From the title, you are probably going to expect this is a gushing review of the Hong Kong airline’s First Class product – and for the most part, you’re right. Much of the gushing for anything that takes place on the internet is undeserved and promulgated further by artificial intelligence applications that know no better. This review is different, though, and this flight deserves the plaudit I’m about to unleash. So, here’s a review of quite possibly the best flight I have taken…yet.
Today’s flight is a lengthy journey departing Paris Charles de Gaulle (CdG) at near-noon and arriving into Hong Kong at 7am the following morning. At the time of travel, Cathay Pacific did not operate their own lounge at CdG , having given it up during the early days of the pandemic, but they have re-established this space as of December 2025. I could use the Qatar Airways Lounge, which I missed due to it being located after passport control but before security, or the airport-operated Extime lounge.
The Extime Lounge was a fine space to spend an hour in, with above-average food and drinks, but a little squashed for the number of airlines it serviced. As airport-operated lounges go, it is probably one of the best out there – though not quite to the standard one might expect for a First Class flight.
Time passed relatively quickly and I headed to our departure gate to take a peek at our aircraft. Currently, Cathay Pacific are not operating the Boeing 777 to Paris so it no longer receives First Class service – this does change though. London Heathrow receives four flights per day with two Boeing 777 aircraft featuring First Class, meanwhile no other cities in Europe are serviced by Cathay with First Class.
This is not my first time trying the First Class suite on Cathay Pacific. The previous time I travelled on Cathay Pacific it was from Hong Kong to Paris with a Business Class ticket where I could select a First Class seat. I received the First Class seat though all food, beverages and amenities were Business Class. Today would be the full experience.
In this post:
Incredible First Impressions
While some may lament the lack of door, the layout and sheer space of the seat negate the need for this. In Seat 1A, where I was today, you can only see the a wall that represents the rear of the seat across the aisle – making it feel private and comfortable.
The seat is ultra wide at 36 inches, which could fit two slimmer people easily, and comes with a few plush cushions waiting at the seat.
Cabin crew, Simon and Virginia, were quick to begin the service of this flight with a small welcome card, a hot or cold towel, tea, as well as a pre-departure beverage of choice. Of course, I opted for some Krug champagne.
They soon also brought a few more goodies along including a Bamford amenity kit, in the more fetching darker colour design, and PYE pyjamas. The latter are extremely high quality cotton pyjamas with a traditional Chinese design and include a voucher for 500 HKD (~£50) to spend in their stores in Hong Kong. The former features a large, super soft eye mask which I still use today on flights and at home.
Simon and Virginia were phenomenal throughout this flight – something that has been reflected in several Cathay flights I’ve taken and lounges I’ve visited over the years. The standard of service was high and professional but, most importantly, it was personable and friendly. The Middle Eastern airlines cabin crew can come across robotic, the Japanese airlines methodically kind but guarded while Cathay seem to have trained their staff to get the right balance in their hospitality.
What I couldn’t get over on this flight is how well the seats have held up over the years. This is an old seat in pretty much every way you look at it, with the ‘bones’ introduced in 2007 and refurbished in the mid-2010s. It has been well maintained and cleaned throughout the years.
Food and beverage service
This flight consisted of two primary meal services, a Lunch and Breakfast meal, as well as All Day on-demand snacks.
The more exciting meal would prove to be the Lunch service consisting of four courses. Passengers could opt from the Chinese or International Favourites for the starter or main course – naturally flying on a Hong Kong airline, I opted for the Chinese menu.
Caviar was a fair serving at 20g of King’s Imperial Schrenckii X Dauricus Caviar along with blinis, chives, crème fraîche and chopped eggs. I don’t eat it often, so I quite enjoyed having it for a change. The crew took great care to lay out the lofty tray table.
The starter then came along with the Double Boiled Shiitake Mushroom Pork Shin soup alongside prawn and mashed pea tart with green pea soup. Flavourful and nourishing, it was a good start to the primary courses.
And onto the main – the free range chicken cooked with Moutai, a Chinese liquor, alongside vegetables and steamed jasmine rice. Presentation wise it was a bit disappointing and logistically a larger plate to eat the items from would’ve been better. Flavour-wise, it was excellent. When paired with with a jasmine tea, it was a tasty, wholesome meal that served me well on this flight – though perhaps not for those who don’t enjoy mushrooms.
At this point, I was fit to burst – but there’s always a bit of room for cheese and dessert. The dessert, chocolate truffle cake with fresh mango and raspberries, was extremely rich it was well balanced with the fruit.
Mid-flight I opted for a egg white prawn thick egg noodle soup, served with Guilin chilli sauce, which was a flavoursome option, followed by Haagen Dazs ice cream.
Finally, breakfast service began around ninety minutes prior to landing which feels about right to balance sufficient sleep and a good dining experience. Starting with a plate of fresh fruit, which was sorely needed after all the rich food, and a bowl of well produced pastries.
Again, I opted for the Chinese options for the main meal. A hearty serving of fried noodles alongside congee (rice porridge) that had abundant prawns and other seafood in it. Once again, the use of the chilli sauce alongside fresh ginger and spring onion brought even more flavour to the already tasty dishes. Cathay Pacific just really need to find a way to better present these dishes in First Class that make them look as appetising as they taste.
Those who are travelling with a companion can also dine together, since there is a lap belt on the ottoman.
For those interested, below is the full beverage list:
The seat, sleeping experience and entertainment
Unlike competitors such as Singapore Airlines and Etihad, Cathay Pacific have stuck with a design where the seat reclines into a lay flat bed. While Singapore has an incredible Suites product, the flexibility of this seat is preferable in my opinion for a number of reasons. The focus on a single wide and long seat means that you are not splitting the space between a compromised dedicated bed and seat that can’t recline.
This is proven with the bedding provided by Bamford including a thick mattress, pillows, duvet and blanket. The extra space afforded by the seat design makes it one of the most comfortable in the sky without having to compromise on the bed width as Etihad and Singapore do on the A380. The length is also likely to be a winner with everybody below 6ft 9in and especially side sleepers thanks to the lack of cubby hole.
I only slept for a few hours mostly because of the late morning departure time and not being particularly tired during the flight.
Bedding was put together by the crew while I got changed into the pyjamas, this included a lovely branded box of chocolates. The bathrooms are pretty standard with a few nice touches such as the Bamford amenities
Upright seating is equally as comfortable. There’s a flip down arm rest to the right and the console area to the left. Here you’ll find some storage for personal items, the remote control and seat controls for recline and lighting.
Straight ahead is another storage area where you can put items like your Bose noise cancelling headphones, water bottle or amenity kit.
Behind this is the storage cupboard which comes complete with a hanger for a coat and clothes while it is wide enough for most carry on suitcases.
Entertainment comes in the form of an 18.5 inch HD screen can be used from gate-to-gate, albeit a bit awkwardly stowed to the right but can slide out to face the passenger directly. It is a touch screen but is a bit too far to comfortably use it, so I recommend using the remote control instead.
Some Cathay aircraft have been updated with a new interface since this flight, however this has not come to the First Class cabin yet – likely due to the seat’s age. The selection and breadth of content is excellent with it likely to be enough for almost all travellers, including those who like to binge television boxsets.
WiFi is free for the whole flight for passengers in First Class.
We then came into land across a sunny morning across Guangdong and Hong Kong.
Conclusion
I still maintain that this was one of the best flights I have taken, including against the likes of Singapore Airlines or Etihad. While there may not be the dedicated bed or shower facilities like those, the all round experience is fantastic. Flavourful, wholesome food, the most comfortable seat and bed in the skies, excellent crew and, if you’re departing Hong Kong, brilliant lounge facilities. It is very competitive, even if it is not perfect in every way.
Probably a reason why I enjoyed this so much was the excellent value I got for this journey with Alaska Mileage Plan (now Atmos Rewards). At the time I booked this for 70,000 miles and a small cash charge for taxes, though this has since increased to 100,000 miles. With British Airways, this is more likely to be 123,750 or 144,250 Avios from Europe to Hong Kong if you can find availability – the biggest difficulty in getting on Cathay’s First Class.
