Cathay Dragon is the premium, full-service regional airline of the Cathay Pacific group, and we have reviewed a number of business class flights that we have taken with both Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon.
When you fly with Cathay Dragon from Mainland China or other regional Asian destinations, you can seamlessly connect in Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific’s extended global network. Together, these airlines fly to 180 destinations around the world.
We have previously reviewed the best Business and First Class airport lounges at Hong Kong airport, so you can pick the best lounge for your trip.
Cathay Dragon
Cathay Dragon offers three classes of travel: First Class, where you can enjoy a spacious cabin, a flatbed seat, enhanced entertainment, and Asian hospitality. Cathay Dragon Business Class offers a comfortable personal space where you can work or relax. Cathay Dragon Economy Class offers convenient space, a personal entertainment system, and attentive service.
Starting with one aircraft, Cathay Dragon has developed to become an award-winning Hong Kong-based carrier owning more than forty aircraft and with a network covering the most popular travel destinations as well as business ports in the Asia Pacific region. Cathay Dragon is well-recognized by the passengers of its extensive network in China. Given the flourishing economy in Mainland cities and the aviation hub synergy of Hong Kong, Cathay Dragon plays an increasingly important role in connecting passengers around the globe and Mainland China.
Cathay Dragon is also the first local airline to make an investment in local pilot training. In the late 1980s, the first-generation pilot students joined the pilot training scheme and became the first batch of locally-born Chinese pilots. To date, over 150 cadets have successfully completed the scheme. Cathay Dragon is a member of Cathay Pacific Group is an affiliate member of oneworld®, and a partner of Asia Miles.
How To Redeem Miles On Cathay Dragon
Previously, I used my British Airway Avios miles to redeem flights on Cathay Dragon. Cathay Dragon, previously known as Dragon Air, is a subsidiary of Cathay Pacific and a Oneworld affiliate. Cathay Dragon primarily flies short-haul and regional flights, while Cathay Pacific focuses on long-haul flights. Cathay Dragon, therefore, offers a great way to fly around Asia on Avios.
I usually book my flights for free on air miles and American Express Rewards, which convert directly to Avios (along with other airline miles). The free Amex Gold Card is an incredible deal with a huge free bonus of Membership Rewards and even more if you apply through our referral link. You also get limited free airport lounge access with this free card. You can apply for the UK & US card right here.
How To Get Unlimited Airport Lounge Access
For unlimited airport lounge access, you will need to apply for the Platinum card right here. With my referral link, you will get more Membership Rewards points.
For a short flight under 1151 miles, you would expect to use as little as 7500 miles and around $23 USD to redeem an Economy Class ticket for a flight.
Cathay Dragon Fleet Of Planes
Cathay Dragon flies a number of planes. Cathay Dragon’s Airbus A330 has 8 First class seats in 2 rows and 42 business class seats in 7 rows. There is a total of 230 economy class seats on the A330. The Business Class is spread into 2 cabins, with 4 rows being in front and 3 rows in a smaller back cabin.
The seat is identical to Cathay’s regional Business Class seats. It is 20 inches wide and has a 45-inch pitch. This means that there is a lot of legroom in front. The chair has a hard shell and doesn’t recline into a fully flat bed, unlike Cathay Pacific’s reverse herringbone seats. Instead, this seat is just a recliner seat.
In front, there is a large 15-inch monitor with a cloth hanger button on the left and a USB power socket on the right. There is also a small compartment for phones next to the USB port. On the divider of my seat, there is a small compartment where the in-flight magazine is stored. On my seat, a pillow and a noise-canceling headset are provided.
I have also flown on the Cathay Dragon short-haul Airbus A321. In this plane, there are 24 business class seats arranged in a 2-2 setting for 6 rows. In economy class, there are 148 seats in a 3-3 setting. The business class seat is fairly standard for short-haul. They are the wide 21-inch recliner seats with a 42-inch pitch. Again, you get a set of noise-canceling headphones and a blanket, all wrapped up in plastic. In front is a small 10-inch monitor with Cathay’s superb Studio KA entertainment system. A pull-out tray is under the monitor, with a small pocket to store phones is on the left side.
You can read my full review of these flights below, including the food on offer:
Cathay Dragon Business Class Flight Reviews
Flight Review: Cathay Dragon A330-300 Business Class
During my December holidays, I used my British Airway Avios miles to redeem a flight on Cathay Dragon from Hangzhou to Hong Kong. Cathay Dragon, previously known as Dragon Air, is a subsidiary of Cathay Pacific, and a Oneworld affiliate. Cathay Dragon primarily flies short-haul and regional flights, while Cathay Pacific focuses on the long-haul flights. As this was a short flight under 1151 miles, I just used 7500 miles and $23 USD to redeem an Economy Class ticket for this flight. For the peak travel period in December, redeeming this flight via miles was a great deal!
Review of Cathay Dragon Business Class A321, Danang to Hong Kong
In early February, I took a flight from Danang to Hong Kong on Cathay Dragon. This flight was the first leg of the mistake fare that I managed to book from Vietnam to the US. The flight was an evening flight, and I boarded around 7:30 pm. As this was a short flight, slightly under 2 hours, the plane used was a short-haul Airbus A321. In this plane, there were 24 business class seats arranged in a 2-2 setting for 6 rows. In economy class, there are 148 seats in a 3-3 setting. The business class seat was fairly standard for short-haul.
We have also reviewed a number of First, Business, and Premium Economy flights on Cathay Pacific, which can be found below for comparison:
Cathay Pacific First, Business Class & Premium Economy Reviews
Flight Review: Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class HKG to ICN
At the end of September, I finally got the chance to take the business class in the Cathay Pacific A350 planes for my trip from Hong Kong to Seoul. I have previously sat in the Premium Economy seats on the Cathay A350 plane, which I also reviewed. Now, I can pen my thoughts on the Business Class seats. Cathay Pacific has slightly changed their seats on the new A350 planes. The seats are still reverse herringbone seats in a 1-2-1 arrangement, with a total of 38 seats spread out in a larger cabin of 30 seats and 8 more in a smaller cabin. The seats are 20 inches wide and 45 inches in pitch.
Flight Review: Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class
In this trip report, I review my flight on Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class Hong Kong to Düsseldorf. You can read all my Cathay Pacific Business Class flight reviews and First Class reviews. The Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-900 is brand new, and my flight took me from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) in China to Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) in Germany. The A350-900 has a more spacious and quieter cabin, panoramic windows, and LED mood lighting and burns 25% less fuel than older generation aircraft.
Review: Cathay Pacific First Class On Boeing 777-300 JFK to HKG
In this trip report, I review Cathay Pacific First Class on the B777-300 JFK to HKG. On my trips between Asia and the United States, I have had the opportunity to fly Cathay Pacific First Class a few times. Cathay Pacific features in our top 10 best airlines for long-haul Business Class. For the route between New York and Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific uses the Boeing 777-300. Cathay departs from New York’s JFK Terminal 7. At the airport, Cathay does not have a lounge. Instead, it uses the JFK British Airways Galleries First Lounge, which we've already reviewed.
Review: Cathay Pacific A330 Business Class
This trip review was in Business Class on a Cathay Pacific Airbus A330-300 from Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Qatar to Hong Kong (HKG). The flight itself was okay, with a great cabin crew, excellent seats, and unimpressive food. Cathay Pacific features in our top 10 best airlines for long-haul Business Class. Cathay Pacific Business Class passengers have access to the brilliant Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge, located on level 3 at Hamad International Airport. From the lounge, it was a ten-minute walk to gate A7 to the Cathay Pacific Airbus A330-300 flight.
Review: Cathay Pacific First Class On Boeing 747-400
I flew Cathay Pacific First Class in the Boeing 747-400 from Hong Kong to Tokyo Haneda in late 2015. Traveling in First Class gives you entry to the Cathay Pacific Pier first class lounge and The Wing business class airport lounge at Hong Kong airport. Cathay Pacific features in our top 10 best airlines for long-haul Business Class Known as the Queen of the Skies, the 747 will be slowly phased out by Cathay Pacific in the 3rd quarter of 2016. Previously, this plane was commonly used for Cathay routes between Hong Kong and North America.
Review: Cathay Pacific A350-900 Premium Economy
We review Cathay Pacific on the A350-900 in Premium Economy from London Gatwick to Hong Kong. We have also reviewed Cathay Pacific A350 Premium Economy Singapore to Hong Kong, and Cathay Pacific Business Class on the A350. The A350-900s Airbus planes were put into circulation on Cathay Pacific's routes in 2016. This plane's premium economy seats are slightly narrower than in other CX plane types (18.5 inches versus 19.5 inches) but with greater seat pitch (40 inches versus 38 inches).
Flight Review: Cathay Pacific A350 Premium Economy Singapore to Hong Kong
On a recent work trip, last-minute schedule changes and overbooking resulted in me taking Cathay Pacific Premium Economy on their A350 plane from Singapore to Hong Kong on a night flight. We have also reviewed the new Business Class on the Cathay Pacific A350. After hanging out at the British Airways Terraces Lounge and the Qantas Lounge for dinner, I went to the gate and boarded the plane. Cathay Pacific Premium Economy has 8 seats in a row, arranged in a 2 4 2 format. There is a total of 28 seats, with 4 rows each on the side and 3 rows in the middle.
Review: Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class & Premium Economy
Cathay Pacific Airways (CX) launched its first Airbus A350-900 aircraft on its Hong Kong-Manila route. This new A350 features Cathay Pacific’s latest inflight products in the A350 Business Class which we have reviewed, Premium Economy Class and Economy Class cabins. The new Airbus A350 series will also be the first fleet to launch with the new Cathay Pacific livery (shown above). However, the airline’s existing fleet will be repainted with the new livery as aircraft go through their normal maintenance schedule over the next five years, with some 150 aircraft getting the new look in total.
We’ve compared Cathay Pacific vs. Singapore Airlines in Business Class.
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