Best of the Air

Cathay Pacific is definitely the sexiest airline serving East Asia. It is consistently ranked among the best by Skytrax, and has won the “Gold Medal” two of the past four years.

Does that mean you should consider using Cathay for your next trip? Depends on what you need (or want).

For me, it’s all about schedule. I simply choose the carrier with the most direct flight and the most reasonable price. Once, that happened to be Cathay Pacific. I have to agree, it was one of the best airlines I’ve flown. Keep in mind, though, that I come from the Midwestern USA, home of some of the worst major carriers in the world. I’m used to domestic flights where a disgruntled stewardess tosses a bag of salty peanuts to you and asks you if you’d like to purchase a beverage for $2. Virtually any airline that flies internationally can top that experience.

But really, my Cathay Pacific experience was one of the best I’ve ever had aloft. No, that statement has nothing to do with the proverbial “mile high club.” First of all, the seats were designed so that even if the person in front of you leaned back, their seat did not encroach on your leg space. Furthermore, even in economy class, each person had their own personal video screen. I found little old lowly me, used to sleepless, leg cramping trans pacific flights, suddenly able to choose exactly what I wanted to watch.

Great! Now, if only they could do something about the food, which was standard plane cuisine (slightly below the quality of a bad TV dinner).

The above mentioned amenities did alleviate some of the pain of the long flight. However, ocean hopping is still ocean hopping. If you aren’t itching to get off a plane after twelve to fourteen hours, something is wrong with you.

Still, Cathay’s economy class gave me the same feeling as those (rare) occasions when I am able to use my frequent flier miles to trade up for a business class seat.