Cathay Pacific recently announced that it will launch the first direct flight between Hong Kong and Cape Town, which was welcomed by local business people who do a regular China commute.
BREAKING: @cathaypacific has just announced that it will launch a direct flight to Cape Town, from Hong Kong. The new flight launches in Nov 2018. This new route will connect the Cape with the important East Asian market. This is critical for growth. #CTAirAccess #CapeConfidence pic.twitter.com/ZbHUjWybQV
— Wesgro (@Wesgro) February 22, 2018
Praise be ???? https://t.co/bLgLfQXM8t
— Kobus Ehlers (@kobusehlers) February 22, 2018
In addition, the direct flight will unlock massive tourism potential from Asia, said Alan Winde, Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities.
Currently, a business class trip on Cathay Pacific (priced up to R198,000 for a return flight) from Hong Kong involves a stopover, usually in Doha.
The new direct flight of 14 hours and 20 minutes from Hong Kong to Cape Town will shave up to six hours off the previous trips.
Business class tickets for the non-stop flights, which will start in November this year, are already for sale. According to the Cathay Pacific booking platform, these tickets are on offer for around R70,000.
An added bonus: Passengers will travel from Hong Kong on Cathay’s brand-new Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The latest Airbus model can fly 15,000 kilometers non-stop, ideal for the long-haul flight.
The plane is 25% more fuel and cost efficient than other planes with the same width, says Cathay. Inside, “perceived noise levels” are also 50% quieter than other and has LED cabin mood lighting with millions of different colours to give “a relaxed cabin ambience”.
The plane is also one of the first to offer total inflight connectivity. You can use wifi for an expected R140 per flight.
The business class cabins offer a flat bed that stretches out for 190cm.
The business class seats offer single touch seat adjustment in business class and dimmable reading lights. You can also watch live television from across the world
Live CNN on the Cathay Pacific A350. Also BBC and Euronews, and all work on the ground, too. pic.twitter.com/d5fkdNtwxf
— Zach Honig (@ZachHonig) November 28, 2017
Business class passengers also have an option to watch the A350's tail camera.
This is the food you can expect:
Middle-of-the-night dinner on Cathay Pacific's A350 flight from Newark to Hong Kong. Very solid food, and efficient service... drinks to dessert less than 90 minutes after takeoff. pic.twitter.com/1OwYl3ZHrJ
— Zach Honig (@ZachHonig) November 28, 2017
And the toiletries are on the house:
But at the price, that would be the least you can expect, right?
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