CX F SIN to HKG

[rcn]

After an excellent flight on Qantas F and an overnight stop in Singapore, it was time to continue the journey, this time on Cathay Pacific.

Flight: CX734
Dep SIN: 1625
Arr HKG: 2010
Seat: 1A

Arrived at the airport 2 hours before departure time. Cathay uses the Row 1 at Terminal 1 of Changi Airport for most of its flights out of SIN. Was attended to by a nice check-in lady by the name of "Cathy". After a straight-forward check-in process, I thanked her and jokingly brought up how similar her name was to the company she was working for. I was also told that I would be the only person in F today. It was most pleasant news!


The iconic control tower at Singapore Changi


Skyview Lounge, used by Cathay and several other airlines in Terminal 1 (photo from a previous trip)

Went directly to the Skyview lounge - did not bother with the Qantas lounges given the current mess of a situation. Skyview is not too bad really. It is brightly lit, has a nice view and an okay selection of food. Spent the next hour or so booking forward flights and accommodation, and soon it was time for boarding.


My ride to HKG: Boeing 777-300ER B-KPL, deliverd October 2009

I was warmly greeted by the cabin crew and shown to my seat. A welcome drink was offered and I chose the champagne. Service was textbook excellent from the start. In fact, it was almost exactly like that shown in the Cathay F video on their website.


Welcome drink: Amour de Deutz Blanc de Blancs 2003

Before long, we were underway. Flight was fairly full, with plenty of suits travelling back to Hong Kong as the end of the week approached.


Always nice to have 3 windows to yourself!

Next up: Part 2

 

[rcn]

Part 2

After takeoff, drinks were offered and I stuck with the same option. It was great being the only passenger in F. I enjoyed the full attention of both the crew working in that cabin, as well as from the customer service manager, who came by frequently to check on things or just to have a chat.


Champagne with warmed almonds

I ate little in the day, and only had a glass of water in the lounge, in anticipation of a very full meal on this flight. And I wasn't disappointed! Dinner serviced commenced soon after takeoff.


Lobster and smoked salmon with mango salsa and green goddess(?) dressing


White bean truffle soup with vegetable brunoise


Stir-fried red garoupa with spring onion, ginger and shimeiji mushroom, steamed rice, stir-fried kailan, baby corn and peppers

Next up: Dessert

 

[rcn]

Part 3

After a very satisfying starter and main, it was time for dessert. I had to decline the cheese plate as I was getting too full, but the crew presented the options on a nice wooden board. Cheese available were:

Aged Chedder, Goat Cheese, Cambozola, Petit Pont



Fresh seasonal fruit


Warm apple and blueberry oats crumble with Haagen-dazs ice cream and vanilla sauce


Cappuccinno with pralines


Very nice .

 

[rcn]

After the very satisfying dinner, I spent the rest of the flight relaxing and chatting with the crew members. I really enjoy Cathay's F seats. Though it was introduced several years ago, it is still a very comfortable seat to spend many hours in.


B77W Seat 1A

Forward F lavatory


Empty F cabin

Another fantastic flight was a great set of crew. Very good service, though a little too formal. I guess this is more of a cultural issue. Personally I'm more comfortable with the style of service I had on Qantas the day before - where you feel you can talk to the crew as you would a casual friend or the barista at your local cafe. Overly formal service makes you feel guilty sometimes!


Good evening, we meet again: Qantas A380 operating QF128 HKG-SYD

Taxi to the gate was delayed by a few mins due to a QF A380 blocking the way. When we finally got there, I was the first the disembark after thanking the crew for a very memorable flight.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Thanks for the TR and great pics I agree entirely that CX F is superb. I had a similar experience onboard a 747 from ICN-HKG. It was only disappointing at the start of the trip as there did not appear to be any express lanes for premium cabin customers and the queues at Security were horrendous. But I digress.
And yes the largish bathroom on board with Aesop products is pretty nice by aircraft standards
I also particularly liked the personalized note card placed on the table before the meal service

 

[Isochronous]

Thanks for the TR and great pics I agree entirely that CX F is superb. I had a similar experience onboard a 747 from ICN-HKG. It was only disappointing at the start of the trip as there did not appear to be any express lanes for premium cabin customers and the queues at Security were horrendous. But I digress.
And yes the largish bathroom on board with Aesop products is pretty nice by aircraft standards
I also particularly liked the personalized note card placed on the table before the meal service

I was about to ask that - is that Bon Appetit card a personal handwritten greeting from the F crew?

 

[Hvr]

I was about to ask that - is that Bon Appetit card a personal handwritten greeting from the F crew?

Yes it is, I had one earlier this year when I flew HKG-YVR-JFK in seat 1A.

Bought back some wonderful memories reading this TR. Thanks.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Did you fly on their new 777300ER product.

Very comfortable indeed.

 

[Simo]

Great TR,

It would have taken you a fair chunk of the flight to eat all the food.

 

[rcn]

Great TR,

It would have taken you a fair chunk of the flight to eat all the food.

The very efficient service meant that I didnt have to wait too long in between courses. But it still took an hour and a half or so to enjoy all that food!

 

[rcn]

Did you fly on their new 777300ER product.

Very comfortable indeed.

Does anyone know when the current F product was introduced? Its been around a while, but its still great.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Does anyone know when the current F product was introduced? Its been around a while, but its still great.

I flew a few weeks ago, in J but took some pics of the F. Note to self, must download !

 

[Hawkeye]

Does anyone know when the current F product was introduced? Its been around a while, but its still great.

I flew the old F in mid-2007 (not unlike QF 747 F), and new F in Dec 2008. I think the upgrades commenced in mid-2008.