[3 HOUR DELAY] Cathay Pacific London to Hong Kong in the 10 abreast Economy Class on the B777-300ER
This is a video of me flying with Cathay Pacific from London to Hong Kong in the 10 abreast Economy Class on a Boeing B777-300ER during the hottest day of the year. Europe was experiencing a heat wave in July. Temperatures were so high that the UK railway system was heavily disrupted as trains had to run at reduced speeds due to safety reasons. The train I was supposed to take to London was cancelled and I set off an hour later than originally planned. I arrived at London Euston just after 7:30pm, leaving me with less than 3 hours before my flight. I hurried over to Euston Square and took a short tube ride to Paddington Station, where got on the Heathrow Express. Fortunately, the Heathrow Express was running as normal, so I relaxed on the air conditioned train during the 15 minutes it took to reach Heathrow Airport. I arrived with just under 2 hours before my flight, much to my relief.
I rushed through the Fast Track and headed straight to the lounge to chill out. I was informed that my flight has been delayed due to bad weather throughout Europe. Looks like the heatwave affected flights in addition to trains, maybe the tarmac was too hot for planes to run on. Boarding eventually started just before 11pm and I made my way to the gate.
This flight was served by a Boeing B777-300ER, and features Economy Class with a 3-4-3 configuration. There is a single extra legroom seat at the front of the Economy Class cabin, which I decided to try on this flight. The seat is positioned so that I have a clear view all the way to the end of the aisle in front of me. As with all the aisle seats in Economy Class, my view of the outside is greatly restricted.
Just because we were all seated did not mean the plane was ready to go however. The plane stayed at the gate for a couple more hours and the crew gave everyone a drink for the time being. It was not until after 1am that the plane got the all clear to taxi to the runway for take off. Maybe the airport has decided that the tarmac has cooled down sufficiently. As the plane took off, the couple to my left were excitedly watching American Sniper, so I did not get a chance to record the take off footage.
Dinner was served shortly after take off. I did my best to finish my meal despite being very tired. I decided that I could not keep my eyes open any more an hour after dinner and slept soundly for more than 5 hours.
I decided to have some midnight snacks when I woke up. I grabbed some cookies from the pantry and ordered some cup noodles. Due to the delay, breakfast was served at the time we would normally get ready for dinner in Hong Kong. I chose to have prawn congee because it is not so rich for me.
We landed in Hong Kong after 8pm, in complete darkness. Overall, my flight was delayed for more than 3 hours. However, I was not entitled to compensation under EU Regulations because the delay was caused by weather conditions. Had the flight been delayed due to a technical fault or crew shortage, I would have been entitled to €600 in compensation!
