Airline: Cathay Pacific
Gate: 25
Seat: 18K (Business window)
Plane: A350-900
Boarded 23.37 (Scheduled 23.25)
Pushback 00.01
Departed: 00.15 (Scheduled 00.05)
Note: Time Change plus 3 hour
Arrived: 11.43 (Scheduled 12.15)
Duration: 8 hour 28 minutes
Distance: 7,387 kms

The final flight of this trip was my first Cathay Pacific business class flight and first time on the A350-900.

Check in Airport
I checked in at the Hong Kong International Airport Cathay Pacific business class counters at noon, or approximately 12 hours before departure. At checked in I was provided with a First Class Lounge Pass, which I never actually used. This pass was supplied as a Oneworld Emerald.

I was able to use the e-Passport security gates which meant no real delay until going though security.

From here I started a lounge crawl starting with the furtherest away lounge The Pier First Class Lounge. In order I visited these lounges:

1. Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge (review here)
2. Cathay Pacific The Bridge Business Class Lounge (review here) – first time visit
3. Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge (review here)
4. Cathay Pacific The Deck Business Class Lounge (review here) – first time visit

Really enjoyed the shoulder, neck and scalp massage (The Pier) and the private cabana bath (The Wing). If you have access to first class or business class lounges this is a good way to spend time at the airport.

There are also a lot of shopping opportunities and restaurants airside. Very good airport.

Boarding was at Gate 25. Cathay Pacific use priority boarding:

1. First Class
2. Business Class
3. Premium Economy
4. Economy

While there wasn’t a First Class cabin on this flight Oneworld Emerald members get to use this lane regardless of class of travel (like myself) and Oneworld Sapphire level members get to use the Business Class lane regardless of class. As a result I was the second person on the plane which is the amazing A350-900.

The Seat
I was flying business class. On this plane there was a total of 38 business class seats across two cabins, the front cabin has 30 business class seats and the second cabin has 8 business class seats. With the exception of the first row (row 11) which has only 2 centre seats, the rows are select in 1 x 2 x 1 across meaning all seats have direct aisle access. These seats are angled away from the aisles for privacy so you are watching the window.

The seat is a shell seat design which means when you recline the chair slides forwards rather than backwards into the passenger behind. The width is 20.2 inches and when in bed mode if is 75 inch or 190cm fully-flat.

Inside that door are easy-reach and multi-country AC and USB power ports, along with the headphone outlet. There is a side panel with a dimmable reading light, great for spreading out documents and other items, and a one-touch seat control and a remote control with it’s own full colour screen which can display separate displays then the main screen, for example the flight map or the flight camera.

Business class was either full or near full as best I can tell.

Amenity Kit
Handed out before take off the kit included socks, mask, ear plugs, toothpaste, mouthwash and two face creams. No pyjamas are provided for this overnight flight.

Meals
Pre departure juices and water. Supper was served around 00.35, almost immediately after the plane reached cruising altitude. Having eaten in the lounge and wanting to get some sleep I skipped supper which was mostly light meals.

Breakfast was served at 10.00 AEDST which was about 1 hour 45 minutes before landing. I choose orange juice, a croissant, and parsley omelette, dingley dell pork sausage and bacon. Very nice.

Service
The flight attendants provided great level of service. The flight attendants were attentive and professional at all times (although no Oneworld Emerald welcome). This was a very quiet and smooth flight made so by the staff.

Entertainment System
The business class seat includes 18.5-inch HD TV screen and is moveable into different positions which can be good if watching once in bed mode. The entertainment system includes live satellite TV including BBC World News, Euronews and CNN and a large range of movies and TV shows. During the flight I watched; Rick & Monty and Jumanji: Welcone to the Jungle.

You can also purchase wifi on this flight which I didn’t use but costs of US$9.95 for one hour or US$12.95 for the entire flight.

The Flight
The flight was incredibly smooth and very quiet (see takeoff video here). The seat / bed was outstanding and the temperature in the cabin was fine (I had heard it might be a little warmer).

Arrival
We arrived ahead of schedule and it was a straight walk to Immigration, via a Duty Free Shop. Using the e-Passport kiosk I found I was though Immigration so fast my bag wasn’t even there. However my bag was in the first 40 bags of the plane (so priority bagging worked) and after landing at 11.43 I was on the Skybus heading back to Melbourne by 12.12 (costing $19.50 AUD). Arriving midday sees you get from the plane to curb-side extremely quickly.

Summary
An amazing overnight flight the A350 plane is incredibly quiet, the business class seat great for sleeping and the entertainment system makes this 9 hour flight enjoyable (and I didn’t even use the wifi). Very good use of my 72,000 Qantas points and $448.64 AUD.