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Bad News
Earlier in the day, I received an email from Cathay Pacific apologizing because the aircraft for tonight's flight would not feature the lie-flat beds due to operational reasons. I was not happy at all since I encountered the same fate on the outbound flight, and with an early morning overnight departure, that meant I would not likely be able to sleep for the night. After a few email exchanges, their airline staff in India were able to appease my anger in a professional and responsive way. I did appreciate their pro-active attitude, although next time I may consider the private Indian carriers given they were substantially cheaper and used new planes.
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Airport Reception
The road to the airport was still full of bumps, beggars, and dust. However, they did renovate the terminal. The crowds were still there though, but this time, Cathay had their staff on the drop-off curb to greet their premium passengers. I approached one carrying the Business Class placard, and he kindly took my large baggage to proceed into the terminal without lining up for the security check at the door. He took me all the way to the check-in counter, where I very quickly got my boarding pass and was ready to go. This was a vast improvement from my experience in 2007.
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There were 2 lines leading to the security check. It snaked around a few times, but the wait was not too terrible. Security seemed a little tighter than other airports, although it was understandable given the higher terrorism risk in India. I was given an empty Cathay Pacific baggage tag at check-in. I didn't know what it was for at first. But the solution came after the security check. The security officer would stamp the tag after my bag was successfully screened, and I was supposed to keep it attached to my bag to prove so. |
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Improvements
They did some basic improvements to the terminal, and the mosquitoes from my last visit were long gone. I proceeded to the premium lounge, and observed some of the new installations en route.
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Busy Lounge
The lounge has significantly improved and looked more like a proper premium facility. It was extremely busy inside, since it housed other airlines' passengers awaiting their overnight departures. There were many international departures at that time of the day. |
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A Friendly Reminder
The announcement came that it was time for my flight to board. I was kindly reminded by a friendly staff to put my camera into my hand-carry, since I only had one security check tag and I would likely be questioned if I tried to board carrying two bags (one without the tag). The staff was quite thoughtful.
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I didn't have much appetite. It was already a painful departure past 2am. Add to that a chair that did not lie-flat, it was very difficult to get some decent sleep. I could not wait to get back home for a long rest.
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We descended under a beautiful sky, and crossed the city from the east with many views.
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Hong Kong Island
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LOHAS Park, Tseung Kwan O
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It was an uneventful landing on the north runway. I could not wait to get home, hopefully by lunch time, to get some real sleep.
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Hong Kong Airlines' new A330
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