If you’re lucky, you’ll get to enjoy Cathay Pacific’s long-haul business class without having to travel halfway around the globe, as Nick Walton discovers on a recent flight from Seoul to Hong Kong.
Airlines today often have different products for different routes and in Cathay Pacific’s case, that’s the flagship A350 business class designed for its ultra-long-haul routes to the US. However, an idle plane is one that’s not making money so there are routes on which you can enjoy the airline’s best business class without having to fly for 16 hours.
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Check-in
I checked in using Cathay Pacific’s user-friendly app, selecting my preferred seat in moments so that when I arrived at Seoul’s bustling Incheon International with only carry-on luggage, I was able to whiz through security and immigration and make for the new Oneworld lounge, located in terminal 1 directly opposite security.
The Lounge
This is a truly special space as it’s the Oneworld alliance’s first-ever dedicated lounge, and one that serves seven of the alliance’s members: Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Finnair and SriLankan Airlines.
The 555-sqm lounge, which just opened, caters to 148 guests with a variety of comfortable seating options, including armchairs facing the apron, and private rooms for groups and meetings. There’s a comprehensive buffet of hot and cold dishes and modern shower suites, and the bartenders make a mean dirty martini so I’m glad I arrived with time to spare.
Boarding
My 7 p.m. flight, CX419, departed from gate 37 where the boarding process was seamless onto a Cathay Pacific A350-900, the airline’s newest flagship aircraft. The carrier flies A350, 777 and A330 aircraft to Seoul four times a day so it’s my good fortune that I had a chance to savour the carrier’s long-haul flagship albeit for a short hop south. As I found my seat, 19k, the pilot announced a flight time of four hours and the crew handed out piping hot face towels and glasses of Ayala Brut Majeur champagne. After a short taxi, we departed into stormy night skies on time.
The Seat
As mentioned, this seat on the A350-900 is Cathay’s flagship business-class product and for good reason. Elegant, intuitive and very comfortable, the business class cabin features 38 business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Each 20-inch seat has a pitch of 45 inches and is a spacious rift on the classic Cirrus III herringbone design by Safran and offers just the right amount of privacy and functionality, with signature green fabric, plenty of storage spaces, an 18.5-inch personal touchscreen monitor, AC and USB outlets, noise-reduction headphones stored in a shoulder-level compartment, easy-to-reach seat controls and a separate remove with independent 4.7-inch monitor. It even has seat components that fold down to increase surface area when in fully flat 75-inch-long bed mode.
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Dining
The dining experience begins with a Jack Daniels whiskey and soda water and a bowl of warm nuts. This was followed by seasonal mixed salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar; and marinated prawn with pomelo and green papaya salad. For mains, I opted for the Korean bibimbap, a savoury and delicious beef and mixed vegetables with rice, and Korean chilli sauce, which I absolutely love, and which I paired with a glass of Chateau de Pitray Bordeaux. For dessert, we were offered a plate of international cheeses and fresh fruit, as well as a little tub of Haagen-Daz ice cream.
Entertainment
The entertainment on the A350 is great because the monitor is crystal clear and when paired with my Bose QC45 noise-reduction headphones offers a cinematic experience. The selection on the Cathay inflight entertainment system is comprehensive (I just love the external cameras) but I think they could do with more of the feel-good classic as some of the new releases are a little too artsy. The A350 also offers Wi-Fi connectivity with packages starting at US$3.95.
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Service
As with most Cathay flights I have experienced, the service on my Seoul-Hong Kong flight was crisp, intuitive and genuinely welcoming. May, the cabin attendant handling my section, was always beaming and no request was too much, despite what I am sure was the end of a long day of travel for her. Throughout, the flight crew maintained a close eye on the business class cabin and served wine and water proactively.
Summary
While I love a long-haul business class flight as a means of escape, it’s also great to enjoy the perks of Cathay Pacific’s flagship business class experience on a short hop home from Seoul.
Hong Kong – Seoul return in business class from US$1,087.
