We flew an Airbus A350-900 from San Francisco to Hong Kong on the way to Bali for our Thanksgiving break.
Booking
We had quite a few Chase rewards points and wanted to use them for Bali. We considered transferring to airline partners or buying through Chase. There was availability on United/Star Alliance for 85k points in economy to Bali (DPS), but since we had the Chase Reserve, buying a $900 ticket cost about $667 through the portal — so we did that. We chose Cathay as the quickest route on a reputable airline (one stop each way, with relatively short layovers in Hong Kong).
Booking was smooth, but on the cheapest fare we couldn’t reserve seats until check-in. Quite annoying: we ended up without seats together even though I checked in exactly 48 hours before the flight, the moment check-in opened. We got seats across the aisle from each other.
SFO experience
Leaving on the Friday night before Thanksgiving, we expected a mad rush at the airport. We arrived early and there was exactly one person ahead of us at check-in. Check-in was smooth, but the agent told us the flight was full and she couldn’t seat us together — “try your luck convincing a passenger to move.” Pity. We have Global Entry, so TSA PreCheck got us through security quickly (no laptops out, etc.). With plenty of time, we relaxed in the KLM–Air France lounge (Priority Pass, via the Citi Prestige card) and still got to the gate before the plane did.
Since we had the last row, we were in the first group of economy passengers to board.
Seat
This newish plane has a 3-3-3 arrangement in economy. We got aisle seats across from each other — and were seated next to two couples, so no dice persuading anyone to move. It’s a modernized seat: large 11.1" screen, a slot for a tablet, USB ports. The seat bottom slides forward as the back reclines, minimizing the impact on the passenger behind you — not my problem in the last row with nobody behind me, and there was still enough space to recline. However, these seats had no overhead storage space — we had to put our bags in the rows ahead of us. Not the best.
IFE
More or less state of the art, with a tail and a forward camera. Good navigation. But, of course, no prayer times or qibla direction. The camera was quite useful, though.
Food
Cathay offers a vegetarian choice for the main meal only — not for breakfast — so I recommend ordering a special meal if you need Muslim-friendly food.
Restrooms
Even though this is a new plane, I was disappointed. The taps were not auto-sensing (you tap the top to switch on), though the sink was decently sized. Most disappointing was the state of the restroom a few hours into the flight: sink clogged, trash bin full, floor dirty. The sink was clogged in both restrooms I visited, so it was a perennial problem — and the staff didn’t seem interested in cleaning mid-flight (some airlines absolutely do). I’ve flown A350s on Singapore and Thai without seeing this, so it’s not the plane.
They also had no cologne, toothbrushes or shaving kits. Singapore offers those in economy (plus mouthwash).
Prayer space
I was going to pray at the front of the rearmost compartment, but when I asked, the steward very kindly moved the cart and trash bags from the rear galley so I could pray there — very sweet and convenient. Although the A350 is wider than a 787, it’s not as wide as a 777 (nor, of course, an A380), so I still prefer the latter two for space.
Originally posted on the old ReviewSity, November 2018.