Back in August, I jumped on the ~$500 Hong Kong Airlines business class mistake fare. Since the fare was in business class, there was no thinking about it: I sent out a group text and gave everyone exactly two minutes to respond.
My sister wanted to go, so I booked the first available date in October I could find. Five minutes later I crossed my fingers it wouldn’t get cancelled. It wasn’t. I later kind of wish it had because, man, was this trip a disaster!
But at least the flights between Los Angeles and Shanghai were great. Hong Kong Airlines has a 4-Star Skytrax rating, so I had reasonable expectations. I flew a total of four segments and each one seemed to improve over the other.
Los Angeles International Lounge
At LAX, Hong Kong Airlines business class passengers can visit the Los Angeles International Lounge. I’m not a lounge snob by any stretch of the imagination, but this one was literally not worth writing about, so I won’t.
Hong Kong Airlines Business Class Seat
We flew Hong Kong Airlines business class on the A350 between Los Angeles and Hong Kong. Upon boarding the cabin, my first impression was that it was a bit dated and not well maintained.
There was dust and dirt here and there. Someone definitely got lazy with the vacuum cleaner.
The aisle seats were very close to each other, with very little privacy. There was a small partition between the footrests that would have been so much more useful had it gone all the way up.
But not all aisle seats are like this. In every other row, the seats were separated by storage cubbies.
Window Seats
While my sister and I initially had two aisle seats in the last row, we ended up switching with a mom and her toddler. They had an aisle and window seat, which worked perfectly well for us.
The seat had plenty of storage space as well as a coat hook facing the seat. I travel light, so storage isn’t an issue for me.
All I really need is the cubbie under the footrest to shove my laptop and shoes, when I eventually change into my slippers. But it’s always nice to have room to breathe without your belongings clustering around you.
There was also a power outlet next to the cupholder by the headrest. I’m not going to pretend like I didn’t watch movies the entire flight and binge on milk tea, but at least keeping my electronics charged was’t a problem.
Overall, I found the Hong Kong Airlines business class seat to be very comfortable for lounging and sleeping. It lies all the way flat, which thankfully has become the norm in international business class.
I’ll spare you the blurry photo of the seat in flatbed mode. It was dark and the reading light did little to improve the photo.
Hong Kong Airlines Wifi
Speaking of not getting work done, Hong Kong Airlines has the worst in-flight wifi I’ve ever used. Just really terrible speeds and I kept getting disconnected. I kept paying for it because I was trying to tweet get work done but it wasn’t ideal.
I used my Discover It Miles Card to pay for wifi in order to take advantage of the now-defunct $30 wifi credit but I never actually went back and checked that it was applied.
Hong Kong Airlines Business Class Meal Service
Shortly after boarding, the flight attendants came around with drinks and distributed menus. The menu had colorful artwork that gave it a whimsical touch.
At 20,000 feet, water was distributed. Meal orders were taken right before takeoff, which is always ideal.
I ordered the Grilled Lamb Chop with a coke and apple rhubarb tart for dessert. Wanna know the insane part? The appetizer arrived almost 40 minutes after the FA brought my soda. But it was really delicious and so was the garlic bread.
I didn’t have to wait long the mountain yam, goji, and chicken soup. It was delivered just 10 minutes later. The chicken was a little on the dry side and the broth had a heavy root taste, but it was fine overall.
Finally, the lamb chop arrived, which was perfectly cooked, along with the vegetables.
My sister had the Udon chicken, which looked a little grey. The sauce tasted good though!
For dessert, I ordered the apple tart. It came topped with four puffs of whipped cream. The apple tart was tasty but again, a little dry. A scoop of ice cream would have solved that.
Mid-flight Snack
The business class menu had a small section for mid-flight snacks that passengers could order from at any time. It consisted of just two items: Dum sum and a ham and cheddar cheese sandwich.
My only option was the Dim Sum, which I ordered alongside an iced milk tea. Yes, I realize iced milk tea doesn’t go with Dim Sum. But the milk tea I had for dessert got me hooked, so I pretty much drank my weight in it throughout the flight.
The dim sum was surprisingly delicious. I wasn’t sure what kind of meatball that was and the flight attendant didn’t have a clear idea either, so I just skipped it. But everything else was great. And yes, I got seconds. Damn it, now I have a craving I can’t satisfy!
Hong Kong Airlines IFE
The IFE was a bit disappointing. It featured all the same movies, mostly action-oriented, from my Austrian Airlines flight to Vienna back in August.
The TV shows were mostly Chinese, so I settled on rewatching I Feel Pretty. It’s an ok movie. Really just an infomercial for Soul Cycle than anything resembling funny or entertaining.
The headphones were wrapped in plastic and hung on a nook next to the headrest. They felt a little cheap, but they were perfectly functional.
Business Class Amenity Kit
The Hong Kong Airlines business class amenity kit was well-stocked with essentials from L’Occitane. It included lip balm, a toothbrush + paste, lotion, earplugs, and a night mask.
The canvas bag itself wasn’t super impressive, but perfectly sufficient for stocking away these products.
In addition to the amenity kit, every passenger got a small drawstring bag containing slippers and socks. Regardless of which cabin I’m flying in, I always bring an extra pair of socks to wear on the flight. However, it’s always nice when airlines provide them to you.
The slippers, like the headphones and amenity kit, were a little on the cheap side. But sufficient for their short-term purpose.
Hong Kong Airlines Business Class Review
Overall, Hong Kong Airlines business class on the A350 exceeded my expectations. While some aspects of the experience felt a little cheap, the service was great and the flight attendants made a real effort to provide great service.
The food was good overall and the milk tea they served was actually better than Cathay Pacific’s. While this segment had a few shortcomings, I still had a good experience overall. Would I fly Hong Kong Airlines again, in business class or otherwise? Absolutely. I just hope they get the wifif situation worked out on future flights…
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