Cathay Pacific is one of the best-ranked airlines in the world. Its cabins are also ranked among the best by various agencies. Recently, I flew its economy cabin from Jakarta to Hong Kong and then its Premium Economy cabin from Hong Kong to Delhi (India) on its A350. My Cathay Pacific A350 Premium Economy experience was good.
Basics
- Airline: Cathay Pacific
- Aircraft: A350-900
- Flight Number: CX 679
- Route: Jakarta [CGK]-Hong Kong (HKG)-Delhi(DEL)
- Departure Flight Time: 08:48 PM
- Duration: 6 hr 19 min
- Cabin: Premium Economy
- Layout: 2-4-2
- Frequent Flyer Program: Iberia Avios
- Miles Cost: 46500 Avios
- Taxes & Fees: ₹ 3900 [$46]
- Ticket Price: ₹ 80500 [$936]
- One Mile Value: ₹ 1.65 [1.92 Cents]
How did I Book a Cathay Pacific A350 Premium Economy?
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.
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.
Connecting Flight
This was a connecting flight. When I arrived at Hong Kong Airport, I didn’t know which gate the flight would depart from, so I just passed through security and went to three lounges. If you are connecting flights at Hong Kong Airport, you may want to have some time on your hands, as it may get crowded.
Lounge Access
You don’t get lounge access with Premium Economy. However, I used the OneWorld Sapphire status to access lounges at Hong Kong.
I went to three lounges:
- The Pier
- The Wing
- Qantas Hong Kong International Lounge
If you ever get a chance, do visit The Pier Lounge. It is really good.
Cathay Pacific A350 Premium Economy Flight
Cathay Pacific A350 on the HKG-DEL route has three class configurations.
- Business Class
- Premium Economy
- Economy Cabin
The Premium Economy Cabin is right after the Business Class.
Boarding
I found the gate number of my flight around 6 p.m. There was no email or message from Cathay Pacific for the gate. My flight was departing from gate number 30.
Cathay Pacific has a separate boarding line for each cabin class. As a policy, Cathay Pacific first offers boarding to travellers with reduced mobility, then Business Class, and so on.
There is separate boarding for Premium Economy travellers, too.
The boarding was smooth even though the flight was almost full.
Amenity Kit and More
Cathay Pacific provides an amenity kit in the premium economy cabin. You get a Blanket, Pillow, water bottle, and an Amenity kit. The kit also has a pair of socks, a toothbrush, an eye mask, and earbuds. Although the blanket was comfortable, it looked used.
Cathay Pacific A350 Premium Economy Seats
The Cathay Pacific Premium Economy seats are just wow. There are 28 Premium Economy seats on Cathay Pacific A350-900 Aircraft.
These also come with seat control.
There are three controls. The first one from the right-hand side is for reclining, the second is for calf rest, and the third is for footrest. If you aren’t familiar with these controls, you may need some time to get used to them. But I think having a footrest in a premium economy is a great boost, making the seats equivalent to domestic standard recliners in business class.
PS: The premium economy seats are comfortable even for long-haul flights.
Another good part is that the seats are 2-4-2. So, if you are travelling with someone, you may prefer the 2-seat option. However, the four seats are also spacious.
Cathay Pacific Premium Economy IFE
Top-notch. Even in the economy cabin, the IFE is really good. The Screen is really good, with a smooth touch. You also get a keypad remote; however, the touch is smooth, so you can use the Screen easily.
You can find the entertainment library online here. There is also a headphone, and it feels premium. You would love watching movies or series on Cathay Pacific Premium Economy.
WiFI
Cathay Pacific offers Wi-Fi on its aircraft. It is complimentary for Diamond, First, and Business Class passengers, unlike Thai Airways, which offers it complimentary only for its Platinum members.
I did not try the WiFI during this flight.
You can buy WiFi onboard:
- 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, but we had access to one vegetarian option. I had prebooked my meal online, but the cabin crew went to each of the passengers who had preordered their meals. It felt odd, as the majority of us had prebooked our meals.
The dinner was tasty except for the bun and enough for the flight time.
Cabin Crew
The Cabin Crew was friendly, but something was missing. On my earlier Cathay Pacific flight in the economy cabin, the cabin crew was just exceptional, and you could feel the warmth; however, it was missing here. But there was nothing wrong with what the cabin crew did.
Baggage
Upon landing, I swiftly reached the baggage belt. The baggage had yet to arrive. Our flight landed at 00:35, deboarding started at 00:40, and the baggage started arriving around 00:52. I reached there at 00:50, so there was not much waiting.
Will I fly Cathay Pacific next time?
I flew Cathay Pacific Economy and Premium Economy on the same day. Both are great products. The food is good, and there are multiple entertainment options. I want to fly their new business class Aria suites, so I would definitely fly them again.
Bottomline
Cathay Pacific A350 Premium Economy is top-notch. I consider it to be the equivalent of domestic business class (non-flat beds). It is even good for medium—to long-haul flights. For long-haul flights, the footrest is a great addition to the seats. Plus, the food is decent, and the ambience is also great.
