Don’t make this check-in mistake if you’re doing a short stopover

The airline: Cathay Pacific

• The flight CX150
• Route Brisbane to Hong Kong
• Frequency Twice daily
• Aircraft Airbus A350-900
  
• Class Economy; seat 69C, aisle
• Flight time 8 hours, 50 minutes (departs about 30 minutes behind schedule)

Checking in

Brisbane International airport is bustling with midweek traffic. The queues are long for the self check-in kiosks, but we move quickly. Bag drop rejects my luggage, saying I have no check-in allowance. A Cathay worker assists and my bag is checked. The screen allowance says 24 kilograms (their policy says 23 kilograms). I query this and am informed Cathay “gifts” passengers an extra kilo. Onboard, there’s a 30-minute take-off delay as Brisbane Airport’s second runway is not in use.

Baggage

Cathay Pacific allows one piece of cabin baggage, plus one small item up to seven kilograms, in total. Checked is one piece up to 23 kilograms (plus that extra kilo). Cabin crew overlook the seven-kilogram maximum for a lucky few. As my small checked bag only weighs 8.5 kilograms, I wonder whether I should have just carried it on.

Loyalty scheme

Asia Miles, which is free to join. Cathay is a member of Oneworld alliance, alongside global partners such as Qantas, American Airlines, British Airways and Qatar Airways.

The seat

Seats are in a 3-3-3 layout. My 69C aisle seat is 18 inches (45.5 centimetres) wide with 32 inches (81 centimetres) of pitch. The leg space feels generous for my short legs, especially as the person in front does not recline. The seat pocket just fits my large headphones case, mobile phone and a small water bottle.

Entertainment + tech

There’s a reasonable selection of movies, TV shows and documentaries available on the 11.1-inch (28-centimetre) screen. As this is a Hong Kong-owned airline, the entertainment choices skew heavily towards an Asian clientele. I ditch the flimsy Cathay-supplied headphones for my noise-cancelling over-ear ones. I select the movie, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and settle in.

Service

The flight attendants are pleasant and efficient. Though regular walks to the back of the plane to stretch my legs bring no friendly interaction from the team, not even a smile of acknowledgement.

Food

With menu options available on the entertainment screen, is the menu card necessary? Two meals are served during the flight. When the lunch cart arrives, only two of three options remain. I opt for the braised beef with green peppercorn sauce, with a mini Magnum ice-cream for dessert. The beef is tasty, but it is soaking in too much oil for my liking.

For dinner, it’s a choice between braised chicken egg noodles in oyster sauce or baked hoki fillet. Thankfully, there is chicken left (I don’t like fish). The small portion is tasty and filling.

Sustainability

Despite Cathay announcing in 2025 that it was investigating recycled paper wrapping for headphones and blankets, the blankets on this flight are wrapped in plastic. Complimentary wine and soft drinks are served in paper cups.

One more thing

I’m stopping in Hong Kong overnight, en route to another destination, but my bag gets checked through to my final stop, leaving me without my essentials. At your departure point, be sure to notify check-in staff if you require your bag for an overnight stay.

The price

From about $1550 return from Brisbane to Hong Kong, economy class.**

The verdict

The airfare was within my budget, the food was OK, the service efficient, no more, and we arrive on time. Shame it took another two hours at the airport to sort my checked through bag. Lesson learned, check your baggage tag destination before you bag drop. (Or try and get it past the cabin crew and find space in an overhead locker.)

Our rating out of five

★★★½

The writer flew at her own expense.

*For more information about air travel and sustainability, see iata.org

**Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and subject to change.