CX 253 Hong Kong - London Heathrow
16 June 2025
Business Class
I usually prefer morning departures from Hong Kong to Europe, arriving in the early evening, which I can adapt my sleeping patterns to hopefully rid my jet lag quickly. While most flights to London leave in the late evening, arriving in the early morning, Cathay had 2 daytime flights today to choose from, which I hoped wouldn't be as busy.
With my luggage sent less than an hour before departure, I rushed through security anticipating a long journey to the faraway gate 67. Business Class passengers don't have a dedicated priority security lane in Hong Kong, but the queues were manageable and I used the new machines where all electronics can stay in the bag. I was out air-side in no time.
It was a 1-stop ride to the further reaches of the main terminal building, followed by a brisk walk to my gate at the distant part of the pier.
I like this reputal local brand's herbal drinks and soups. Had I been out in Economy, I probably would buy something here for the long flight, but I expect to eat and drink well up front today.
I haven't seen a Monocle shop at this airport before but their retro Cathay bags and Hong Kong-themed display case got my interest. By now, my flight had flashed final call with 20 minutes to go.
Today's flight would be operated by an older 777. This one has First Class but hasn't been fitted with the new Aria suites. The product is comfortable but does look a bit tired now. The windows were also fairly scratched up so even though I was in front of the engine, I had to maneuvre a bit to get a clear shot of the outside.
In Hong Kong, we typically get 2 bridges attached to the plane if we board from a proper gate so Business Class passengers can strut down in style and comfort.
The crew were friendly and offered a good variety of welcome drinks. I helped myself to a Cathay Delight, a non-alcoholic drink that is by far my favourite in all my years of flying Business Class with them. The dinner and beverage menus were already placed on my seat, with the amenity kit and water bottle inside the cabinet, and a large bag with the mattress cover and blanket in the footwell.
While we boarded on time, the flight deck had less stellar news. Due to weather and the dreaded air traffic control restrictions in China, we would be delayed from our original scheduled time of 1:25pm, with an expected take-off time an hour after schedule. However, Business Class is a great place to spend this extra time. I browsed around the IFE and filled up my playlist. While it is a touch screen, it wasn't very responsive and I couldn't stroll quickly by swiping with my fingers like on my phone. It's an old system after all.
We pushed back at 2:06pm and taxied to the southern runway for departure. I noticed a few arrivals here as well so even though we were #2 in line, it was quite a long wait before we finally took off past 2:30pm.
We took off into a cloudy sky towards the west and made a few turns to enter Chinese airspace. The weather wasn't particularly bad at all but it was grey.
With the 3rd runway now in use, departure and arrival patterns seem to have changed. I saw another plane take-off at the same time to our right but we soon turned south and looped around Lantau before turning north. I couldn't spot the city but by the time there were some breaks in the clouds, I think it's Shenzhen beneath us.
Business Class passengers now have free internet access on board. You just need to log into their portal with your last name and seat number, and off you go. Speeds were all right and I only got sporadic coverage black spots along the way.
The crew came by each passenger to take our lunch orders beforehand. There are 5 main selections today, with 2 coming from reputable local restaurants. I picked the braised beef ribs with port wine served with vegetable rice from Duddell's, as well as their drunken prawns as appetizer. The amuse bouche was a roast beef-like small dish although it came with a spoon which was a bit odd.
The first dish arrived about half hour after take-off.
The main's presentation looked disappointing though. There were splashes of sauce on the inside of the bowl that didn't seem like an artistic touch, giving an impression of sloppiness. The soup accompanying it didn't arrive either, which I had not noticed until I started writing this trip report afterwards. The taste was normal although it wasn't anything to rave about. The beef was soft but the sauce was a bit too sour with a portion of crunchy vegetables.
As I enjoyed my late lunch, we encountered bits of light turbulence as we made our way north through Sichuan. The skies cleared near Chongqing and it was time for dessert. Not too satisfied with the offering so far, I got some fresh fruit and a Persian orange polenta cake. These were served from a cart although I wish the crew would ask whether I wanted any drinks to go with it, since they did provide a dessert wine in the menu and the bottles were at the cart's bottom level. The crew were courteous but they just haven't made the extra step so far to distinguish themselves as exceptional.
We then headed northwest across the Silk Road past trade towns and a barren landscape. This is a beautiful part of China with lots of history and folklore.
With a long flight, I then turned my attention to the snack menu. I've had their egg tart before and wanted to give it a try again, paired with a Jing tea. Their new tea menu is quite extensive and they've picked a good brand with a quality product. The wonton noodle is no longer on the menu but they've substituted with a roast duck noodle soup. While it tasted good, they were a bit cheap on the vegetable portion and a few small condiments on the side would have enhanced it even better.
Due to restrictions over using Russian airspace imposed on Cathay's European flights, which are not in place for their east coast North America routes, we turned south over the Central Asian states towards the Caucasus countries.
While I didn't plan to sleep on this entrely daytime flight, I had a good 4-hour nap and the lie-flat bed was quite comfortable with the mattress cover and thick blanket. A snack basket was laid out in the galley with an extensive assortment of items that you can help yourself.
The second meal was a light dinner served less than 2 hours before landing. There were 3 main selections and I picked the crumbed pork loin with tomato and jalapeno salsa. It was once again a disappointing dish as the pork was quite dry.
By now, we were over eastern Europe and would soon reach London just before sunset.
With the English coast in view and a right side window, I perched up and looked for London, hoping we would make final approach from the east. I was not disappointed. We turned just east of Canary Wharf and got a grand view of the city, although the evening light was fast approaching.
We landed at 8:55pm, not too much off our original schedule. The weather looked picture perfect with blue skies and the forecast looks just as good for the rest of the week. Welcome back to a cooler summer.
We pulled into a distant gate at Terminal 3, where it was a long walk to immigration. While the line for 'other passports' snaked around a bit, it kept moving steadily and by the time I was processed less than an hour after landing, my luggage was already placed on the floor neatly by the belt.
Cathay's hard product and crew were great on this long flight but the food disappointed. I never considered them famous for an exceptional dining experience in the premium classes although I have been surprised every now and then. This and my inbound flight to Hong Kong from Heathrow earlier in the month were particularly worse and it's a bit of a shame when the rest of the experience was great.