Cathay Pacific's 77W from SFO-SIN and "The Wing" First Class Lounge in HKG

[yflyer]

IFE was the superb StudioCX AVOD system, this time on a larger touchscreen that folded out from the side panel.

This was a large, vivid display. Together with the broad selection of movies, television and music on StudioCX, this would keep almost anyone occupied for hours on end.





I did encounter one minor issue: The display worked very well when one was sitting up, or partially reclined. However, the display could not be tilted downwards, and the viewing angle was not good when the bed was fully reclined. By contrast, the BA Club World screen, also a fold-out affair, could be tilted downwards for a good viewing angle when the seat was in lie-flat mode.

[yflyer]

There are two sections in the cabin for J: a smaller mini-cabin in front, and a larger one behind it, with the galley in-between.

Forward J mini-cabin:



Second J cabin:

[yflyer]

It was time for breakfast.







Juice was offered...



As well as tea or coffee...



Champagne was not offered on the menu, however I saw glasses of bubbly being served to other pax, and so I asked for one as well...



A white tablecloth was set on the table, and service started with a fruit platter and choice of bread/pastries from a basket.



Then, I was offered yogurt, corn flakes or Special-K. I opted for the Special-K



I was then offered a choice of mains. A trolley with the 3 different selections was offered, and I was invited to select my choice. It was nice to be able to look at all three choices before picking one.



They all looked pretty good, so it was a tough decision. I went for the bonito and peanut congee, which was rich in flavour. The accompanying spring onion puffs were delicious as well.



A very elegant pair of wooden chopsticks...

[yflyer]

We landed on time in Singapore just after 11am.



Overall, an excellent flight, with an exceptionally friendly and engaging crew who somehow managed to remember everyone's names by the end of the short 3+ hour sector. This used to be an SQ speciality as well by cabin crew in J and F, but on recent flights, I notice that on SQ they don't really take the trouble to memorize names anymore, usually just referring to a printed manifest placed on their tray before addressing you as Mr or Mrs/Miss so-and-so...not quite the same. (Any regulars in J care to comment?).

Impressions?

I think I still prefer SQ's J hard product overall (I am referring to SQ's current 77W J of course), but only by a very slight margin. For those who dislike getting up to fold down the bed, the CX seat may be preferable.

In terms of cabin service, this particular crew was as good as any I have experienced on SQ.

So it would appear that there is very close competition between SQ and CX on this route, particularly if the equipment is a 77W.

Your move, SQ. How about an A380 on this route? Or settle this argument conclusively with a non-stop SFO-SIN

Thanks for reading!

[Kyo]

I notice that on SQ they don't really take the trouble to memorize names anymore (any regulars in J care to comment?)

I think they do try, but they don't all remember... but at least they try to check the manifest prior, sometimes

Thanks for the TR!

[hsf]

Thanks for sharing, it is a nice report. The breakfast spread at the Wing looks great!

I definitely prefer SQ's wide seats/beds. I am not fat (60kg), but I found CX's new J to be somewhat tight, particularly in bed mode.

[Kyo]

Was there any ala carte menu for breakfast at The Wing? Curious as I'll be likely there early in the morning in a couple of weeks

[stargold]

Wing F has a la carte breakfast - you can see this TR for a photo of it

[yflyer]

Was there any ala carte menu for breakfast at The Wing? Curious as I'll be likely there early in the morning in a couple of weeks

I was there quite early in the morning (around 6am), and at that time, I was not offered an ala-carte menu.

But later on in the morning, I did see someone else ask for, and get a menu, so maybe there are ala carte options as well.

Stargold's link also shows an ala carte menu.

On a separate note, although it was about 6am, all the cabanas were occupied at that hour. It was only later (around 7am) that one became available for me to use.

[yflyer]

I think they do try, but they don't all remember... but at least they try to check the manifest prior, sometimes

Thanks for the TR!

Thanks for reading! Come to think of it, more often than you would expect, I have experienced my share of superb SQ cabin crew who even address you by name in Y!

[yflyer]

Thanks for sharing, it is a nice report. The breakfast spread at the Wing looks great!

I definitely prefer SQ's wide seats/beds. I am not fat (60kg), but I found CX's new J to be somewhat tight, particularly in bed mode.

Thanks for reading! Yes, the breakfast was very good. Something to be said for getting a company well known for F&B/hospitality like Peninsula Group to do your catering, rather than contracting it out to the lowest bidder.

Some of the recent comments on the FT BA forum when they changed their lounge caterer were quite scathing.

The other lounge with incredible food is the Sydney Qantas F lounge, which has an ala-carte menu catered by Rockpool. Hope to head there again one day and do a TR on that.

[Kyo]

Wing F has a la carte breakfast - you can see this TR for a photo of it

Cheers buddy! It does seem rather ho-hum... might not get up too early just because of it

[jbflyer]

Thanks for the great report!
Looking forward for my first flight on CX with MPC Gold.

BTW, which lounge is better at early morning?

[stargold]

Cheers buddy! It does seem rather ho-hum... might not get up too early just because of it

Hotel breakfast likely to be much better, if you're staying somewhere humble and low-key as usual

[yflyer]

Thanks for the great report!
Looking forward for my first flight on CX with MPC Gold.

BTW, which lounge is better at early morning?

Thanks, jbflyer!

In HKG, I have always liked The Wing, but all 3 CX lounges I have been to were good. A lot will depend on which gate you are at...I would just go to the closest one.