Cathay Pacific was probably my favorite airline to fly while I was living in Tokyo. I enjoyed their points program which allowed flyers to earn gifts and I ended up picking a Panasonic point and shoot camera which probably had 1 or 2 megapixels. lol. Yeah, it was a very longtime ago. On one Cathay Pacific flight I met the Foreign Minister from England on his way to some official business and on another flight I ran into a hostess club worker who told me how the shop got raided by the police and she got booted from Japan. lol. Cathay always provided me with nice memories.

Excellent as always. My favorite moment was the flight attendant describing your meal choices.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

He was a class act

@ManlyHK1

5 ай бұрын

He said “the” before everything!

@426dfv

5 ай бұрын

@@ManlyHK1 what abt it?

@ManlyHK1

5 ай бұрын

@@426dfv what do you mean? You don’t say “today we have THE hamburger and THE fried salmon” do you? I am not native and even I know it!

@426dfv

5 ай бұрын

@@ManlyHK1 Ok sorry Mr Grammar. Tbh I don’t give a toss abt his grammar or not so posh English skills as long he serves me right with excellent personality and great professionalism. Having lived abroad for over 25 yrs, I don’t see how this can become an issue at all!

Strange, why is this video not showing up in my subscriptions even though I'm subscribed? Anybody else with this problem?

@chipeirachonks5963

5 ай бұрын

Yea me too, no idea why.

@mattsammi4143

5 ай бұрын

Yes, myself also.

@KordellCaldwell

5 ай бұрын

Same, funny enough it was at the top of my recommended page, but not on my subs page

@WalnutSkrimp

5 ай бұрын

same here

@gregorybaker330

5 ай бұрын

I stopped flying them after 20 years when as full J to SYd they only had a child's prem y meal left and the previous connecting flight put me in middle downstairs seat 747 and was only J booked and oversold. All MPolos were given seat choice and they always disrespected QF Plats. Living in HK near pilots showed disdain for their employer's management. Very unhappy airline. Many Diamonds left for SQ and other cheaper carriers. Personally living in Cina as CZ ELITE PLUS,was treated very well by all Skyteam partners.

Great video, really enjoyed it as always looking forward to seeing you on the slopes, let’s be careful out there!

Insane production quality, subscribed! Cathay's really great, thanks for sharing your experience

Hello Kym and family, great video. Thanks for sharing enjoy the skiing..

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

We are. Thanks.

Greetings from HK. My wife flew for Cathay for 9 years. I will always love Cathay, and I miss the flight benefits. Up until last year the captain had the discretion of letting us fly on the flight deck. Getting to occasionally fly up front was a truly amazing experience. Cathay now operates a lot of A350-1000 air craft for long haul, and the A330 for regional with the non lay flat seats on the 330.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing

Happy travels Kym!

Hi kym, another great travel video. You're becoming quite the news hound. You were the first I heard talking about Lewis going to Ferrari. Keep up the good work and enjoy the holiday.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

Will do.

definitely one of the top 5 airlines to fly with. overall product is on par or superior than most competitor. There's always negative reviews out there on 5 star airlines considering how many passengers they carry on a daily basis. If they are 95% consistent, that's a win in my book. And also, great review mate. Enjoy your holiday.

Omg! I'll be looking out for you! Enjoy the Tokyo snow lol

Welcome to Japan, and the o Niseko Hokkaido🎉 Hope you enjoy your stay in my home country , and looking forward to the start of the 2024 F1 season✨

@tishii7493

5 ай бұрын

BTW, this video didn’t show up on my subscription feed as well. Instead, it showed in my recommended feed.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

Yes, we are trying something different for the next couple of travel videos

Great vid as usual. Kym and Martin Brundle are starting to look more and more alike.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

You think so?

Hokkaido looks amazing. My family and I are going there for a vacation at the end of February after the Lunar New Year period.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

You will not be disappointed

That room looks incredible.

Nice room!

Great video (as always) Kym! I would like to know what's your current favorite widebody aircraft 777, 787 or the A350? :) Thx for the content I really appreciate the quality of your videos.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

I’m not sure. I think it’s more the cabin than it is the aircraft.

Cathay was the first airline I flew for an international flight (PH to HK) when I was 8 years old on a 747 Jumbo jet. Excellent service and always see them as one of the best airline since then.

I frequently travel between Perth and Japan and love Cathay Pacific's business class. I was a bit apprehensive about my first trip with them after Covid, as I had read many negative comments. When Japan re-opened I chose JAL, Malaysian and Singapore for my flights. However, I decided to go back to Cathay for my trip with them in December last year and it was was fantastic! Great food, great service, friendly flight attendants. There is even a fast-track pass at Narita Airport to get you through Security and Immigration quickly. The lounges are excellent, apart from the one in Perth. We are flying to Japan with them again next month.

@geoffreyjrwang3648

5 ай бұрын

Pre-covid I was a CX diamond member where I flew between Beijing London NY a lot, although now only Gold, they are always great in business class esp with premium status. Getting better and better post covid

Flew Cathay to BNE last month in J, thought the crew were tremendous. I know morale in the company is low but the crew acted professionally, gonna fly with them to Perth in May see if there’s any difference

@426dfv

5 ай бұрын

same here. HKG-BNE return on PE during CNY. The crew members are lovely and efficient. Better than those so called 5* airline from EK or QR.

Absolutely outstanding video. Cathay is an excellent airline and you showed all aspects of the experience.

Was that Danny Ric at the end in a Helmet saying the iconic phrace "and stay passionate!!!" Or am I just seeing things?

@CallieMasters5000

5 ай бұрын

That could have been anybody, he was so covered up.

Maybe it's the time of day, but we went to the CX Business Lounge at night and were able to order off a menu as well as the buffet. Also, the slippers in the shower room are very cushy!

Love Cathay my favourite , always great on board service and the lounge at HKG

Did not get a notification for this video even tho I’m subscribed

Oh how the other half live! Amazing trip and location.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

You can’t take it with you

Hi Kim, yes me again, just got back from Japan myself and the family. We go to Hakuba every year. We had a great week skiing, 12 of us. But about Cathay, I love Cathay, have always chosen them when possible. We live in Thailand. One can expect them to be struggling in such difficult circumstances but they are a quality classic airline. Have fun skiing. We plan to go to Hokkaido next year for the first time. See you in Singgers for F1 maybe.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

Sounds great!

I'm hoping you do a comprehensive review of everybody's ski skills, complete with shots of their best moves and a full rating, offset by their age, of course! No need to knock yourself out just to keep up with the youngsters.

Love CX..well done !!

Hi Kym, thanks for sharing your trip-LOVE JAPAN and its culture! Would love to see more video of this trip. Question: What are you looking forward to in the upcoming 2024 F1 season and why? #StayPassionate📸 #HiYah🇯🇵

The second 777 is their regional J class. Not bad for a few hours flight. Because of their simple fleet structure, it is possible to get one of the long haul a/c on these regional flights.

@clickfrenzy8463

5 ай бұрын

Weird thing is some routes within Asia always have the lie flat seats while other get the recliner only 😂

This beats my QF business class 787 Syd to Tyo by a million miles. Syd lounge was a lacklustre factory canteen / food and was served with a certain low vibe but I had a surprise - my bento box was actually empty. Took a while getting their attention to change. Mistake acknowledged without apology. QF rocks 🙄

CX were/are always my benchmark, the service and the Cirrus seat for long haul Last trip was Sep2022 MEL-CDG so transit was... interesting. It isn't as good as the old days of the trolley (if you know...) but it is way better than the average.

It’s been a while since I took the 777 with Cathay after they swap their 777s to A350s to Toronto, and B-KQZ is my last flight with the old livery.

great video! I'm heading to Sapporo too end of Feb 2024! first time to Hokkaido but used to live in Tokyo over 17 years ago! but never went to Hokkaido. By the way which other ski resort you recommend in Hokkaido apart from Niseko? I'm thinking Rusutsu since its the second biggest there.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

I really only skied these four

@edwinchan5603

5 ай бұрын

I go to Rusutsu every year (actually was just there two weeks ago). It's not as crowded as Niseko and the trails are fun but you want something really challenging, then Niseko is better.

No lie, I'd be pissed about the wifi too. You'd think an airline like Cathay would have it together. Good thing you have a sense of humor!

One of the best airlines ever. I fly with them in J about 5-6 segments a year. Just the best

Working in Hong Kong, I would travel between Melb and HK on CS104 / CS105 a great Airline. Away great food on Cathay Pacific.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

Cool, thanks

I also want to be the type of dad who takes his family and son’s gfs or daughter’s bfs on a trip to another country. Business class that too 😍

Onze of the best stay passionates I have seen in a long time, yhanks encore😮

Man, I love your channel !

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

I appreciate that!

Cathay being based in Hong Kong had particularly hard time getting back from covid

@A1steak

5 ай бұрын

Not really. HK is totally back. Super packed with tourists.

@markmitchell2658

5 ай бұрын

Yes back now but took a long time ​@A1steak

@dllm1234

4 ай бұрын

HK is shit, who would come to HK anyway, it’s nothing worth going

@canto_v12

3 ай бұрын

@@A1steakHK is back for sure, but I think his point was that Cathay had a particularly hard time recovering due to HK’s extra-long Covid restrictions. But it’s all good, CX made a healthy profit in 2023.

great, comme to Switzerland for skiing I will show you the best place

I’m requesting a “Kym’s Wine reviews” segment in each video from now on. 🤣

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

Great idea!!

Excited for the new season next month Kim?

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

As always, yes

What cards you use

I would always first look to JAL or ANA when travelling from Australia to Japan.

Flew with Cathay November 2023 Lon/ Hong Kong thought everything was excellent, I too was worried about previous negative views, let’s hope they’ve turned a corner !

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

I’m on them again tomorrow.

@canto_v12

3 ай бұрын

CX finally returned to profitability in 2023! 🎉🎉🎉

lovely

Love CX.

Another great video Kim but I’ve thought for a while - How are you not the size of a house? All those meal after meal after meal then sleeping straight after them. I’m 75kg but I’d need wheelchair assistance if I ate half that.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

I put on a couple of kilograms over the Christmas holidays, but I’ll take them off once I’m back to walking 60 km/Race

Just want to say well done to West Australia for winning the Sheffield Shield 3 years going! So I have been flying Cathay from London to HK return as well as HK to Singapore a number of times since 2023 and early 2024, recently just back from HK a week ago! Anyway I do think rate their service as a top tier airline which to be fair can be justified in the Skytrax 2023 awards been placed number 8, where previously it was ranked 16th in 2022. I get Cathay been getting bad reviews in 2023 but so have other airlines since covid. Interesting I do really like the HK to Singapore flight( and I dont mind T4 Changi) which I think competes itself with the Singapore airlines HK route. Anyway I will continue to fly Cathay when I go back to HK as well visit my folks back in S'pore.

Kym rocking the Dope Snow! unreal ahah! don’t eat too many pizza buns.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

They make some great stuff

I flew Cathay from Brisbane to Tokyo for the F1 last year in ecomony and thought it was amazing. I think there bad press was mainly from the slow start after covid. Is the Aspire lounge run by Cathay or 3rd party?

@canto_v12

3 ай бұрын

The bad press was also exacerbated by partisan politics in Hong Kong. A lot of sour grapes there who want to see CX fail.

I have enjoyed a few Cathay flights, but not up the pointy end, An Australian was one of the Founding partners

Business must be good 💰

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

I never stop working mate.

Cathay Pacific... Used it from MXP to China and back! Actually a nice aircraft and nice people...

I have flown Cathay before and have to say it's the best airline if have ever flown with. Their food and service is very good and my route had very modern aircrafts. But then again I have never had the pleasure of flying emirates, quatar or singapore airlines.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

The Middle Eastern airlines lead the world but Cathay’s Airport in Hong Kong is quite lovely

Wow really interesting to hear your experience. That flight attendant really should have handled it better.

In the last 6 months I have gone from Sydney to Manila and also Sydney to Phnom Penh in economy. i thought the crew on all flights were excellent.

Hey Kym, do you use your credit card points for flights and hotels?

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

I do.

@FastMoney34

5 ай бұрын

@@KymIllman you should do a video on which cards you use to get points for travel, rewards, etc!

@ramadolman6735

5 ай бұрын

The amount of flying he does for work, and also family trips. Honestly, eventually wouldn’t matter what he picks.

I will fly CX for sure. Their cabin, food, inflight meal, customer supports are all insane

Kym becomes a CX ambassador

Why did the guy saying “And stay passionate” sound like Daniel Ricciardo? Haha

Japan is a special place.

That’s about $100 AUD a bottle that champagne. Be good to see any wine lists as some of us are into wine tasting and most of these airlines are big buyers with MW’s doing the buying

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

Will do so in the future. Many thanks, David

You live a v e r y good life Kym but you work hard for it. Enjoy.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

I never stop working. Thanks for your support.

Since Cathay's 777-300s are aging, Cathay should consider replacing the said aircraft with A350-900s or 787-10s.

Couldn't taste the "white flowers" tragedies of the first world (lol) did you by chance visit the Centurion Lounge?

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

We did not

I thought the second trip was Economy or Premium Economy!

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

Just a cheeky business class cabin

The aircraft you rode from hkg to japan is the oldest aircrafts among the current cathay fleet. They will soon be retired (I think by it’s age) The one you rode on was a second hand aircraft for cathay pacific. It was formerly owned by emirates that’s why I think the second cabin was not as great as the perth to hkg one due to the age and the aircraft’s ownership

@KymIllman

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the heads up

Ripper !

They must have improved everything , because I checked the reviews, and they were really bad! However they were from 2023! Can anyone else please give me your feedback?

My last objective comment about CX was not shown however after 45 years travel have some strong opinions after 2000 flights on various carriers. I can assure you that an experienced Fed Ex captain I know well told me the CX captain upgrading was one of the most difficult traing programmes in the world and now due to pilot shortage maybe training co pilots to captains with 3000 hours. Yikes. I also am aware an ex Qantaslink then KA captain supervised 2 low times 1st and second officers into the dangerous Katmandhu.Certain he moved on during Covid and went to EK. Safe travels.

Maybe staff were unhappy working in cattle class?

The aviation industry including the airports are still recovering. Tight labour market, no one is happy working in the aviation industry except those working in marketing.

Only a seven hour flight…. I’m glad I don’t have to fly anymore.

How much did you pay to fly Cathay Pacific on your 1st leg? I am curious.

@clickfrenzy8463

5 ай бұрын

Cheap if using points

This vid didn’t come up under my subscriptions fyi

I haven't skied since the 80s. Does everybody ski with a helmet nowadays?

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

They do

CX was hit hard by the Covid pandemic. Far harder than most other airlines. Pilots and flight attendants were laid off. Perks slashed. Lounges closed. Only in 2023 was CX once more able to fly unimpeded by covid restrictions and its struggling now to rebuild its network. Considering the impact, service on the airline has remain surprisingly decent. Maybe not necessarily great compared to Singapore Airlines or Qatar, but still quite above average.

When you have the choice of Singapore or ANA to Japan from Perth, I would pick them any day of the week. Cathay Pacific aeroplane and service was pretty bad and Old, I went Perth to hk in nov 23. Albeit economy 😢

Last year a Chinese passenger wanted a "blanket" but he use the word "carpet". The crew make fun of this at back of the cabin, recorded by another passenger and posted online. Seems like this causes lots of negative comments on Cathay Pacific.

jealous... I hope those kids understand just how lucky they are.

Loved it as always! Thank you Kym. Comes to CX, you won't have it bad. However if you are a mandarin speaker or if the crew judges you as being a Mainlander, it's a whole different situation. My worst business experience to date was on HKG-LHR famous 23:55, both in flight and at the airport. I have not touched CX since, it's a discriminative company.

@426dfv

5 ай бұрын

Hv u try to speak Mandarin in a Qantas, BA, Qatar or Emirates flight? You can't say it's discriminative simply becoz they don't speak your language. Or you expect a HK company and all their crew members to speak your language? I flew 4 legs of CX within last month and 50% of the crew were Japanese, Indo or Thai. So they judges you too?

@tywang

5 ай бұрын

@@426dfv did I say I spoke mandarin? The crew assumed I'm one because I was travelling on my Chinese passport. What happened was when it comes to taking orders, the crew went around me with big smile to take orders, so I found it a bit strange hence asked the question, the responses I got was "we serve English speaker and Cantonese speaker first" with a facial expression I can only call "disgusted". It was such a joke so I just left it. And sth similar happened at hk airport, a customs officer assume I don't speak Cantonese hence made a discriminative comment which I firmed pushed back in English. If that's not discrimination I'm not sure what it. And your response is very classic. I guess just because someone may speak Mandarin they should be punished with shit service?! Get a lesson in customer service and D&I.

@tywang

5 ай бұрын

Btw I flew with BA all the time. On China routes they always have mandarin speakers and they would check if I want to speak mandarin or English first. My English is more than adequate so can't comment on other routes. Just FYI, I know BA gets a lot of sticks for it but it's actually not bad.

@426dfv

5 ай бұрын

@@tywangwow I suggest u complaint to CX if their crew specifically say they will serve Cantonese and English speaking customers first (especially travel in J). How can u tell the crew assumed u speak Putonghua as u don’t need to show them ur passport inside the aircraft? To my 20 odd yrs of flying and being a frequent flyer myself, I have never seen or heard of anything like this. But is this purely discrimination? Maybe the crew is from Hong Kong and can only communicate with English and Cantonese? I believe the crew could hv handle it better. But i wasn’t there so I don’t know. BTW, it’s getting more often that the Chinese with Putonghua speaking background are becoming more sensitive to assume they were treated unfairly or mistreated becoz they speak Putonghua. Again, why they always thinking like that is beyond my comprehension.

@tywang

5 ай бұрын

@@426dfv 😂 wow so much to justify discrimination. The irony is too much. I won't say more as I don't want to spoil Kym's perfectly fun channel.

Cathay wasn't that good after covid, I flew from HKG-FRA bizz class last summer and it really wasn't that great compares to how they were before

If you haven't subscribed yet .....what is wrong with you!?

Shockingly bad compared to what they used to be. The idea that those who may have paid more for the flight might have to make do with whatever food is "left over" is nonsense.

Consider visiting Hong Kong next time when your family plans for a trip! I bet you won't regret it

@DavidHoughton17

3 ай бұрын

HK is an amazing place. I do miss staying around Prince Edward Road near Fa Yuen Street. its such an interesting part of Kowloon and so easy to get around especially to HK island via Prince Edward or Mong Kok East @ MOKO. I kept eating at "One dim Sum". There is a lot to do in HK.

Kym the boujee traveller.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

Anyone can make money, it’s knowing how to spend it that’s the tricky bit

Where did the kiddos sit eh Kym

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

With us.

@MiamiOsiris045

5 ай бұрын

@@KymIllman I missed them in the video. Stick ‘em in the cheap seats next time. 😉

So many people flying Cathay bidness class .. for a luxury skiing trip .. you’re obviously one of life’s achievers and I’m duly impressed 🙏.. I can’t even afford to fly Cathay cattle class .. it is a 12,000 km journey, but all the same .. 😂..

You must have some money tucked away somewhere to pay for 6 people on business class !!

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

You can’t take it with you

@clickfrenzy8463

5 ай бұрын

If using points, super cheap

You should have given the Ben and Jerry's back.

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

That was the highlight of the meal

No..... I dont get it ? Why would you wear white ski gear in white snow ? Clearly if any thing happens you will be the last to be rescued. ..if they could ever find you!

US $3000 from LA to HKG round trip for Cathay ... Too much... 2024.

@KymIllman

16 күн бұрын

They certainly not giving it away are they?

@ivangeo3319

16 күн бұрын

@KymIllman but, I got 1900 dollars from United Airlines. The only difference is Cathay Pacific arrive at destination at 5 am, United arrived at destination at 7pm. If I can push my transport cost down, I can splurge a bit more at destination.

you must have a lot of money to travel that way ...

@KymIllman

4 ай бұрын

I never stop working!

You must really hate. Australia, seems like you’re always leaving. 😂

As soon as I read or hear at a champagne or wine tasting “this has a hint of” I just switch off as it’s pretentious bollocks..

@KymIllman

5 ай бұрын

It’s all that bullshit to me, that’s for sure

Nice drunk video