2016年10月18日 星期二

國泰台北-首爾商務艙(Cathay Pacific Business Class: Taipei - Seoul)


國泰航空桃園機場第一航廈貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge, Taipei Taoyuan Airport Terminal 1

國泰航空優先報到櫃台
Cathay Pacific Priority Check-In Counters

國泰航空在台北的貴賓室於2015年11月完成整修之後重新開幕,但開幕後好幾個月卻都一直苦無機會造訪,所以這次的首爾行,雖然國泰的班機時間奇差,還是為了貴賓室選擇了國泰航空。

國泰在台北的報到櫃台已經全面更新企業識別,新的設計非常簡單大方,比較可惜的是字體太小,如果可以大一點就完美了。

The Cathay Pacific Lounge in Taipei reopened in November 2015 after an extensive renovation, though I never had the chance to visit it after its opening for months. So for this trip to Seoul, I chose to fly with Cathay Pacific even though their schedule was far from ideal.

All the check-in counters signs in Taipei are now updated with Cathay Pacific's new corporate identity, and the new design is nice and minimalistic, but could use a larger font.

國泰航空優先報到櫃台
Cathay Pacific Priority Check-In Counters

貴賓室的指標也換成了新的 Logo。

The new lounge signage is also replaced with their new logo.

國泰航空貴賓室指標
Cathay Pacific Lounge Signage

跟著指標上樓後,就可以看到全新的貴賓室入口。深色的牆面配上黃銅色的 Logo,將低調奢華的氛圍營造得相當成功。

After heading upstairs the new lounge entrance will be right in front of you. The use of dark walls and copper logo really successfully creates a luxurious impression.

國泰航空貴賓室入口
Cathay Pacific Lounge Entrance

國泰航空貴賓室入口
Cathay Pacific Lounge Entrance

國泰航空貴賓室入口
Cathay Pacific Lounge Entrance

進入貴賓室後首先有一個較小的座位區,也有簡單的點心跟飲料吧台。另外洗手間也是位於此處。

The first section of the lounge is a small seating area with a handful of seats and a small snack and drink bar. The restrooms are also located next to this section.

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

在這區就已經可以看出國泰新貴賓室內的設計風格,和其他的新一代貴賓室是相當一致的(例如香港玉衡堂商務貴賓室頭等貴賓室東京羽田貴賓室等),走的都是溫暖舒適的高級住宅風格。

You could instantly tell that the design of the lounge was in line with Cathay Pacific's new generation of lounges (including the Pier business class lounge and first class lounge in Hong Kong, and the Cathay Pacific Lounge in Tokyo Haneda). The lounge was very much like a warm and cozy luxurious apartment.

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室點心吧台
Cathay Pacific Lounge Snack Bar

國泰航空貴賓室點心吧台
Cathay Pacific Lounge Snack Bar

國泰航空貴賓室點心吧台
Cathay Pacific Lounge Snack Bar

國泰航空貴賓室點心吧台
Cathay Pacific Lounge Snack Bar

接著就是商務中心「閱覽間」,提供 iMac 電腦及印表機。

Then there's the business center, "the Bureau." equipped iMacs and printers.

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室「閱覽間」商務中心
Cathay Pacific Lounge "The Bureau" Business Center

國泰航空貴賓室「閱覽間」商務中心
Cathay Pacific Lounge "The Bureau" Business Center

國泰航空貴賓室「閱覽間」商務中心
Cathay Pacific Lounge "The Bureau" Business Center

接著則順著斜坡,進入國泰舊貴賓室的範圍。也可以從這裡知道,國泰新貴賓室在空間上確實擴充了不少。

After that, you get to follow the familiar slope into what was the old Cathay Pacific lounge. So you could tell that the new lounge really had quite an expansion in terms of real estate space.

國泰航空貴賓室走廊
Cathay Pacific Lounge Hallway

首先映入眼簾的是最著名的「風味坊」,提供現煮麵食。

The first main area is the famous Noodle Bar.

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar

這裡的座位區非常大,也提供適合各種人數的包廂座位,就算是尖峰時間也不會讓人找不到位置。

There's a huge seating area here offering booths for all sorts of group sizes. I did not have a problem finding a seat even during rush hours.

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」座位
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar Seating

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar

「風味坊」除了最經典的台灣牛肉麵跟雲吞麵之外,也有提供其他不少種類的餐點,根據之後造訪的經驗也發現菜單也會不定時變換,這點做得很用心,不會讓經常飛行的旅客老是吃一樣的餐點。

In addition to the classic Taiwanese beef noodle soup and the wonton noodle soup, the Noodle Bar also offers a variety of other options, and they change the menu quite frequently as well (based on my subsequent visits), so frequent guests won't be stuck with the same choices. Kudos to the lounge for that.

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」菜單
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar Menu

吧台旁也有各式佐料,讓旅客自行取用搭配。

There were, as usual, a variety of condiments next to the counter as well so you could mix and match according to your own taste.

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」佐料
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar Condiments

為了完整回報貴賓室餐點狀況,也只好忍痛將菜單上大部分餐點都點了一輪。

To fully experience and report on the food, I had to unwillingly order most of the items on the menu.

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」牛肉麵及蝦餃
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar Beef Noodle and Shrimp Dumplings

牛肉麵表現依然亮眼,蝦餃則是比較參差不齊,有的非常美味,但有的卻蒸過頭了。

The beef noodle was still delicious and without doubt the star of the menu. The shrimp dumplings, on the other hand, was a bit more hit and miss. I've had delicious ones but also once that were steamed for way too long.

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」牛肉麵及蝦餃
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar Beef Noodle and Shrimp Dumplings

雲吞麵雖然算是好吃,但比起香港貴賓室的還是差了一截。

The wonton noodles were good as well, though I'd say that the ones in the Hong Kong lounges were better.

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」雲吞湯麵
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar Wonton Noodle Soup

相較之下其他餐點就比較普通了,除了義大利麵表現較佳之外,其餘的都沒什麼亮點。

The other options did not shine as much in comparison. The spaghetti dish was nice, but the others were simply unmemorable.

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」肉燥飯
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar Taiwanese Minced Pork Rice

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」擔擔麵及義大利麵
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar Dan Dan Noodles and Spaghetti

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」雞肉包
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar Steamed Chicken Bun

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」素蒸餃
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar Steamed Vegetable Dumplings

若要說亮點,大概是櫃台一旁擺著的生啤酒機吧。

The highlight was actually the draught beer machine next to the counter.

國泰航空貴賓室「風味坊」啤酒機
Cathay Pacific Lounge Noodle Bar Draught Beer

穿過「風味坊」後,則來到了主要的貴賓室區域。

After the noodle bar was the main lounge area.

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰新一代貴賓室最讓我欣賞的地方,就是有各種不同的座位,以符合不同旅客人數的需求,像這裡就有設置長桌,感覺還可以在這裡開個簡短的會議。

What I loved most about the new Cathay Pacific lounges was that they always had different seating arrangements for groups of various sizes. For example, there's a large table for 8 in the lounge, which could be suitable for a small meeting.

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

另一旁則有一整區放置了國泰的全新專屬設計「Solo」座椅。這裡也是整間貴賓室最熱門的區域之一,等了好久才有比較空的時候可以拍照。

On the other side was a section filled with Cathay Pacific's new "Solo" chairs. This is also the most popular part of the lounge, I had to wait for quite a while before it was empty enough to take a picture.

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室「Solo」座椅
Cathay Pacific Lounge "Solo" Chairs

國泰航空貴賓室「Solo」座椅
Cathay Pacific Lounge "Solo" Chairs

「Solo」座椅的設計相當充滿巧思,除了比前一代的「Solus」座椅舒適之外,也設置了較大的桌面,還有個人閱讀燈跟外套掛鉤,座椅下方也有電源插座。

These "Solo" chairs were really nicely designed. They were far more comfortable than their predecessor, the "Solus" chair, and also had a larger desk space, a personal reading light and a coat hanger. Power outlets are located at the bottom of the seat.

國泰航空貴賓室「Solo」座椅
Cathay Pacific Lounge "Solo" Chairs

座位區旁也有簡單的飲料吧,提供軟性飲料、啤酒、茶、咖啡等。

Next to the seating area was a small drink bar, offering soft drinks, beer, tea, and coffee.

國泰航空貴賓室飲料吧
Cathay Pacific Lounge Drink Bar

整間貴賓室透過比較開放的設計,更顯得寬敞,彌補了樓高較低以及採光略為不足的問題。

The lounge had a more open design that made it felt really spacious, and balanced out the low ceilings and lack of sufficient natural light.

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

如同其他間的國泰新一代貴賓室一樣,台北貴賓室的設計也一樣讓人驚艷。這邊就用照片來證明吧。

Just like the other new Cathay Pacific lounges, the new Taipei lounge was just as stunning. I'll just let the pictures do the talking here.

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室充電插座
Cathay Pacific Lounge Power Outlets

電源插座一樣是隱藏在桌面抽屜中,而且是國際插座值得讚賞。

Power outlets were still nicely hidden in the desk drawers, and they were universal ones, which was a big plus.

國泰航空貴賓室充電插座
Cathay Pacific Lounge Power Outlets

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

貴賓室最尾端則是「悠然吧」。

At the end of the lounge was the bar.

國泰航空貴賓室「悠然吧」
Cathay Pacific Lounge Bar

國泰航空貴賓室「悠然吧」
Cathay Pacific Lounge Bar

吧台旁則擺放了一些堅果和餅乾,早餐時則會替換成餐包。

They had some nuts and cookies placed next to the bar, which would be replaced by breakfast rolls during breakfast hours.

國泰航空貴賓室「悠然吧」零食
Cathay Pacific Lounge Bar Snacks

「悠然吧」提供了相當多元的酒精及非酒精類飲料,比較可惜的地方是只有提供氣泡酒而沒有香檳,比起各地的國泰貴賓室,顯得小氣了些。

The bar had a large variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks on offer, though sadly they only had sparkling wine instead of champagne, which was a bit cheap compared to what the other Cathay Pacific lounge had on offer.

國泰航空貴賓室「悠然吧」酒精類、非酒精類飲料
Cathay Pacific Lounge Bar Alcoholic & Non-Alcoholic Drinks

既然沒有香檳可以選擇,就隨性地點了幾杯調酒,還有台灣限定的珍珠奶茶,以及國泰的招牌「Cathay Delight」。

Since there's no champagne, I ordered a few cocktails, as well as the Taipei-only option, Pearl Milk Tea, as well as the signature "Cathay Delight."

國泰航空貴賓室「悠然吧」非酒精類調酒「Cathay Fantasy」
Cathay Pacific Lounge Bar "Cathay Fantasy" Mocktail

國泰航空貴賓室「悠然吧」珍珠奶茶
Cathay Pacific Lounge Bar Bubble Milk Tea

國泰航空貴賓室「悠然吧」招牌飲料「Cathay Delight」
Cathay Pacific Lounge Bar Signature "Cathay Delight"

因為從台北出發的航班都是屬於短程航班,因此台北貴賓室並沒有設置淋浴間,不過洗手間有提供在機上僅供頭等艙專用的 Aesop 備品。

Since the Cathay Pacific flights out of Taipei were all short-haul flights, they did not have shower rooms installed in the lounge. However, they did have Aesop amenities in the restroom, which were typically reserved for first class when in the air.

國泰航空貴賓室洗手間
Cathay Pacific Lounge Restroom

國泰航空貴賓室洗手間 Aesop 備品
Cathay Pacific Lounge Restroom Aesop Amenities

最後趁著貴賓室人少的時候,趕快再多拍幾張照片。這麼美的貴賓室,真的看再久都看不膩。

I quickly snapped a few more pictures while the lounge was emptying out. I could never get tired of looking at such a stunning space.

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

國泰航空貴賓室
Cathay Pacific Lounge

CX 420 台北桃園-首爾仁川
CX 420 Taipei Taoyuan - Seoul Incheon

國泰航空 Cathay Pacific 420(CX 420)
台北桃園 Taipei Taoyuan(TPE)- 首爾仁川 Seoul Incheon(ICN)
起飛時間 Depart: 05:10PM
降落時間 Arrive: 09:00PM
飛行時間 Duration: 2hr50min
機型 Aircraft: Boeing 777-300
座位 Seat: 14A(商務艙 Business Class)

桃園機場B6登機門
Gate B6, Taipei Taoyuan Airport

準時在登機時間來到了登機門,發現登機隊伍也有了調整,綠卡會員不再使用商務優先登機通道,而是與特選經濟艙一起登機。

I got to the boarding gate on time, and discovered that the boarding lanes were also updated according to the new Marco Polo Club rules. Now, Green members do not have access to the business class line anymore, but boards with Premium Economy instead.

國泰航空優先登機通道
Cathay Pacific Priority Boarding Lane

也相當難得地,登機居然準時開始了,因此成為了第一位登機的旅客。

Boarding actually began on time, which was a pleasant surprise, and made me the first passenger to board.

桃園機場B6登機門
Gate B6, Taipei Taoyuan Airport

桃園機場B6登機門
Gate B6, Taipei Taoyuan Airport

國泰的新區域型商務艙已經介紹過很多次(請見這裡這裡),這邊就不再重複了。只能再次重申,雖然新的座椅對短程航線來說還算舒適,不過在 777 系列居然還是採用 2-3-2 的配置,實在是過時了些。現在沒有人搭商務艙還想被卡在中間座位的。

I've reviewed Cathay Pacific's new regional business class product multiple times (please check them out here and here), so will not repeat myself again here. The only thing I want to say is that while the product is nice enough for short-haul flights, having a 2-3-2 configuration (on the 777) is simply too dated for business class. No passenger would want to get stuck in a middle seat, especially in business class.

國泰航空 B777-300 區域型商務艙
Cathay Pacific B777-300 Regional Business Class

國泰航空 B777-300 區域型商務艙
Cathay Pacific B777-300 Regional Business Class

國泰航空 B777-300 區域型商務艙
Cathay Pacific B777-300 Regional Business Class

國泰航空 B777-300 區域型商務艙
Cathay Pacific B777-300 Regional Business Class

國泰航空 B777-300 區域型商務艙
Cathay Pacific B777-300 Regional Business Class

起飛和登機一樣相當準時,而且起飛後能看到這樣一片美麗的雲海,也是讓人愛上飛行的原因之一。

We took of on time, and had a view of the amazing clouds after take-off. It was a good reminder of why we love flying so much.

起飛後景觀
View after Take-Off

隨後也就開始餐飲服務,因為台北往東北亞的航程較短,即便是正餐也稍微精簡了一些(餐後甜點僅提供冰淇淋,沒有起司及水果)。

Meal service began soon afterwards. Since the Taipei-NEA flights were relatively shorter, even the usual meal service were "abbreviated" a bit (meaning that there'd only be ice cream for dessert and no cheese and fruit course).

國泰航空商務艙菜單
Cathay Pacific Business Class Menu

國泰航空商務艙菜單
Cathay Pacific Business Class Menu

國泰航空商務艙菜單
Cathay Pacific Business Class Menu

國泰航空商務艙菜單
Cathay Pacific Business Class Menu

國泰航空商務艙菜單
Cathay Pacific Business Class Menu

雖然常搭國泰,但不得不說國泰的商務艙餐飲服務實在有待加強,餐盤送上時只有煙燻鮭魚前菜跟麵包,而且還沒有鋪桌巾,已經是把台港線的水準拿到東北亞線來了。

I'm a frequent Cathay Pacific flyer and actually grew quite attached to the airline after a while now, but I must say that their meal service in business class needs quite a bit of improvement. The tray was delivered with the smoked salmon appetiser and bread (which just looked sad, to be honest), and they didn't even put on tablecloths beforehand. It's like having a Taipei-Hong Kong meal on NEA routes, which is simply sub-par.

國泰航空商務艙晚餐
Cathay Pacific Business Class Dinner

麵包共有三種可以自由選擇,我就各拿了一個。

There were three options for bread, and I had one each during the meal service.

國泰航空商務艙麵包
Cathay Pacific Business Class Bread

國泰航空商務艙前菜:煙燻鮭魚
Cathay Pacific Business Class Appetizer - Smoked Salmon

主菜則選擇了中式的石斑魚,口味非常一般,米飯也蒸得稍微過硬了些。

For the main course, I chose the Chinese option, Braised Garoupa, which was average at best. The rice, on the other hand. was overcooked. 

國泰航空商務艙中式主菜:石斑魚
Cathay Pacific Business Class Main Course (Chinese) - Braised Garoupa

國泰航空商務艙中式主菜:石斑魚
Cathay Pacific Business Class Main Course (Chinese) - Braised Garoupa

餐後一樣點了港式奶茶搭配 Haagen-Dazs 冰淇淋,一開始因為沒有草莓口味,所以空服員特別讓我一次拿了另外兩種口味(巧克力和香草),後來卻突然多出了一盒草莓,所以意外地享受到了三盒,也是第一次遇到。

After the meal I had the usual Hong Kong Milk Tea to accompany the Haagen-Dazs ice cream. Initially I was told they ran out of strawberry ones, so the nice flight attendant kindly offered me both the chocolate and vanilla ones. But then one more strawberry ice cream magically appeared, so I had the pleasure of having all three, which was a first for me.

國泰航空商務艙港式奶茶及 Haagen-Dazs 冰淇淋
Cathay Pacific Business Class Hong Kong Milk Tea and Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream

國泰航空商務艙港式奶茶及 Haagen-Dazs 冰淇淋
Cathay Pacific Business Class Hong Kong Milk Tea and Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream

送餐完後剛好稍微休息一下,也難得從空中欣賞到了日落。

After the meal service there was still time for a brief rest while enjoying the sunset in the air.

日落景觀
View of Sunset

台北到首爾實際航程只有兩個小時多一些,所以不久後也順利抵達了仁川機場。

And since it only took a little more than two hours from Taipei to Seoul, we arrived safely to Incheon Airport shortly after, marking the end to this trip.

抵達仁川機場
Arriving at Incheon Airport

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