Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 Business/First Class (Melbourne – Hong Kong)

On some of Cathay Pacific’s Australian flights, there’s a trick you should be aware of. You see, the highest class of service that Cathay sells Down Under is Business Class. But some of its planes flying to our key capitals have a First Class cabin. As it happens, you could end up sitting in Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777 First Class on a Business Class ticket.

Yes, it’s something of a free upgrade to First Class. And it’s not just the First Class seat that’s included. Passengers seated here also get to enjoy some of the usual First Class amenities. For instance, the full First Class bedding and Bose First Class headphones are par for the course.

Sure, you still get the Business Class dining experience and the Business Class amenity kit. But when you’re only booking a Business Class airfare to begin with, having even more space to stretch out and relax makes a flight that’s already comfortable even more so.

I recently had the chance to do this on a journey from Melbourne to Hong Kong. With a firm Business Class booking and Qantas Platinum, equivalent to oneworld Emerald status under my belt, luck strikes me at check-in. I’m able to move from my normal seat in Business Class to a First Class suite. A glass of bubbles in the lounge is in order!

Take note: This trick doesn’t work on every Cathay Pacific flight. Even if you’re flying on a Cathay Pacific Boeing 777, not every Boeing 777 has the First Class suites. Luck strikes me on this overnight CX178 service, but more recently, the First-equipped Boeing 777 has been more regular on the daytime CX134 flight from Melbourne.

The plane also regularly appears from Perth to Hong Kong, and sometimes from Brisbane, too. (Sorry, Sydney, you miss out for now!) Welcome aboard one of the best ways to fly ‘Business Class’ in the skies today.

Check-in, lounge and boarding

This flight in Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777 First Class begins at the Business Class check-in desk. Remember, this isn’t the full First Class experience, so set your expectations to Business Class and you won’t be disappointed. Service is swift, I get my boarding pass and my lounge invitation and I’m good to go.

Normally, as a oneworld Emerald member departing on a oneworld airline, I’d head to the Qantas International First Lounge. But in Melbourne, that lounge closes well before Cathay Pacific’s flight departs. Instead, eligible Cathay passengers on CX178 can use The House, which stays open late.

It’s nice to have somewhere open, but it’s not a patch on the First Lounge. Champagne isn’t available… well, it’s stocked in the fridge, but the bottles belong to another airline, I’m told. I settle on a glass of Aussie sparkling instead.

Welcome to the fast lane.

Cathay Pacific uses The House for its late evening departure from Melbourne.

With the Qantas First Lounge closed, The House it is.

My normal seat in Business Class is swapped for a suite in the First Class section.

Did somebody say ‘free upgrade to First Class’?

I head to the gate a few minutes before boarding begins, and by the time I arrive, it’s about to commence. Soon enough, I’m enjoying (real) Champagne in my First Class suite. Bliss.

First Class seating on the Cathay Pacific Boeing 777

The First Class cabin on Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777 accommodates just six passengers in a 1-1-1 layout. This section of the aircraft feels particularly spacious, even more so than in First on other airlines that fly the same aircraft type. (Emirates, for instance, accommodates up to eight First Class suites across the same two rows).

It’s hard to emphasise through photos alone just how spacious these suites feel. They’re incredibly wide, and there’s enough room inside each one for two people to share a meal together. There’s even a companion seat specifically for this purpose, complete with a second seatbelt.

My top pick? Go for seat 2K. You get a window, but there’s even more space beside this seat than others. That’s due to the positioning of the suite that’s in the centre of the aircraft, which curves away from the aisle. You feel like you’re in your own little world – and you practically are.

The suites in First Class are particularly roomy.

There are only six First Class suites on this plane. I’ve nabbed one of them, on a Business Class ticket to boot.

This cabin adopts a 1-1-1 layout.

I prefer row two in this layout, but row one still beats a normal Business Class seat.

There’s enough spare space here to fit another seat! This cabin really is generous on the floor plan.

Even without a privacy door, I can’t see the face of any other passenger when sitting at my suite.

Crew proactively offer to make my bed once I’m done with supper.

The seat’s tray table is very sturdy. It’s perfect for laptop work or even dining with a companion.

Two thirds of First Class suites in this cabin have window views. That’s what you get with a terrific 1-1-1 layout!

Use this touchscreen to get your seat in the perfect position.

Even when this cabin is accommodating ‘Business Class’ passengers, Cathay Pacific still rolls out the First Class bedding. It’s an extremely comfortable sleep, especially thanks to the full-sized pillow. I doze right after supper. And, in true First Class fashion, crew wake me as late as possible to enjoy my breakfast to maximise my rest. With a busy week ahead of me, I really appreciate that small but very beneficial gesture.

Business Class food and beverage on Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777

While you might be able to snag a First Class suite on Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777 when flying on a Business Class ticket, the meal service under this scenario still mirrors Business Class. On that front, expect the journey to begin with a drink before take-off (Drappier Champagne, in my case). I follow that with a Negroni after we’re airborne.

Having skipped dinner in the lounge, I enjoy a nice supper before heading to bed on this overnight flight. It begins with a simple but tasty mint and pea soup, with sourdough and a bread roll on the side.

When it comes to the main course, I’m impressed to find four meal choices onboard, given our 12:45 am departure time. While I often skip midnight meals on planes, I take this journey during daylight savings months. This makes our after-midnight departure only 9:45 pm local Hong Kong time.

It’s hard to go past the delicious seafood egg noodle soup. I finish with cheese: a Manchego, Tarago River Triple Cream and a Tarwin Blue. The walnut and fig roll goes particularly well with the blue.

Meals and beverages in this hybrid experience align with Cathay Pacific’s usual Business Class offering.

See? ‘Business’ dining, but still sitting in a First Class seat.

If this were ‘real’ Cathay Pacific First Class, the Champagne would be a notch above.

Supper begins with a delicious mint and pea soup.

This is Cathay Pacific, so noodle soup is a must.

Cathay Pacific serves both cheese and dessert, but the cheese alone is enough for me.

This sure beats a typical omelette or pancake dish, as so often appears for breakfast on overseas flights.

Jumping forward to breakfast, choices are indicated via a hotel-style card before going to sleep, to help maximise rest. Of the four options, I pick the ‘Chinese breakfast’. Today, it’s a prawn and snapper congee served with stir-fried noodles, mixed vegetables and seasonal fresh fruit.

Overall, I like that this flight gives you options. If you’re maximising rest, there’s enough in the lounge to enjoy a pre-flight dinner – and it arrives early enough that going out for breakfast after landing isn’t out of the question. Or, you can take full advantage of the food and beverage options to maximise your time on the ground. With this flight taking place in a particularly busy week, I appreciated that option.

Service and entertainment in Cathay Pacific First Class on the Boeing 777

Here’s where this experience returns to being more like Cathay Pacific First Class, for those blagging the cheeky Boeing 777 seat upgrade. On these seats, a sizeable entertainment screen slides out from the shell to sit directly in front of you. It has to be stowed for take-off and landing, but even then, the screen remains easily visible.

I find a good selection of content and choose to watch a recording of a live performance by Sam Smith at Royal Albert Hall in London. It’s a great option for staying entertained while dining without a plot line that inhibits my ability to drift off to sleep afterwards.

I normally use my own headphones on planes, but the over-ear noise-cancelling pair provided are of First Class quality. It’s another nice upgrade from the usual Business Class offering. A touchscreen remote control is a handy way to operate the system, but the main screen also responds to touch.

Hong Kong, it’s been a while. It’s great to be back!

This may be an older aircraft, but the entertainment system still runs Cathay Pacific’s latest interface.

Cathay Pacific trusts those granted a free seat upgrade with its true First Class headphones.

This suite is so spacious that the remote control can come in handy.

Even when the screen is stowed for take-off and landing, it remains visible.

On the service front, the experience in this premium cabin is practically akin to First Class. Staff address passengers by name, and seemingly have those names memorised. Every interaction I have includes ‘Mr Chamberlin’ in the dialogue. Staff also offer to make up my bed while I change into my pyjamas, which remain a BYO amenity in this hybrid cabin.

The verdict

Flying in a First Class suite on Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777 is a special experience. Especially so for those travelling on a Business Class ticket and lucky enough to blag a seating upgrade, courtesy of their Cathay Diamond or oneworld Emerald frequent flyer status. Again, this only applies on routes where First Class isn’t otherwise sold, on aircraft that are nonetheless equipped with actual First Class suites.

Given this is a hybrid experience – Business Class service in a First Class suite – it’s difficult to draw direct comparisons with Cathay Pacific’s competitors. For that reason, we’re not awarding a star rating to this flight, given the journey included elements of both Business Class and First Class, which can’t be bought outright by most travellers.

But for those who manage to pull this off, a journey like this is hard to top. Sure, Cathay Pacific First Class mightn’t have the fancy modern extras like closing doors – but there’s so much space around you that a door would largely feel redundant. Sitting in my suite, I can’t see the face of any other passenger anyway.

I sit in ‘regular’ Business Class on the way home. Even though I’m aboard the more modern Airbus A350, my memory drifts back to this flight. While Cathay does shift around its First-equipped Boeing 777s, where it’s possible, those Boeing jets are now my first choice as a oneworld Emerald frequent flyer. With general oneworld Emerald status, you’ll need to wait until airport check-in to enquire about the seating switch (Cathay Diamond has first pick). But this alone makes my early airport arrival worth it.

Also read: How to get a free First Class seating upgrade on Cathay Pacific

Featured image courtesy of Cathay Pacific. Other photography by Chris Chamberlin, who travelled as a guest of Cathay Pacific.