Flight check: London to Auckland on Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific A340-300. Photo / Flickr Creative Commons, user aero_icarus

Jonathan Norman flies Cathay Pacific’s CX256 and CX197 from London to Auckland.

The plane: Boeing 777-300ER which I mistakenly thought would be the worst of the two legs. The Airbus Industrie A340-300 didn't even have reclining seats. Not the best start to seven weeks in New Zealand for the Cricket World Cup. After flying on the spacious A380 last time, I was forced to look into alternative options as I had to factor in a few days in Hong Kong to see an old buddy. It meant a price hike of $800 - and the bad news didn't end there.

Class: Economy.

Price: I was hit for $3000. I bought my ticket late. Or early, as it turned out to be two days before Cathay Pacific announced their worldwide sale.

On time: Left Heathrow promptly, but the second leg was delayed by two hours because of a late incoming plane which meant a six-hour wait in Hong Kong airport.

My seats: 41K and 44A. Both next to the window and I even had a spare seat next to me on the first flight. I took full advantage, stretched out and got plenty of sleep.

Fellow passengers: Mostly Asian with a sprinkling of English pensioners and returning Kiwis. A Welsh girl starting out on her gap year looked at me with horror when she realised the polluted blanket of smog that greeted us in Hong Kong wasn't morning mist.

How full: Both busy. The first flight was 90 per cent full, so I was very happy to have a seat left free next to me. No room at all on the second leg.

Entertainment: Hundreds of films and 500-plus TV programmes on a clunky entertainment system. With a nod to the upcoming World Cup I watched Fire in Babylon a documentary about the great West Indian cricket side of the 1970s. I also enjoyed all 10 episodes of Flight of the Conchords' second season.

The service: Adequate at best. The attendants looked rushed during service and disappeared outside of that.

Food and drink: Not what it said on the tin while tasting like it had come straight out of one. The menu was wrong on the first flight. It promised beef but only chicken was on offer which was oily and unappetising. I couldn't eat the chicken sausage which appeared at breakfast. The food on the second flight was a marked improvement. A tasty dry beef curry and proper bacon for breakfast. Bizarrely, when I asked for a red wine to go with my dinner a steward told me it was company policy that they couldn't provide alcohol when a patron still had a drink. So I was forced to down my beer.

The toilets: Not enough of them on the first flight and there was a constant queue. Water over the floor on the second flight. At least I hope it was water.

Luggage: A miserly 20kg, although my 23kg bag was waved through without any fuss.

The airport experience: Flying Sunday meant Heathrow was quiet and I got served at the bar immediately. Hong Kong is decent, but it doesn't take six hours to see it all.

Thankfully I'd booked into a shower before leaving the UK.

Would I fly this again? No way. Delays, no internet on the plane, the food wasn't up to scratch, less space than an A380 and lacked the personal touch of an Air New Zealand flight. And it costs more money.