It is a very long time since I took this flight, and I’ve never done it eastwards. So I was pretty pleased when the flight time was considerably faster than normal.

The 777-300ER aircraft was parked at Gate 4, very close to The Wing lounge where I had spent my connection.

Gate
Gate 4 is in the main part of the terminal, and is used as the area around it can be blocked off so that the airline can undertake additional security procedures. There are two lines, one for First and Business, the second for economy. There are a number of desks set up and the security staff have an additional look through your carry on.

Boarding
4 lines get formed near boarding time, around the gate – First/Emerald OneWorld elites, Business/Sapphire OneWorld elites, Premium Economy and Economy. The staff work down the lines checking passports and that you are in the right queue. I was lucky to be in the First Class line as a OneWorld Emerald.

Once on board – via Door 1, I quickly found my seat in the mini-cabin at the back of First Class. With just two rows this is a pretty quiet area. Although the flight seemed totally full, it was relatively quiet.

Worth noting that there is no storage over the centre seats in Row 11.

The Seat
The seat is excellent, facing as it does the window. There is plenty of storage space and it is relatively private. Legroom is not a problem – sorry for the knees!

It comes equipped with a pillow and a nice duvet. The plane was relatively cold – which I prefer – but I was nice and warm under the covers during the night.

Food and Drink
Very quickly after take off the crew were through with food.

Starter
Smoked gravlax salmon with green and white asparagus
Salad
Mixed seasonal salad with Balsamic vinaigrette

Main Course
Grilled Australian prime beef tenderloin with Madeira sauce, new potatoes and with chives and ratatouille

Also available were:
Wok fried seafood in a ginkgo nut sauce
Chicken teriyaki with seamed Japanese rice and seasonal vegetables
Mushroom and garlic ravioli with mushroom cream sauce.

Cheese and Dessert
Cheeses with apple and rosemary paste
Fresh Seasonal fruit
Sacher cake with whipped cream

There were mid-flight snacks, although when I woke up from my sleep, after about 7 hours, they had almost all run out.

Grilled Australian prime grain fed beef burger with Swiss cheese
Shrimp wantons in noodle soup
Ice Cream

Shortly before landing, about 13 hours later, they did a Brunch service. I didn’t partake, but this is the menu:

Juices/smoothie
Fruit
Yoghurt
Cereal
Omletter with pan-fried pork sausage, bacon, roasted potatoes, marinated red peppers and braised bean ragout
Dim Sum with chilli sauce
Dry scallop congees with chicken and shiitake mushroom

The flight passed quickly enough and I got a good nights sleep.

Arrival
There was no delay at JFK although we were a little early. There were still passengers in the arrivals area from a previous flight, but Global Entry meant that I was outside in two minutes.

Entertainment
Cathay’s entertainment offering was strong – good range of movies and TV programmes on a decent sized screen. Noise reducing headsets are built in to a small cupboard on the side of the seat.

There is a view of the camera under the plane which was interesting for departure and arrivals.