On October 3, 2023, Cathay Pacific resumed direct flights from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Hong Kong, a route the the airline had ended in 2020. Returning to Chicago now provides a better opportunity for flyers in the middle of the country to fly on one of Asia’s top carriers without the need of flying to an airport on either the East or West coast of the country. With this return, I was finally able to fly Cathay Pacific and experience their world-renowned service.
Before I get into the service, there is one thing I wanted to note about flying through O’Hare if it is not your airport of origin, and you or someone you are travelling with requires wheelchair service – expect a difficult connection but hope for the best. When traveling with my parents, we had requested wheelchair service prior to our flight to Chicago. Knowing that we have a couple of hours to get to our flight to Hong Kong, we didn’t expect that there would be any problems; however, when we landed in the domestic terminal, there were no wheelchairs ready for my parents, and it took approximately 30 minutes for the chairs to get to our arrival gate. Due to the added wait time, there was a concern that we would not be able to make it to the international terminal in time for our flight, so rather then exit and clear TSA again, we were taken to an employee bus that drove us to the international terminal where we entered airside. Unfortunately, using this bus meant losing the wheelchairs the rest of the way. Thankfully, my parents are able to walk, but they do have difficulty so the trek to the gate resulted in some pain and shortness of breath. Not the best way to start the flight to Hong Kong, but we made it, which is what matters.
Once on the flight, we were provided a menu that detailed the options once in the air. There were 2 set meal services (lunch and breakfast) as well as the option to order food at other times. Cathay Pacific gave us the opportunity to select our lunch entree prior to our flight, so we selected the beef cheeks. For others that did not pre-order, it did look like some of the options were out by the time they ordered on the flight. I had always heard that Cathay offers flavorful and delicious meals, and the actual meal did not disappoint. I started with a smoked duck appetizer, the beef cheeks as my entree, and Haagen Dazs ice cream for dessert.
One tip on the ice cream – once your entree is cleared, the flight attendants will come through the aisle offering you a cheese plate. The ice cream is on the lower tray of the cart, but they may not tell you it is there, so if not, you will need to ask them for it. My parents missed out on the ice cream and got cheese and fruit instead. The ice cream is available upon request throughout the flight as well.
For the remainder of the flight, I slept, so I missed out on the other food options, but my lunch service was enough to keep me full and happy for the flight. My hope though is that I get to fly Cathay again soon so that I can try more of the food.
Until next time, happy travels and happy eating!
Those beef cheeks look so good!