Cathay Pacific’s Business Class features lie-flat seats and private storage space.
Is it fair to leave your partner in Economy, when you get to travel in Business Class? Stephanie Holmes thinks so.
On a long-haul journey from Auckland to London, she experienced both cabins, travelling with Hong Kong’s flagship airline Cathay Pacific. Here’s how they compare.
Airline: Cathay Pacific – CX198 on an A350-100
From: Auckland International Airport
To: London Heathrow, via Hong Kong
READ MORE: Five need-to-know travel hacks for a long-haul flight
Visas and requirements: New Zealand passport holders do not need a visa for tourist visits to the UK and can stay for up to six months. If you’re travelling on or after January 8, 2025, you’ll need to apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA), with the application website opening from November 27. It’ll cost GBP10 (NZ$21). Your passport must be valid for the duration of your stay. No visa is required for transiting through Hong Kong, or for stays of up to 90 days.
Departure airport experience: Cathay Pacific has self-service kiosks in Auckland Airport’s departures hall, which were simple to use. Staff were helpful and efficient, and pre-empted any issues – my partner got called to the service desk before we boarded to be told the TV at his allocated seat wasn’t working and given the chance to move rows. This worked in our favour – he was moved to an otherwise empty row, meaning he had three seats to himself for the Auckland to Hong Kong leg.
Seat: There are 38 seats in the Business Class cabin; 28 in Premium Economy, and 214 in Economy.
For the first flight, I was in 45G, an aisle seat in the middle block of the 3-3-3 configured Economy cabin. The flight was only about half full, so I also had a row of three to myself, as did many other passengers. Regardless, seats are comfortable and spacious, with plenty of leg room, and convenient features like a built-in shelf on the seatback screen to place phones or tablets if you want to watch your own downloaded entertainment. There were also USB charging ports, in-seat universal power points, and high-definition seat-back TV screens. There are no handset remote controls, but the touch screens were responsive and easy to use.
Travelling from Hong Kong to London Heathrow, I was in Business Class, leaving my partner behind in Economy. I’d love to say I felt guilty, but with a glass of pre-take off Champagne in hand, it was really very difficult to feel bad. I know. I’m a terrible girlfriend.
I was in 11K, at the front of the Business Class cabin in a window seat, in the 1-2-1 configured cabin. The window seats are positioned on an angle, but unlike Air NZ’s Business Premier cabin, you’re pointed towards the window, rather than back into the cabin. It offers a great deal of privacy and is an exceptionally comfortable way to fly long-haul.
Each seat is fully lie-flat, and there are two storage cabinets – one under the window, and one above a shelf, holding mirror, noise-cancelling headphones, amenity kit, USB charging port and a bottle of water. Seats are simple to convert to a lie-flat bed with the touch of a button, and you’re provided with a padded seat cover, duvet and pillow. Pyjamas are not provided, but slippers are – crucial for trips to the bathroom during the flight.
Crew: All the crew we encountered, from check-in to gate services, to lounge, to onboard, were professional, friendly and exceptionally helpful.
Food and drink: In Economy, we were given menus before take-off so we had a chance to decide what we wanted, negating the need for PA announcements from the crew. For lunch, there was a beef pastrami and coleslaw salad for starters, a choice of steamed hoki with Asian greens and jasmine rice, Moroccan lamb tagine with pumpkin and olives, or baked vegetable pasta with ratatouille, followed by black forest cake and cheese and crackers. The lamb was melt-in-the-mouth in a delicious rich tomatoey sauce. There was a choice of one red or one white wine, as well as spirits, soft drinks and beers. I chose a Gweilo, a Hong Kong craft lager. The name translates to ‘ghost chap’, a term used to describe visitors to Hong Kong.
In-flight snacks were available throughout the flight, including cup noodles and fruit.
Things are stepped up many notches in Business Class, with a multi-page menu of food, wines, cocktails and soft drinks. I was spoilt for choice but decided on a light carrot, ginger and coriander soup, followed by Cathay’s signature wonton noodle soup, and a cheese plate for dessert. Some menu items were designed in collaboration with notable Hong Kong restaurants, including Duddell’s and Louise, both Michelin-starred.
The drinks list featured a “discovery” of rose wines – three options from Sicily, Austria and Provence. There was also Champagne, French red and white wines, cocktails, and Betsy, a pale ale specially crafted for Cathay Pacific and brewed to be drunk at altitude.
I was able to pre-select breakfast by ticking what I wanted on a paper menu, with the food then served two hours before landing (or the option to have an express breakfast one hour before landing, or to have nothing at all if you want to be left to sleep for as long as possible). I chose the “Lighter” option – fruit, pastries, and dark rye toast with avocado, feta, dried cherry tomatoes, rocket. It was as good as a cafe breakfast.
Entertainment: There’s a huge range of movies and TV shows to choose from, from a variety of countries, both new releases and back catalogue, as well as games, music and podcasts.
In Business Class, the content selection is the same but the touch-screen TV is much larger (18.5 inches versus 11.5 inches in Economy) and higher definition. There’s a remote control so you can still change the channel when you’re lying down and can’t reach the screen. The remote has its own 4.3-inch screen so you can use it to browse other channels or check your journey on the flight map.
In-flight Wi-Fi is available for free in Business. In Economy, packages start from US$9.95 for an hour’s use, up to US$19.95 for continuous use on flights more than six hours.
Arrival airport experience: We only had about 90 minutes between flights, so didn’t get to make the most of Cathay Pacific’s Hong Kong business class lounge The Pier – probably my favourite airline lounge anywhere in the world.
After getting through security and walking about 10 minutes to get there, we more or less had to turn around and head straight to the gate to board our next flight. No time to wolf down a bowl of cooked to order noodle soup or dim sum, or take advantage of a shower and change of clothes.
Arriving at London Heathrow was relatively smooth. Other than having to walk what felt like miles to get to passport control, it was simple and straightforward. We were able to use e-gates, queues moved quickly, and our bags arrived promptly. We then took the Elizabeth line on the Underground, right into the heart of London to start our holiday.
The best bit: The comfort of Business Class – as well as having a row to ourselves in Economy.
The worst bit: Not having enough time to enjoy the luxury of The Pier.
Final verdict: Travelling to the other side of the world is always a slog, but this was a fantastic experience from start to finish.
When there's nothing as far as the eye can see, you may appreciate the company.