Cathay Pacific - Cheap doesn't mean cheap

Almost 17 hours in the air is no joke.  You need to eat, drink, pee and be entertained.  It's a plus if you have good company but all in all, you need a very reliable airline to tide you over 17 excruciating hours. It's like being trapped.  Or being asked to face the wall, only this time, you're sitting down and you have a small monitor to fixate yourself.

I'm not a frequent flyer but on the two occasions that I've flown on the other side of the world, I can say that my flight with Cathy Pacific makes those hours bearable. Why?  Food and entertainment.  Two of the most important in-flight components, at least for me.

My first travel to USA, I need to watch a movie on a big screen mounted in the middle of the plane.  I'm at the mercy of whoever has the power to choose what movie should be shown. I need to crane my neck or I would need to content myself with the head of the guy sitting 4 rows in front of me. I decide to sleep it off most of the time.  I think if I was traveling alone, I would be in a state of near-insanity (of course I'm exaggerating). With Cathay, I have a good list of movies and TV shows to watch. I can also opt to play games if I'm already on the verge of boredom. Everything at my disposal.  This time, I'm the boss of the console.  I ran 18 episodes of Glee Season 2  and two unpopular movies from Hong Kong to LA. I played Bookworm Deluxe too.

Movies, TV Shows, Games?  I've got Bookworm on my screen.

I have this vision of starvation every time I go to a plane for long haul flights.  In-flight meals don't excite me.  Local or international, food is blah, to be very blunt about it. Until Cathay Pacific served Haagen Daaz ice cream.  Suddenly, there were drums, bugle and marching band. Hey, if the main course wouldn't hack it, at least dessert can be the saving grace.  I don't know if it's the ice cream but I must say that Cathay Pacific food is way better than others I've tried.

So what's in the menu?

For Dinner, Cathay have the following choices:
(a) Marinated vegetable with barbecued pork and sesame soy dressing
(b) Hong Kong style curry beef brisket with steamed jasmine rice and jade melon with garlic and medlar seeds
(c) Braised chicken with tomato, mushroom and oregano in brown sauce, parsley and mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots
(d) Penne rigate with spinach, nutmeg and Parmesan sauce (this is their vegetarian choice)
Haagen Daaz Ice Cream
Tea and Coffee

Looking at this picture, what do you think did I order?

My In-flight Supper - Letter C

The best airplane dessert

For Brunch, they have these:
(a) Omelette with creamy spinach, streaky bacon, hash brown, baked beans and baked tomato with herb
(b) Braised chicken with rice roll and choy sum
Fresh seasonal fruit
Fruit yoghurt
Croissant with fruit preserve and butter
Tea and Coffee

I love croissant with jam and butter and I think the best partner would be the omelette (a) minus the bacon.  The bacon went straight to my friend's plate.  Even without the ice cream, I thought it was a good meal. 

Breakfast and lunch in one

Three travel agencies were asked to submit their quotations on the cheapest airfare from Manila to Los Angeles.  Cathay Pacific's price from this agency was the best price. We just need the the cheapest way to go to LA.  And we got just that, and more. It always feels good when you know that you get value for money or better, you get more than what you paid for.  Cheap doesn't always mean cheap. I get that, loud enough.