Flight: CX342 HKG Hong Kong Intl to SHA Shanghai Hongqiao
Duration: 1h 56m
Date: Sunday, 27 April 2025
Scheduled Departure: 09:35 (Actual 09:56)
Scheduled Arrival: 12:05 (Actual 11:52)
Seat: 17K
Equipment: B-LAP
For a short weekend trip to Shanghai, I flew Cathay Pacific’s A330 service into Hongqiao Airport. Hongqiao is much closer to the city centre than Pudong, and also closer to Capella Shanghai, where we were staying for this trip. The whole journey from deplaning to checking into the hotel took just under an hour.
If you’re familiar with Tokyo’s airports, Hongqiao is a lot like Haneda: smaller, more efficient, and far more convenient than its larger counterpart. I was off the plane, through immigration, and in a car in about 20 minutes. From there, it was a 30-minute drive into the city.
Our flight was scheduled to depart at 9:35am, so we got to the airport around 8:00am. We stopped by the Centurion Lounge for a quick breakfast, where I opted for the abalone congee and shrimp dumplings, before heading to the gate.
Boarding started around 9:00am at Gate 69, right near the AMEX lounge. Cathay was testing a group-based boarding system for this flight, and business class passengers were placed in Group 2, with Diamond members in Group 1. Families and passengers needing assistance boarded first (“Group 0”).
The new system didn’t change much for those in premium cabins, but it probably helps organize things more efficiently in the economy cabin by boarding effectively by row numbers (back to front).
Cathay runs a 33J layout on this route—28 business class seats in a lie-flat, reverse herringbone setup, and a dense economy section with 265 seats. The business class seats are a bit more compact than what you’d find on their A350 or 777-300ER aircraft, with less storage space and an older IFE entertainment system. There’s no exterior camera view, and the flight map looks like something out of the early 2000s. But for a short flight, it does the job just fine.
Meal service began less than an hour after takeoff. I had already eaten Chinese food in the lounge, so I went for the Western breakfast option onboard. A selection of bread was served from a basket, and to my surprise, they were offering the full wine list even on a morning flight. I had a glass of Burgundy—why not?
One small detail I appreciated: slippers were already waiting at the seat. That’s not typical for Cathay’s regional business class, where you usually just get a pillow and a bottle of water, and a blanket only if you ask. I asked some frequent fliers and found out that slippers are always included on flights to Mainland China, as a cultural courtesy.
We landed a few minutes early, at 11:56am, and bags were on the carousel by 12:15pm. Unfortunately, my suitcase came out with a dent, despite having a fragile tag—a bit frustrating, but not uncommon.
Overall, it was a smooth, comfortable trip. The flight was efficient, the service was solid, and getting into the city from Hongqiao was quick and easy. For a short hop from Hong Kong to Shanghai, it’s hard to ask for more.
Cathay Pacific
Airbus 330-300 (33J)
Flights: CX342
Instagram: @cathaypacific
