Review, Cathay Pacific Airbus A359 Hong Kong – Bangkok economy

For once I was travelling with check-in baggage as I actually had a 6 days holiday coming up, and I was planning to stock up on some new clothes in Thailand as shopping there is really great.

I was working nightshift the night before my flight, so I decided to take advantage of Cathays 24-hour in advance check-in, and brought my suitcase with me to the airport before start of the shift. Check-in was done in 2 minutes, and very easy and efficient.

• Introduction – A sudden Trip to Pattaya, Thailand.
• Review, Cathay Pacific Airbus A359 Hong Kong – Bangkok economy
• Review, Discovery Beach Hotel, Pattaya, Thailand
• Re-discovering Pattaya
• Review, Oman Air Business and First Class lounge, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi
• Review, Cathay Pacific Airbus A330-300 Bangkok – Hong Kong economy

After I finished nightshift I headed to the terminal for breakfast as Beef and Liberty with a couple of friends from work, and then started the long walk to gate 63 for boarding. As I arrived at the gate boarding was just starting, and being a Marco Polo club member I could join the priority boarding queue, and I was on the plane within moments of arriving at the gate.

As my ticket was bought less than 48 hours before the flight, I was able to choose seats directly when I bought the ticket, and I had assigned myself in a bulkhead seat with extra legroom, seat 40C. Both seat A and B was already taken, so I couldn’t get a window seat which I prefer, but the extra legroom is still worth an aisle seat in my opinion.

The seats were comfortable, but being bulkhead seats the tray table is located in the armrests, making them impossible to move, and the seats are slightly more narrow than the normal economy class seats. Also, for seat 40C the TV is under the armrest, and folds out, meaning you have to lower it for take-off and landing. This makes it a bit harder watching movies.

For seat 40A and B the TV is on the bulkhead wall in front of you.

The TV screens also has a small storage compartment below them, just enough space to put your cellphone or Kindle there.

Boarding was completed quickly, the flight was about 30% full at a guess. The two people who had booked the seats next to me did not show up for the flight, so I got the entire 3-seater for myself, and moved over to the window seat before departure, so I could enjoy the view a bit more.

The leg space on those seats are really good, you can easily stretch your legs fully, and there is also a small store compartment at the bulkhead, so you can leave some stuff there as well.

We pushed back on schedule, and after a short taxi we were airborne from Runway 07R, at which time I closed my eyes and fell asleep quickly.

About 30 minutes after departure I was woken up by a member of the cabin crew asking if I wanted breakfast, and I opted for the omelette and hotdog – I was not given a menu, just asked to pick between that and a light continental breakfast.

The breakfast consisted of omelette, pork sausage, fried tomatoes, potatoes and mushrooms. On the side some fresh fruits and a yoghurt, as well as a roll of bread and fresh orange juice – overall quite a good meal for a short flight.

I now wanted to check out the movies, and located the remote controller for the TV in my armrest, and it was easy enough to use.

However, the screens seemed to be quite low quality, even when I closed the window blinds there was so much glare on the screen that I couldn’t really see anything, so after I finished my breakfast I decided to have another nap, and I was out cold until the aircraft touched down at Bangkok Suvernabhumi airport.

We arrived slightly ahead of schedule, and after a short taxi to the gate it was a long walk to immigration, which I cleared after falling in line for about 30 minutes. I then collected my bags and located my driver to go to Pattaya. As agreed with the company that provided the taxi service he was waiting for me at the agreed spot with a sign with my name on it.

I was impressed to see that we were going in a almost brand new Toyota Highlander, a much more comfortable ride than what the Bangkok Taxis offers.

After about 90 minutes I arrived at my hotel in Pattaya, which was going to be my base for the next 6 days!