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Cathay Pacific Economy Class Review on the Airbus A350-900

This Cathay Pacific Economy Class review is seven years in the making.  I flew Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong in 2016.  I loved their service and so many other things about the airline. However, I didn’t start blogging until two years later, so I have very few pictures of the experience.

My current flight took me from New York’s JFK Airport to Tokyo’s Narita Airport, with a layover at Hong Kong International Airport. Let’s explore Cathay Pacific’s Economy Class on the Airbus A350-900. As a bonus, we’ll also hop onto the Boeing 777-300. This airplane was used for my flight from Hong Kong to Japan.

Cathay Pacific Economy Class – Airbus A350-900

My trip started off with the Airbus A350-900.  It was my first time on this plane, and I was excited to see the 3-3-3 seat layout. Initially I thought three seats in the middle section instead of four, meant more room. How naive of me. This plane is much narrower than the Boeing 777-300. That is why there are only three seats in the middle section.

The seats were comfortable enough. They felt narrow to me; however, the legroom was excellent (I’m 5’7″/ 1.7018 M for reference). I liked all the storage compartments. There was a USB port to charge your devices right under the screen.

The additional seatback tray (above) was a hit. It held food and also held my tablet. Each economy seat came with a pillow, blanket and set of headphones.

I also managed to snap a shot of the Cathay Pacific Business Class seat (below). Some planes are laid out where economy class passengers do not pass through the business class cabin as they enter the plane. On the Airbus A350-900, there is a small rear business class section right before the premium economy cabin. This means economy class passengers get to take a look at the business class cabin.

cathay-pacific-business-class-seats

The Cathay magazine was a welcome sight. I’m glad to see the return of paper reading material on flights. The September issue of the magazine featured wellness. I talked about Cathay Pacific’s airplane wellness tips on this post.

In Flight Entertainment (IFE)

The IFE had a large selection of movies, TV shows and games. WiFi was available for a fee. The second tray that held my tablet gave me more viewing options. I had downloaded videos on YouTube to watch.

Another great option is watching the flight tracker. See where the plane is at any given moment. There was also a plane camera feature where you view the flight from outside of the plane. This was especially exciting to experience for takeoff and landing. It gives you a unique perspective.

Food

Taking your first peek into the menu is so exciting. Seeing all the food choices on an actual menu is all part of the experience. This sets Cathay Pacific Economy Class apart from so many other airlines.

The food was just as I had remembered. It was flavorful, but the presentation could have been better. The first meal was penne pasta with peas and cheese sauce. The sauce was tasty but very oily. The roll was very soft. There was also potato salad, lox, crackers and a chocolate square.

cathay-pacific-economy-class-food

My second meal was congee, which is a type of rice porridge. I remember this dish from seven years ago. It is such a great comfort food and made for a great breakfast. It came with a side of fruit as well as yoghurt.

Häagen-Dazs ice cream was served with most meals. This was either a chocolate covered vanilla ice cream bar or a small tub of vanilla ice cream. 

The meal below was served on my layover flight from Hong Kong to Japan. This was on the Boeing 777-300 from Hong Kong to Japan. It was chicken and noodles. The meal was seasoned well. The chicken tasted slightly overcooked, and the noodles were al dente. I would have preferred softer noodles. There were sides of fruit and yoghurt.

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The apple juice I had with my meal was delicious. All the apple juice I’ve had in Asia has always been so good. Wine is also available at no extra cost for Cathay Pacific Economy Class passengers.

The following meals are from the flights back home to the U.S. (I didn’t include the meal on the flight from Japan to Hong Kong since it was a repeat of the congee.) First was roast chicken, which was seasoned very well. It was very tender for being reheated at 33,000 feet in the air. This came with rice and vegetables. The sides were fruit and an interesting cold salad (I still don’t know what it was).

The other dish on this flight was rice with Indian paneer (handmade cheese), which is meal I always enjoy when I’m on the ground. It was served with fruit and salad as well. Of course, you can’t forget about all the ice cream served when flying Cathay Pacific Economy Class!

The number of meals served became so much that I lost track at one point. I also had a repeat of the noodles and chicken. I can’t even remember which flight it was on. Cathay Pacific will definitely feed you. And then they will offer food in between meals.

This brings me to the food-on-demand options. It is not just for business class and first class. Choose from items such as noodles, egg tarts, sandwiches and more. Peanuts were also served (which is common on Asian airlines, though no longer served on U.S. flights). See the egg tart above.

Bathrooms

I will only be reviewing the bathroom on the Airbus A350-900. To see my review of the bathroom on the Boeing 777-300, check out my review of China Airlines (It is the Boeing 777-300er version, though the plane is essentially identical.).

This plane had five bathrooms in the center of the plane. This was the area closest to where I was seated. The ones in the middle of the plane were larger than those located on the outside walls of the plane. That is the one I photographed.

The bathroom was a decent size. The lighted mirror was a nice touch. Cathay Pacific Economy bathroom amenities included hand lotion and hand sanitizer gel (besides regular hand soap). There were also paper cups and feminine hygiene products available. I looked for toothbrushes but didn’t find any. Coat hooks on the door were well thought out.

Cathay Pacific Economy Class – Boeing 777-300

Now let’s talk a little bit about Cathy Pacific Economy Class on the Boeing 777-300. This plane was much larger than the Airbus A350-900. The economy class had a 3-4-3 seat configuration.  Despite sitting in one of the four middle seats, I felt I had much more space.

It was evident that this was an older plane that had been upgraded with new seats. Even though that was the case, I enjoyed this plane more. This larger plane would have been more comfortable for the longer flights.

cathay-pacific-economy-class-seats

The seat back compartment area was a little different from the Airbus A350-900. The screen appeared larger, and the additional tray table did as well. I preferred the leather headrests on this plane compared to the Airbus A350-900. They looked similar to the ones on the Airbus A350-1000, which is a slightly different plane. 

Flight Attendants

The flight attendants were always very friendly. Their speed and attentiveness were lacking at times. I attribute this in part due to the airline worker shortages in Hong Kong. Taking this into consideration, I was satisfied with the service I received.

Conclusion

Overall, I recommend flying Cathay Pacific Economy Class. The seats are spacious and offer a lot of places to keep your items. All food served was well seasoned with a lot of options to choose from. Entertainment options kept me occupied. Definitely give Cathay Pacific a try. There is a reason they were voted one of the top ten best international airlines by Travel + Leisure in 2022!

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