I flew to Seoul, Korea mid-February – a few weeks before the big mystery that is the missing Malaysian Airlines (MH) plane gained international attention. I was hardly pleased with Cathay Pacific that time for flying me to an Asian country after 17 hours (!!), with much waiting in between two airports. I thought I was better off going to Seoul on a stationary bike, LOL. But looking back now, it’s better to arrive very late at your destination than to NEVER arrive, ouch. Just hoping they find MH 370 soon.
Cathay or CX is one of my favorite airlines and I just couldn’t believe they’d be close to four hours delayed on their flight from Manila to Hong Kong (the previous record was held by PAL with a delay of two hours, but PAL seems to be improving these days). I understand technical problems are unavoidable and the safety of the plane shouldn’t be compromised. Still, if you’re a passenger on a connecting flight, the long wait wreaks havoc on the whole itinerary.
In a nutshell, this is what happened to us, passengers:
11 am departure from Manila became 2:30 pm
We arrive in HK at 4:35 pm
My flight from HK to Incheon was 4:40 pm, but in this case, the CX plane didn’t wait (no matter how I thought they should have…. it was their fault anyway!)
Next flight was at 12:30 am, or an effin’ eight-hour waiting time.
What can I say… thank you Cathay Pacific for giving me this world record in my whole traveling career! 🙂
But yes, I guess this happens to the best of airlines….
With eight hours to kill, I was seriously thinking whether I should get out of Hong Kong International Airport. However, I was tired and disappointed… not to mention, I dreaded the thought of missing the next flight, even though it was 8 hours of an eternity away.
There was no choice but to explore the length of HKIA from Point A to Point B.
Luckily, there’s free internet for travellers. But I wasn’t in the mood to do this too. There are phones in the airport where you can call local numbers for free so I drunk-dialled an investment bank in Central and Vietnamese food delivery. LOL
Cathay gave me an HKD$150 free food voucher which is kinda cheap for all the trouble. Times like these, I wished I flew first class so I can avail of the airline lounge. I just drowned my sorrow in a meal at Saboten. Haven’t eaten at their outlet in Serendra but the one in HK airport never disappoints.
It was first time to see a branch of Fauchon, the Paris-based confectioners in Hong Kong. The macaron tree looked so inviting. I wanted to taste their gourmet treats but was already full.
Anyway, after much walking, window-shopping and shopping, surfing the net, taking photos and sitting on benches…. eight hours was up and it was time to board the flight to Incheon International Airport.
It was almost 1 in the morning 🙁
The economy in-flight meals:
Manila-Hong Kong –
Hong Kong-Seoul –
CX food is great, and so is the service. Having no crash record in history, I’ve always felt safe and comfortable with this airline (which is the most important thing!)But darn, this flight delay was a real bummer.
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