on one flight, this also worked well.
Flights were mostly on time except for one one-hour delay.
Last but not least, I was misgendered by crew on every flight. Yes, I have short hair and I dress in an androgynous style, but it's pretty obvious that I'm not a "Sir". It's sloppy of the crew and I haven't had it on any other airline.
I booked the flights and paid $328 for the exit row seats. When checking in at the airport, I was bumped into a regular middle seat. The agent claimed that I changed the seat before the flight. She told me to contact the 800 number to get the money back. I contacted them after my flight and told me they would refund the money but I didn’t see it. I called customer service many times and promised to issue the refund but I didn’t receive it.
The seats were much much better than in economy and not just the legroom, the seat is more comfortable. The lamb i had for dinner has to be the second best meat I have ever eaten in my life. My seat tv was however not working for the last quater of the flight which is super disappointing but it didn’t really matter as I was basically ordering a snack every 2 hours. I even got myself some popcorn and fish ball soup. It housed it, pretty good for airplane food. Much better than economy snacks i dont even think they serve pretzels in business class. Got myself a whole bag of things you use in the bathroom. Mouthwash had mint in it and I’m allergic to mint so i couldn’t use it but that’s more of a me problem. No turbulence during flight. Landing was rough though. Finally you can actually sleep without almost any issues as your seat becomes a full bed.