Travel in NOV, 2019
It was a hastily arranged business trip to Hong Kong / Macau (And it was a trip for me.) Cathay Pacific is the only airline which flies from Busan to Hong Kong during the day. However, for short distance routes operated by Cathay Pacific, where demand is low, the Cathay Dragon operates jointly (actual operation). So I boarded the Cathay Dragon for the first time.
Actually, I didn't have to go to the airport early because I already had web-checked in on the Cathay Dragon Web site. But I was always busy whenever I took the airplanes. So I quickly moved from my home to Gimhae airport by taxi. There is a surprising fact every time I get to the airport. Even though it was a weekday, there were always a lot of people who board to the airplane.
I moved to the business line because I purchased a Cathay Pacific business class ticket. I had chosen the seat I wanted in advance through web check-in, so the only thing I had to do something was actually a bag drop.
Skyhub Lounge in Gimhae International Airport
Business class passengers who use Cathay Pacific and Cathaydragons can use the Skyhub lounge inside Gimhae International Airport. Nothing was new because it was the lounge I visited whenever I was on standby at Gimhae Airport. I finished the work in a hurry and quickly got to the airport. So I couldn’t have any meal. I got the pre-purchased duty free items and moved to the lounge.
The menu of refreshment bar in Skyhub Lounge changes every time. The food of the day was the worst food I have ever eaten there. The menu was not various and the quantity was not enough. However I felt sorry that there was no food I liked. Luckily, I could Tteokboki(korean food) because it was only delicious food there.
After off lounge and I was on board in a time. My seat was business class, so I was on board faster than economy line. The plane was not the latest model, so it was not the class that offered a perfectly wide bedlike seat. and All the seats were eight in total.
When departing from Gimhae International Airport, passengers get on the airplane mostly at the moorings. I am very happy to board through a corridor like this. The best thing is that I can walk comfortably.(not by bus) It was late afternoon, so the sun slowly began to set down.
door
Cathay Dragon’s business class which was 2-2 arranged first class seat
The Busan-Hong Kong route always is assigned an airplane type with 2-2 layout business seats.
Therefore, it was not the full flat seat. However, this seat ccould make it more convenient for me to fly for about three and a half hours. For the 2-2 arranged seat, the front seat was the widest. But it was really inconvenient to use the in-flight entertainment system. So I booked a second row seat when Web check-in. But since there was no second row seat remained from Hong Kong to Busan, I booked a first row seat.
p.s. Cathay Dragon doesn’t offer the amenities which are only for the business class. The amenities are provided only when you take the dawn flight. The amenities offered are Jurlique products. For business class toilets, There were Jurlique cosmetics
Like this, the first row seat is quite far from the in-flight tablet screen. So if you want to adjust the screen comfortably, it is better to take a back seat than the front seat. Although the fact you can stretch your legs widely is a merit.
cushion
At the small room you can see in the photo, you can put small bags and so on in. But if you unfold the seat, you can’t use the small room.
For me with a backpack, it was best to put the bag under the left window of the seat. However, as you can see in the picture, business class seats are always not large. It could be this narrow.
I was able to control the in-flight seat system with the buttons below the right armrest. You may not understand what I meant, but you can roughly understand what buttons they are by pressing any button.
Ordinary in-flight system
The most inconvenient of all these ordinary in-flight systems is, after all, personal reading lamp.
Since the light was not only on me but spreading, the in-flight light spread to other people's seats next to me. This can cause discomfort to others. These lights are easy to see in the economy class. This aircraft type is not up to date. As a result, the business class and the economic system are equipped with the same in-flight system.
Welcome drink + Nuts
The welcome beverage I chose was the signature rose. A drink made from a mix of light rum and apple/ grapefruit juice was enough to give a refreshing taste.
I liked the fried nut snack!
The flight began when the sunset began. and thanks to that, I could see the beautiful sunset in the sky.
The flight got started. All was tired and fell asleep.
To enjoy the entertainment, You haveto ask iPad to the flight attendant.
I decided to use the in-flight studio, not sleeping. The crew lent me an iPod because it wasn't all equipped with screens. I could choose the program I wanted, and the movie I saw was PARASITE (MOVIE). I wanted to see the movie, but I couldn't watch it on time. Thanks to it, I could enjoy watching the movie throughout the flight. It was convenient that I could choose “asian program” and watch “asian movie / TV”, and I enjoyed the program “Running Man” when I returned from Hong Kong to Busan.
In-flight dinner
The main foods of the day were bibimbap/ seafood fried noodles/ chicken steak, and I was able to choose one of them. I chose a chicken steak. And I chose a drink and the starter food was served.
The starter foods - Roasted beef, Roasted duck, Pinacolda salad + Season salad, lemon dressing
I was able to choose a bread. The most delicious meal of the dinner in-flight meal was not the main dish but rather the starter food. I liked the moist, well-done meat and the fresh vegetables. And with fresh lemon dressing. I could choose the bread, but there were not many options. There were three or four kinds of bread. I chose garlic bread because it looked delicious, but it was over-cooked. The garlic bread and the little hard bread were not my style. I felt the most sorry for kinds of bread.
Main dish - chicken breast steak with orange sauce + potatoes, spinach and carrots
I somewhat expected the taste of chicken breast, but the grilled vegetables served together were fine.
A well-grilled carrot and spinach blended well with chicken breast, but not as delicious as the starter.
It was really bad day. So the water in the cup shook so much that I was worried it might spill out.
It was inconvenient to eat. I was relieved that the shaking had calmed down when I finished my meal and ate dessert, but it was quite serious and I got a little worried.
I took Häagen-Dazs and savory oolong-tea for dessert.
the types of Häagen-Dazs ice cream were also selectable, and I remember that there were three types.
After eating the last dessert and watching the movie, I continued to work on my laptop. And slept...
It took about 3hours 30minutes to get to Hong Kong.
Finally, I got to Chep Lap Kok airport. I have signed up for the automatic entry registration in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. That’s why I was able to complete the immigration process with machine at once without standing in line. Thanks to this, I don't put an entry stamp on my passport. (This way, you can use your passport for a long time.) Of course, thanks to this, I often arrive before my luggage, so I always have to wait for my baggage. I got it and went to outside the airport.
Pret a manger is my favorite. I would pass by the shop and buy some sandwiches, beverage and fruits... but many things were already sold out. I barely chose some of the rest and paid for it.
I took the AEL and moved to the accommodation.
It was a short flight. It wasn't a very large business class seat, but it certainly had less flight stress and less fatigue. I could stretch my legs comfortably and move in a slightly reclined state. This was, after all, an advantage of business class. Among the airlines with routes from Busan to Hong Kong, Cathay Dragon is the only FSC airline. Therefore, it is convenient to choose Cathay Dragon if you are bothered to choose additional services through LCC Airlines. (You can book at Cathay Pacific.) Since the average round-trip fare starts at 196,000 won in the off-season, you can purchase flight tickets at a lower price than LCC Airlines if you choose the good date!
HKG ▶PUS : KA312
The departure time of the plane was in the afternoon, but I had to get up early in the morning. Because I had to move to the Hong Kong airport from Macau. You can directly move to Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok International airport from Macau by the Ferry. This method is the most convenient.
I was going to leave by plane at 12:00 p.m., I had to take a ferry leaving for the airport at 9 a.m., at least three hours before my flight. Besides, if you want your suitcase to be automatically moved from ferry to the plane, You must process your luggage at the ferry terminal at least an hour before departure time. If you don’t have any luggage, you may get there just 30 mins before the departure of ferry.
How to get to HK Chek Lap Kok Airport from Macau directly
1. when you book the ferry, you have to set up the destination “Hong Kong International Airport Skypier”
2. You can choose a ferry leaving the terminal for the airport about three hours before the flight departure time.
3. If you have any luggage to check in, you must arrive at the ferry terminal an hour before departure time of ferry.
Be sure to let the staff know that you have the luggage to check in at the ferry terminal.
p.s. Moving your suitcase from ferry to plane at once is called "up stream service."
However, there is a limited number of airlines that can use this service. So let's make sure that your airline offers this service in advance. You have to carry your luggage on the ferry yourself. And you have to deal with your suitcase again at Hong Kong International Airport by yourself.
moving to HK Chek Lap Kok Airport by ferry.
You Should go to Tax Refund Counter.
If you move directly from Macau to Hong Kong Airport by ferry, you can get your local taxes back. The Macau government considers that people who travel directly from Macau's ferry terminal to Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport purchased ferry tickets to go abroad. Therefore, you can get the tax included in the purchase of the ferry ticket back at the Hong Kong airport. Thanks to that, I got my tax back and entered the airport departure hall.
Cathay pacific VIP lounge, The Peer in Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok International Airport
Among the airport lounge I have ever been, the best lounge was "No1 Gatwick Lounge" at London's Gatwick Airport, England. And it’s Cathay Pacific’s "The Peer" Lounge that has changed that standard. It was huge and had all the amenities. Enough to make it feel like a huge restaurant and massage shop were together. Later, I will review The Pier Lounge. I had a good meal here for a short time and moved to take the airplane.
The gate I had to arrive was quite far from the wide Hong Kong airport.
Chek Lap Kok Airport in Hong Kong is immensely wide in scale, even being lack of gates, it has gates that are far away from the main building like a special building. Because of that, I could get in front of the gate moving for a long time.
At that day, There were so many flights that waited at the runway for a long time. The airplanes I saw from the window were about 6. It wasn't until all the planes left that Cathay Dragon could take off. There were several planes waiting behind my flight. I could realize how many planes were flying in and out of Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok Airport.
I chose the orange juice as wellcome drink.
I sat down on the first row seat. that’s why the screen was too far. It was too far to reach so I had to stand up to control the screen.
In-flight lunch
Starter: grilled salmon + sweet potato + salad
The starter foods at this flight were not delicious. They were just like sweet potato taste and salmon taste. Rather the sauce next to the grilled salmon cube was not good to me, but the balsamic sauce on the salad went well with the salmon cube.
Most of the bread I had on my departure from Busan to Hong Kong was overcooked. I didn't expect much because most of the bread was hard. But the bread I chose this time was with sunflower seeds and this bread was delicious. The savory sunflower seeds and soft flesh made it good to eat!
Main dish - lamb steak
The main dish of the day was bibimbap, lamb steak, and fried chicken.
The dish I chose was a lamb steak. The properly roasted lamb smelled very good and tasted good. There was also little unique smell to be felt in the lamb. The more I chewed this meat, the more delicious it was. I didn't like the starter, but I really liked the main dish. Besides, well-done artichokes and potatoes and carrots.
I would finish my work with Running Man, not eating Häagen-Dazs. But I got hungry and finally asked for it. I spent time enjoying blueberry flavored Häagen-Dazs
After working for a long time, I took a nap and arrived at Gimhae International Airport. I had planned to move as leisurely as possible on this business trip, but it didn't go as I had planned. But it was good to reduce flight stress thanks to business class. It was also good that the service of the crew was above average. When I boarded the Vietnam Air business class last year, the plane was good, but the service was just so so and the service from a certain crew member was really terrible. On the other hand, Cathay Dragon was smaller and had worse aircraft than the Vietnamese airline , but the crew service was very kind and I loved it! I will board Cathay Dragon for my next flight for Hongkong.
Cathay Dragon Airline
When you book the Busan-Hong Kong route flight at Cathay Pacific, you will get a reservation at Cathay Pacific, but since the actual airline is Cathay Dragon, you will get the Cathay Dragon service. Cathay Dragon is a subsidiary of Cathay Pacific Airlines and Air Hong Kong and has been called Cathay Dragon since Jan. 28, 2016. It was Hong Kong Dragon Airline before. Cathay Dragon operates routes from Busan and Jeju airports in South Korea. If you leave a local airport and move to Hong Kong, you will boarde Cathay Dragon.
1. Cathay Dragon Hong Kong route: the number of flights / flight hours
It operates once a day, and the flight time takes an average of around 3 hours and 30 minutes.
2. Fare of BUSAN - Hong Kong round-way
Cathay Dragon flights from Busan to Hong Kong can be booked at the lowest price of 196,000 won to 500,000 won on a round-trip basis. The average fare is around 300,000 won. (surely, this fare could change from time to time, so please keep in mind.) For business class, the lowest price on a round trip basis is around 650,000 won on average.
3. How to buy Cathay Dragon’s business class discounted flight ticket
The best way is to get Cathay Dragon promotion itself. it could be the best way. Go to Cathay Pacific Airline promotion page