--- title: "Review: Cathay Pacific A330-300 Business Class (SIN-HKG)" site: "The Quiet Vacationer" site_url: https://quietvacationer.com/ url: https://quietvacationer.com/2025/11/26/review-cathay-pacific-a330-300-business-class-sin-hkg/ date_published: 2025-11-26 date_modified: 2026-06-05 author: "The Quiet Vacationer" categories: - "Flight Reviews" - "Reviews" tags: - "Cathay Pacific" - "Hong Kong" - "oneworld" - "Singapore" --- # Review: Cathay Pacific A330-300 Business Class (SIN-HKG) As part of our [trip to Iceland](https://quietvacationer.com/2026/01/15/chasing-the-northern-lights-part-1/), we flew Cathay Pacific’s A330-300 Business Class on CX652 from Singapore to Hong Kong. This was an award flight booked via Cathay Pacific. ## Check-in and boarding There were two priority check-in counters for First and Business Class passengers, including oneworld frequent flyer members. We then checked out the [Cathay Pacific lounge](https://quietvacationer.com/2026/01/22/review-cathay-pacific-lounge-sin/) in T4. It had the usual noodle bar, great for a quick pre-flight bite and a taste of Hong Kong. You can also access other oneworld lounges at Changi, but we skipped them this time since our flight was around noon and time was tight. ![Boarding gates for Cathay Pacific flights](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/cx652-business-class-3.jpg) *Boarding gates for Cathay Pacific flights* Boarding at the gate was chaotic, with a huge crowd and a very long priority boarding queue. It seems like our flight had quite a number of frequent flyers. The departure was delayed as well. ## The seat Cathay Pacific uses some regional A330s fitted with recliner seats for flights between Singapore and Hong Kong, so it’s a bit of luck whether you get these or the newer Cirrus seats. We’ve had last-minute aircraft swaps before (to these regional recliner seats), but this time the regional 2-2-2 seats were confirmed months out. This particular A330-300 aircraft is marked as the 33P with 24 business class seats. ![Cathay Pacific A330’s regional business class seats (source: \[Aerolopa\](https://www.aerolopa.com/cx-33p))](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/cx652-business-class-7.jpg) *Cathay Pacific A330’s regional business class seats (source: [Aerolopa](https://www.aerolopa.com/cx-33p))* The recliner seats had a [refresh recently with new seat covers](https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/cathay-pacific-refreshes-regional-a330-777-business-class-cabins/), but it’s still the same old seat though it was green previously. A blanket and pillow were provided for the short flight, together with a [label-free Evian water bottle](https://www.facebook.com/cathaypacific/posts/pfbid0CJPQLHdgGtv6CAmNgpsq2PDSEB93rtMSUbJTzZfdktoy4Z4vCCoegzK5j43qX76vl). ![Cathay Pacific A330-300’s refreshed regional business class seats](https://cdn.quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/cx652-business-class-1.jpg) *Cathay Pacific A330-300’s refreshed regional business class seats* If you’re used to Cathay’s long-haul business cabins or have seen the new Aria suites, this setup is a major downgrade since you can also get “better” seats on the same route. The seats are okay-ish, but they don’t go fully flat and feel more premium economy than business. It didn’t help that there was some leftover breakfast cereal near my seat. ## In-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi The in-flight entertainment screen is showing its age and barely responded to touch, which got annoying after a while. Not really the best experience considering there are usually newer aircraft with modern IFE setups that fly this route. You can check the current movie lineup on [Cathay’s entertainment site](https://entertainment.cathaypacific.com/) before your flight. Since August 2025, [Cathay offers free in-flight Wi-Fi for business class](https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_SG/inspiration/cathay-stories/how-inflight-wifi-works.html) and above, which we used without issues. It’s good to see more airlines offering free Wi-Fi, especially as competitors like Singapore Airlines have had this for a while. ![Cathay Pacific A330-300’s in-flight entertainment screen](https://quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/cx652-business-class-2.jpg) *Cathay Pacific A330-300’s in-flight entertainment screen* ## Food and drinks Before departure, we were offered a pre-departure drink and we chose the Cathay Delight, which is a kiwi and coconut-based mocktail, which was great. Printed menus were also placed at our seats, and we were offered to choose our main course, which we chose the stir-fried prawns with XO sauce, and a choice of drink. I personally got the Hong Kong-style milk tea, which, to my understanding, is actually made from powder on-board. You can ask for a glass of ice if you prefer it cold. For starters, smoked salmon was served. ![Cathay Pacific’s business class appetizer](https://quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/cx652-business-class-4.jpg) *Cathay Pacific’s business class appetizer* Followed by the main course of stir-fried prawn with XO sauce and rice. ![Cathay Pacific’s business class main course](https://quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/cx652-business-class-5.jpg) *Cathay Pacific’s business class main course* After the main course were done, we were offered fruits, cheese or ice cream. You can always request for more if you’d like. ![Cathay Pacific’s business class desserts](https://quietvacationer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/cx652-business-class-6.jpg) *Cathay Pacific’s business class desserts* The cabin crew were excellent, and very professional, courteous, and attentive throughout the flight. ## Concluding thoughts For this route, you’d want to try avoiding the regional A330 with recliner seats if you’re redeeming miles for a short-haul flight. It’s okay for a daytime hop if the price or miles value is right, like connecting onward to China for 28,000 Asia Miles. If you can snag a 1-2-1 seat with newer cabins, that’s always a better option, considering how Singapore Airlines already have full lie-flat beds for all their aircrafts, including for regional routes. --- *Originally published on [The Quiet Vacationer](https://quietvacationer.com/2025/11/26/review-cathay-pacific-a330-300-business-class-sin-hkg/)*