Cathay Pacific A343. Photo / Flickr Creative Commons, user Peter Russell
Dan Ahwa flies from Auckland to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific flight CX198.
Class: Economy.
The plane: An Airbus A343.
Price: Return fares currently start from $1479pp, including all taxes/surcharges.
On time: About a half-hour delay taking off waiting for straggling passengers but we still managed to arrive in Hong Kong on time.
My seat: I sat in 41K, halfway along the plane, on the left-hand side in a window seat of two. The seat configuration is 2-4-2. Surprisingly there was plenty of leg room which I was happy about. There was no one in front of me either so I avoided the awkward seat-back situation the whole flight.
Fellow passengers: A lot of transit passengers and families with young children. Also a school group. The passenger next to me was an exchange student who had spent three years with a host family in Mt Roskill and was on her way back to Tokyo.
Entertainment: Each seat is equipped with a personal entertainment system featuring a good selection of recent releases for both TV shows and movies. It's the old favourites that I found appealing though - I had the chance to re-watch Kramer vs. Kramer and The Godfather - bonus points there. An entire season of Curb Your Enthusiasm was another highlight.
The service: Rapid and efficient. The air-hostess moved at a whip-crack speed; she spoke fast and served faster. Not a bad thing if you need something urgently.
Food and drink: Not bad for an economy flight. Dinner options were beef with straw mushroom, a baked hoki with lemon thyme sauce and a vegetarian gnocchi tossed in bechamel with mushroom, tomato and parmesan cheese. Water was handed out during the flight and snacks were readily available upon request, from peanuts to pot noodles.
How full: Economy class had a couple of spare seats for people to stretch out. Business class was full.
The toilets: A standard plane toilet with just enough room.
Luggage: Standard luggage.
Would I fly this again?: Yes. As far as economy flights go, this was one of the best services I've experienced. The leg room was a highlight and the prompt service from flight attendants and airport staff was helpful.
