Cathay Pacific’s inaugural departure from Sea-Tac Airport
Cathay Pacific’s new non-stop service from Seattle to Hong Kong launched on April 1 with four flights per week; the service will go daily starting July 1.
The new offering is the only current flight between the two Pacific Rim cities; that should make it a popular option for travelers.
Cathay Pacific went all-out with a launch party at the gate
Cathay Pacific is using its excellent Airbus A350-900 on the route, which is now the airline’s eighth to the United States and follows existing services to Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York (JFK), New York (Newark), San Francisco, and Washington DC.
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- Philippe Lacamp, Cathay Pacific Senior Vice President, Americas kicks off the ceremonies
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- Of course there was cake…
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- And there was a roast pig for good luck
Cathay Pacific is renowned for its high-quality service, and that was in evidence at the catered launch event. There was plenty of food, including a whole roast pig, which is a traditional good-luck meal.
Preparing for the inaugural flight
The late-night departure made for a really fun photo opportunity out on the ramps and taxiways.
Loading up for the long flight to Hong Kong
The flight is the very definition of a red-eye, departing from Seattle at 1:00 a.m., and arriving at Hong Kong International Airport at 5:10 a.m. the following day. The return flight departs HKG at 11:55 p.m. and arrives at SEA at 9:00 p.m.
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- The dancers drew a crowd of travelers in the terminal
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- Waiting to board
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- Now boarding at gate S12
Cathay Pacific’s A350-900s on this route are configured for a total of 280 passengers in three classes: economy (214 seats in a 3-3-3 layout), premium economy (28 seats, 2-4-2), and business (38 lie-flat seats, 1-2-1).
Cathay Pacific’s 2019 Seattle flight schedule
Interestingly, on the previous day, Japan Airlines started non-stop service between Seattle and Tokyo using 787-8s, and Delta started non-stop service from Seattle to Osaka with 767-300ERs the day after. Sea-Tac is definitely experiencing strong international growth.
Francis,
What was the lens and camera settings you used to get the A350 departure shot?
Hi Brian,
Thanks for reading!
Camera settings are always specific to the environmental conditions at a given location and moment in time. With that caveat, here you go: manual mode, 1/50th at f/4.5, ISO6400.