Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific Airways is a major international airline based in Hong Kong and operating a network that covers 104 destinations across the globe. Based at Hong Kong International Airport, it is the chief carrier for the Hong Kong territory and one of five airlines awarded a 5-star rating by Skytrax.

The airline was established in 1946 by ex-air force pilots, Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow, and its maiden voyage was from Hong Kong to Manila using a Douglas C-47. Early routes connected Hong Kong with Singapore, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Manila but these were largely chartered services. Scheduled services ran to Bangkok, Singapore and Manila only. The airline has a fleet of 84 passenger aircraft comprised of a mixture of Boeing and Airbus, with the latter making up over half of that figure. Of all the craft in the fleet, the Boeing 777-300 has the greatest passenger capacity with space for 385 seats. At the time of writing, the airline has orders for 26 Airbus A330-300s still pending.

Cathay Pacific has a reputation as an exclusive airline with the standard of service across all cabins notably higher than many other airlines operating along the same routes. Attention to detail is great with even economy class offering little extras that passengers would not ordinarily expect but are always appreciative of. Food and drink are complimentary on all Cathay Pacific flights and a full bar service and unlimited soft or alcoholic beverages are offered. Meals are not the usual airline affairs by any means, with a significant amount of the food prepared fresh during the flight.

Entertainment comes as standard on the vast majority of Cathay Pacific flights (short-haul excepted) and can be enjoyed via seat-back TV sets which offer up-to-the-minute movie releases as well as popular television shows, sport and documentaries. Audio channels are also available, with a wide choice of musical styles represented.