I had recently travelled on a Qantas A330 from Melbourne to Jakarta, and now it was time to travel back to India via Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific. I was travelling on the Cathay Pacific A330 Economy Cabin from Jakarta to Hong Kong and in premium economy from Hong Kong to Delhi. Overall, the Cathay Pacific A330 was a pleasant experience.
Basics
- Airline: Cathay Pacific
- Aircraft: A330-300
- Flight Number: CX 718
- Route: Jakarta [CGK]-Hong Kong [HKG]
- Departure Flight Time: 7:59 AM
- Duration: 4 hr 47 min
- Cabin: Economy
- Layout: 2-4-2
- Frequent Flyer Program: Iberia Avios
- Miles Cost: 46500 Avios for CGK-HKG-DEL
- Taxes & Fees: ₹ 3900 [$46]
- Ticket Price: ₹ 80500 [$936]
- One Mile Value: ₹ 1.65 [1.92 Cents]
How did I Book a Cathay Pacific A330 Economy Cabin?
Cathay Pacific is part of OneWorld Alliance, and you can book Cathay Pacific using multiple OneWorld Airlines. However, many of the airlines don’t offer mixed awards online. One part of my route (CGK-HKG) was in the economy cabin as the premium economy was unavailable, and the following route (HKG-DEL) was on the premium economy. This mixed cabin availability was unavailable online, and you can’t book it even on British Airways, Qatar Airways or Finnair. However, Iberia is a great option for booking mixed award itineraries. Though, such awards are non-refundable. Since I was sure about my journey and wanted to fly both cabins of Cathay Pacific, Iberia came to the rescue. And I booked it using 46500 Avios.
However, If you want to book CGK-HKG route only, in the economy cabin it will cost:
- American Airlines: 17500 AA Miles
- Alaska Airlines: 25000 Miles
- British Airways: 15600 Avios
- Finnair: 35000 Avios
- Iberia: 15600 Avios
- Qatar: 13000 Avios
- Qantas: 20000 Points
How did I find the Award Availability?
Since many airlines do not offer mixed awards online, I checked this flight directly on Iberia.
Issues to Sort Out
I did not face any issues. All was smooth.
Checking In
The Check-in was smooth. Not crowded.
Lounge Access
We don’t have lounge access in Economy Cabin, and Jakarta Airport doesn’t have many lounge options. However, there is a contract lounge in Jakarta that Cathay Pacific uses.
As a OneWorld Sapphire, I got access to Plaza Premium Lounge, which was good but not as good as Saphire Lounge when I was in Jakarta last time.
Cathay Pacific A330-300 Flight
Cathay Pacific has around 38 A330. However, of these A330, only 33K types have premium economy cabins. The Jakarta to Hong Kong CX 718 flight doesn’t have a premium economy cabin. Our Aircraft was B-LAE, a 17-year-old aircraft.
Boarding
Cathay Pacific boarding is efficient and by the book. Though there were long queues, the boarding was a breeze.
Amenity Kit and More
There was no amenity kit, but we received a Blanket and a 500 ML water bottle. The Blanket was nice.
Cathay Pacific A330-300 Seats
Cathay Pacific has a two types of seats configuration for its A330-300 aircraft; however, on 33K type, you will also get premium economy:
- 39 Business, 21 Premium Economy and 243 Economy seats.
- 39 Business & 223 Economy Seats
- 28 Business seats and 265 Economy seats. (Our Airfract for today)
- 24 Business seats and 293 Economy seats.
- 43 Business Class and 265 Economy Seats
- 50 Business Class & 230 Economy Seats
The Jakarta to Hong Kong flight was operated by aircraft B-LAE, which had 28 Business Class seats & 265 economy seats.
The seat was comfortable. The best part about Cathay Pacific A330 is that you get a 2-4-2 configuration. The seat pitch is also good.
The seats also have a cupholder, which may be of use to some.
Cathay Pacific IFE
Cathay Pacific has a good IFE, and the screens in the economy cabins are also good. If you like watching movies or series on a flight, you will have many options when flying Cathay.
You can find all the entertainment library online here. The headsets didn’t feel premium, though.
Cathay Pacific WiFI
Unless you are an Asia Miles Diamond member, you must buy WiFI access in Cathay Pacific Economy Cabin. The pricing is as follows:
- For flight times of six hours or less at USD12.95
- For flight times above six hours, from USD19.95 to USD 24.95
- One hour continuous use on all flights at USD9.95
- For flight times of six hours or less, Message Pass is available at USD3.95
Meal
There was no printed menu. And I had prebooked my meal, and as usual, the meal was tasty, baring some.
Cabin Crew
The Cathay Pacific Cabin crew on my Jakarta to Hong Kong flight was exceptional; they were even better than the ones on my next flight from Hong Kong to Delhi in Premium Economy.
Will I fly Cathay Pacific Economy next time?
I don’t have any complaints about Cathay Pacific’s economy cabin. It has several positives, like a decent seat pitch, good food, and IFE options. So, it makes Cathay Pacific a good option. I would love to fly them again, even if it is in economy cabins.
Bottomline
The Cathay Pacific A330 Economy Cabin is good for a medium-haul flight. The food is good, and the journey is comfortable with a decent seat pitch.
