Introduction:
After quite awhile of just lurking in the trip reports area of the forums, I thought I should contribute something myself, even if it's not something as unique as many of the other reports seen here, with great and fascinating accounts of trips on airlines and to destinations many of us can only dream of. But for what it's worth, here we go....  

It was time to go to Asia again on leisure, and as often in years past, I ended up booking the trip with Cathay Pacific, as their schedules and routes tend to be convenient - especially if the Philippines is included in the itinerary. Also, the permitted stopover in Hong Kong at no extra charge is an added bonus for those - like me - that love the "city of life".


Arrival to the SFO station by BART, the heavy rail transit system for Bay Area. If going to the airport alone, traveling by BART is the best option by far. However, due to the hefty airport station surcharge imposed on top of already relatively high baseline fares, it may not necessarily be the best deal overall if you are a group of people going to fly or meet-and-greet. A roundtrip on BART from an East Bay station, for example, will set you back about $22 per person.


The International Terminal is the gem of SFO; with its spacious check-in areas and piers, it seems far removed from the bus-terminal-style experience that so often characterizes domestic air travel in the States. After a very short wait to check-in, I was welcomed by a station manager and shown to the next available agent. As always with Cathay, check-in was quick and convenient, and I was on my way to the security checkpoint and gate.


The original CRT-based FIDS in this terminal were recently replaced with newer-style flatscreens. But the presentation is US domestic style, with departures sorted alpabetically rather than the world convention by departure time. Also, I would rather like to see the 24-hour time format in a dedicated international terminal like this.


A look back at the departures area before heading to the checkpoint for pier A.


Once pier-side, some spotting can be done! Korean Air is one of the earlier Asia departures, and as such, is here already.


The coffee shop toward the edge of the pier is a great place to take in the views. Looks similar to a good airline lounge, doesn't it?


Gate A9 is one of those at SFO that are A380-ready. Here, preparing for the arrival of flight AF84 from Paris, an A380-operated flight this summer.


Ah, here lands our bird that will soon take us to Hong Kong.


A closer look, as B-HUF is taxiing to its assigned gate on the opposite side.


An A380 landing on one of the 28s - could it be the AF bird?.... No, this is Lufthansa 454 arriving from Frankfurt; it will dock at pier G, so no close view of that one today!


KLM arriving from Amsterdam.


LAN taxies out for its journey to Lima.


Depicting the AF superjumbo at gate A9, although this one pic was taken upon my return.


A different AF double-decker from another time, in a historic display.

FLIGHT CX879
SAN FRANCISCO - HONG KONG
AUGUST 17, 2011, 13:35
ECONOMY
BOEING 747-400


Ok, so it was time to head toward the gate and check out our bird for today. Cathay Pacific is the world's largest cargo carrier, so on any given flight, they are going to stuff alot in its belly! Fortunately, the 747 queen of the skies is a great cargo workhorse.


Display for our flight today. It's great to have the choice of either a daytime or nighttime departure with CX here; more and more, I tend to prefer the daytime flight - especially when staying over in Hong Kong first.


Ahh, the cool San Francisco fog....


The boarding process begins. I could actually have boarded in the priority lane as an elite, but today I chose to wait to be one of the last instead - an approach that has its advantages, especially if one has an aisle seat.


Today's flight appears to be about 85% full. The boarding process is civilized and orderly.

Much has been said already about the new (not so new anymore) economy seats for Cathay, including the lack of cushioning and the inability to recline the seat - so I won't delve much into that at this point. But I did actually find myself a little bit more comfortable in it than what I recall from the last time - once I had employed the pillow as extra padding.


Flight map has loaded. Turns out today's flight would be a reasonable 12h45m, and will take a more southerly route than I'm used to in the winter when westbound flights can be upward of 15 hours, and often fly over Russia and mainland China on its way to Hong Kong.


Menus are given out. Both lunch and dinner will be served on this flight.

Hmm... no amenity kit given. Someone later told me that they are still available but upon request only. Pillow, blanket, and headphones are in place, though.


First - the obligatory pre-meal cocktail service! Unless it's a very late night flight, the "bar" round adds an extra touch to the in-flight catering service.


A German riesling wine will do well as an apéritif.


I chose the curry chicken. Accompanied by a shrimp salad, bread, cookies, and ice cream. Delicious.


Bread basket offer.


Any decent meal needs to be rounded off with coffee or tea.


I asked for cognac to accompany the coffee, and it was served with a smile. Not really supposed to be with ice, but I'm not complaining!


Studio CX, Cathay's new IFE system, is very nice, with a decent selection of films, tv episodes, and music. Video features are of high resolution. I usually play one or two features, then just switch to the flight map.


Everybody is enjoying their meal!


Let's have some more coffee and a bit of red wine!


Our very southerly path for a westbound flight today.


Hydration rounds served gladly.


The daylight follows us on this westbound flight.


The IHT is a must for a world traveler, and luckily, it is part of the stock that Cathay typically hands out at the gate at boarding.


After some mid-flight sleep, dinner time. I chose the braised pork with redskin potatoes. Served with fresh fruit and an excellent mango mousse.


The mango mousse was so great. Not too sweet, and with just a little cake at the bottom rather than the other way around.


Rounding off with a hot beverage.


Keeping hydrated....


Arriving at HKG, the best airport in the world. Baggage claim area.

I did stay in Hong Kong for a few days before continuing on the segment to Manila; however, for the sake of being concise here, I will omit any recount of the actual in-town visit (maybe next time!). And many trip reports here have already done an excellent job of this.

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Arriving at HKG airport by the Airport Express train from Central and Kowloon. There are also excellent bus route options to/from the airport to various parts of the city.


View upon heading toward check-in.


This image does not do the check-in area justice, but seems like it was the only one I captured at the time. Spacious and well-organized at the same time.

FLIGHT CX901
HONG KONG - MANILA
AUGUST 22, 2011, 09:10
ECONOMY
BOEING 747-400


Our jumbo bird that would take us to Manila on this day, against the backdrop of a beautiful Hong Kong day. The pollution from local sources as well as factories in the Pearl River Delta tends to get trapped in Hong Kong during the winter, creating a perpetual haze - but now in the summer, one usually has a better chance to see the blue skies, as can be seen here. The departures areas at HKG all offer unfettered views in all directions - a delight for spotters.


On the way to gate 26. Great to have everything under one giant terminal - but one shouldn't under-estimate some of the walking distances involved. Luckily, the moving walkways help; there is also a people-mover operating underneath this segment.


Boarding is commencing. As I have an aisle seat, I am again in no rush, preferring to wait out the queue. It's all very organized, though.


A familiar sight by now, and once again I have an aisle seat.


Map of our route this morning.


Cathay doesn't serve a full meal on flights shorter than two hours, but a hot snack, fruit, and beverages are a reasonable service in Y on a short regional sector like this.


A hot ham-and-cheese sandwich, accompanied by fresh fruit and - in my case - black tea.


Arriving at terminal 1 at the Manila International Airport. As those familiar with this airport know, this terminal has seen it's best days past, and is also operating beyond its design capacity. But they do a decent job of maintaining and running it, and I have no major issues with it. When departing, one does need to allow some extra time to work one's way thru some of its bottlenecks.

Well, since this is getting rather lengthy already, I think I'll cover the return trip separately (you may already be bored at this point!) .... Sorry for no in-flight window shots, as I did not have window seats, but hope still that something was of interest here.

Conclusion:
Overall, Cathay is still a great airline to fly - it's one of only six or seven SkyTrax-rated carriers that are rated five-star. With some aspects of the service, it's easy to see why - everything is superbly organized, in-flight service and food/beverage great, and everything is in tip-top shape. Uniforms are immaculate (love the updated design), and staff well-groomed. One thing that I like about CX - especially when traveling on connecting itineraries and to countries far away - is that staff are always available and helping out if need be. From standing at the gate with manual signs regarding connections, handing out pre/re-issued boarding passes for rebooked flights in the case of a missed connection, to being available in areas such as customs and baggage claim all add an extra layer of confidence that is welcome when one is traveling across the globe. Unlike some of the other Asian carriers, Cathay makes it easy to view seatmaps and to select seats in advance - an important feature, especially when traveling solo on long economy cabin flights.

Having said that, Cathay is probably a 5- rather than a 5+ star airline - as minor deductions probably need to be made on marginal issues such as the lack of hot towels and amenity kits, some difficulty in redeeming or renewing FF miles, and the little bit of the direct, slightly abrupt Hong Kong style interaction by some - but not all - of its staff.

Feedback is always welcome... Thanks for reading!