Seat Review - CX881 LAX to HKG on J

Hi there!

I will be posting my reviews of any recent plane trips that I take under the title "Seat Review". Now i'm definitely not a frequent traveller - you can probably tell from my Airline status in my profile. But i'll do my best.

Flight         - CX881

Airline        - Cathay Pacific

Route        - LAX to HKG

Flight Time    - 15hrs

Cabin        - J

Equipment    - 777-300ER (77A)

Seat        - 25K

I was actually booked under Y class for this trip and was originally allocated to 58C but I managed to use 40,000 Asia Miles to upgrade my flight to J class at the last minute. One of the many benefits of AMEX program on my path to Centurion - it helped me amass huge amounts of points.

If you want to do a points upgrade at the last minute, remember do NOT do online check-in and go to the ticket sales counter when you arrive at the airport!

Remember CX only allows for points upgrade to J class if you are carrying a Y,B,H or K ticket.

Thank god too - 15 hours in a Y seat would've killed my back. 25K is close to Economy but after take-off its closed off with a curtain. 25K is also just over the wing so it gets abit noisy. But CX provides you with a fairly decent noise cancelling headphone - decent enough that I can hardly hear a word the FA's were saying to me during the meal service!

The 77A J cabin uses the Herringbone configuration. Many people don't like it as it feels claustrophobic but I find it quite comforting. The mood-lighting and foot rest is perfect. The lie-flat bed is very comfy and there is more than enough cushion and back support but due to the flight angle you are effectively sleeping 'upside-down' head first with blood flowing to your head. My previous trip was on a 74A J cabin upper deck and the seats on that equipment and deck were definitely abit longer. Upper deck on the 74A was also alot quieter.

The meal service was excellent - since it was a pretty long flight there were two main meals served - supper and breakfast. Anytime between that you could order snacks like noddle soups, ice creams and fruit platters. The entertainment system on CX is always good but it was my 2nd flight in January already so the movie selection was starting to get alittle thin.

Overall another rewarding J class experience on CX. Highly recommended for all travellers!

In the beginning

The quest started in 2007 - just a humble 25 year old working away and graduated from University only 2 years previously. One day I heard of this wonderful card that has all these amazing super powers that only the rich and famous has - getting that last minute table reservation - jumping through the line at the big clubs - and all these super powers came from this single card - the American Express Black Card. 

No its called Centurion you big ape. Silly VISA and their silly Black Card - there's just no comparison. 

I've now been a Centurion holder for 4 months. Lets just say the road to Centurion has been hard - but not impossible. And what about the card's magic powers?

It's why I've got this blog. Well in addition to the other thing I do - being a network consultant and all - I'm going to be very honest with my experiences now that I'm in the "Black Card Club". I've had some good times, some bad times, and there's been some "What The FUCK" moments.

For the moment, the statement "The moment you go Black, you never go back!" is still ringing true for me. Well... don't take that statement in the wrong way. But the Centurion is just 1 of many elite products out there. But given it is invite only, its not leaving my wallet anytime soon!

My AMEX card journey

American Express Qantas Premium Credit Card  (2 Years)

Platinum Credit Card (1 Year)

Platinum Charge Card (1 Year)

Centurion  (4 months)