Very few travel vloggers show the finer details of flights like you do such as the ambient noise of the take-off, or the aircraft sightings or proper food reviews. Thanks for all the content!
The Pier lounge is the best Cathay lounge, head and shoulders better than the others. But yes still all hype and no trousers, that's the HK way. Love your content, thanks!
Unfortunately you went to the wrong lounge, the Pier lives up to the hype every time I've been and is well worth the walk. It's my favorite business class lounge and has an entirely different ambiance that the Wing.
A refreshing flight review concept - You make it all about the flight experience as opposed to making it about you. Love it. So many trip reports out there are just superficial. Cheers.
I love your videos! But to comment on the lounge during Covid parts of the Wing business lounge were shut down and it has been downgraded, however the Pier definitely lives up to all the hype, Amazing lounge! Also they have top notch first class lounges with bathtubs in shower suites called Cabanas and all different dining rooms! ❤
The Pier lounge is my favourite lounge in HK or even in the world. It has the feeling of an old whiskey bar. Beautiful mood and a nice tea bar. I love that Lounge.
Hey Kevin, glad to be able to watch you again. I’ve been traveling almost nonstop since August 31st, mostly for college and pro football. Mostly in the US. But I did manage one trip down to Bogota . Looking forward to catching up next week! I’m sure the upcoming videos will be great as usual!
The Pier lounge is where all the fuss is about. If the Wing is more convenient to you gate, try out the Qantas lounge instead. They're very good as well.
Next time try out The Pier Business and it's a class apart from any other Cathay business class lounges at HKG. There is even a tea lounge specializing in various local tea menu and unique snacks. Great content as always :-)
I had the same experience as you when I went to the Wing lounge in HKG in May this year. Crowded and honestly not very good. I left and then found the Pier business lounge. It is 100x better. Completely different concept and is absolutely worth all the hype in my opinion. The Deck is also solid. Better than the Wing, but no where near as good as the Pier. It's unfortunate that the Wing is the most centrally located lounge, and it's by far their worst.
Huge, huge fan of your work! Particularly liking your recent Japan content (writing this in July 2024) and how much you seem to like/enjoy Japan. I'm a long-term Tokyo resident and one of the reasons I stuck around so long here has to be the high quality travel infrastructure/experiences in Japan, so I find it very heartening when my favorite aviation/travel content creator loves it so much here. Back to this review, it's such a shame you didn't enjoy the lounge experience in HKG too much... I do understand though, The Wing is my least favorite of the CX lounges (although I appreciate the diversity of lounge experiences they offer)... Next time, I urge you to try The Pier, or The Deck even... the new generation 'cozy' style is just miles better than the 'slick/corporate' style of The Wing. The Pier in particular, is simply, simply wonderful!!! Seriously! The hype is true! (On a separate note, they used to have The Bridge (RIP), which was from the same generation as The Wing, and had that 'slick/corporate' style, but it was so much more of a nicer experience than The Wing... I was thinking about this the other day... why I don't like The Wing compared to The Pier, The Deck and The Bridge (RIP)... and I realized it was the wide open ceiling going on in The Wing... it's just not truly relaxing! All the sounds from the terminal echo and bounce and can be heard in the lounge... I want my lounges to feel intimate, like a comfy cave-type thing, I realized. I had the chance to use the Al Mourjan lounge at DOH a little while back and I experienced the same thing... I was wow-ed by the sheer size of it but ultimately, the wide open ceilings, the echo-ing sounds from outside, that large-large-huge feeling with no sense of intimacy just left me not feeling as relaxed as I could...) Sorry I went on too long, but I really have a thing for lounges. Thanks again and really do like your content!!!
You should try the Pier Lounge by gate 60-80 in Hong Kong that one has a noodle bar and tea lounge. I've been there in January 2006. Between the A321neos AA CX and PR versions which one will you pick. For every PR plane that CX KE OZ and TG do operate their versions are better than PR versions. Your Mandarin Speaking crew on HKG-TPE are Taiwanese or Mainland China they also get rotated for HKG-MNL with a Filipina crew for their Eastern Time Zone Routes HKG-EWR/JFK/BOS/YYZ
Hello Kevin, thank you for the great video and analysis. Glad you mentioned about the business class legroom space on their new a321 neo. I personally haven’t been on the aircraft yet, but will have multiple upcoming short haul trips (around 4 hours each way) with them next year. I’m 5’9 myself, so particularity concerned on the comfort aspect. You reckon the other rows would be a more viable option? Or should I outright avoid this flight and consider their a330? It is primarily for leisure so I can be flexible on the timing. Hopefully you can provide some advice or insight on the matter, cheers!
If I was 5'9" I think I'd love the seat. My torso being too tall for the seat was the only thing I didn't like about it. Also- all rows are exactly the same. Thanks for watching 🩴
Haha that's such a casual way of saying "go spend $12000" 😂. Fact of the matter is, non-hosted/sponsored Maldives content is near impossible to make since the associated costs are so high. I'll never say never, but definitely not before 2025. Thanks for watching 🩴
Pre-covid If I’m flying J on CX I never use their own lounges here in HK, the only lounge I ever go to is the Qantas one which is magnificent 😂 way less crowded and the food offerings are top notch.
I find The Wing dated. The Pier and the other new lounges with that design language is IMO industry leading in comfort and visual elegance. And I miss Dragon Air. The few flights I had with them all had better catering and friendlier service than Cathay.
Good video. I'll keep clear of politics, but I won't be flying with Cathay unless I can find a 'fifth freedom' flight somewhere. TPE-NGO: a possibility.
Here's the lowdown on Cathay Pacific's service. They are not at the very top/pinnacle of premium service airlines (i.e. Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines). You won't get personal limo transport to the plane like on some other airlines if you fly first class on Cathay. The first class seats are also starting to get a bit dated. The shortage of staff at Cathay has also affected their service quality and delivery (CX fired a whole lot during Covid and is surprised they aren't willing to come back to take a much lower salary for the same position). What Cathay STILL is however, is an above average airline in terms of its onboard product and service. Generally speaking, most still rate Cathay above a comparable North American or European full service carrier. The food may not be spectacular, but its still decent. The service attitude isn't necessarily very warm and spontaneous, but it is still, for the most part, professional, polite and helpful. The frequency of lost luggages, and delays is (for now) lower than American and European carriers, barring extreme weather events. So all-in-all, while Cathay isn't the very best in terms of premium service, it is still above average and ranks at least among the better airlines one can choose to fly with.
Sure, I don’t disagree with that lol. All comes down to the price though. They are above average but they see themselves as premium and charge accordingly. Thanks for watching 🩴
@@tfft Well nobody is forcing anyone to fly Cathay, we get choices. And given they were essentially on life support through the depths of Covid, I'm surprised they have retain that level of service and hasn't gotten a whole lot worse. As for price, yup, Cathay has never been known to be an especially cheap airline to fly with. Their price hasn't hurt them much anyway, demand is high in 2023 for Cathay flights. And if one is price-sensitive, one can always try HK Express, CX's low-cost carrier. You can make that your next airline to review.
No worries. It was the number from Jakarta accidentally carried over. Discovered it after it was already uploaded and I was on the road, so blurring was the only real option. Thanks for watching 🩴
Correct. Many Asian carriers do this for consistency across their fleet. I’m not sure of CX’s exact formula but for Singapore Airlines, First Class always starts with row 1, Business with row 11, Prem Eco with row 31 and Economy with row 41.
I need to correct you on a couple of points: Cathay Pacific was founded by an Australian and an American ex WW2 pilots , not by two American; and the lounge: I used to love Cathay but in recent years I’ve become their critic and will AVOID them if there’s a better choice!) But to be fair, their lounges in my opinion are the BEST in the world, nothing like what you said in the video! I’ve been a business traveller for over two decades and have experienced most major lounges around the globe. I must have spent 1000 hours or so at Cathay lounges and they have become part of my life memories. They are warm, spacious, quiet and serve good food. What is there not to like about?
To the point about the founders, fair enough- others have pointed it out as well. As for the lounge, well- it’s my opinion lol… nothing to correct me on there. I think SQ’s lounges are far better than the CX lounge I visited in addition to a healthy handful of lounges around the world that far out perform the CX lounge I was at.
Thank you Kevin for sharing this trip with us. I enjoyed watching it. Wing was just CX’s “basic” lounge to be honest when I flew them often before Covid. Unfortunately I don’t not fly CX anymore just like @ManHK1.
I think the fuss about the CX lounge at HKG is that it has been fantastic since 1998 when the airport opened. At that time, lounges of other airlines were no where near this quality in terms of hard product. But to your point, now many airlines from CI to QF are catching up. CX lounge has been improved progressively but it had not made any huge leap since what it was back then. The Wings lounge at Gate 1 was the very first lounge. It has been renovated but I don't recall any large changes. To be fair, the Pier Lounge at Gate 65 is newer and better to some extent but still the food selection, etc. are the same. The Pier First Class lounge at Gate 63 is great (at least before 2020). My last time using CX lounge was back in 2021. At that time, passengers departing from HKG is separated from transiting passengers. Those departing would use the First Class lounge regardless of your class of travel and the connecting passengers always use the Business Class lounge. The Pier was the only one opened at that time too. In any case, if you have a chance next time, try Pier instead of Wings. For their A321, I don't understand why all A321s are configured with recliner business class seats. They make sense for short flights but A321s have the potential for much longer flights to destinations as far as India. They should at least have a sub-fleet with lie-flat business class to accommodate those flights, just like Singapore Airlines' 737MAX. But it seems they have no plan to do that. So even for hard products, they are starting to fall behind. Personally, my plan is to use up my Asiamiles and I will be done with CX, and HKG. As for the flight path, why would CX avoid mainland airspace? Remember, Hong Kong is now no longer different from China, apart from name.
‘Avoiding airspace’ may not be the best way of saying it- rather, ‘following illogical cross straight routes’. In the past I’ve seen some very very out of the way route paths between HKG and TPE, often swinging down to the south before making a lazy loop up to the north. Thanks for watching and for the info about the lounges 🩴
@@tfft Out-of-the-way path across the strait happens from time to time, but in my impression, it's not that often. At least I have not experienced that myself over so many years flying across the strait. However, there may be more lately. Those are most likely due to military activities from the PLA in the Strait.
I was very fortunate to spend an afternoon with Jock Swire in the 1970’s at his home Hubbards Hall in Harlow, Essex UK. He had retired from J.S.Swire and sons and handed control to his sons. He mentioned Cathay Pacific and his shipping company with a great deal of affection and told me all about the history of his company, it was truly a unique afternoon. After answering most of my questions he said “ you are a nosey blighter aren’t you?” (In good humour). The two times I have been insulted by rich guys (the second was being called a prat by Rod Stewart, also in good humour). Anyhow enough of my name dropping, great video yet again Kevin.👍🏻👏🏻
At breakfast this morning, I shook hands with a guy named Miguel. That’s the extent of my potential name dropping at the moment haha. Thanks for watching 🩴
Airline food is similar to hospital food on Cathay Pacific. Its gross. Hong Kong airport has extremely limited food and product diversity. Bangkok is decades ahead of Hong Kong. Sorry about your unfortunate transfer in Hong Kong.
Great vid as always! BTW why was HKG's population hidden? Edit: Thanks for covering the height issue with the tray tables. For people with a good height or fat folks like me, it really makes it hard AF.
Anytime you see a meal video clip where I film my food on the tray table next to me… or if I’m in a bulkhead and when I film it you can’t see the ‘near’ edge of the tray table, those are my signs that it’s not a fat friendly table 😅 For height, it’s easy to quantify. For weight… I could say I’m 100kg and the table is too close, but frankly 100kg is very different on different people. So yea, same boat here haha.
I was going to say the same thing. The Wing is a standard airport lounge. The Pier is a much more relaxed environment and a very different feel to the Wing. Go to the Pier next time.
Thank you very much for another wonderful review. The Wing is in my opinion the worst CX lounges in HKG. The Pier (and even the Deck) is (are) much better. The Wing is kind of disappointing and really needs a renovation. I hope they can renovate and reopen the Bridge though: it has a very nice view and is so conveniently located. (And I would miss the green in the cabin too!!!!!)
The issue with this route is u got the other two TW airlines which usually cheaper to fly, and I will pick the 787 for sure on this route, even CX use 350 for this route, I won’t pick the small plane 😅
Excellent information on cx plane amenities to TPI .Honkgong looks different now ..the airliner comparison only Kevin can do may b encyclopaedia of Air Liners is none other than Pure unbaised Vlogs of Kevin 💯💯💯👍👍👍🌹🌹🌹
The graphic was wrong (displaying the population in Jakarta) and since I'm on the road, blurring it was much more practical than editing, re-exporting and re-uploading the video. Thanks for watching 🩴
I don’t rate the Wing lounge unless you’re in the First class area. In Business I’d definitely go to The Pier lounge. If you’re in Taiwan, will you be reviewing STARLUX?
Did you intentionally not go to the first lounges to match the flight in business? Or dont you hold the emerald statsu? No wonder you didnt agree on my statement of CX having the best lounges out there ;D These lounges among other First's in the world is my entire reasoning for keeping my emerald status.
Kevin, I love your videos. Your grammar, diction, pronunciation and choice of words are always perfect… except the way you pronounce ‘across’ and ‘et cetera’. Don’t want to be an a.. about it. Love your honest reviews.
Finally a flight reviewer who tells like it is. Calling it tha way it's seen.Unlike one particular reviewer who seems to continuously kiss airline CEO backsides.Great work Kevin Keep it up P.S.CX was founded by an Australian Sydney De Kantznow and American Roy Farrell. Typo to the two Americans you stated as CX founders. Great work
@@Leatherkid01 Sam Chui? Like him or hate him, he doesn't claim to be a reviewer. And he gets lot of views. Why do I get the feeling the reviewers who slam him the most are simply jealous or envious they don't get as many views? Personally, youtube viewers can judge for themselves the credibility of a youuber. I watch airline reviewers for review of airline flights, not them attacking so-and-so rival.
Next time, try out the Pier. Besides the noodle bar, they also have a nice cafetaria type set up there that serves bit more western selections. A nice bar area too! Or try the Deck. It's a tiny version of the Pier... but got most everything the Wing offers. Happy traveling! 🎉🎉🎉
Another excellent video Kevin. As I had commented before in your Jakarta HKG flight, the CX lounges are overrated and I have access to the First classes as I am OWE. How the pier First can be a seen by many as a top lounge is beyond me .. Question for you: You don't seem to have a higher status with any Airline or Hotel Group. While this adds to your reviews to make them more representative, I wonder if this is intended or a matter of not actively chasing status.
I have Star Gold and ST Elite Plus for the time being, but no, I don’t chase status. The only 2 things that I really enjoy about statuses are priority checkin, which genuinely saves me a lot of time and priority boarding, which makes the boarding video clip better. Everything else I either don’t need or can get with a credit card perk. I also buy a lot of one way reward tickets for my long haul J/F flights which doesn’t help anything. Thanks for watching 🩴
I disagree with the terms "after C*vid" or "during C*vid". Even though restrictions have been lifted, C*vid very much is raging on today and very likely will become a real problem again soon. In the US airlines are already preparing to reimpose mandates.
I think all the hype is referring to The Pier lounges, the wing is very mid. My flights usually depart from Gate 3 at HKG so im typically stuck with the Wing.
This brought back memories, having been fortunate enough to have a jumpseat in the cockpit of KLM’s 747 during landing on the old Kai Tak airport seeing the famous checkerboard on final approach…so special. Unfortunately have not visited Hong Kong since the new airport opened. Thank you for the review, always appreciate the background information! 🙏🏼
Wow. I would be… I’d probably cry (joyfully) if I had that experience! Haha. Some day in the far future if I’m no longer anonymous on the channel anymore, calling up airlines and asking for cockpit access would be literally the first thing I’d start doing! Always been a dream. Thank you as always for your support 🙏🏻
@@tfft Thinking back it was the most beautiful time, long layovers, more relaxed travel, better service….heck I remember serving a full dinner with warm bread rolls and coffee/ liquor service on a 45m flight from SPL to LHR 😅😂 Sjeesh I’m getting old
Your commentary on the seats is exactly why I don't fly Cathay--I'm too tall to be comfortable shuttling across the Pacific in their seats. Sweet flight report, though, and one can never tire of the descent into HKG among the hundreds of surrounding tropical islands.
Agree on the lounge situation. I visited The Pier in 2017 and was a disappointment as I couldn’t explain all the hype (teahouse was fine tho), so I headed to The Wing, thinking that I was probably visiting the wrong lounge but it was more of the same. Curious to know, what’s your favorite lounge? I was recently at SIN and visited the SilverKris lounge, and not sure why there is no hype around that one, it was so good.
Favorite lounge, anywhere? That's a tough one, there are many that I love haha. In E/SE Asia, I'd say it would probably be the Singapore SilverKris lounge in T3. Thanks for watching 🩴
Very few travel vloggers show the finer details of flights like you do such as the ambient noise of the take-off, or the aircraft sightings or proper food reviews. Thanks for all the content!
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
The Pier lounge is the best Cathay lounge, head and shoulders better than the others. But yes still all hype and no trousers, that's the HK way.
Love your content, thanks!
Hahaha SQ should adopt that tagline in their next Hong Kong ad campaign 😅
Unfortunately you went to the wrong lounge, the Pier lives up to the hype every time I've been and is well worth the walk. It's my favorite business class lounge and has an entirely different ambiance that the Wing.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
A refreshing flight review concept - You make it all about the flight experience as opposed to making it about you. Love it. So many trip reports out there are just superficial. Cheers.
Yup, it’s a trip report, not a flyer’s face report 😂
I love your videos! But to comment on the lounge during Covid parts of the Wing business lounge were shut down and it has been downgraded, however the Pier definitely lives up to all the hype, Amazing lounge! Also they have top notch first class lounges with bathtubs in shower suites called Cabanas and all different dining rooms! ❤
Thanks for sharing ✈️
The Pier lounge is my favourite lounge in HK or even in the world. It has the feeling of an old whiskey bar. Beautiful mood and a nice tea bar. I love that Lounge.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Another excellent review! It's nice to see that your experience with CX has improved this time round
Certainly did! Thanks for your support 🙏🏼
Hey Kevin, glad to be able to watch you again. I’ve been traveling almost nonstop since August 31st, mostly for college and pro football. Mostly in the US. But I did manage one trip down to Bogota . Looking forward to catching up next week! I’m sure the upcoming videos will be great as usual!
Hope you're enjoying your travels! You've only got around 20 of mine to catch up on haha. Be safe!
The Pier lounge is where all the fuss is about. If the Wing is more convenient to you gate, try out the Qantas lounge instead. They're very good as well.
In my case, my early morning transit was before the Qantas lounge opened. Thanks for watching 🩴
Excellent CX review! Thanks for the info + video!
Appreciate that! Thanks for watching 🩴
Next time try out The Pier Business and it's a class apart from any other Cathay business class lounges at HKG. There is even a tea lounge specializing in various local tea menu and unique snacks.
Great content as always :-)
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
stumbled across your channel, enjoyed your trip reports end to end, and especially the spool, take off and landing sound / views.thanks
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
I had the same experience as you when I went to the Wing lounge in HKG in May this year. Crowded and honestly not very good.
I left and then found the Pier business lounge. It is 100x better. Completely different concept and is absolutely worth all the hype in my opinion.
The Deck is also solid. Better than the Wing, but no where near as good as the Pier.
It's unfortunate that the Wing is the most centrally located lounge, and it's by far their worst.
Well noted for next time! Thanks for watching 🩴
@@tfft Thanks for the great videos!
Huge, huge fan of your work! Particularly liking your recent Japan content (writing this in July 2024) and how much you seem to like/enjoy Japan. I'm a long-term Tokyo resident and one of the reasons I stuck around so long here has to be the high quality travel infrastructure/experiences in Japan, so I find it very heartening when my favorite aviation/travel content creator loves it so much here. Back to this review, it's such a shame you didn't enjoy the lounge experience in HKG too much... I do understand though, The Wing is my least favorite of the CX lounges (although I appreciate the diversity of lounge experiences they offer)... Next time, I urge you to try The Pier, or The Deck even... the new generation 'cozy' style is just miles better than the 'slick/corporate' style of The Wing. The Pier in particular, is simply, simply wonderful!!! Seriously! The hype is true! (On a separate note, they used to have The Bridge (RIP), which was from the same generation as The Wing, and had that 'slick/corporate' style, but it was so much more of a nicer experience than The Wing... I was thinking about this the other day... why I don't like The Wing compared to The Pier, The Deck and The Bridge (RIP)... and I realized it was the wide open ceiling going on in The Wing... it's just not truly relaxing! All the sounds from the terminal echo and bounce and can be heard in the lounge... I want my lounges to feel intimate, like a comfy cave-type thing, I realized. I had the chance to use the Al Mourjan lounge at DOH a little while back and I experienced the same thing... I was wow-ed by the sheer size of it but ultimately, the wide open ceilings, the echo-ing sounds from outside, that large-large-huge feeling with no sense of intimacy just left me not feeling as relaxed as I could...) Sorry I went on too long, but I really have a thing for lounges. Thanks again and really do like your content!!!
I have two CX flights coming up later this year with a long layover, so I'll have plenty of time to hop around the lounges.
I just love your intro music 😌
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
Another virtuoso travel review performance by Maestro Kevin!
Take a curtain call brah!
Namaste
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
Are there multiple Wing's - that doesnt look like the Cath Pac lounge I went too - which was lovely :) Great video as always.
Not multiple Wings but multiple Cathay lounges, yes.
You should try the Pier Lounge by gate 60-80 in Hong Kong that one has a noodle bar and tea lounge. I've been there in January 2006. Between the A321neos AA CX and PR versions which one will you pick.
For every PR plane that CX KE OZ and TG do operate their versions are better than PR versions. Your Mandarin Speaking crew on HKG-TPE are Taiwanese or Mainland China they also get rotated for HKG-MNL with a Filipina crew for their Eastern Time Zone Routes HKG-EWR/JFK/BOS/YYZ
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Interesting story between CX and Air China given that both of them belong to two different alliances.
Thanks for watching 🩴
I remember flying in and out of Kai Tak during my childhood years.
Must have been epic! Thanks for watching 🩴
Love it
Thanks for watching 🩴
Hello Kevin, thank you for the great video and analysis.
Glad you mentioned about the business class legroom space on their new a321 neo. I personally haven’t been on the aircraft yet, but will have multiple upcoming short haul trips (around 4 hours each way) with them next year.
I’m 5’9 myself, so particularity concerned on the comfort aspect. You reckon the other rows would be a more viable option? Or should I outright avoid this flight and consider their a330? It is primarily for leisure so I can be flexible on the timing.
Hopefully you can provide some advice or insight on the matter, cheers!
If I was 5'9" I think I'd love the seat. My torso being too tall for the seat was the only thing I didn't like about it. Also- all rows are exactly the same. Thanks for watching 🩴
Nice review!!! again 👏👏👏
Thanks for watching 🩴
Hi Kevin , when you get a chance can you review any resort in Maldives?
Haha that's such a casual way of saying "go spend $12000" 😂. Fact of the matter is, non-hosted/sponsored Maldives content is near impossible to make since the associated costs are so high. I'll never say never, but definitely not before 2025. Thanks for watching 🩴
Pre-covid If I’m flying J on CX I never use their own lounges here in HK, the only lounge I ever go to is the Qantas one which is magnificent 😂 way less crowded and the food offerings are top notch.
Unfortunately it wasn’t open at the early hour I was there though. Thanks for watching 🩴
From DEL to SIN on Singapore Airlines in Suites
✅
I find The Wing dated. The Pier and the other new lounges with that design language is IMO industry leading in comfort and visual elegance. And I miss Dragon Air. The few flights I had with them all had better catering and friendlier service than Cathay.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Airplanes is one of the few places where I can grin at people with my height of 160cm
Yes they’re also one of the few places where I wish I was shorter haha. Thanks for watching 🩴
Good video. I'll keep clear of politics, but I won't be flying with Cathay unless I can find a 'fifth freedom' flight somewhere. TPE-NGO: a possibility.
Yup, my scripts are...carefully crafted in the past and next few videos lol. Thanks for watching 🩴
Here's the lowdown on Cathay Pacific's service. They are not at the very top/pinnacle of premium service airlines (i.e. Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines). You won't get personal limo transport to the plane like on some other airlines if you fly first class on Cathay. The first class seats are also starting to get a bit dated. The shortage of staff at Cathay has also affected their service quality and delivery (CX fired a whole lot during Covid and is surprised they aren't willing to come back to take a much lower salary for the same position). What Cathay STILL is however, is an above average airline in terms of its onboard product and service. Generally speaking, most still rate Cathay above a comparable North American or European full service carrier. The food may not be spectacular, but its still decent. The service attitude isn't necessarily very warm and spontaneous, but it is still, for the most part, professional, polite and helpful. The frequency of lost luggages, and delays is (for now) lower than American and European carriers, barring extreme weather events. So all-in-all, while Cathay isn't the very best in terms of premium service, it is still above average and ranks at least among the better airlines one can choose to fly with.
Sure, I don’t disagree with that lol. All comes down to the price though. They are above average but they see themselves as premium and charge accordingly. Thanks for watching 🩴
@@tfft Well nobody is forcing anyone to fly Cathay, we get choices. And given they were essentially on life support through the depths of Covid, I'm surprised they have retain that level of service and hasn't gotten a whole lot worse. As for price, yup, Cathay has never been known to be an especially cheap airline to fly with. Their price hasn't hurt them much anyway, demand is high in 2023 for Cathay flights. And if one is price-sensitive, one can always try HK Express, CX's low-cost carrier. You can make that your next airline to review.
MEL to SIN on Singapore Airlines in Suites?
❎
When do we get to see your face in one of your videos?
I pledge that it will be before 2088. 😉
Why was the population stats of Hong Kong erased? 10:06
It was incorrect.
@@tfft Ok thanks,just curious.
Love your work
David
Maroochydore QLD
No worries. It was the number from Jakarta accidentally carried over. Discovered it after it was already uploaded and I was on the road, so blurring was the only real option. Thanks for watching 🩴
What? I thought they tends to use wide body for that route.
They've used a mix for some years now.
@@tfft so sometimes it was a321neo and the other a330? Is it depending on the time during the day?
They fly almost all of their aircraft on the route.
@@tfft so many. So it’s like 10 flight per day?
10K is the first row?
Correct. Many Asian carriers do this for consistency across their fleet. I’m not sure of CX’s exact formula but for Singapore Airlines, First Class always starts with row 1, Business with row 11, Prem Eco with row 31 and Economy with row 41.
10:40 blurred population 😅
Was mistakenly Jakarta’s population 😊
Too many complaints 😢
Would love to know which video you were watching, bc this one was positive.
I need to correct you on a couple of points: Cathay Pacific was founded by an Australian and an American ex WW2 pilots , not by two American; and the lounge: I used to love Cathay but in recent years I’ve become their critic and will AVOID them if there’s a better choice!) But to be fair, their lounges in my opinion are the BEST in the world, nothing like what you said in the video! I’ve been a business traveller for over two decades and have experienced most major lounges around the globe. I must have spent 1000 hours or so at Cathay lounges and they have become part of my life memories. They are warm, spacious, quiet and serve good food. What is there not to like about?
To the point about the founders, fair enough- others have pointed it out as well.
As for the lounge, well- it’s my opinion lol… nothing to correct me on there. I think SQ’s lounges are far better than the CX lounge I visited in addition to a healthy handful of lounges around the world that far out perform the CX lounge I was at.
Thank you Kevin for sharing this trip with us. I enjoyed watching it.
Wing was just CX’s “basic” lounge to be honest when I flew them often before Covid.
Unfortunately I don’t not fly CX anymore just like @ManHK1.
Your dry humor is always welcome - sets your videos apart from other travel videos. Thanks
Appreciate that! Thanks for watching 🩴
I think the fuss about the CX lounge at HKG is that it has been fantastic since 1998 when the airport opened. At that time, lounges of other airlines were no where near this quality in terms of hard product. But to your point, now many airlines from CI to QF are catching up. CX lounge has been improved progressively but it had not made any huge leap since what it was back then. The Wings lounge at Gate 1 was the very first lounge. It has been renovated but I don't recall any large changes. To be fair, the Pier Lounge at Gate 65 is newer and better to some extent but still the food selection, etc. are the same. The Pier First Class lounge at Gate 63 is great (at least before 2020). My last time using CX lounge was back in 2021. At that time, passengers departing from HKG is separated from transiting passengers. Those departing would use the First Class lounge regardless of your class of travel and the connecting passengers always use the Business Class lounge. The Pier was the only one opened at that time too. In any case, if you have a chance next time, try Pier instead of Wings. For their A321, I don't understand why all A321s are configured with recliner business class seats. They make sense for short flights but A321s have the potential for much longer flights to destinations as far as India. They should at least have a sub-fleet with lie-flat business class to accommodate those flights, just like Singapore Airlines' 737MAX. But it seems they have no plan to do that. So even for hard products, they are starting to fall behind. Personally, my plan is to use up my Asiamiles and I will be done with CX, and HKG. As for the flight path, why would CX avoid mainland airspace? Remember, Hong Kong is now no longer different from China, apart from name.
‘Avoiding airspace’ may not be the best way of saying it- rather, ‘following illogical cross straight routes’. In the past I’ve seen some very very out of the way route paths between HKG and TPE, often swinging down to the south before making a lazy loop up to the north. Thanks for watching and for the info about the lounges 🩴
@@tfft Out-of-the-way path across the strait happens from time to time, but in my impression, it's not that often. At least I have not experienced that myself over so many years flying across the strait. However, there may be more lately. Those are most likely due to military activities from the PLA in the Strait.
I was very fortunate to spend an afternoon with Jock Swire in the 1970’s at his home Hubbards Hall in Harlow, Essex UK. He had retired from J.S.Swire and sons and handed control to his sons. He mentioned Cathay Pacific and his shipping company with a great deal of affection and told me all about the history of his company, it was truly a unique afternoon. After answering most of my questions he said “ you are a nosey blighter aren’t you?” (In good humour).
The two times I have been insulted by rich guys (the second was being called a prat by Rod Stewart, also in good humour). Anyhow enough of my name dropping, great video yet again Kevin.👍🏻👏🏻
At breakfast this morning, I shook hands with a guy named Miguel. That’s the extent of my potential name dropping at the moment haha. Thanks for watching 🩴
@@tfft aah but you can look at a RUclips superstar everyday 😜 and all we see is your limbs and flip flops 😂
PS we understand why👍🏼
Airline food is similar to hospital food on Cathay Pacific. Its gross. Hong Kong airport has extremely limited food and product diversity. Bangkok is decades ahead of Hong Kong. Sorry about your unfortunate transfer in Hong Kong.
There was nothing unfortunate about my transfer lol.
Wait i can still see cathay dragon when taxing,is that plane gonna be cathay pacific next?
Based on your handle, I’m gonna guess you know the answer to that question already lol. But yes, the entire Cathay Dragon brand has been phased out.
I love your tripreports so much, keep up the good content
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
Thanks Kevin, very specific and useful review.
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
Great vid as always! BTW why was HKG's population hidden?
Edit: Thanks for covering the height issue with the tray tables. For people with a good height or fat folks like me, it really makes it hard AF.
It was wrong 😊 I’m on the road so changing it and re-exporting wasn’t an option. Thanks for watching 🩴
@@tfft Makes a lot of sense, that's what I assumed. And thank you for covering the tray table thingy. That's such a nitpick of mine a lot of times!
Anytime you see a meal video clip where I film my food on the tray table next to me… or if I’m in a bulkhead and when I film it you can’t see the ‘near’ edge of the tray table, those are my signs that it’s not a fat friendly table 😅
For height, it’s easy to quantify. For weight… I could say I’m 100kg and the table is too close, but frankly 100kg is very different on different people. So yea, same boat here haha.
Pier lounge is better than Deck or Wing lounge
Noted for next time. Thanks for watching 🩴
I was going to say the same thing. The Wing is a standard airport lounge. The Pier is a much more relaxed environment and a very different feel to the Wing. Go to the Pier next time.
I'm a fan from Taiwan and I love your travel content. Hope you enjoy your time in Taiwan
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
Thank You✈️
Come to Estonia and try Tallinn's airport! Its very cozy
I’ve been before I had the channel and would be more than happy to return. I loved walking around Tallinn! Thanks for watching 🩴
Hope to see you here soon!@@tfft
Thank you very much for another wonderful review. The Wing is in my opinion the worst CX lounges in HKG. The Pier (and even the Deck) is (are) much better. The Wing is kind of disappointing and really needs a renovation. I hope they can renovate and reopen the Bridge though: it has a very nice view and is so conveniently located. (And I would miss the green in the cabin too!!!!!)
Thanks for sharing ✈️
The issue with this route is u got the other two TW airlines which usually cheaper to fly, and I will pick the 787 for sure on this route, even CX use 350 for this route, I won’t pick the small plane 😅
Well, as I mentioned in my other CX video, I chose this flight specifically to try their A321 :) Thanks for watching 🩴
Excellent information on cx plane amenities to TPI .Honkgong looks different now ..the airliner comparison only Kevin can do may b encyclopaedia of Air Liners is none other than Pure unbaised Vlogs of Kevin 💯💯💯👍👍👍🌹🌹🌹
Appreciate that! Thanks for watching 🩴
If the seats are too small for you then my 196cm stands no chance. I'm curious, why was the population of Hong Kong blurred out?
The graphic was wrong (displaying the population in Jakarta) and since I'm on the road, blurring it was much more practical than editing, re-exporting and re-uploading the video. Thanks for watching 🩴
I was lucky enough to take cathay 777, which was leased to Qatar Airways, and i definitely enjoyed the green and the spaciousness
Thanks for watching 🩴
My guess on the trivia: Singapore Suites to SIN, few possible origins but I'll take DEL
✅
The camera at your seat is for facial recognition for you know who😂
Hmmmm lol ok
The Pier J and First class lounges are my choice over The Wing.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
I don’t rate the Wing lounge unless you’re in the First class area. In Business I’d definitely go to The Pier lounge. If you’re in Taiwan, will you be reviewing STARLUX?
I have Starlux coming up but not on this trip. Thanks for watching 🩴
@@tfft look forward to the review
Did you intentionally not go to the first lounges to match the flight in business? Or dont you hold the emerald statsu? No wonder you didnt agree on my statement of CX having the best lounges out there ;D These lounges among other First's in the world is my entire reasoning for keeping my emerald status.
Emerald Status? I've never even had Ruby on OW haha. Thanks for watching 🩴
Wow. That really comes as an surprise. No status at all? I could not imagine traveling like that.@@tfft
Excellent report! Thx!
Thanks for watching 🩴
Very welcome!@@tfft
Kevin, I love your videos. Your grammar, diction, pronunciation and choice of words are always perfect… except the way you pronounce ‘across’ and ‘et cetera’. Don’t want to be an a.. about it. Love your honest reviews.
No requirement that you need to enjoy my pronunciation (one that is shared by millions and millions of people I’d add lol). Thanks for watching 🩴
Finally a flight reviewer who tells like it is. Calling it tha way it's seen.Unlike one particular reviewer who seems to continuously kiss airline CEO backsides.Great work Kevin Keep it up
P.S.CX was founded by an Australian Sydney De Kantznow and American Roy Farrell.
Typo to the two Americans you stated as CX founders.
Great work
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
Sam? 😂
Who's that reviewer? Name him.
@@Leatherkid01 Sam Chui? Like him or hate him, he doesn't claim to be a reviewer. And he gets lot of views. Why do I get the feeling the reviewers who slam him the most are simply jealous or envious they don't get as many views? Personally, youtube viewers can judge for themselves the credibility of a youuber. I watch airline reviewers for review of airline flights, not them attacking so-and-so rival.
Next time, try out the Pier. Besides the noodle bar, they also have a nice cafetaria type set up there that serves bit more western selections. A nice bar area too! Or try the Deck. It's a tiny version of the Pier... but got most everything the Wing offers. Happy traveling! 🎉🎉🎉
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
虽然香港机场是很多年前的建筑，看起来完全不老旧。国泰航空的窄体机内饰也很亮眼，服务也没太差。
Agree! Thanks for watching 🩴
@@tfft感谢你的影片
Another excellent video Kevin. As I had commented before in your Jakarta HKG flight, the CX lounges are overrated and I have access to the First classes as I am OWE. How the pier First can be a seen by many as a top lounge is beyond me .. Question for you: You don't seem to have a higher status with any Airline or Hotel Group. While this adds to your reviews to make them more representative, I wonder if this is intended or a matter of not actively chasing status.
I have Star Gold and ST Elite Plus for the time being, but no, I don’t chase status. The only 2 things that I really enjoy about statuses are priority checkin, which genuinely saves me a lot of time and priority boarding, which makes the boarding video clip better. Everything else I either don’t need or can get with a credit card perk. I also buy a lot of one way reward tickets for my long haul J/F flights which doesn’t help anything. Thanks for watching 🩴
I disagree with the terms "after C*vid" or "during C*vid". Even though restrictions have been lifted, C*vid very much is raging on today and very likely will become a real problem again soon. In the US airlines are already preparing to reimpose mandates.
I understand and agree, but at this point it’s just a colloquial way of referring to the time period for quick understanding. Thanks for watching 🩴
I think all the hype is referring to The Pier lounges, the wing is very mid. My flights usually depart from Gate 3 at HKG so im typically stuck with the Wing.
Perhaps! Thanks for watching 🩴
Another terrific video, thank you.
I appreciated hearing about the history. Cheers.
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
Excellent video, honest and straightforward.
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
I love the fact that you included Michelle Yeoh as a category for the movies. 😂
Well to be fair, they had it as a separate category… but of their categories I did choose to include it bc she is a legend! Thanks for watching 🩴
From MEL to SIN on Singapore Airlines in Suites?
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Hope to see a China Airlines trip report! 😉 The flag carrier of Taiwan! Welcome to my home country!
You should check the description lol. Thanks for watching 🩴
@@tfft haha just checked. hope you enjoyed your time in Taiwan!
This brought back memories, having been fortunate enough to have a jumpseat in the cockpit of KLM’s 747 during landing on the old Kai Tak airport seeing the famous checkerboard on final approach…so special. Unfortunately have not visited Hong Kong since the new airport opened. Thank you for the review, always appreciate the background information! 🙏🏼
Wow. I would be… I’d probably cry (joyfully) if I had that experience! Haha. Some day in the far future if I’m no longer anonymous on the channel anymore, calling up airlines and asking for cockpit access would be literally the first thing I’d start doing! Always been a dream. Thank you as always for your support 🙏🏻
@@tfft Thinking back it was the most beautiful time, long layovers, more relaxed travel, better service….heck I remember serving a full dinner with warm bread rolls and coffee/ liquor service on a 45m flight from SPL to LHR 😅😂 Sjeesh I’m getting old
Your commentary on the seats is exactly why I don't fly Cathay--I'm too tall to be comfortable shuttling across the Pacific in their seats. Sweet flight report, though, and one can never tire of the descent into HKG among the hundreds of surrounding tropical islands.
To be fair, I don't think their long haul seats are small- bed lengths on Cathay are similar to many other airlines. Thanks for watching 🩴
@@tfft Perhaps my problem is that I just can’t swing business class 🤣
Agree on the lounge situation. I visited The Pier in 2017 and was a disappointment as I couldn’t explain all the hype (teahouse was fine tho), so I headed to The Wing, thinking that I was probably visiting the wrong lounge but it was more of the same. Curious to know, what’s your favorite lounge? I was recently at SIN and visited the SilverKris lounge, and not sure why there is no hype around that one, it was so good.
Favorite lounge, anywhere? That's a tough one, there are many that I love haha. In E/SE Asia, I'd say it would probably be the Singapore SilverKris lounge in T3. Thanks for watching 🩴
The CX lounges are second to none. It’s the main redeeming service from their offering to be honest.
The one I was in certainly isn’t lol. I’ve been in a multitude of non-airline contract lounges that are just as comfortable.