Trip Report: Cathay Dragon Business Class KA943 A330-300 - XIY to HKG (Xi’an to Hong Kong)

Airline: Cathay Dragon | Aircraft: A330-300 | Class: Business | Flight: KA943 (XIY-HKG)

The ancient city of Xi'an has been on my list of places to check out for the longest time but unfortunately, the only direct flight from Singapore is operated by Scoot at a rather unattractive timing. As such, when I visited Beijing back in November, I decided to take a high-speed train down to Xi'an (which took approximately 5 hours!) and it was fantastic! There are plenty of things to do in Xi'an and I have actually saved some of them to my TripAdvisor profile so you can reference them should you need some motivation.

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Noodles
First Class Lounge - Xi'an Xianyang International Airport

As I did not wish to make my way back to Beijing before heading home, I decided to check out one-way flights out of Xi'an. Obviously, there is the option of Scoot but I am personally not a huge fan of low-cost carriers - I found a Business Class flight from Xi'an to Singapore via Hong Kong on KA/CX and the price was rather reasonable (slightly under S$1,000 per person). There was no express lane for Business Class passengers at the Xi'an Xianyang International Airport so you will have to get in line with everyone - make sure you allocate enough time if you do not wish to miss your flight. Prior to my flight, I dropped by the First Class Lounge in Terminal 3 (where Business Class passengers traveling on Cathay Dragon can access) and enjoyed a really delicious bowl of noodles. The lounge was extremely crowded and it looked rather dated so I did not bother taking any photos but let's just say that the interiors were really uninspiring.

View from Seat 10K
Cathay Dragon Business Class KA943 A330-300 - XIY to HKG

As far as I know, the Cathay Dragon operates either the A330-300 or the A320-200 between Xi'an and Hong Kong. Fortunately for me, an A330 was utilised on my day of travel and while the regional Business Class product was particularly impressive, it was definitely sufficient and comfortable enough for a flight. Business Class on KA's A330-300 features a 2-2-2 cabin layout so you will want to pick an aisle seat if you tend to go to the bathroom a lot (or risk annoying your neighbour). 

Literature Pocket
Cathay Dragon Business Class KA943 A330-300 - XIY to HKG

There were only 24 recliner seats in Business Class and each one of them offers 42 inches of seat pitch (as compared to just 29-30 inches in Economy Class) as well as 20 inches of seat width (as compared to a modest 17.5 inches in Economy Class). While I was initially sitting in Seat 11A, I switched over to a bulkhead seat as the cabin was relatively empty and the passenger behind me had a really bad cough which made me rather uncomfortable. The literature pocket of Seat 10K is located directly in front of you and this is also where you will find your headphones if you require one. 

IFE Screen
Cathay Dragon Business Class KA943 A330-300 - XIY to HKG

The flight was scheduled to depart at 3:50 PM but it only took off at approximately 4:18 PM - while this may not sound like a big deal, I actually had only 55 minutes to connect at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) so every minute counts! When I checked in for my flight in Xi'an, I was also given an invitation card to the Cathay Pacific Business Class lounges in HKG but I knew it would be impossible to visit given the tight connection - I really need to check them out at some point. 

Headphones
Cathay Dragon Business Class KA943 A330-300 - XIY to HKG

The in-flight entertainment system on Cathay Dragon is fairly simple and straightforward - there are very little bells and whistles but it is sufficient for a short-haul flight. Headphones are also provided for each passenger in Business Class (so a huge step up from say, SilkAir which has a really unimpressive Business Class product now) and you will be able to access the content using the IFE handset located next to your seat. 

Seat Controls
Cathay Dragon Business Class KA943 A330-300 - XIY to HKG

As you would expect, Cathay Dragon operates a recliner seat which is comfortable enough for a flight under three hours. Obviously, you do not need a flatbed on a regional flight but I dare say that no one would complain if given one - there are definitely better regional Business Class products out there but I was really satisfied with the cabin product here. Apart from the hard product, the cabin crew were fantastic on this flight - I actually liked them a lot more than the crew on Cathay Pacific.

Antiseptic Wipe
Cathay Dragon Business Class KA943 A330-300 - XIY to HKG

Now if you know about #TheShutterwipe on Instagram, you will not be able to do it here (well, not properly anyway) on Cathay Dragon since they only provide an antiseptic wipe instead of a hot towel. Obviously the former product does a better job of removing bacteria from hard surfaces but do keep in mind that all these are done in the name of fun. 

Champagne
Cathay Dragon Business Class KA943 A330-300 - XIY to HKG

Cathay Dragon pours Piper-Heidsieck NV Brut in Business Class - there were also a number of wines from Australia, New Zealand, and France but I stuck with Champagne for the whole flight. I actually do enjoy this over Laurent-Perrier which Singapore Airlines now serve on most flights so this was a nice change from my usual flights. 

Braised Beef with Beer, Broccoli, Carrot and Mashed Potatoes
Cathay Dragon Business Class KA943 A330-300 - XIY to HKG

The meal service started off with some seasonal fresh fruits and I had the following dishes for my choice of mains:

• Chicken with Abalone Sauce Wrapped in Lotus Leaf, Steamed Rice and Vegetables; or

• Braised Beef with Beer, Broccoli, Carrot and Mashed Potatoes

While I am a little apprehensive about beer in my food (unless it is in the batter of a fish and chips dish), I went with the beef option anyway and it was delicious!

Häagen-Dazs Ice-cream
Cathay Dragon Business Class KA943 A330-300 - XIY to HKG

Once I have finished my main course and it was cleared away, I was offered some Häagen-Dazs ice-cream as well as some coffee for dessert. Fortunately, the ice-cream was not completely frozen (or as hard as a rock) like my last Cathay Pacific flight from Singapore to Bangkok. 

Watching the Sunset
Cathay Dragon Business Class KA943 A330-300 - XIY to HKG

While I would not go as far as to call this cabin product one of my favourites, it was actually really nice and honestly, the price for this flight was not exactly terrible too (since I did not have to either fly on Scoot or head back to Beijing). Now I typically credit my revenue tickets on Cathay Pacific to the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program since having an elite status there allows me to earn a lot more miles on my flights on SQ metal. Since Cathay Dragon is not a partner airline, I have decided to sign-up for the Marco Polo Club program and credit this flight to it. 

Business Class Cabin
Cathay Dragon Business Class KA943 A330-300 - XIY to HKG

The plane landed at Hong Kong International Airport three minutes behind schedule but it took a while to taxi to the gate and I had approximately 25 minutes to make the connection to Singapore. Thankfully, there was someone waiting for all the connecting passengers at the end of the aerobridge so I was fairly confident to make my flight - no luck with the Cathay Pacific lounges in HKG though! Altogether, I was really quite happy with the flight on Cathay Dragon and as I have mentioned earlier, it was actually more pleasant than my flight on Cathay Pacific back to Singapore which I will cover soon.