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Extraordinary
October - 2011 |
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5
Stars & 5 Stripes
Overall - 'Service & Comfort' |
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The Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and Stripes® |
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| The people are what make this airline great and
Cathay’s service was excellent, once I got on board. I was on the way to
Malaysia to rest, relax and review the world’s first fully organic spa
resort, The Chateau Spa & Organic Wellness Resort in Kampung Bukit Tinggi,
Pahang and took the route over the North Pole, New York – Hong Kong –
Kuala Lumpur. Cathay Pacific’s is the flag carrier of Hong Kong and
presently the third largest in the world. Cathay doesn't have its own lounge at
John F. Kennedy airport but shares its business class lounge with British
Airways. I understand that it was late when I approached BA’s Club Lounge
desk and the ladies were probably as tired as I was, but since our take off was
scheduled sometime after 1:00am it would have been nice to get a little card
with the wireless code for my laptop right then at that desk before I sat down
in the lounge. |
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| Cathay
Pacific - Business Class - Welcome |
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| But the crews on board on all of the four flights I
experienced truly went the extra mile with extra smiles. The JFK – Hong
Kong crew welcomed us on board with their famous smiles and their Cathay
Delight signature drink, a delicious non-alcohol kiwi with coconut juice with
fresh mint. Before I continue allow me to quote some interesting details from
Wikipedia: “The airline was founded 1946 by American Roy C. Farrell and
Australian Sydney H. de Kantzow, with each man putting up HK$1 to register the
airline. The airline made the world's first non-stop transpolar flight flying
over the North Pole in July 1998, and it also operated the maiden flight to
arrive at the new Hong Kong International Airport. |
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| Cathay Pacific is a
founding member of the Oneworld alliance, with its subsidiary, Dragonair, as an
affiliate member…” Cathay’s new flat bed business class is said
to be excellent with wider space, unfortunately I didn’t catch one of
these flights. We understand that all their aircraft will be upgraded with the
new cabins by 2013. We are advising our readers to confirm this for their own
long-haul flights. |
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Cathay Pacific - Business Class - Ingrid Lemme |
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| However Cathay’s current flat bed business class
cabins, though relatively narrow, were comfortable and put me in charge of my
level of privacy by gliding my seat back and forth in my cabin. The function
worked of course the other way around as well, allowing one more visibility to
converse with a travel companion. With the push of a button, located on the
left of my cabin wall, I was able to bring my seat easily back into an upright
position for more comfortability during dining or reading (with an adjustable
light, which allowed me to adjust the brightness), or watch a movie. I loved
Cathay’s wonderful duvets; big enough to comfort me (5 foot 5) in all
sleeping positions on this full flat bed, and the integrated lumbar cushion,
supporting my back. |
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Cathay Pacific - Business Class - Cuisine |
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I had familiarized
myself with all the on board entertainment system before my flight by watching
the new ‘Cathay Pacific - The NEW Business Class - Behind the
Design’ on You Tube. I recommend watching this even if you are flying
Cathay’s current business class, since the 15.4” TV with all the
gadgets seems to be the same. Cathay offers a hundred movies, over five hundred
TV shows, almost nine hundred music CDs, over twenty radio channels and over
seventy games, in ten languages. |
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| While on-board I can assure you that I watched three
movies during the 15 ½ hour flight, including The Reader which was still
on my list. Cathay’s Audio and Video on Demand system was relatively easy
to handle and the headset really did the job. The storage space allowed me to
keep my glasses safe and handy at the same time. I like the nicely presented
onboard cuisine overall and especially the service that these amazing teams
presented, and that includes the crews of both long haul flights (of about
fifteen and half hours each way). |
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| The food was severed on
white porcelain with neat little salt and pepper shakers that looked like tiny
rocks. The appetizers were nicely presented, delicious and fresh and the
breadbasket came with warm, fresh and crisp rolls. My first long haul flight
JFK - HKG with an after midnight dinner of Szechuan’s Chili Prawns with
Egg-fried Rice was fresh and interesting and reminded me a little bit of
Chinese take out. |
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Cathay Pacific - Business Class - Salt & Pepper |
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| My return flight HKG – JFK, I selected a Braised
beef brisket with a spicy sauce, steamed jasmine rice and Choy sum which was
truly delicious. Highlighted on the wine list was Deutz Brut Classic,
Champagne a first-rate rich and creamy finely grained sparkler, featuring
equal amounts of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. A dense and powerful
Domaine des Malandes Chablis 2009 headed up the list on the white side
as well as a Mount Riley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010, which like
most New Zealand Sauvignons has a promising nose with fruit structure falling a
little flat in the finish. On the red side a Moonvine McLaren Vale Shiraz
Cabernet Merlot 2007 intrigued with forest berries and dark stone fruit
coxed out of equivalent parts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and
L'Esperance du Retout Haut Medoc 2009 a deep dark red almost the color
of midnight with balanced acidity and long finish. Also available were port,
aperitifs, cocktails, whiskeys, cognacs, liqueurs, and an international
selection of beers and of course Cathay Delight signature drinks. |
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Cathay Pacific - Business Class - Cuisine |
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The mini cheese platter
on both flights was well assembled, international, and excellent, so was the
Chocolate crisp mousse cake with Raspberry Coulis and the hot tea selection. In
the end the stewardess came around with a box of fine pralines to choose from
which I found to be a delightful personal treat. Coffees & teas, drinks and
beverage were served anytime throughout the flights and also a sumptuous
breakfast before arrival or an even more sumptuous brunch after takeoff on my
return flight. |
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| We arrived in Hong Kong sometime after four o'clock in
the morning and I was longing for a hot shower. Not to be misunderstood, the on
board bath amenity kits were sufficient and allowed me frequently to freshen
up, brush my teeth and moisturize my skin. Besides, there was never a time
where the bathrooms were not refreshed or the tissues neatly folded once again,
but a shower after an almost sixteen hour flight is essential. |
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| Cathay
Pacific - Lounge |
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| It was my intention to go straight to Cathay's
business class lounge, a fifteen-minute walk, to find the lounge closed until 6
am. This was not only disappointing for me but also for several other travelers
as well. There was no wireless internet available in this area of where the
lounge was located but we were able to locate somewhere a narrow desk with a
few public built-in monitors which allowed us to go online for fifteen minutes
max. |
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| Cathay
Pacific - Shower |
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| The showers were amazing, hot, well equipped with hair
dryers and well serviced. Once I had some fresh clothing on, I felt better,
went to the business lounge checked my e-mails, made some calls, and finally
boarded my next flight to Kuala Lumpur after a nice hot, international
breakfast. On our frequent travels around the world we often meet people that
go above and beyond. I had the great pleasure of experiencing the outstanding
service of Kay (SP), Ken (FP) and Kelvin (BC) on flight CX 723 HKG - KUL. They
definitely went the extra mile to make us all feel special. The food that was
served on Cathay coming from Kuala Lumpur and then from Kong Hong was
outstanding. |
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by Ingrid Lemme
Editor-in-Chief: John Lomitola |
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| © 2011 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes,
Inc. |
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