journal on journeys: CX 401 - Cathay Pacific (TPE

Date: 28th April 2012
Airlines: Cathay Pacific Airways
Flight: CX 401
Class: Business - Qantas Frequent Flyer Redemption
Route: TPE-HKG (Taipei - Hong Kong)
Aircraft type: Boeing 777-300ER
Registration: B-KQA

It had been a pleasant surprise that insufficient points with my Qantas Frequent Flyer for first class would end up put be on this latest Boeing 777-300ER aircraft which does not equip with First class cabin. B-KQA was in its 11th day of service when I flew on it.

For the trip, it began with checking in at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1 which is now under way of renovation project. CX Lounge was indeed small in size compared with the number of passengers the airline handle each day on this golden route. Food was not appealing but in terms of taste quality (not value or presentation), they surpass that of The Pier First Class Lounge in Hong Kong, which now ranks at the bottom of my list. Taiwan style beef noodle is recommended but it would be nothing if you have already tasted some great ones in Taipei downtown.

Flight was turbulent shortly after takeoff but seems this new aircraft have soothen all the bumps to some extent that I didn't recall hearing any screaming when it came close to weightlessness momentarily.
Flight Attendent from Taiwan and Japan were very outstanding, sweet smiles , pleasant and polite attitudes, while the ISM was indeed disappointing for her coolness.

Basically the crew rushed through the service in this less than 1.5 hour flight. Although it is a brand new aircraft on its 11th day of service, the experience was worse than my previous journey onboard a 16th day of service 9V-SWT (77W) of Singapore Airlines, primarily due to soap water stains in the toilet had not been cleaned, it is particularly obvious on the shiny mirror-like metal surface. And I was after the ISM for the toilet so I supposed she would have done at least some cleaning and wiping after her use, which was not the case.

The Arrival lounge was near empty at the time of arrival, after 9pm at night. I had Japanese Bento betting it would have the best presentation for photography. Shower was great with the water pressure, but the faulty soap/shampoo dispensor is again the object which ruined the shower experience. Service was very good in The Arrival, which is quite a contrast with The Pier.