Today’s trip report, a continuation of the journey started in New York, is the first one I’ve done that centers on one of Cathay Pacific’s 12x 317-seat regional-configured A330-300s. These high-density aircraft are used on short to medium-haul routes out of Hong Kong, with prominent destinations for the type including Osaka, Taipei, Bangkok, and our destination for this flight, Manila. Manila has been a Cathay Pacific destination since the airline’s founding, with the airport serving as a stop on the Hong Kong-based carrier’s inaugural flight from Sydney to Kai Tak. MNL has subsequently seen Cathay Pacific’s propliners, turboprops, and jets over the following 80 years, with services currently being operated twice per day by the A330-300 and 777-300.
Server: Solo
Airline: Cathay Pacific
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Origin: Hong Kong International Airport, Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong (HKG)
Destination: Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila, Philippines (MNL)
Flight Number: CX903
Route: VHHH-RPLL
Seat: 63A (Economy)
Time En Route: 2 Hours 16 Minutes
Getting ready to board our aircraft on a warm, humid afternoon in Hong Kong. We’re flying to Manila today on a 317-seat A330-300, optimized for high-capacity regional routes within Asia. While Cathay Pacific has rightfully acquired a reputation as one of the world’s best airlines with its superb service and understated luxury, its regional A330s have acquired a reputation of being somewhat less opulent than the rest of the fleet. Hopefully, this is an oversimplification and it won’t feel like we’re on an oversized CRJ-200.
Finishing our pushback from Gate 1 as the port engine spins up. We’re seated in one of 293 economy seats on this aircraft. It’s true that the seats are nowhere near as nice as on the airline’s long-haul aircraft, but they’re not bad ones, either. The seats are clean and well-padded, the IFE system is well-maintained and responsive despite being almost a decade and a half old, and there’s even a coat hook located next to it. We even have some fairly generous legroom for a short-haul flight. Overall, the seats themselves are a mix between older Main Cabin Extra seats on American’s 737-800s from the early to mid-2010s and E175s operated by SkyWest for Delta Connection and Alaska Airlines as far as comfort and amenities go. Not bad for a short flight like ours!
Flaps down and taxiing to Runway 25L for takeoff. We’re one of several Cathay Pacific A330s leaving HKG today as part of the afternoon rush out of the airport. The afternoon and early evening are when a lot of the flights to major destinations in Asia leave so as to not arrive excessively late. Back in the day, there’d be fewer mainline Cathay Pacific A330s, with some of the ones we’re seeing being operated by Dragonair and later Cathay Dragon up until 2020, when the airline was re-integranted into Cathay Pacific.
Departing Hong Kong from Runway 25L by a pretty full HAECO ramp. Immediately below the wing is a line of aircraft taxiing to the Midfield Concourse and the main terminal, ranging from A320s and 737s to enormous A350s and 777s. Hong Kong International is one of the busiest airports in the world, and few times of the day demonstrate it better than the late afternoon.
Coming around the south side of Hong Kong as we climb to our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. Apparently we’re going to be skirting a line of thunderstorms over the South China Sea, so the seatbelt sign will be on for the majority, if not all of the flight. We’ve started a movie to keep us occupied on this relatively short flight, and even on a nine-inch monitor, Cathay Pacific’s in-flight entertainment system is as excellent as ever.
Going through some rough air over the Sputh China Sea. Even though we’re still quite a bit north of the heavy weather, we’re still encountering pretty strong turbulence. Despite this, our cabin crew was able to serve us an early dinner, which was predictably tasty. While many carriers would do the bare minimum for a meal for a short-haul flight in economy or even skip it altogether, Cathay Pacific has committed to serving it, and it’s even a good one. The airline’s regional economy service is definitely starting to make a good impression on us.
In our initial descent over Luzon, the largest and most heavily-populated island in the Philippines, as the weather begins to move in on Manila. A tropical downpour is visible in the distance, heralding the approach of a tropical thunderstorm. The turbulence from earlier has mostly petered out, as we’re further away from the arc of the cold front, but here and there we still encounter a bump or thump that causes the wingtips to bounce. Overall, though, it’s been a good flight given the conditions.
Landing in Manila on Runway 24 in some moderate rain. Despite the approaching weather, we didn’t encounter the gusts associated with thunderstorms on final, touching down smoothly and blowing standing water behind us. Either that, or our flight crew might be some of the best stick-and-rudder pilots, to use Jimmy Doolittle’s expression, at Cathay Pacific, if not in the world. As an aside, this is the first time we’ve landed on Runway 24, with our arrivals and departures from MNL heretofore having taken place using Runway 06.
Passing a Philippine Air Force C-130H on the ramp of Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base, which shares the runways with Ninoy Aquino International, as we taxi to Terminal 3. Formerly known as Nichols Field and later as Nichols Air Base, Villamor is used by the president and vice-president of the Philippines when embarking on foreign or domestic trips. Dignitaries from abroad also usually arrive here, so seeing government aircraft from around the world isn’t exactly uncommon at MNL. While there aren’t any here tonight, at least one of the PAF’s C-130s is out on the ramp.
Deplaned at Terminal 3 with a fork of lightning on the horizon. Of our trips on Cathay Pacific’s A330-300s, all of them had been either in business class or economy on its medium-haul aircraft. This was our first time on one of the airline’s regional A330s, so we didn’t know what to expect. Having now flown on one on one of the most frequently-traveled routes for the type, we can confidently say it might have one of the best regional economy classes in Asia. The seat was comfortable, if a bit dated technology-wise, the cabin staff was friendly and attentive, and the food was just as good as the long-haul economy dining. After this flight, we’d definitely say that Cathay Pacific’s regional A330 is an excellent choice for economy class travel in Asia and would strongly recommend it for travelers wanting solid service without breaking the bank!