Cathay Pacific Airlines: As Good As It Gets

Since many readers on this site will be traveling to Hong Kong, I thought I would write a review of my favorite airline, Hong Kong’s own Cathay Pacific.

While Cathay has many special deals for visitors, (Check their web-site in your country) it will not be the cheapest way to get to Hong Kong, just the best.  Generally, airlines like Korean, Eva, China Air and some others provide acceptable flights to Hong Kong that can be good values.  But…Cathay provides superior service for only slightly more money.  Remember, if you are traveling from North America or Europe, you are going to be on that airplane for 10-15 hours.  In addition Cathay flies non-stop whereas the other cheaper airlines require a stop and/or layover in places like Seoul, Taipei, or Tokyo. (ughh!) 

On the non-stop flights from/to San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Sydney and a few other destinations, Cathay has introduced an updated cabin configuration with new seats that, even in economy, provide more comfort and space than most, if not all, other airlines.  Business and First Class, in these new configurations, are even more impressive but way beyond most people’s budgets.  I use my Asia Air Miles to upgrade to business class, whenever I can, which makes the 12-15 hour trip between HKG and SFO almost pleasurable.

However, the physical side of air travel is not my biggest reason for traveling Cathay whenever I can.  It is the people.  I have never, yes, never, had a bad experience working with Cathay’s ground personnel, customer service people, reservation agents or flight crew.  I have flown well over 1.5 million miles in my life-time and I cannot say that about any other airline.  Even in periods of extreme stress, including typhoons, they have always maintained a pleasant demeanor and tried their best to help me.

I think it’s because Cathay hires people from all over Asia.  Since they need to learn how to work together that training carries over to how they work with passengers.  In my opinion, Singapore Airlines, which has a reputation for being customer oriented, trains its people to be almost robotic in their customer interactions.  I prefer dealing with people being real who can fix things on their own rather than having to kick it up to the next level.

One last plug here has to do with the fact that Cathay flies in and out of Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok, certainly one of the top three airports in the world.

I suspect the preceding sounds like a commercial for Cathay Pacific but I assure you I own no CX stock. I get no special favors except those due me as a long-time customer and Marco Polo Club member.  I just appreciate good service, especially in these times of turmoil in the airline business.

More information on PlanetEye: Chek Lap Kok