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I flew 16 hours in business class with Cathay Pacific. The $5,444 flight had meals and drinks I never imagined having on a plane.

My long-haul flight in Cathay Pacific business class from Chicago to Hong Kong cost over $5,000. The food, drinks, and service impressed me.

Mar 20, 2025 - 13:54

I flew 16 hours in business class with Cathay Pacific. The $5,444 flight had meals and drinks I never imagined having on a plane.

Author Amber Gibson smiling with glass of wine on Cathay Pacific business class flight — I have had positive experiences flying in the Cathay Pacific business class.
Amber Gibson

Recently, I took a 16-hour long-haul flight in business class with Cathay Pacific.
My flight from Chicago to Hong Kong cost about $5,444, and I really enjoyed it.
The in-air food and beverage options blew me away, and I also appreciated the complimentary WiFi.

I recently flew in business class with Cathay Pacific.

My most recent flight with the Asian airline was 16 hours from Chicago to Hong Kong and cost about $5,444.

Here's what it was like.

Right off the bat, I experienced great service.

Cathay Pacific business class cabin. — I was able to move to a more desirable part of the cabin.
Amber Gibson

The service on my flight felt super attentive and thoughtful.

My seat was originally right next to the galley and restroom, but because there were several empty seats in the cabin, the cabin manager offered me a chance to swap to a quieter location.

My lie-flat seat felt spacious and was in a pod-like setup complete with storage nooks and a monitor. After meal service, a flight attendant made my seat into a bed with a soft mattress cover.

I loved my chic Bamford amenity kit.

Bamford amenity kit for Cathay Pacific business class — The in-flight amenity kit came in a cute bag.
Amber Gibson

Although I didn't receive complimentary pajamas on this flight, I got a Bamford amenity kit that had an aromatherapy pillow mist, a body gel, and a moisturizing balm for hands, lips, and cuticles.

Bamford is a British skincare brand that is also very popular in Hong Kong. I first discovered it when staying at The Upper House hotel in Hong Kong several years ago, and it's one of my favorites.

I was offered Champagne before we even hit the sky.

Laurent-Perrier champagne bottle and cup on tray table on plane — Laurent-Perrier Champagne is offered before takeoff.
Amber Gibson

Champagne is usually my go-to wine, and I was happy to start with a glass of Laurent-Perrier brut before takeoff.

Having free WiFi for the entire flight was a huge perk.

Cathay Pacific business class seat — I got pretty cozy in my seat with my electronics.
Amber Gibson

Cathay Pacific offers all business-class passengers complimentary in-flight WiFi for the entire duration of the flight.

This was especially nice on such a long journey. The connection was fast enough for me to browse social media, watch short videos, and check my email with only a couple of brief periods of interruption.

The in-flight entertainment options were nice, too.

Tales of Taipei playing on screen on plane — I watched "Tales of Taipei" on my flight.
Amber Gibson

My in-flight screen felt sizable and private, plus I had access to hundreds of movies and TV shows available ranging from brand-new Oscar winners to old classics.

There was also a broad selection of films in a multitude of languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Spanish, and French.

I watched "Tales of Taipei" to brush up on my Mandarin, then a couple of rom-coms.

My drink options continued to be on point.

Bottle of Chinese wine in hand on plane — Cathay Pacific carries Chinese wines on select long-haul flights.
Amber Gibson

You won't be thirsty while flying Cathay Pacific.

The airline's drink selection is typically excellent, whether you're a wine drinker or prefer a non-alcoholic option like Hong Kong-style milk tea or the signature Cathay Delight, a refreshingly frothy drink blending kiwi fruit juice, coconut milk, and fresh mint.

Cathay also recently started offering a selection of Chinese wine on long-haul flights. I tried the 2018 Tiansai Skyline of Gobi Marselan Selection from Xijiang, an organic red blend with a lovely peppery dark-cherry aroma and notes of blackberry.

I always enjoy trying food and drinks I can't find back home when traveling, and kudos to Cathay for showcasing an emerging wine region.

The food was good, although I preferred the dishes on my return trip.

Avocado toast with poached eggs, cherry tomatoes, croissant and fresh fruit, Laurent-Perrier champagne and Hong Kong-style milk tea. on plane tray table — On my flight, I had avocado toast, a croissant, fresh fruit, Champagne, and Hong Kong-style milk tea.
Amber Gibson

Meals on the plane typically come from catering kitchens at the departure airport.

So, on many foreign carriers, I've found the food is significantly better on flights departing from the airline's home country as opposed to ones taking off from the United States.

I found this to be the case on my Cathay Pacific flights, too.

The food on my flight from Chicago to Hong Kong was good — I enjoyed the avocado toast with poached eggs for breakfast — but I had even tastier meals when departing from Asia.

Seriously, the food on the trip back was awesome.

Wok fried cod with sweet corn sauce, gai lan, steamed jasmine rice, double boi;ed chrysanthemum chicken soup with goji berries; Cathay Delight kiwi coconut and mint drink on plane tray table — I had wok-fried cod on my flight and some fun beverages, too.
Amber Gibson

On my return flight from Hong Kong to Chicago, I was able to order meals created in collaboration with chefs at Michelin-starred Hong Kong restaurants like Louise and Duddell's.

Chinese dim sum and congee breakfast and tender braised abalone were highlights from my flight back.

I enjoyed a lot of dishes that felt far from typical plane food, like wok-fried cod with sweet-corn sauce, chilled abalone, gai lan, double-boiled chrysanthemum chicken soup with goji berries, and more.

Lastly, lounge access was a nice perk on my way home.

Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Airport The Pier Lounge Bar — I arrived at the airport extra early so I could enjoy one of Cathay Pacific's lounges in Hong Kong.
Amber Gibson

On the way home, I was able to take advantage of one of Cathay Pacific's airport lounges at Hong Kong International Airport.

Most of these lounges are available to those flying in first or business class (or who have special status).

I beelined for The Pier first-class lounge — although it's typically not open to business-class passengers, I got access through my Oneworld Emerald status.

The lounge offers complimentary 15-minute massages that are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

I waited more than two hours for the first available slot but thankfully had time to squeeze in a soothing scalp massage. I was feeling so blissed out that I could barely wobble back to my gate to board my flight home.

Overall, Cathay Pacific is still one of my favorite Asian airlines for its high standard of service and pretty comfortable cabins. I enjoyed my flight experience and look forward to traveling with the airline again in the future.

Read the original article on Business Insider