This is the first time I’m travelling on Cathay via terminal 4 Changi. They moved from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4 in 2017. It has been a while since I last flew with them therefore I’m pretty excited to be flying with them for a short haul flight in business class. I’ve included a Too Long; Didn’t Read section if you just want to go straight to the point.
If you found this article because you are wondering how Vegetarian Meal tasted in my Cathay Pacific Business Class flight, I am sorry to disappoint that it did not taste good.
RoamingAlpaca.net
TL;RD: ⏳
✅ Love the lie flat seat, decent privacy
✅ Love the pillow and blanket provided
✅ A350 interior is really quiet
✅ Flight service was good
✅ Do you like a lavatory with a view? We do
✅ Terminal 4 wasn’t as crowded as other terminals.
👎 Found previous passengers rubbish on my seat
👎 Vegetarian meal is definitely not crafted
👎 Plane’s top view camera did not work
👎 Seat only has 1 USB port for charging, slow charge
Flight Details ℹ️ 🇸🇬 – 🇭🇰
- Airline: Cathay Pacific (CX)
- Flight route: Singapore – Hong Kong
- Flight number: CX692, 0640hrs-1040hrs
- Aircraft type: A350-900.
- Registration: B-LRO (May 2017 delivery)
- Airport Terminal: Changi Airport Terminal 4
- Seat: 14A
Check-in ✈️
Changi terminal 4 is the most sophisticated terminal in Changi Singapore. My flight was scheduled to depart at 6.40am, I arrived around 5am. You can opt to check in via the machines provided or interact with the gate agents. I checked in over the counter and was provided my boarding and lounge pass within 5 minutes. There was no queue going through the immigration machine as well as security check. I was amazed with the fact the I didn’t even need to take out my laptop and iPad from my bag to go through the security scan.
It was a quiet Sunday morning, duty free shops were empty and the Christmas 🎄 decorations were lovely.
After strolling around for a bit I went to the mezzanine floor where Cathay Pacific lounge was located.
The lounge was pretty quiet in the morning as well so I sat there for a bit before making my way to the gate.
Boarding 🎟
Boarding had begun by the time I arrived G18, which was a 7 minutes slow walk from Cathay’s lounge, my boarding pass was scanned and I made my way to the plane quickly.
There was a good selection of newspapers available. As soon as l took the Strait Times, I was greeted by one of the flight attendants who then directed me to my seat, 14A. Most business class passengers have already settled down. It was a full cabin.
Within minutes I was offered a welcome drink followed by a warm towel.
A flight attendant came over and confirmed my Oriental Vegetarian 🌱 Meal which sounded simple but crucial for me. She also handed me the dining menu letting me know that my meal won’t be listed in it but there were plenty of drinks 🍷 that I can choose from. I appreciate that.
Seat 💺 14A
The A350-900 aircraft has 5 sections, with 2 Business class sections at the front of the plane followed by a Premium Economy class section and 2 Economy class sections. The business class seat are configured in 1-2-1 arrangement.
It was a fairly early flight and the windows were still wet. I was a bit worried that there will not be a nice view during take off but the windows cleared itself up eventually as the plane moved.
There are discussions about misaligned windows in Cathay’s A350 plane and I can confirm that seat 14A or 14K are two of those. However, If you lean towards the window during take off and landing, you can still see the view and once the aircraft is airborne all you have to do is adjust the seat flat and you are “realign” to the window.
The ultimate bummer was to see rubbish left by previous passenger in my seat’s hand rest. This is a reminder why it is so important to clean your seat thoroughly regardless if your at travelling on economy or business class.
I chose the front cabin because I wanted to be able to check out the latest generation Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines in action. When I booked my flight, there were only available seats in the mini cabin, more seats opened up closer to the departure date allowing me to score a front cabin window seat. If you have an upcoming flight, my trick is to check your preferred seat availability a couple of times a day via Cathay Pacific app, which is surprisingly easy to use, and all seats should open up within 48 hours before flight departure time.
Unfortunately the seat I chose was too far ahead of the engine. I had a clear window view but not much of the engine which I initially intended.
Given a choice, I would have chosen row 15 or 16 for a better engine view. Nonetheless, I’m thrilled to swap from my initially middle aisle seat to a window seat.
Waiting on my seat was the brand new Bamford pillow and blanket that Cathay recently announced. I love the plush pillow as well as the thick blanket.
According to Cathay – “Pillows are larger, mattresses have been introduced and there are new 400 thread-count cotton pillow cases and duvet covers, which have been sustainably sourced and are delivered in re-usable bags to help the airline remove millions of plastic bags from the equation each year. Passengers on regional flights will also enjoy an improved day blanket and pillow. “
It was pretty cosy to lie flat on the seat with these amenities. If you’re on a long haul flight you can a mattress layer too. I did not sleep on this short flight.
The small storage compartment is such a thoughtful design, it took me a while to realise that there is a storage compartment. It has a load limit of 3kg, not sure why, but it allowed me to put my gadgets inside. Once you close it, it becomes part of your bed when you lie your seat down. Ingenious design.
They included a pair of noise cancelling headphones, I tested it a bit but ended up using my own headphones which I am more used to. A power plug and single USB port is also provided. There is a mesh pocket by the door for cables or phone as well as a mirror for pre-landing touch up. Pretty sure the ladies would appreciate this.
The IFE screen is not as sharp as I’d like, I think Singapore’s premium economy screen is much better. There were loads of movies or series to choose from, I watched Lion King the movie and the moved on to enjoy cloud-surfing.
Here are a couple of view from my seat when I put the bed flat. I felt that there is decent privacy in these seats.
On board camera is what I love as an #avgeek. The top camera did not work on my flight so the front camera will do.
Meal 🍽
Meal service started with beverage service right after take off and the flight attendant laid a cloth on my tray before serving me the goodies.
It took around 25 minutes before the fruit platter was served, followed by bread. Here’s the full menu for those interested.
I was given a choice of either cereal or yogurt before they serve my main course. I opted yogurt and was given a strawberry yogurt. You can also start the main course straightaway if you feel like it.
For the main course, I was offered rice noodle with mushroom, tofu and kailan. I thought being a Hong Kong based airline, Chinese food should at least be decent. A simple breakfast that tasted bland and kailan looked pretty dead. Some of the rice noodle were hard too. I finished the rice noodle though.
In addition, zero points for business class main course presentation, this makes me wonder what are they serving in economy class, are they being serve the same meal?
Lavatory 🚻
I had too much liquid while I was in lounge and that triggered me to use the washroom as soon as the seat belt sign turned off after take off.
Here’s the washroom that is located on the left front of the plane.
As I enter the washroom, I was surprised and delighted to see a window inside. It would be perfect if one could sit on the toilet bowl while staring at the clouds. The business class washroom looks pretty standard for an airplane washroom. There is a diaper changing station if you need to change your baby’s diaper.
Cathay uses Bamford toiletries products, there was a cleanser and lotion on the site of the counter. There is no mouthwash like Singapore Airlines offer though they do provide mouthwash in their long haul amenity kit.
Service 🛂
Flight attendants were pretty attentive, in the beginning, they confirmed my dietary requirement and served the right meal. During arrival prep, the in flight service manager addressed each passengers and thanked everyone for choosing Cathay, the personal touch were appreciated. She also noted that I had a connecting flight and wished me a safe journey.
Overall, I appreciate personalised customer service. It was an early morning flight yet I did not it see any grumpy flight attendants, they were all pretty smiley and energetic, a sense of being proud of what they are doing. I left the flight feeling happy.
Overall Thoughts 💬
It was a no frill flight with Cathay Pacific, we pushback and arrived on time and safely. My first A350 experience was with Singapore Airlines in economy class. This is my first time travelling in business class in an A350, I love Cathay’s lie flat seat, service was personalised.
The opportunity I see is in their vegetarian food menu. Cathay’s inflight and lounge manager mentions in the dining booklet that his team understands the importance of providing a good dining experience for guests, I am not sure how the standard inflight meal tasted, my vegetarian meal did not look and taste good.
Any local Singapore food court stall can do a better job in frying up rice noodle. This is not specific to Cathay though, my experience tells me that most airlines will have opportunities in providing better special meals such as Vegetarian meal.
I will mostly like be taking Cathay again. It was a pleasant flight experience from boarding to deplaning.
Let me know how was your special meal or vegetarian meal experience with Cathay Pacific in the comment section.
