Jaunted

The service on Cathay extends far beyond the simple noodles, however, they are as good a starting point for our story as any. During ticketing at JFK for our full flight, the gate agent asked for volunteers to give up their seats, and we took the risk since we had no pressing engagements. Our split-second decision paid off in spades, as even though we weren't upgraded, we did get $100 duty-free vouchers and the leave to eat breakfast while sprawled out on chaises in the business class lounge. All that and they actually put us onto our correct flight.

As Cathay has one of the best in-flight entertainment systems--StudioCX--we've ever had the pleasure of playing with (the Berlitz program has taught me both basic phrases in Cantonese and Korean), the only thoughts on our mind for the entire flight were of which movie to watch and what duty-free to buy. A few cups of Cathay Pacific Ramen, some new makeup and an unlimited Octopus card duty-free purchase later, we were zeroing in on HKG for an early arrival. The 15-hour flight is alone worth the views over HK Harbor and the South China Sea as you approach for landing; the free noodles just keep you feeling warm and fuzzy until the Hong Kong humidity takes over.

Related Stories:
· Hong Kong, Pearl of the Orient and...Mall Rate Paradise? [Jaunted]
· Cathay Pacific Coverage [Jaunted]