Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
This is: Round The World 2006-07
Flight Log 11 : CX506
Hong Kong (HKG) - Osaka / Kansai (KIX)
For some reason, seat numbering on Cathay's 777s starts at Row 12 at the side and Row 11 in the centre so, with no Row 13, I was actually in the 4th window seat from the front. Hope you followed that! I'd flown Economy and First Class on Cathay Pacific before, but never Business Class - so this was going to be something of a new discovery for me. The seats vaguely reminded me of Qantas Business Class seats : nice and chunky, with a good amount of space between the rows. As I settled down, I was offered a pre-departure drink from a tray. I had a Cathay Delight (see here for an explanation), but could have had Champagne, orange juice or water. Headsets and newspapers were distributed and there was a hot towels service prior to departure. I had a quick look around and noticed that the cabin was barely half full. Doors 1 and 2 had both been used for boarding, which maintained a calm atmosphere in the J cabin.
Just as we were pushing back at
1001, one of the flight attendants asked my seat-mate if she was
travelling with me. She was invited to move to another empty aisle
seat, giving us both extra space in the process
It was a very short taxi to runway 25L and as we made our roll, a
camera behind the front wheel allowed CCTV pictures to be shown on
the main screen. (The cabin was equipped with a main screen and
individual video screens.) Once the cabin crew had been released
from their seats, they handed out beautifully presented menus and
wine lists, and also offered magazines. We quickly climbed to our
cruising altitude of 37,000'.
For a Business Class offering, the meal was out of this world, perhaps demonstrating why Cathay Pacific has been named as Airline of the Year 2006. The menu was as follows :-
| LUNCH |
|
WINES |
| Salad | Champagne | |
| Seasonal salad served with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing | Champagne Deutz, Brut Classic | |
| Appetizer | White Wines | |
| Beef Tataki and Konnyku Slice with Green Perilla Dressing | Arthur Barolet & Fils Saint Véran 2004 | |
| Yuba Soba Noodle | Green Point Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2004 | |
| Main Courses | Red Wines | |
| Steamed Sea Bass and Grilled Scallop with Sea Urchin Sauce, Bamboo Shoot Rice and Japanese Mixed Vegetables | Mercurey Domaine Louis Max 2001 | |
| Braised Spare Ribs with Mild Spicy Sauce, Steamed Rice and Chinese Mixed Vegetables | Vieux Chateau Landon, Cru Bourgeois Médoc 2002 | |
| Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Shallot Sauce, Roast Kipfler Potato with Parsley and French Beans | ||
| Port | ||
| Cheese and Fresh seasonal fruit | Dow's Late Bottled Vintage Port 2000 | |
| Ice Cream | ||
| Assorted Bread and Rolls | ||
| Tea and Coffee | ||
| Pralines |
The tray, as initially presented, almost contained a meal in itself, with salad, beef starter and noodles all present and a selection of bread offered immediately. The main course - I had the fish - was delicious and I noticed that the options had been designed to include Japanese, Chinese and Western choices. By the time I'd had the cheese and a little of the fruit, I was really struggling. I declined the ice cream and finished with a coffee.
Our route had been initially eastwards out of Hong Kong, then north-east over the East China Sea, passing Taipei and Fukuoka. We touched down at Osaka / Kansai International at 1405 and, as we taxied to our gate, I couldn't help noticing that the place seemed largely deserted, with most gates devoid of aircraft! We pulled onto our stand at 1413, making something of a mockery of the scheduled arrival time.
Date: Thu 20 Apr 2006
Aircraft : Boeing 777-300
Scheduled dep : 1005
Actual departure : 1001
Scheduled arrival : 1445
Actual arrival : 1413
Cabin : Business Class
Seat : 16A
Next Flight
Previous Flight