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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:
We have also reviewed a number of First, Business, and Premium Economy flights on Cathay Pacific, which can be found below for comparison:
We’ve compared Cathay Pacific vs. Singapore Airlines in Business Class.
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