This is going to be another one of those flights that I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to do. I guess I was too busy fooling around with unique and underrated routes, but I’ve finally done one of the most iconic flight out of Hong Kong. Roughly 13 hours en route heading eastbound, LAX-HKG has been flown by several airlines over the years, most notably Cathay Pacific (operating to L.A. since 1986 with the 747-200, 747-400, 777-300ER, and A350-1000). With LAX consistently ranking among the Hong Kong flag carrier’s best performing routes, it’s unsurprising that the airline serves it multiple times a day with its two largest aircraft, the 777-300ER and occasionally the A350-1000, at least up until last year. Currently, Cathay Pacific connects Los Angeles and Hong Kong thrice daily, with all flights being operated by the 777-300ER.
Server: Solo
Airline: Cathay Pacific
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Origin: Hong Kong International Airport, Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong (HKG)
Destination: Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California (LAX)
Flight Number: CX882
Route: VHHH-KLAX
Seat: 2K (First Class)
Time En Route: 12 Hours 50 Minutes
In line to board our aircraft at Gate 41 at HKG. After a few years of these trip reports, we’re finally checking off a bucket-list item of flying in first class on Cathay Pacific between Hong Kong and Los Angeles. First class is a rapidly vanishing seating option, with Cathay Pacific being one of the few airlines to maintain it as the industry moves increasingly towards larger business class cabins, so we’re quite excited to fly in it with them this evening.
Taxiing on the port engine to Runway 25L as the pre-flight safety video plays on the generously-sized IFE screen in front of us. Cathay Pacific’s first class seating on its 777s has acquired a legendary reputation as one of the best in the business and ours seems live up to the hype. What has always surprised us about it is how well the seats have aged. The basic design was introduced almost two decades ago and was renovated in the mid-2010s, yet even today, with the leaps and bounds airline seating has made in the interim, it seems like it could have been installed just last week with how little wear and tear is visible. The seat is a full 36 inches across, almost more room than we know what to do with, and this huge seat reclines into a fully lie-flat bed. In terms of the hard product, it’s well worth the expense.
Heavy takeoff out of Hong Kong in the Golden Hour. One of the many benefits we have here in first class is getting some prime GE90 roar. Being this far in front of the fan, we’re listening to the subtle buzzing sound it makes as the fanblade tips exceed the speed of sound.
Climving through the cloud layer over the South China Sea. We’re settling in for the roughly 12-hour-45-minute flight to L.A. Looks like there might be a bit of rain off to the southeast, but we’re going to be avoiding the weather.
Getting ready for some sleep after dinner, somewhere southeast of Japan. We had a dish of double-broiled pork with hedgehog mushroom soup as our main course, followed by a dark chocolate and pear gâteau with vanilla ice cream. Unsurprisingly, dinner lived up to Cathay Pacific’s sterling reputation. While our meal settles, it’s time to get some sleep over the Pacific Ocean.
Waking up over the middle of the North Pacific, just in time to order breakfast. Sleeping in first class on Cathay Pacific was as easy as ever, since we dozed off only a few minutes after switching out the overhead lights in our suite. The 777 makes for a rock-solid ride with white noise provided by the GE90-115Bs, perfect for seven hours or so of sleep.
Final descent into L.A. near the University of Southern California and the California Science Musuem after several hours of watching TV on the IFE system. From our bird’s-eye view, we can see two iconic aircraft at the Science Musuem: United Airlines’s DC-8-50 Jet Mainliner N8066U and the “Titanium Goose”, the J75-powered, two-seat training variant of the Central Intelligence Agency’s still-shadowy A-12 Oxcart, the only such trainer produced. Additionally, we can see a number of aircraft on final for LAX from here, including a British Airways 777-300ER running a bit late from Heathrow as BA281.
Landing on Runway 25L as the GE90s go into reverse and what looks like the entire upper surface of the trailing edge of the wing goes up to slow us down. Despite being buffeted around on touchdown by the wake turbulence from a heavy departing Korean Air Cargo 777F, the landing after the gear set down was smooth and the flight crew has kept us on the centerline. This is our first landing at the South Complex in a while!
Taxiing to the main Tom Bradley International Terminal as yet another Speedbird 777-300ER is visible in the background, this time getting airborne to Heathrow as BA282. The flight crew has shut down the starboard engine, giving us a great view of those massive fanblades that help put out 115,000 of thrust at maximum takeoff power.
Viewing our aircraft at Gate 152 after disembarking. After everybody’s bags are off and the cargo pallets that often ride in the belly of Cathay Pacific’s 777s are offloaded, the jet will get towed over to the West Remote Stands before returningto the TBIT late tonight to go back to Hong Kong as CX883. Overall, our trip in first class on Cathay Pacific was simply outstanding. The seat still remains an industry leader after all these years, the dining is top-notch, and our cabin crew was friendly and attentive. First class on Cathay Pacific’s 777-300ER is something we like to indulge in when we can get it (those seats sell out fast, despite the expense), and we’ll definitely be returning to it for some long-haul and ultra-long-haul trips in the future!
