Cathay Pacific To Introduce ‘Dine On Demand’ In Business On Selected Routes

By 8 commentsAirline News

Cathay Pacific are expected to introduce a dine on demand meal services on two of their popular routes this month. The routes will be, Hong Kong to LGW (London Gatwick) & ORD (Chicago O’Hare).

If you’re not aware, London Gatwick receives an A350-900 from Cathay and Chicago O’Hare receive a 777-300ER.

an airplane parked on a tarmac

Cathay Pacific A350

The topic has been discussed thoroughly on Flyertalk, and I have received a confirmation from a credible source to say it’s going ahead.

Cathay certainly isn’t the first airline to introduce the dine on demand concept, Etihad, and Qatar are just some of the carriers that use the system. Interestingly, Cathay will be one of the select few carriers in Asia to ‘fully’ introduce it.

  • ANA use it for Business Passengers
  • Korean Air use it for Business Passengers
  • Malaysia Airlines use it for Business Passengers
  • Thai Airways only offers it on their A350 in Business
  • China Eastern doesn’t appear to offer it in Business
  • China Southern doesn’t appear to offer it in Business
  • Singapore Airlines doesn’t offer it in Business

As you can see, not all of the big Asian carriers use the concept. I think this is definitely a step in the right direction for Cathay and it’s a smart one at that.

It’s supposed to be Introduced this month, and there have already been crew introduction and familiarity days which is fantastic to hear.

a seat in a plane

Cathay Business Class

I think it’s fantastic for Cathay to use the concept but I’d also love to know how much it will cost the airline. The airline has lately been making some small but noticeable cutbacks, like removing Amuse Bouche.

I find the food in Cathay Business to taste quite good. However, the portion sizes are quite small. I’m hoping this change may increase the size of them, but that seems unlikely. I was also hoping to try the new Michelin Menu however when I asked the crew about it; they had no idea what I was talking about.

a plate of food with a fork

Cathay Pacific Michelin Star Menu (Image – Cathay Pacific)

I think the move is a great idea and will work well for the airline, but the routes are an interesting choice, I definitely would have thought their flagship routes like London Heathrow or Los Angeles would have got it first.

 

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About the author

Zac has been obsessed with travel since the age of 2. Now flying 200,000+ miles per year and blogging about luxury travel. Points From The Pacific is a blog that posts about the latest airline news, insights, reviews and guides to help travellers use their points to travel in first and business class.

8 comments on “Cathay Pacific To Introduce ‘Dine On Demand’ In Business On Selected Routes”

  1. Ben Owen

    Emirates doesn’t have dine on demand in business class BTW, Etihad and Qatar do though

  2. Cool Breeze

    Long overdue. and I hope it follows on other flights to the U.S. On a recent late afternoon flight from HKG to JFK they started the meal service at 5:30 PM. Having been in the Pier lounge for several hours and snacked a bit, I asked to wait for a half hour at least. They did, but I wound up with no choice of meal. That was OK as I would have elected to take the Chinese pork anyhow, but despite being in the front business class mini-cabin where I would have been among the first served, I wasn’t asked my meal preference which could have been set aside. This flight followed two on Qatar from the U.S. to SIN via DOH where I was given a choice of when to eat.

  3. Dragonfly

    We will be on CX from LGW to HKG in less than 3 months. So this will be interesting. Have read that it would be good for pax but the FA may not be happy with dine on demand as they will have to work around the clock – at present after pax are fed and plates removed they turn the lights off and disappear (taking a break) until the next scheduled meal.

    Did not have a good experience with dine on demand on a TG flight from BKK to LHR in first a few years ago. People had been singing praises about a certain lobster dish which must be ordered in first. So I thought I would try it and pre-ordered before the flight. After eating in first lounge I was not hungry when on plane so asked to eat a few hours later. No problem, but problem was that the lobster was so dry and tasted like rubber! Did not enjoy it at all.

    Hubby flew EY from SYD to AUH in J a few months ago. They asked if he would like to have dinner later, knowing he must have eaten in the lounge. He said yes, but they forgot about him altogether so he ended up with no dinner, and had breakfast which was not a lot.

  4. Boraxo

    This is a no brainer. The only surprise is why airlines coddle their FAs (who don’t like on demand because it means they actually have to work the entire time) when customers prefer it. Nobody wants a full meal on Late night TPAC and TATL departures – they want to sleep and then get a full meal later.
    FYI Singapore has long offered meal on demand (you simply tell the FA) and UA also offers for first class and will sometimes accommodate in biz class depending on FAs

  5. Harper

    Whybrid gbe so fussy?Good Asian airlines serve great food,especially CathayPacific.

    • Zac George

      I’m not being fussy, the whole point of a review is to express my opinion on the product and offering, I’m not the only one thinks the servings are small.

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