My Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class Experience: ICN-HKG

Cathay Pacific is a major full-service carrier (FSC) based in Hong Kong. Last year, I came across a great deal on their business class fares and booked a trip from Incheon to Bali, which naturally involved a layover in Hong Kong. This post will detail my experience flying Business Class on Cathay Pacific’s A350-900 aircraft for the Incheon to Hong Kong leg, flight CX419.

Cathay Pacific Check-in at Incheon Airport

We traveled from our regional home and arrived at Incheon Airport quite early. Cathay Pacific typically opens its check-in counters about 3 hours before departure. They had a system of self-service kiosks for check-in and self-service bag drops for luggage.

Since we had already checked in online beforehand, we were able to use the self-service bag drop to send our luggage off smoothly. As a side note, when departing from Incheon Airport, remember the updated regulations for power banks: they need to be placed in a clear zip-lock bag or similarly secured before you can carry them onto the plane.

Oneworld Lounge at Incheon Airport

There are three major airline alliances: SkyTeam (which includes Korean Air), Star Alliance (which includes Asiana Airlines), and Oneworld. Recently, a new Oneworld lounge opened in Terminal 1 of Incheon Airport, accessible to passengers flying on Oneworld member airlines. As Cathay Pacific is a Oneworld member and we were flying Business Class, we had access to this lounge.

Overall, the staff were very friendly, and the lounge was stylishly decorated, which was pleasant. While the food selection might seem a bit limited compared to, say, the Matina Lounge, the quality was good. A significant advantage is that this lounge doesn’t grant access via affiliated programs like Priority Pass or DragonPass, meaning it was less crowded, allowing for a quiet and comfortable rest. I plan to provide a more detailed review of the Oneworld Lounge in a future post.

Cathay Pacific CX419 Flight Review

After relaxing in the lounge, we headed to Gate 48 to begin boarding. It was March, and our departure time was 7:35 PM, so it was already dark outside. It was also raining quite a bit, which made me slightly concerned about potential delays, but we were able to board on time without any issues.

Cathay Pacific A350-900 Business Class Seats

The Cathay Pacific A350-900 Business Class cabin has a total of 38 seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. We prefer window seats, so we chose seats one behind the other. On our return flight, we tried the two middle seats, but personally, I still find the window seats better. Being one of Airbus’s latest models, the A350’s fixtures were modern and clean, and the cabin environment felt very fresh and comfortable.

[View the A350 on the Cathay Pacific Website]

The Business Class seat spanned the length of about three windows, with two directly accessible to the passenger. Unlike Boeing aircraft where you can dim the windows with a button, Airbus still uses the traditional pull-down shades.

At each seat, a bottle of Evian water and a headset were provided. However, there were no slippers or other amenities. This was also the case on our subsequent Hong Kong to Bali flight. So, if you need slippers, it’s best to bring your own. Blankets are available upon request, so it’s a good idea to ask for one before takeoff if you tend to get cold.

In-Flight Service

The in-flight service began with a welcome drink and a hot towel. The Incheon-Hong Kong route is quite popular for both leisure and business travel, and as such, the Business Class cabin was completely full on our flight.

Being a relatively short flight of around 3 hours, meal orders were taken before takeoff. It’s helpful to review the menu shortly after boarding to make your selection. There were three main course options, and I also recommend trying the “Cathay Delight,” Cathay Pacific’s signature non-alcoholic mocktail.

In-Flight Wi-Fi

Cathay Pacific Business Class passengers get complimentary access to the in-flight Wi-Fi. Connecting is easy: you just select the Wi-Fi network and authenticate using your name and seat number. While the internet speed wasn’t blazing fast, it was sufficient for using messaging apps like KakaoTalk and some light web Browse. Considering you’re on a plane, it was a very satisfactory offering.

The Flight to Hong Kong

After the safety briefing, we took off smoothly. The in-flight entertainment system offered a wide variety of movies, TV shows, and other content. A neat feature was the ability to view live camera feeds from the front and rear of the aircraft. Being a newer plane, the monitor quality was excellent, with responsive touch controls.

Once we reached a safe cruising altitude after takeoff, the meal service began. Due to some atmospheric instability on that day, the meal was served a bit later than scheduled.

CX419 Overall Assessment

This Bali trip was my first time flying on both an A350-900 and with Cathay Pacific. True to its reputation as a modern aircraft, the A350 offered a very comfortable cabin environment, excellent in-flight amenities, and the complimentary Wi-Fi was a definite plus. However, perhaps because it was a full flight and a short-haul route, the service felt average, and the meal was somewhat underwhelming. While not a perfect experience, it was a comfortable way to travel to Hong Kong. I’ll share more details in subsequent posts.

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