The Travelling Pixie on the Go

Cathay Pacific Business Class Experience

This time going back to Hong Kong, I decided to purchase the cheapest flight tickets on offer via the Cathay Pacific website. As I went on their website for online check-in, I was in pure shock. There was never an instance in all of my flight experiences where there are simply no available seats to choose from for online check-in! All the seats were crossed out! My first reaction was Oh no. My seat is 60 something B. Seat B my goodness, one of the worst seats you can get on a long haul flight! You see, seat B is between seats A and C. You’re not sitting next to the aisle, which means everytime you need to get out, you’d have to either politely ask seat C to excuse you, or if they’re deep sleepers, you’d have to climb over them.

In addition to this terrible condition, you still have seat A on your right, if they want to go out, you’d either have to (i) move out together with seat C, (ii) curl up into your seat and let seat A stick her bum in your face or, (iii) let seat A climb over you. – All rather unappealing options. With this in mind, I was mentally prepared for the worst 13 hours of my life.

As I approached the check-in desk, it suddenly hit me. What if I went over my baggage allowance? Panicking, I started thinking of the possibilities. Usually my parents buy the student class fare tickets, which gives me 35kg baggage allowance, plus the extra 10kg I get for being a Silver tier member of the Marco Polo club, I usually get 45kg of baggage allowance – which is more than I can carry alone anyways!

Yet this time, since I got my own tickets online, its now 23kg plus 10kg, I have 33kg allowance. I hastily put my suitcases up onto the weigh, and hoped that the counter staff wouldn’t notice. I added the figures up in my heart… 36kg… uhoh! But the lady seemed busy printing out my boarding pass. Oh gosh, please don’t notice it!

Then something flickered into the corner of my eye… Why does my boarding pass say seat 19A? I silently gasped, Am I being upgraded to business class?! I didn’t dare show my ecstasy for fear that it was only a mistake. Wait a minute, why is she frowning?

 

‘What fare class were you originally booked in for?’

‘Economy’ – Uh oh, was it all a mistake? Is she putting me back into economy?

‘Hmm, so your baggage allowance should be 33kg, and you have 36.’

 

My brain was whizzing the figures away. £40 per 1kg exceeding the allowance, so that’s… £120! Oh no. Please don’t make me pay!

After a long pause which she was conveying the situation to her colleague, she said, ‘Right, okay.’

 

What’s right and what’s okay?! 

 

‘Ms Cheng, we’ve upgraded you to business class, here’s your boarding pass and lounge invitation, have a pleasant journey!’

 

Phew! I’m not charged! I’m upgraded to Business Class! AND I don’t have to sit in economy seat B! It must be my lucky day!

 

So here are a few photos of my experience in Business Class. I’ve never been on Business Class for long haul flights, and I must say, its quite the experience, bid riddance to cramped legs and stiff backs!

 

Here’s the menu for the inflight meals.  I must say, the Business Class seats are so comfy that I fell asleep right through breakfast!  What a shame!

 

Don’t get jealous, I just got lucky! *wink wink*

So what’s your happiest flight experience? x