When I originally booked our flights to Bali for our 15th anniversary (see We’re Going To Bali For 10 Nights For (Almost) Free – Here’s How), this was due to be how we got there:
- Norfolk VA to LaGuardia NY on American Airlines
- JFK NY to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific
- Hong Kong to Bali on Cathay Pacific
Due to flight cancellations from Norfolk to New York, we were going to miss our New York to Hong Kong flight (see Flight Antics On The Way To Bali – Here’s What Happened for more on that). We managed to find an alternate route to Hong Kong though – we rented a car at Norfolk airport and drove up to Washington Dulles airport. That’s because Cathay Pacific operated a flight from there to Hong Kong which would get us to HKG in time to make our flight on to Bali.
Interestingly, at 8,154 miles and more than 15 hours in the air, the Dulles to Hong Kong flight is Cathay Pacific’s longest flight.
We traveled there in economy class and had a surprisingly comfortable journey. Here’s a review of our experience.
Cathay Pacific 869
Washington Dulles (IAD) – Hong Kong (HKG)
Scheduled Departure Time: 1:20am August 2, 2019
Scheduled Arrival Time: 5:15am August 3, 2019
Aircraft Type: Airbus A350-1000
Seats: 60G (me) and 60E (Shae)
Flight Class: Economy
Boarding
The boarding process seemed to be fairly organized, with different rows boarding at different times.
Despite the fact that we were traveling in economy class, Shae and I were able to take advantage of priority boarding. Strangely enough, that’s thanks to Hyatt.
I have Hyatt Globalist status and in 2019 they announced a partnership with American Airlines that offered status matches and status challenges. That means I currently have Platinum status with American Airlines which translates to Sapphire status with Oneworld. Cathay Pacific is part of Oneworld and Sapphire members get to take advantage of priority boarding.
Most people with priority boarding access were flying in business class, so we were among the first people in the economy class cabin. Our flight was on an Airbus A350 with economy seating in a 3-3-3 formation.
Seats
Shae and I were in seats 60E and 60G respectively which were in the center column of seats. 60E is the center seat – there are no F seats – so Shae and I were sitting next to each other. Thankfully the flight wasn’t full, so it was just the two of us in our row of three seats.
Waiting at each seat was a pillow and blanket. The pillow seemed to be pretty good quality, although I never make use of them on flights and so can’t attest to its comfort.
I did make use of the blanket though and it was perfect. It was fairly soft, not scratchy, a good size and was the perfect thickness – not too thick and not too thin (just call me Goldilocks).
In the seat back pocket was a pair of headphones. I had my own earphones and so didn’t make use of these headphones, so I didn’t experience for myself whether they’re any good or not. Shae used them though and, while obviously not as good as noise-cancelling headphones, they were apparently fine for watching movies.
Legroom at the seat seemed good; I’m 5’9″ and didn’t feel at all cramped, but YMMV if you’re 6′ or more. The photo below makes it look like there’s less legroom than there actually is. That’s because my 32oz water bottle is in the seat back pocket which pushed it out further than it would be normally.
Speaking of the seat back pocket, there was an additional pouch stitched on the back which is perfect for storing a Kindle or tablet during the flight.
Our seats had a tray table that folded over in half and could be pushed in an inch or two. My table wasn’t dirty, it was just a little damp still from where they’d cleaned it just before we boarded the plane.
The seats had an additional feature I loved but which I’ve not had on past economy flights on other airlines. In addition to the regular tray table, there was a mini table above that.
I like to get up during flights to stretch my legs, so this is much more convenient. It means you can store a drink and be able to get up during a flight without having to worry about knocking it off the regular tray table.
To the left of the cup holder is a flap that can be folded up to hold your phone or tablet.
This is right next to a USB charging port, so it’s easy to keep your device charged during the flight even if you’re using it.
Down between our seats was a regular power outlet.
In Flight Entertainment
Cathay Pacific had a decent in flight entertainment (IFE) system in economy on our flight. The magazine listed the different movies that were available and it seemed like a good selection.
Each seat had its own touchscreen that offered options for movies, TV shows, satellite TV, music, games and even magazines.
The IFE system had a nifty additional feature that gave you the option of watching the flight from the perspective of a tail camera or a camera on the underside of the plane.
You could also view the flight route. I’d assumed we’d be flying across the US and Canada, then over the Pacific to Hong Kong. Instead, we flew north over the Arctic Circle which was interesting.
Wi-Fi
Cathay Pacific offered Wi-Fi on our flight. I’d originally planned to work during the flight, but I ended up being able to sleep for a significant portion of the flight and so didn’t need to connect to the internet in the end.
They have a Wi-Fi portal which you can access for free, but that only provides access to Cathay Pacific’s website, their duty free shopping and a couple of other sites – not really anything you’d want to access. If you want to access regular websites, Wi-Fi cost between $9.95 and $19.95.
Takeoff
They started the safety video at 1:25am, with the plane pushing back at 1:38am. After taxiing to the runway, we took off at 1:52am.
Seeing as we had the cameras available, I decided to film our takeoff. You don’t see much of the surrounding area because the flight leaves at night, but it’s fun getting to experience takeoff from that vantage point.
Food – Supper
About half an hour into the flight, the meal service began. Before taking off, menus were distributed; I like when airlines provide these as it gives you an opportunity to decide beforehand what you want to eat, rather than having to wait until they reach your seat to find out what’s on offer.
I decided to order the Hong Kong style curry chicken which came with broccoli and steamed rice. It was very tasty, although I’d have liked even more sauce to go with the rice.
In addition to the main dish, there was a “salad” which mainly consisted of sweetcorn, a bread roll (which was better than most airplane bread rolls in economy) and a small chocolate.
Drinks service came around at the same time, so I got a glass of wine which was complimentary.
Shae ordered the peppercorn braised beef which came with peas, carrots and parsley red bliss potatoes; she enjoyed her meal too.
20 minutes after our meals were served, the cabin crew came around again with dessert – a Häagen-Dazs ice cream bar.
About 15 minutes after that, they came by with another round of drinks service, so I got another glass of wine.
The Flight
The lights were turned out in the cabin at 3:23am, exactly one hour after they’d originally started the meal service and 90 minutes after we’d taken off. That was an efficient turnaround which was appreciated as it meant we didn’t have to wait any longer to try sleeping.
I’m not much one for watching movies on flights, so I just put in my earphones, turned on my Audiomachine playlist on Spotify and drifted off to sleep. Seeing as the flight wasn’t very full, there wasn’t anyone sitting behind me and so I didn’t feel bad about reclining my seat.
Speaking of the seat, it was definitely one of the most comfortable economy seats I’ve sat in which was nice seeing as it was a 15+ hour flight. I didn’t keep track of how much I slept during the flight, but it was a significant portion of it.
Food – Snack
I woke up a couple of times during the flight and was feeling peckish at one point. Shae and I both ordered some cup noodles which were more flavorful and less artificial tasting than the ones we have in the US.
Bathroom
The bathrooms weren’t particularly large, but that’s to be expected when you’re flying in economy.
In addition to hand soap, there was face moisturizer and hand cream available in the bathroom.
Food – Breakfast
I didn’t make a note of what time the lights were turned back on, but the flight crew came through the cabin at about 2:30pm (about 12.5 hours into the flight) offering fruit juice.
I’d assumed that breakfast was imminent, but it wasn’t served for another 30 minutes. This consisted of a vegetable frittata, streaky bacon, sauteed whole mushrooms, parsley tomato and potatoes. It was a decent tasting breakfast, with the frittata being unexpectedly filling. One minor improvement would be for them to provide salt and pepper packets with the plasticware, as it would’ve been nice to be able to add some seasoning to it.
In addition to the hot option, there was a small fruit bowl, a strawberry banana yogurt and a muffin which I think was something like cranberry walnut.
Landing
About an hour after breakfast was served, we came in to land at Hong Kong airport. After taking a video of our flight taking off from the tail camera, I filmed us coming in to land from the camera down by the wheel.
It was about 5am local time when we were landing, so this video is dark too unfortunately.
Service
Service on our Cathay Pacific flight from Washington Dulles to Hong Kong was very good. The crew worked hard and they were always extremely friendly with genuine smiles.
It’s an indictment of United Airlines that Cathay Pacific’s economy cabin crew provided overwhelmingly better service than the service we received in United business class when flying to New Zealand a couple of years ago.
Cost
As noted at the beginning of the review, we’d originally booked the following itinerary:
- Norfolk VA to LaGuardia NY on American Airlines
- JFK NY to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific
- Hong Kong to Bali on Cathay Pacific
Due to flight cancellations getting up to New York, we changed our tickets to the following:
- Washington Dulles to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific
- Hong Kong to Bali on Cathay Pacific
This was booked using American Airlines AAdvantage miles, costing us 37,500 miles and $20.20 per person one way. At the time, some American Airlines credit cards had a benefit that offered a rebate of 10% of your redeemed miles. I had one of those cards, which meant I got 7,500 miles back, reducing that cost to 33,750 miles per person.
Final Thoughts
Flying Cathay Pacific in economy from Washington Dulles to Hong Kong was a surprisingly comfortable experience. I managed to sleep better than I usually do on airplanes, the service was very good and the food was tasty.
With good in flight entertainment options, I’d definitely recommend this route if you think you can handle a 15+ hour flight.
Bali Trip Report
You can check out all our posts from our 15th anniversary trip to Bali below:
- We’re Going To Bali For 10 Nights For (Almost) Free – Here’s How
- Flight Antics On The Way To Bali – Here’s What Happened
- Flight Review: Cathay Pacific Economy – Washington Dulles (IAD) To Hong Kong (HKG)
- Review: Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge, Hong Kong Airport
- 12 Fun Things To Do In Bali (& 1 To Avoid)
- Hotel Review: Hyatt Regency Bali
- Hiring A Driver In Bali – Is It Worth It?
- Having Elephant Mud Fun At The Bali Zoo
- Flight Review: Garuda Indonesia Economy – Denpasar (DPS) To Tokyo Narita (NRT)
- Flight Review: Delta Economy – Tokyo Narita (NRT) To Atlanta (ATL)
I’ve never had meals like this on any airline.
They look absolutely wonderful.
Great pictures & excellent description of just about everything…
Love it…
Thanks! Yep, the meals on this flight were certainly among the best we’ve had on an economy flight.
I’m taking this flight in a few week. I’m Wonder this be a total dark flight without seeing the daylight.
From what I can remember it was dark for most of the way. We left at night and arrived in the morning while it was still dark. There might have been some kind of sun at some point, but the blinds were pulled down and so I doubt you’ll see any daylight.
Thank you so much for such a thorough and honest review! We’re taking this flight tonight and are now even more excited!
Thank you so much. I will be taking this flight and was curious when the meals would be served. The meals look delicious.
Were the seats comfortable even with the seat in front of you reclined? My flight looks quite full.
I can’t remember if the person in front of me reclined their seat, but I don’t think it would’ve been too bad if they had. It probably would’ve been more of a problem if you were trying to work on a laptop though rather than just watching a movie.
Hi, do you get the seat assigned when you check in. Or you paid so you can choose. Thank you
I think we were able to choose our seat ahead of time for no fee. That was on our original route (New York to Hong Kong) rather than this one, but I’d assume it would be the same if we’d booked out of Dulles.
It might also depend on what kind of fare class you book in to though. If you book a basic economy fare, you might not be able to choose the seat.