Cathay Pacific Melbourne to London - A Premium way to fly

Travelling overseas is not just about planning the destination, but also ensuring that the journey is seamless, comfortable, and stress-free.

Over the years, the FlexySim team has flown with many airlines in various travel classes—from using points for First Class to sitting in the back row of Economy. Given our many international flights, we thought it would be worthwhile to offer the occasional reviews to help our FlexySim customers choose the right journey.

On a recent trip to Europe members of the FlexySim team, including myself, decided to fly Premium Economy from Melbourne to Hong Kong & London with Cathay Pacific.  

Although not business or first class, premium economy usually means a much roomier and more comfortable ride, especially when flying long haul. The additional perk of being a Qantas Gold frequent flyer means using the Business class check in & boarding lanes, in addition to visiting any One World lounges In Melbourne & Hong Kong.

Departing out of Melbourne at 23.45 on CX178 means you have to deal with quite a crowded Melbourne airport checkin due to other long haul flights leaving throughout the evening. Thankfully the Cathay Pacific check in & bag drop process was seamless, and due to being Gold Qantas frequent flyers we received our invitations to the Qantas International business lounge here at Melbourne airport, and invitations to use any of the Cathay Pacific business lounges in Hong Kong. 

Heading to the Qantas international business class lounge in Melbourne is never an exciting way to start your journey. Yes it might be a way to escape the crowded overpriced bar in the main departures, however the lounge is way overdue a makeover. Thankfully Qantas has announced a new lounge is being planned so hopefully that arrives sooner rather than later. 

Whilst in the lounge we do help ourselves to some tasty snacks, a couple of beverages, and catch up on some much needed FlexySim eSIM work whilst waiting for our flight.

Boarding our flight CX178 was easy, Team FlexySim were able to board with the business class passengers due to our frequent flyer status and head towards our Cathay premium economy cabin.  We were fortunate to be flying on a recently upgraded 777 with the brand new Cathay premium economy Seats.  The seats come with very generous legroom, width, leg-rest, and the largest entertainment screen I have seen in a PE cabin. 

The flight departed on time, with in flight service starting shortly after.  The service is always precise with Cathay, and today being no exception. The service started with drinks followed by dinner. Once the meal service was completed it was time to rest as it was now around 1.30am Melbourne time.

The Premium Economy seat allowed me to get a solid four hours sleep, feeling pretty good for our on time arrival into Hong Kong.

This is where Cathay Pacific really excels. in Hong Kong business class passengers, Qantas Gold Frequent Flyer members, and One World Sapphire are currently offered Three Cathay Pacific Lounges, The Pier, Bridge and the Deck, all offering subtle differences such as dining options, and layout. For this journey we settled into the Pier Business class lounge located near Gate 65. We had a four hour wait for our next flight, however time passed by very quickly with excellent showers, cocktail bar, and arguably one of the best pizzas we have had outside of Italy. 
Before we knew it we were heading to the gate for our next leg to London Heathrow.

Hong Kong to London on CX239 uses an A350-900 as the aircraft of choice.  Although the seats used are not the brand new retrofitted seats offered on the 777, the seats seem somewhat more comfy than the 777, in a smaller quiet cabin. The overall flight tends to feel more restful, with great service. The only downside of the cabin being no dedicated bathrooms, and having to use the economy ones halfway back in the economy cabin. 
14 Hours flight time seem to pass pretty quickly with two great full meal services, lots of entertainment with latest release movies, and a good nap to pass the time.  

We arrived on-time fresh into Heathrow early evening ready to have light dinner, and a good nights sleep before enjoying London.

With many premium cabin fares becoming increasingly expensive the Cathay Pacific premium economy experience strikes a nice balance, with a fare does not break the bank. Couple the in comfortable in flight experience, with the airport perks of being a Qantas Gold Frequent Flyer it really did become a good all round journey from Melbourne to London.

For connectivity during our transit in Hong Kong, and arrival into London we used both a Hong Kong FlexySim eSIM with just enough data to last for the transit time, and a United Kingdom eSIM for use upon arrival. For more information on our range of eSIMs please visit www.flexysim.com