Cathay Pacific (new) 777 Premium Economy. HKG-MEL. Now a very solid PE product.

[Austman]

The Flight: CX163 HKG-MEL 11:20-23:15

The flight departed 20 minutes late but arrived on time.

CX Premium Economy is not exactly cheap. And I have flown earlier versions of it before and was not that much impressed: Compared with Economy it was a slightly bigger seat and not much more. Economy service. So more of an economy+ offering.

But CX have revamped PE on some 777 aircraft. IMO, it's a solid improvement with 2-4-2 seating, high tech 4K screens and seat features, a 40" pitch and good reline. And a step up in catering although that's still more economy+ than business-.

IMO it's now a very solid PE product.

The new seat and the seat map are here (both pics from the CX website):




The 48 seats in PE get 2 x dedicated toilets at the rear of the cabin. But not 100% of the time. The crew close the curtains after the services.

 

[Austman]

When I arrived at the gate, precisely when advised by the CX messaging, boarding had already just commenced. As a OWE, I was going to be in Group 1 anyway. There was no wait at all, so straight on to the plane.

It's an impressive and comfortable seat. At 6' 2" I had no issues with it at all, even with the seat in front fully relined.

At the seat, there's a simple amenity kit consisting of socks, an eye mask, a tooth brush/paste and ear plugs. A bottle of water in its holder near the floor. A blanket and good quality headphones. USB-A and USB-C charging. And Bluetooth connectivity to your own headphones.

Before take off, PE is offered water, juices and prosecco wine, with the formers in paper cups but the latter in a glass.



It's a massive, crystal clear, 4K screen:



The entertainment is pretty extensive.

WiFi has to be purchased.

 

[Austman]

The menu:

 

[Austman]

Shortly after take-off, PE are offered a drinks service with a small packet of nuts.

Again, the prosecco wine is served in a glass. Other drinks in paper cups. I took a prosecco and decided to save the glass for later.

Lunch is the main meal. And despite the menu suggesting it would be served in courses, it was all presented on a tray at the same time.

The food was actually pretty good. Served in porcelain. And the metal cutlery was a stylish step above Y class metal cutlery.

Here is the roast chicken with a glass of the Katnook Shiraz Cabernet (served in my saved glass!) :




The second meal is served, as usual, about 2 hours before landing and is a bit smaller. I was not so hungry so skipped it except for the fruit and dessert.

Between meals I did a BYO thing with some cheese and crackers I had left from my travels. Maybe not the best cheese in the world but better than what was on offer in PE haha:

 

[Austman]

All up, I thought it was a very solid product. The cabin was completely full but felt quite private.

The seat especially was very good. No fully flat biz seat of course, but probably the most comfortable recliner I've ever sat in.

This version of PE is currently only on some 777 aircraft.