After spending half a day in Kathmandu shopping, I returned to the airport for my next flight. I talked briefly about how my reservation got messed up due to a 16-hour delay, and the agent I spoke didn’t properly reissue the ticket. As a result, I didn’t have a valid ticket despite holding a seat on alternate flights.
In this series:
- Introduction: New Year 2020 In The South Pacific
- Turkish Airlines Business Class 777-300ER Los Angeles to Istanbul
- Turkish Airlines Business Class 777-300ER Istanbul to Manila
- Malaysia Airlines Business Class 737-800 Manila to Singapore via Kuala Lumpur
- Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge Satellite Terminal – Kuala Lumpur Airport (KUL)
- Jewel Changi Airport
- Qantas International First Lounge – Singapore Changi (SIN)
- Qantas First Class A380 Singapore to Melbourne
- Qantas International First Lounge – Melbourne (MEL)
- Qantas Business Class 737-800 Melbourne to Christchurch
- Doubletree Chateau on the Park – Christchurch, New Zealand
- Christchurch Botanic Gardens and Tour Around the City
- Getting Lost in the Countryside: Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park
- Air New Zealand Domestic Lounge – Christchurch (CHC)
- Air New Zealand (Premium) Economy 787-9 Christchurch to Auckland
- My First Impression of Auckland, New Zealand
- Adina Apartment Hotel Auckland Britomart, New Zealand
- The North Island Must Do: Hobbiton and Rotorua
- Fiji Airways Business Class A350-900XWB Auckland to Nadi
- Hilton Fiji Beach Resort and Spa – Nadi, Fiji
- Fiji Airways Premier Lounge – Nadi (NAN)
- Fiji Airways Business Class A330-200 Nadi to Singapore
- Malaysia Airlines Business Class 737-800 Singapore to Kuala Lumpur
- Malindo Air Business Class 737-900 Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu
- Shopping Spree in Thamel – Kathmandu, Nepal
- Cathay Dragon Business Class A330-300 Kathmandu to Hong Kong
- 16-Hour Delay on my American Airlines, with a Happy Ending
- Cathay Pacific First Class 777-300ER Hong Kong to Los Angeles
- Fin: Final Flights and My Closure with American Airlines – It was Good While It Lasted
The agent at Kathmandu Airport advised me to check with the transit desk upon arrival in Hong Kong for my American Airlines segments. So I guessed I’d worry about it later.
Flight Number: KA103
Route: Kathmandu (KTM) – Hong Kong (HKG)
Schedule: 23:25 – 06:00+1
Duration: 4h 20m
Aircraft Type: Airbus A330-300
Cabin: Business Class
Seat: 12K
Date: January 5, 2020
Closer to the boarding time, I headed downstairs and cleared the security. By the time I got to the gate, boarding was almost complete — I was among the last passenger to board. As you guess, there wasn’t a jet bridge at the Tribhuvan International Airport, which wasn’t a bad thing because I love a remote stand boarding! Something about getting on a widebody aircraft through a staircase.
Cathay Dragon Airbus A330-300 KA103 KTM – HKG
Cathay Dragon Airbus A330-300 KA103 KTM – HKG
I’m not too fond of a redeye flight, especially when it’s not long enough to shut my eyes and sleep. Even worse, Cathay Dragon didn’t have proper lie-flat seats in Business Class. Oh, it also didn’t have individual air vent! 😦
Cathay Dragon Airbus A330-300 Business Class Cabin
Cathay Dragon Airbus A330-300 Business Class Seats
Cathay Dragon Airbus A330-300 Business Class Bulkhead Seats
Cathay Dragon Airbus A330-300 Business Class IFE Controller
Shortly after settling in my seat, the flight attendant came around the cabin to distribute an amenity kit and offered a pre-departure beverage.
Cathay Dragon Business Class Amenity Kit and Pre-Departure Beverage
At this point, I was exhausted. I tried to have a nap as much as I could because I had a lot of travels ahead of me. Eventually, we took off just before midnight. As always, the flight attendants were unsurprisingly warm and friendly — I was also addressed by my last night throughout the flight, which seemed to be just the service protocol.
Twenty minutes after takeoff, the appetizer was served that consisted of fresh fruits.
Cathay Dragon Business Class Appetizer
For the main course, I had chicken biryani.
Cathay Dragon Business Class Main Course
To finish, I had Belgian Chocolate Häagen-Dazs — it was rock hard. I had to wait for 15 minutes to be able to scoop it.
Cathay Dragon Business Class Dessert
Overall, the meal was decent. It was good, but nothing fancy. Before I tried to nap, I brushed my teeth and checked out the lavatory.
Cathay Dragon Business Class Lavatory
The remainder of the flight was pretty uneventful, but I didn’t get a good nap. It was a combination of being a redeye flight, the seat, and the jetlag — I did change between timezones so frequently in a short time.
We arrived in Hong Kong at 5:50 am and found myself stuck in the arrival hall for hours — thanks to the flight delay and the incompetent AA agent!
Conclusion
My Cathay Dragon flight from Kathmandu to Hong Kong wasn’t bad. The food was decent, and the service was delightful, as usual. That said, I’m not a big fan of a redeye flight, especially without proper Business Class seats.
