Flying Business Class on Hong Kong Airlines

Have you ever felt like a peasant flying in economy class on a long haul flight, dreaming of one day flying in business class? Behind that curtain, the lucky few have leg room for days, 5-course meals, amazing service, and most envious of all, the lay-flat seats.

This was a reality I never thought I would get to experience. But thanks to Scott’s Cheap Flights, we snagged a mistake fare of $629 round trip from San Francisco to Bali in business class on Hong Kong Airlines. (What’s a mistake fare? Read more here.)

I was more excited about the flight than the trip itself, and it definitely lived up to the hype for me.

This trip consisted of a 15-hour flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong, followed by an 18-hour overnight layover in Hong Kong, and finally a 5 and a half hour flight from Hong Kong to Denpasar. Here’s a bit about my experience in Business Class on Hong Kong Airline’s Airbus A350 from San Francisco to Hong Kong.

Seats

We booked our tickets separately. I made the mistake of not calling soon enough to make sure we got two seats next to each other. We did still get two seats together in 18D and 18G but they weren’t right “next” to each other. Our seats were next to the aisles and there were dividing center consoles in between us. Not a big deal, but it would’ve been nicer to be farther away from the aisle and next to each other. We were so far apart that it was hard to get his attention!

If you’re traveling by yourself, the best seat for the most privacy and space are the A and J seats up against the window. You get two windows, farther from the aisle, and a little extra room for your path to the aisle. If you’re traveling with another person, the middle row E and F seats that are directly next to each other are best.

There is leg room straight in front of you to put your feet up, or underneath to put your feet down.

Next to the seat is a reading light, remote, and headphones.

After lunch and a movie, I went down for a 2-hour nap. As someone who sleeps horribly in general, let alone on planes, this was such a great experience. First of all, the blanket was so comfy. It was like a light down comforter that felt like a cloud. The pillow was great quality as well. While the seats do go all the way flat, I preferred a slight incline.

Storage

There was a ton of space for all your knick-knacks and do-dads. I hung my jacket up on the coat rack, put my laptop in a little slot under the screen, and unloaded my phone, kindle, chargers, and headphones into the center storage area.

There was a spot cut out under the seats in front of us that we put our backpacks in, but surprisingly we had to put them in the overhead bin for takeoff. Not a big deal since I had already unpacked everything I needed anyway, and I had the entire overhead bin to myself.

Amenities

The first thing we did was kick off our shoes and put on our slippers.

In the stylish little toiletry bag there were:

• Socks
• Large eye mask
• Earplugs
• Lip balm
• Hand cream
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste

Entertainment

Unfortunately, the wifi wasn’t working for our flight, but I wasn’t going to pay for it anyway so not a problem for me. I did have issues with my outlet not working to be able to charge my computer, but after 2 reset attempts from the flight attendant, it worked.

I was a bit surprised with the movie selection, as it wasn’t very robust compared to other flights.

You can’t use your own headphones for the entertainment system as it’s a special outlet. The provided headphones weren’t too bad. I have sensitive ears that usually hurt when using regular headphones, and these only slightly hurt after about an hour.

The coolest thing they offered was a live feed of two cameras above and below the plane. It was beautiful to see the cities on takeoffs and landings. And we could see where we were in line before takeoff. I hope all planes add this in the future.

Service

All the staff we encountered were incredibly kind, helpful, and friendly. When we checked in at the front desk they were fast and gave us all the info we needed to point us to the lounge.

The lounge at SFO was the Air France / KLM lounge, which was pretty small and crowded. But a lounge is a lounge and we were only there for a little less than an hour. Enough time to utilize the fast internet and fuel up with some food.

On the flight, I was very impressed with the flight attendants customer service. It was clear to me it’s something the airline takes very seriously and puts a lot of effort into.

We were flying on JR’s birthday, and they brought him a handwritten card signed by the whole crew along with some chocolates for his birthday! That was really a nice treat.

The only thing I personally didn’t love was that they didn’t come around too often. I had to rely on the call button, which I always feel guilty using.

One of the captains was in the galley with me waiting to use the restroom and asked if it was ok if he used it, even though he was there first. Unnecessary, but still super nice! And then he let me know it would just be a minute as they restock it, and asked how my flight was going. Great people!

Food

Shortly after takeoff, we were served a 4-course lunch.

Our menu consisted of

• Starter: Organic side salad and charred avocado and shrimp Louie
• Soup: Chinese bean curd, ginkgo, and diced pork
• Main Course: choice of roasted chicken breast persillade, celery root puree, and oyster mushrooms; spicy miso beef with eggplant, steamed rice, and seasonal vegetables; or roasted vegetable terrine with beetroot and potato mash, seasonal vegetables
• Dessert: Choice of chocolate cremeaux and fennel pollen shortbread cookies, Haagen-Dazs ice cream; or selection of cheeses

I had the chicken and chocolate cremeaux.

JR had the miso beef and strawberry ice cream.

In the galley, they had snacks to grab like fruit, chocolate, nuts, cookies, and popcorn. They also had some heartier options like sandwiches, dim sum, and cheese plates.

About midway through we got a nice doughnut surprise.

Prior to arriving, they served a “refreshment” which consisted of

• Starter: Season fresh fruit
• Main Course: Choice of beef lasagna with herb marinara and chive alfredo sauce or roasted BBQ pork in Chinese five spice sauce, steamed rice, fried egg, and seasonal vegetables
• Dessert: Cassis mousse cheesecake

Overall, this was such a fun experience and Hong Kong Airlines impressed me all around. I look forward to flying with them in the future.

Have you flown with Hong Kong Airlines? Or business class on a different airline? Share your experiences with us below!

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