Review: Cathay Pacific Premium Economy HKG to SEA

This is a continuation of my Asia trip report. See also Back from Thailand and Singapore: 7 Biggest Takeaways, Review: Singapore Airlines Business Class SFO to SIN to BKK

The most important flights on international trips are the long-haul flights across the pond. Originally, my daughter and I had business class award seats to and from Asia. However, I shortened my trip slightly and had to change to Premium Economy for the long flight home. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my 11.5-hour experience in Cathay Pacific’s Premium Economy from Hong Kong to Seattle.

Booking Cathay Pacific Premium Economy Award Flights

I booked flights on Cathay Pacific CX852, an Airbus A350-900, for 62,000 British Airways Avios (partner of Cathay Pacific) plus $159 in taxes per person. The same flight is only 52,000 Asia Miles if booked directly through Cathay Pacific. However, I had large amount of Avios I wanted to use up. Premium Economy seats were also available on a nonstop from Hong Kong to DFW for 78,000 Air Asia Miles,

HKG Airport Experience with Premium Economy

Cathay Pacific does have a dedicated check-in line at HKG airport. Premium Economy passengers get a higher baggage allowance (which we didn’t need because we were traveling fairly light) as well as early boarding before regular economy. Cathay Pacific Premium Economy does not include an airport lounge experience. However, we used my Priority Pass membership (through my Citi Strata Elite card) to enjoy a lounge before takeoff.

Our Premium Economy Seats

Our flight’s Premium Economy section had a 2-4-2 layout (as opposed to the 3-3-3 layout in regular economy). We sat in seats 31H and 31K.

 

Our seats had a pillow, blanket, noise-cancelling headphones and amenity kit. Seats also had a retractable arm rest, retractable reading light and adjustable head rest.

The seats are 20 inches wide with 40 inches of pitch. Each seat has a full-length leg rest that folds up from the bottom of the seat. Combined with the wider arm rests, ample seat padding and the seat recline of 9 inches, the seat truly felt like a comfortable recliner for sleeping. I did manage to sleep for around 2 hours, which wasn’t bad considering it was a daytime flight.

Each seat had a storage pouch in front as well as a small storage space in the middle armrest. The amenity kit included an eye mask, socks, dental kit and ear plugs.

 

The 12.1-inch IFE screens were the highlight of the flight for my daughter. In addition to a wide assortment of movies and tv shows, it had a concert section. She spent the entire 11.5-hour flight watching K-pop concerts!

Food and Service

In Premium Economy seats, we had a special upgraded menu. I don’t know how this compares to regular economy.

I ordered the chicken dish for both meals. It was decent, for airplane food.

Service from flight attendants was very good. They were friendly, efficient with meal service, and came around often for drink refills.

Overall Thoughts

I was surprised at how comfortable this long flight was in Premium Economy on Cathay Pacific. For me, it was all about the seat itself. The padding, recline and leg rest made the seat comfortable for the long haul. In fact, I will say that out of all the Premium Economy seats I’ve experienced (American Airlines, Iberia, Japan Airlines), Cathay Pacific was my favorite seat.

However, I do wish that Premium Economy had its own dedicated lavatory instead of walking through the economy section. Some of Cathay Pacific’s other planes do have that. But overall, I recommend Cathay Pacific Premium Economy wholeheartedly for a long flight across the Pacific.