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“Absolutely ridiculous”
Review of Cathay Pacific


Reviewed 26 July 2024

Seems to be the only airline that does not accommodate a photo journalist?

As a photographer having a carry-on protective case for my camera like a pelican or Nanuk, which comes in at 11 pounds the 15 pound maximum for carry-on and one item is absolutely ridiculous!

Don’t get me started about the luggage…

I talked to, eight different representatives and six separate supervisors. Each one giving me a different story and having call back changing the story each time so that they could charge more money.

I will never fly with Kathy Pacific ever again!

Date of travel: July 2024
1  Thank Steven H
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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68 - 72 of 16,962 reviews

Reviewed 23 July 2024

I love this airline for their customer service, inflight service and the airport service. I have taken a number of Cathay Pacific flight and I have never faced any issues with the flight.

Date of travel: February 2024
Thank maniraic
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 21 July 2024

Had to book last minute international flights due to a family bereavement—flight departure was in 2 days. Paid a total of CAD 7,860 for 3 roundtrip economy tickets (YYZ-MNL). Chose Cathay Pacific over other airlines partly due to short layover in HKG. Our tickets, economy light, only allowed for one checked bag, 23 kgs, and one carry-on, 7 kgs, plus one personal item per passenger. Already spent too much so decided not to pay extra for advance seat selection for any of the flights.

Flight CX825, May 24, 3:35PM, Toronto to Hong Kong (YYZ-HKG):
Check-in was quick. We only planned to check 3 bags but airline customer service agent offered to check our 1 carry-on for free. Cathay flight CX825 was delayed twice (departure times changed to 4:35PM then 5:35PM) until finally cancelled due to mechanical failure. There was general chaos and confusion at the boarding gate after this final announcement. Affected passengers were all instructed to get checked bags from Arrivals baggage carousel 4. But long story short, Cathay provided us hotel and meal vouchers (dinner and breakfast) to Sheraton Gateway Hotel, conveniently located inside Pearson Terminal 3, and rescheduled the flight early the next day at 1:40AM.

Flight CX829, May 25, 1:40AM, Toronto to Hong Kong (YYZ-HKG):
Check-in delay was our fault. We didn’t realize we needed new e-travel registration for the Philippines due to flight change. Airline customer service agent told us to return to her counter and skip the queue once these are done. We used our laptop so thank goodness for mobile data and tethering. My family of 3 still got adjacent seats (HJK). No complimentary amenity kit for economy passengers. Sealed blanket, pillow and headphones provided per seat. Printed menu distributed before take-off. In-flight entertainment with touchscreen display, take your pick--movies, TV series, games, even flight tracker and airplane camera front view to pass the time. Meals were okay. For supper, I had chicken with rice, accompanied by cheese and crackers, salad and gelato. I asked the flight attendant for cup noodle midflight. For breakfast, I had scrambled eggs with sausage and potatoes, cut fruits and yogurt. Non-alcoholic beverage options include apple juice. No lavatories at the rear of the A350-1000 plane—all economy class lavatories are grouped together in the middle section.

Flight CX913, May 25, 8:30PM, Hong Kong to Manila (HKG-MNL):
We missed this connecting flight due to cancelled and rescheduled first leg.

Flight CX907, May 26, 7:20AM, Hong Kong to Manila (HKG-MNL):
Smaller plane (A321neo) than what was originally booked. Economy class seating structure is 3+3. We still got adjacent seats (HJK). Sealed headphones provided per seat. In-flight entertainment with touchscreen display. Meal was served an hour into the flight—I had the congee and noodles. Plane touched down in Manila at 9:36AM.

The rescheduled flight delayed our arrival by almost half a day. As a result, we lost out on a nonrefundable one night hotel room stay in Manila. However, we understood that Cathay Pacific had a valid reason for the flight cancellation—safety must always be prioritized. The airline handled their obligation satisfactorily by providing hotel and meal vouchers and completing the itinerary at the soonest time.

Compared to Korean Air, Cathay economy class came up a little short. The lack of amenity kit for long-haul flight was disappointing. Would have preferred to have lavatories at the rear of the plane, alas it is what it is.

Date of travel: May 2024
    • Seat comfort
    • Customer service
    • Cleanliness
    • Food and Beverage
    • Legroom
    • In-flight Entertainment
    • Value for money
    • Check-in and boarding
Thank baroom
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 20 July 2024

Avoid using it if you can! We have never experienced so much mistreatments and difficulties with any other airlines.

First, they put our connecting flights to other budget airlines without informing enough details at the time of purchase.
Not until the very last minute you will find the nasty surprise that they only leave you one hour to transit and you will have to go through the stress to claim your luggages, line up for customs clearance, transfer to different terminal, line up to check in your luggages again, then run a hysterical race so you don’t miss the flight. Ironically, even we made it we still find ourselves ended up with no luggages arriving at the destination.

Furthermore, we’ve checked-in all five of our luggages at the beginning of the trip, no issues at all. When we were ready to board our second connecting flight at Hong Kong airport, they refused us to get on the plane and claimed one of our luggages containing dangerous goods and forced us to dispose it. They failed to show any proper legislations and pressured us to discontinue our trip unless we agree to dispose. The item was purchased brand-new and worth hundreds of dollars. I have checked both CAD legislation and Cathy Pacific official website later on, neither of them have outlined that the item was prohibited on the plane and yet no one was responsible for it.

I would give it a zero star if I can.

Date of travel: July 2024
2  Thank isumine
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 17 July 2024

Good flight. Terrible customer service. I have lost out on hundreds of pounds as after several months they were incapable of leaving providing me with a. Receipt for my flight change so I could be reimbursed. I have wasted so much of my time trying to get through to them

Date of travel: February 2024
1  Thank Victoria H
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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