Flight Review: Cathay Pacific A330-300 Business Class from Phuket (HKT) to Hong Kong (HKG) CX770
Pre-lunch snack and champagne served on Cathay Pacific business class.
NOTEWORTHY DETAILS
CX770 from Phuket international (HKT) to Hong Kong (HKG).
A330-300 aircraft, on the ageing side.
Flight time of 3 hours and 20 minutes.
Impressive food presentation and quality.
Cathay Pacific is the largest operator of Airbus A330-300’s on the planet with 43 currently in service, and in a fleet so large there’s bound to be some ageing aircraft, which I was on for this recent trip from Phuket to Hong Kong. However, the typical Cathay service made the experience an enjoyable one regardless.
At nearly 22 years old, this A330 was starting to show it’s age a little. Cathay are replacing this fleet with 60 A330-900’s from 2028 through 2031.
Please read on for an independent and detailed review of this reasonably short trip, yet pleasurable journey.
THE SEAT
The fully flat seat on this A330-300, though certainly dated, was well maintained and functioned perfectly.
The seats on Cathay’s A330 fleet are largely the same layout for business class, with all seats being orientated the same way in a 1-2-1 configuration, reverse herringbone angled towards the windows if you’re on window seating, or angled towards the centre if you’re in either of the two middle seats.
There is a main business cabin featuring 7 rows, and then a small mini-cabin of 3 rows behind the main galley and bathroom block. This mini-cabin can be attractive at first glance, fewer rows means fewer people and noise potentially, however you will likely encounter a lot of foot traffic from the economy cabin coming up to use the facilities. I went with 15k, middle of the main cabin.
All seats are much the same here, however I’d steer clear of rows 11 and 19 as they’re both closest to the toilets. Please note to check your specific plane type in your booking, as there are multiple configurations - some do not have the mini cabin at all. You can check all configurations out at this Cathay page - use the drop down menu to see the variants and seating layouts.
The A330-300E type I was on is a 2 class variant, with business class seats featuring a width of 21 inches (53.30cm) and a pitch of 45 inches which reclines to fully-flat. The 15-.4 inch in-flight entertainment system works via touchscreen or through the remote should you prefer. Despite its age the image quality is not bad by any means, and the system is reasonably responsive.
Note the screen is hinged and can be locked back in place out of the way should you wish to have a more spcaious feel, but you will not see much on the screen with it angled away from you.
The seats feel quite spacious and comfortable, and have adequate storage with a medium-sized bin on your right at leg height, capable of storing headphones, personal items and water etc.
Above the arm rest on your right is a little opened door where the Cathay issued noise-cancelling headphones are located, along with a small mirror, netting for small items, and the headphone outlet. You can also fit your phone or other small items in here. The other space you may easily miss is behind a retractable sliding door on your left at your feet, under the seat.
This is a deep well for storage, you could easily fit shoes and more in this space.
There was no amenities pack provided on this flight, which is under 4 hours long. Overall, the seat is not the best and is showing it’s age a little, but still provides for a very comfortable and relaxing trip.
FOOD AND SERVICE
The food and service on this flight was very impressive, with excellent presentation and taste on the dishes I ordered. Pre-flight drinks of champagne, water or juice was offered along with hot towels. My order was taken prior to take-off and after a pre-meal snack and drink was served, the main meal service was provided and cleared away within approximately 90 mins of departure.
There was nothing at all to complain about regarding food and service provided on this flight. I enjoyed the meal very much, and service throughout the flight was attentive and prompt.
The in-flight entertainment system provides a huge variety of movies, including Western and Chinese, featuring new releases and classics as well as TV shows, music and more.
BOTTOM LINE
The bottom line with this flight is that despite the aircraft’s age, the trip is still a highly enjoyable one. I may not think it was up to competitor standards if this was used for a long haul flight, but it wasn’t. The seat is comfortable, the food and service were excellent and the IFE was fine.
Weirdly, I would prefer the newer Cathay regional business class seat I reviewed last year, despite the fact it is not a lie flat bed!.
Thanks very much for reading, and I hope this helps you with your future travel plans!.
