Flight Review: Manila to Vancouver via Hong Kong

After enjoying nearly one year in the Philippines, it was time to return to Canada to resume work. As I was not sure when my exact date of departure would be until the last minute, I ended up booking my flight to Vancouver around ten days prior to departure. However, I was still able to get a reasonably priced fare by using Kayak.com to search the various internet websites for air tickets. I ended up booking a trip for US $665 one-way from Manila to Vancouver via Hong Kong. The first leg to Hong Kong would be operated by Cathay Pacific, while the much longer flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver would be operated by Air Canada.  

naia terminal 1
Copyright Photo: D. Wilson/PFN

Cathay Pacific Flight Review: Manila to Hong Kong

The trip began on September 17, 2014 at  Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Manila. Although I was hoping that Cathay Pacific would have already transferred to Terminal 3 prior to the date of my flight, I was somewhat eager to experience Terminal 1 once again just to check on the progress of the upgrades that they are doing to the terminal. As this was an early flight departing Manila at 5:20am, I left my hotel in Manila at around 2:00am. I arrived less than 30 minutes later at roughly 2:30am with plenty of time to spare. 

naia terminal 1
Copyright Photo: D. Wilson/PFN
It was fairly quiet when I arrived at the airport. There were only a handful of carriers that had flights departing that early. Although there was no queue to enter the terminal, there was a considerable queue of economy class passengers, checking in for CX 904 to Hong Kong. It was quite warm in the terminal and I was happy that it wasn't crowded at that point. But thankfully, that was the only line I had to endure as security, terminal fee, and immigration clearance was completely empty.

naia terminal 1
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
As I cleared security and immigration after paying my P550 terminal fee, it was immediately noticeable that work had begun on the revitalization of NAIA Terminal 1. However, there was not a sufficient amount of work completed to suggest what the terminal may look like once finished. Several areas had been boarded up with work being completed behind them, while a number of other areas had been completely cleared out and roped off. For the most part, the terminal seemed like a blank canvas with few amenities to entertain. 

naia terminal 1
Copyright Photo: D. Wilson/PFN
Signs were posted everywhere advising passengers of the renovations and the airport authority had even pre-recorded announcements asking passengers to bear with the on-going construction, while apologizing for any inconvenience caused. 

naia terminal 1
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
Bare hallways were just about all that I could see as I walked toward Gate 7. 

naia terminal 1
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
As I approached the entrance to Gate 7, some passengers had decided to sit along the wall to await the flight. This suggested to me that either the actual gate was not open yet, the queue to enter was long, or there were simply no seats left in the departure lounge. However, I was wrong on all counts, though there was a bit of a line to enter the gate area. I'm not really sure why they decided to sit there. 

I was last at NAIA Terminal 1 in December 2013 awaiting a Jetstar flight to Singapore. In that instance, people were forced to sit outside because the entrance to our departure gate was locked until around one hour prior to departure and there was no seating available anywhere until the gate opened so people just sat on the carpeted floor. I will concur that Terminal 1 does indeed deserve its title as one of the world's worst airports.

naia terminal 1
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
I entered the stairwell to make the steep trip down the stairs into the departure lounge area for Gate 7. I can't even begin to imagine how inconvenient it must be for travellers with lots of hand-carry to have to navigate those steps downwards, in addition to waiting in what could be a lengthy queue inside a hot and confined space. 

naia terminal 1
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
As I arrived at the bottom, my boarding documents were checked by the gate staff. I was thankful that there was not an additional manual search of hand-carry items as experienced on my United Airlines flight to Guam, which would have made the line move much slower.

naia terminal 1
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
When I finally entered the departure lounge, there was still plenty of seating available and I was able to grab a seat near the front. However, the lounge did end up filling up quickly as our flight was full.

naia terminal 1

Since the airport was not busy at this time of day, I was able to go through all of the security requirements, check-in, and immigration in under an hour and I was seated in the departure lounge at around 3:30am. That gave me just over an hour before boarding was to begin. At about 4:00am, the gate agents began making preparations in time for boarding the flight at 4:40am.

naia terminal 1
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
I have no idea if this is normal for these Cathay Pacific flights to Hong Kong but in all of my years of travelling around the world, I have never encountered so many wheel chair passengers on just one flight. I counted about six in total waiting to pre-board.

cathay pacific 777
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
We boarded on-time at 4:40am. They boarded everyone in an orderly fashion with priority boarding for seniors, disabled passengers, and those travelling with small children. This was followed by Business Class, Premium Economy, and Marco Polo club members. Economy Class was boarded according to seat row beginning at the back of the aircraft. As I was seated in 63A, I was one of the first economy passengers to board. Considering how congested Gate 7 was at NAIA, I thought that boarding went quite smoothly thanks to the orderly process.

cathay pacific 777
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
Today's flight was operated by a Boeing 777-367ER registered B-KQK. It was less than a year old having been delivered to Cathay Pacific brand new on December 5, 2013 on a lease basis. The aircraft carries 275 passengers in a four-class configuration featuring 6 first class suites, 53 lie flat seats in business class, 34 in premium economy, and 182 in economy class. 

cathay pacific flight review
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
Complimentary head sets were distributed by the flight attendants, while Cathay Pacific's Discovery magazine and the Safety Card were available for reading in the seat pocket, along with a Duty Free guide.

cathay pacific 777
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
Although nothing extravagant, I do appreciate the added features and personal touches that Cathay Pacific adds to its cabins. You can tell that the design has been carefully thought through and it is these smaller touches that gives it an edge as a five-star carrier and the designation of the World's Best Airline for 2014 as rated by Skytrax. Unlike the seat backs on many economy seats on other carriers, Cathay Pacific adds a few extras including an amenity storage for pens, glasses, or smart phones, along with a hook to hang your coat or sweatshirt. 

cathay pacific economy
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
The tray table also helps to maximize comfort and space with the option of simply pulling out a cup holder or only half of the tray should you not require the entire space with the unique bi-fold design. Indeed, it is nothing major or significant but it is a small touch that goes a long way. Economy class is configured with nine seats across in a 3-3-3 configuration, which I appreciate over the tighter 3-4-3 configuration on other carriers. Passengers are provided with a 32" seat pitch and width of 18.5" which I found adequate for this flight. The new Cathay Pacific Economy Class also features a cradle mechanism providing a 6" recline. I actually fell asleep unexpectedly for the first hour of the flight and missed snack service. 

cathay pacific b777
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
Every seat is equipped with a 9" touch-screen equipped with audio-video on demand using the Panasonic eX2 in-flight entertainment system. There was a wide-array of music, television, films, and games to choose from though I was not able to take advantage of it on the short two hour flight to Hong Kong, especially since I had already slept through half of the flight. What I do like about it is that you can charge your mobile phones using the USB port and if you bring your laptop, there is also a 110V power supply. If you wish, you can also use the USB port to connect your own device in order to watch your own movies or listen to your own music.  The touch screen was also highly responsive. However, it is important to note that this particular aircraft is not always used on the Manila to Hong Kong route and IFE will vary according to the type of aircraft operating the flight. Therefore, you should choose your flight and your aircraft accordingly.

cathay pacific manila
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
The Airshow / Moving Map on Cathay Pacific is one of the best systems that I have encountered. I enjoy being able to zoom in on a 3D virtual model of the aircraft as it travels to the destination. I also appreciated how they displayed a screen as we approached Hong Kong showing all of the connecting Cathay Pacific flights and corresponding gate numbers.

cathay pacific snack
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
As I mentioned earlier, I did sleep through the first half of the flight and I missed snack service though I must admit it is debatable whether this snack was worth waking up for. Shortly after I woke up, I got the attention of a flight attendant and advised her that I had slept through snack service and she kindly brought it to me. It was a puff pastry filled with bacon and egg, served with a cup of orange juice. I'm sure that other beverage options were available during the actual service. The pastry itself was alright, though a little dry. It is indeed sufficient for a two-hour flight. However, I would suggest that Philippine Airlines may have the edge for serving an actual hot rice meal on their flights to Hong Kong.

cathay pacific flight review
Image Source: Y Travel Blog
We landed in Hong Kong approximately 10 minutes ahead of scheduled and arrived at the gate at about 7:10am. As I disembarked from the aircraft, I was able to get a peek at Cathay Pacific's premium economy and business class cabins. Unfortunately, my photo of premium economy did not turn out so well so I had to borrow the photo above from another blog.

cathay pacific flight review
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
There are a total of 53 business class seats on board this four-class Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300ER. I had the pleasure of sitting in one at SM Aura in Bonifacio Global City a day earlier as Cathay Pacific had set up a special display to showcase their Business and Premium Economy class products.
cathay pacific flight review
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
Upon arriving in Hong Kong, I glanced back at our aircraft to snap a photo through the glass. I had a twelve hour layover in Hong Kong, which was ideal for those who wanted to venture into the city but as the weather was cloudy and rainy, I decided to remain in the airport and amuse myself there. I could have taken later flights that would have provided a shorter layover but I wanted to keep my options open. Although my luggage had been checked through to Vancouver, I did not yet have my boarding card as I was travelling on Air Canada, so I proceeded to find the transit desk.

hong kong international airport
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
Hong Kong Airport was a breath of fresh air after navigating through Terminal 1 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. I can only hope that we will one day enjoy an airport like this in the Philippines in the future.

hong kong international airport
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
I followed the signs in the arrivals hall to the airline desks where I could obtain a boarding pass for my connecting flight that was due to depart exactly twelve hours later at 7:20pm.

hong kong international airport
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
I eventually came across this directory that listed which of the three transfer desks to proceed to in order to check-in for Air Canada. It was located in the section called, "W1." I headed over to W1 only to discover that Air Canada was nowhere to be found. It appeared that I had arrived too early. I headed to the Customer Information desk at the airport to find out what time Air Canada would open. The agent seemed unsure and guessed 9:30am, which was a couple of hours away. So I decided to tough it out and kill some time while I waited.

cathay pacific 747
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
Lucky for me, I am an aviation enthusiast so it is hard to get bored at Hong Kong's airport with all of the international aircraft arriving and departing. It also helps that there are large floor to ceiling windows that enable passengers to get incredible views of the aircraft. What did disappoint me however is that there are no amenities in the arrivals hall. There were no convenience stores, ATM machines, or restaurants. Having arrived that early, I certainly would have appreciated the opportunity to purchase a cup of coffee.

As I was waiting for 9:30am to arrive, I encountered this Cathay Pacific Boeing 747 preparing for departure. Since Cathay Pacific will soon be retiring their 747 fleet, I decided to snap a photo as it may be one of the last times that I get to see one up close. It was eventually time to return to the transfer desk but Air Canada was still nowhere to be found. I overheard other passengers say that the desk would not open until three hours prior to departure. 

That meant that I would need to wait until around 4:00pm in a secluded area with nothing to do. I returned to the information desk and they suggested that I go and visit Hong Kong or at least, head to the land side of the airport where all the check-in desks were located, along with plenty of restaurants and shops. I had visited Hong Kong before and given the weather, I did not feel like heading into the city, nor did I know what I would do. 

I considered going to the land side of the airport terminal, but my concern was that I would also end up waiting for three hours prior to departure before I would be permitted to check-in and enter the departure lounge. As I had heavy hand-carry with me, I did not want to be trapped walking aimlessly inside or outside of the airport. 

Luckily, I eventually discovered that Air Canada had an earlier flight to Toronto at 3:00pm and that the transfer desk would open at 12:00pm. Though it was not ideal, I decided to wait until 12 and then proceed to the departure lounge where there were plenty of amenities and restaurants. I used the several hours that I had to find a quiet place to nap, while I waited for the desk to open.
hong kong international airport
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
Finally, as the clock struck twelve, the Air Canada symbol appeared at the W1 airline desks and I proceeded to collect my boarding pass for my seven o'clock flight.

hong kong international airport
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
For what seemed like an endless wait, the process literally took seconds and I was given my boarding pass in no time and proceeded through security to enter the departure lounge. By this point, I was already starving.

hong kong international airport
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By the time that I reached the massive departure area, Hong Kong Airport was already buzzing with passengers and as I scouted for a place to eat, I began to realize that it was going to be a problem finding a seat. Hong Kong Airport is without a doubt a culinary experience and offers one of the best varieties of options for passenger dining at an airport in Asia or perhaps even anywhere in the world. I first went to the large food court that featured a number of fast food and traditional dining options but it was completely packed. I observed some people sitting on the floor with meal trays trying to enjoy their Chinese soups and McDonald's burgers. I decided to escape the madness and look for a quiet place. I eventually located one at the opposite end of the building. In hindsight, I wish I wrote down the name of the establishment as I have already forgotten it. But it was absolutely delicious.

hong kong international airport
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
Since I was already starving at this point and had nothing else to do but eat as I waited for my flight, I decided to splurge a little and order more than I normally would for an ordinary lunch. Plus it was likely the last time I would enjoy some traditional Hong Kong dim sum for quite a while. I began with pork dumplings that were served fresh and incredibly juicy and moist inside.

hong kong international airport
Copyright Photo: D. Wilson/PFN
This was followed by shrimp dumplings, which were equally as fresh and moist. I actually had to wait twenty minutes for the shrimp dumplings but I was fine with that as they were indeed worth the wait. In hindsight, I wish I just ordered the shrimp dumplings rather than the pork as I preferred the taste much more. In addition, they had generous servings of large shrimp inside, and were practically the same price as the pork dumplings.

hong kong international airport
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson
For my main course, I ordered this beautifully presented roast chicken that was served with freshly steamed vegetables in a mild curry sauce, accompanied by roast potatoes, and grilled corn. There was one cream and one tomato based dip served with it that were both on the spicy side. It was very filling and I was as impressed with the presentation as I was with the taste. I was rather shocked that it just cost the equivalent of both my dumpling dishes combined as it seemed much better value.

hong kong international airport
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
I completed my Hong Kong Airport tasting experience with almond cream served with egg whites. Admittedly, being a foreigner, the concept seemed rather odd and I could not figure out the significance of the egg whites, which seemed out of place. However, overall, it was delicious and incredibly soothing to the stomach. Most importantly, it was quite light after a rather heavy lunch. It reminded me a little of warm hot custard served in the United Kingdom.

hong kong international airport
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
After lunch, I proceeded to one of the airport's internet stations to send a few e-mails updating friends and family of my trip progress. The airport does offer WiFi but for whatever reason, I could not get connected, which is likely more the fault of my device than it is the airport. In addition, my cell phone battery was starting to die. They did have some charging stations in the airport, but there was hardly a sufficient amount for the number of passengers and though there were plenty of electrical outlets, they did not have universal power ports and I did not have an adaptor with me.
hong kong international airport
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
I truly enjoyed being in Hong Kong Airport with the beautiful floor to ceiling windows that let in plenty of natural light and offered passengers beautiful views of aircraft constantly coming and going. It was times like this that I wished I had a better camera on hand for plane spotting.
hong kong international airport
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
As I was heading toward my departure gate to wait patiently for my flight, I came across the Air Canada Boeing 777-200LR bound for Toronto as it was pushing back from the gate. It is one of Air Canada's longest flights at 15 hours and 25 minutes gate to gate.

hong kong international airport
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Just as I was about to reach our gate, I was invited by staff of the Hong Kong Airport Authority to complete a passenger satisfaction survey. They had set up a special booth in the airport and were actively soliciting feedback from passengers to obtain ways to improve the airport and passenger experience. My first thought was that if any airport needs this, it's the airport in Manila. But then I realized the line up might get too long and that people would miss their flights as there is simply too much to complain about at NAIA.

hong kong international airport
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I could see my gate from the booth in the airport and the aircraft had not arrived yet. The airport representatives were kind enough to offer me an unlimited supply of complimentary drinks so I took advantage and enjoyed a can of orange juice, while taking a bottle of water with me for the flight. In my notes, I described many of the same issues as highlighted in this review such as the lack of amenities in the arrivals area and the need for more charging stations and universal power ports. From the sound of it, this was not the first time the airport had been given this feedback. However, I was advised that it was possible for me to obtain a special pass or permit to enter the departure lounge in the event that I was to be stranded again in the arrivals area for an extended period.

Air Canada Flight Review: Hong Kong to Vancouver

hong kong international airport
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
I eventually made it to my gate with a couple of hours to spare before my flight. As there were few passengers at this point, I was able to find a good spot near the window where I could watch the plane as it arrived.
air canada flight review
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
Shortly after I sat down, I saw the Boeing 777-300ER taxiing towards our gate. Air Canada has two versions of its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The original version is a two-class 349-seat aircraft with Business and Economy classes. The economy section is configured similar to Cathay Pacific with nine seats across in a 3-3-3 configuration, offering a 32" seat pitch, 18.5" width, and 5" recline. 

air canada 777-300er
Copyright Photo: D. Wilson/PFN
Unfortunately, the aircraft I described was not our aircraft. We had one of the new high density configured Boeing 777 aircraft. Unlike the originally configured aircraft that features 349 seats, the high density version aircraft holds 458 seats. Our aircraft due to depart for Vancouver offered three classes with 36 business class seats, 24 premium economy seats, and 398 economy class seats. In the economy section, seats are configured ten across in a 3-4-3 configuration. Each seat has a 31" seat pitch, 17" width, and 6" recline. Although recline has improved on this aircraft, passengers have lost an inch of seat pitch, and an inch and a half of width compared to the older Air Canada Boeing 777 model.

air canada hong kong flights
Copyright Photo: D. Wilson/PFN
These high-density aircraft regularly operate between Vancouver and Hong Kong, as well as other Air Canada routes from Vancouver to London Heathrow, Montreal to Paris, and Toronto to Vancouver. As I was sitting waiting for our flight to board, I glanced out of the window and noticed an old friend passing by our Air Canada plane.

hong kong international airport
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
The Boeing 777-333ER aircraft operating our flight was registered C-FNNQ. It was less than a year old as well, having been delivered to Air Canada brand new on November 29, 2013. It was literally just a few days older than the Cathay Pacific B777 that I had earlier flown on.

air canada enroute
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
The announcement was eventually made that it was time to board. Although they boarded by seat row from the back of the aircraft forward, they did not segment the boarding process very well. Rather than beginning with the last 10 rows, they started with the last 20 rows, which led to a massive exodus of economy class passengers that lined up in an incredibly long line that seemed to stretch all the way to China. It would be more prudent in the future for the gate agents to only call around ten rows at a time. Perhaps such a set up was not as bad when they used to operate the 349-seat Boeing 777 or the 286-seat A340-300 in Hong Kong. However, there are now more than 100 additional economy passengers on this aircraft and this particular flight was full.

air canada flight review
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
Air Canada 008 is a 12 hour and 50 minute flight to Vancouver. Our flight was scheduled to touch down in Vancouver at 4:10pm. I was seated at 61K at the very back of the aircraft. I chose this seat row on purpose as it had only a 2-4-2 configuration. This provided me with additional room at the window. I observed a couple of larger passengers that I felt quite sorry for having to squeeze into the cramped conditions for such a lengthy flight.

air canada 777-300er cabin
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
As I sat down, I was pleased to see that the in-flight entertainment system was already switched on. It actually remained on for the entire duration of the flight. While the aircraft may be on the cramped side, everything else more than made up for it. One benefit of riding the high density Boeing 777 is that it features a newer version of Air Canada's enRoute in-flight entertainment system. It is actually the newest version available with the exception of the system available on the Boeing 787 fleet, which features video games.

air canada enroute
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
Like Cathay Pacific, Air Canada used the Panasonic eX2 in-flight entertainment system with nine inch touch screens. I found them to be extremely sensitive with no lag at all. It features more than enough selections to occupy a 13 hour flight including audio on demand, video on demand, passenger surveys, and the ever popular moving map. In addition, I was finally able to charge some of my electronic gadgets as we had a USB charging port and a universal 110-volt power outlet.

air canada flight review
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
The flight attendants came around and passed out complimentary ear buds for passengers that did not already have their own to use. I must admit that I prefer using ear buds than the traditional head sets that one wears over their head. Unlike Cathay Pacific, Air Canada allows passengers to take the ear buds home for free, which the airline recommends to use again on a future flight. One other feature of the Air Canada Boeing 777-300ER is the presence of ambient mood lighting. You will see in two of the photos in this review how the lighting changes throughout the flight. The system is designed to sync with the time zones in order to alleviate jet lag and to provide passengers with a more rested feel upon arrival. I thought that was a really thoughtful touch that enhanced the experience in spite of the cramped environment. 

air canada economy meal
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
Dinner was eventually served about one hour into the flight. The biggest problem with sitting at the back of the aircraft is that you put yourself at risk of the flight running out of one of the meal selections by the time they reach you. In this case, that is exactly what happened to me. However, this didn't bother me at all as I enjoyed the meal. I didn't know what they had ran out of but I suspect it was an Asian meal selection, and I would have opted for their Western choice anyway, which is exactly what we got. 

We were served braised pork and noodles with steamed vegetables. I was impressed by the generous large chunks of pork that were provided. It was accompanied by a Greek salad which I thoroughly enjoyed, a bread roll, water, and carrot cake for dessert. The carrot cake did not look impressive on first glance but I must confess it was surprisingly moist and packed with flavour. A beverage cart followed with a selection of juices, sodas, coffee, tea, and alcoholic beverages. Shortly after they came around for the first beverage service, the flight attendants came around again for a second beverage service, which I thought was nice and generous. 

air canada flight review
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
For whatever reason, I didn't feel like watching any movies during the flight though there were many that appealed to me. Instead, I split my time dozing off, watching the moving map, and watching about six episodes of the Big Bang Theory. The flight cruised for much of the journey between 33,000 and 36,000 feet. As we passed over Japan, we hit quite a bit of turbulence. While passing Osaka, the seatbelt sign was switched on for the better part of an entire hour.

air canada snack
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
About 6 hours into the flight, a snack was served at around 1:30am. It featured a cheese and tomato sandwich, accompanied by a package of biscuits. On past flights, Air Canada has served hot cups of noodles for a snack and I much prefer this sandwich instead. I requested orange juice and coffee to accompany my snack. The creamers were provided by Kowloon Dairy. The flight attendant, Edna, observed that I was snapping photographs of the snack and jokingly insisted that I get a clear shot of the Air Canada logo in my shots. That made me smile. It's always nice to encounter an employee that enjoys what they do and is proud of the company that they work for. I must admit that I have encountered many disinterested or indifferent flight attendants on Air Canada in the past and it was a treat to be served by Edna, who consistently had a smile and warm demeanour. In fact, she was one of the few flight attendants on this flight that I observed smiling consistently.

air canada vancouver
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
I continued to observe the progress of the flight on the moving map feature. One other observation that I noticed about this high density version of the Boeing 777 is the lavatories. Unlike the other Air Canada 777's with eight lavatories to serve the 307 passengers of economy, this aircraft has only six to serve the 398 passengers in economy. This meant that after each meal and beverage service, there were usually long lines. On a side note, it is worth it to note that the older Air Canada 777's feature a washroom with a view, whereas the lavatories in the economy section of the high density cabins do not. 

air canada airline meal
Copyright Photo: D.Wilson/PFN
As we neared Vancouver, breakfast was served around two hours prior to landing. It was a choice of Chinese congee or a western breakfast of an omelette in a cream sauce, with herb potatoes, and baked beans. There was also a small fruit salad and bread roll with jam. I was hoping for a yoghurt but it was not part of the meal. However, what was served was more than adequate and it all tasted quite good. I especially enjoyed the cream sauce over the egg, having chosen the western breakfast.

Image Source: The Access Road
Our arrival was uneventful with the landing incredibly smooth. We ended up arriving at the gate twenty minutes ahead of schedule which is always a welcome surprise. Overall, I had a wonderful flight with both Air Canada and Cathay Pacific. Though the Air Canada cabin is slightly cramped compared to its predecessors, I still enjoyed the flight and would not hesitate to choose Air Canada again. I like the Air Canada service and in-flight entertainment, which is good value for money. However, I do hope in the future that they would fly direct from Vancouver to Manila, preferably with a Boeing 787.

7 comments:

  1. An excellent report. A growing number of airlines (including Philippine Airlines) has adopted 10 across seating on 773s which for larger passengers can be uncomfortable if the flight is full, as yours was departing Hong Kong.

    Let's hope the Manila NAIA T1 renovations are worth waiting for. Personally I would have demolished this old terminal and constructed a new building from scratch.

    ReplyDelete
  2. There's more kickbacks to be made on refurbishments than building an entirely new terminal. That's why those corrupt officials would prefer it that way.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bongga talaga ang Cathay, Manila to Hongkong lang, may personal IFE pa, e ang PAL, long haul flight na nga wala pa. Hahahaaa

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bongga rin ang Air Canada, mula pinakamalaki hanggang sa pinakamaliit na eroplano, may personal IFE. I was on an E190 plane of AC to Havana, Cuba. Less than a hundred ang capacity ng eroplano at just 3 hrs ang flight duration pero may personal IFE pa rin. At kung ano ang content ng entertainment nila for long haul ay ganun din for short haul. Talk about consistency which PAL obviously lack. Baka ang ginagaya ng PAL, ay ang Air Canada Rouge, which is the budget arm of Air Canada. Walang personal TV ang eroplano, pero meron wifi and you could stream entertainment through your own gadget. Pero Air Canada Rouge only fly domestic and short haul. So by North American standard, ang PAL is a low cost airline, e bakit may PAL Express pa. Ano ang difference? Ah siguro ung coffee at mani... ;) Basta wag lang tatanggalin ang B777 sa Toronto, ok lang sa akin, sasakay pa rin ako :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you very much for your review. It just happens that I am in the exact same situation at the W1 transfer desk at HKIA and I was alwo wondering when I would see an Air Canada person. I am encouraged to see you did not have to wait until 4 PM. It is 11:10 as I write this and I am waiting to see if they come soon.

    Just an added tip for those who read your blog and are in the same predicament. Take the elevator back down to the train and go to the end of the line where the other transfer desks are. In that area are a couple of restaurants and one of them serves ham and eggs with toast and baked beans and coffee for HK $75 at this writing. A welcome breakfast indeed.

    ReplyDelete
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