Not so much a bias in the comments here as the fact that we are few in number and are not all frequent fliers, so our experience of airlines and airliners is restricted to what we have actually flown. Also, if we have had one bad experience with an airline, this colours our judgment, even though it might have been a one-in-a-hundred bad day at the office for the airline concerned.

Of the YT channels the one I pay most attention to is https://theluxurytravelexpert.com/ , there is no commentary apart from a few on-screen remarks which are generally neutral, the guy just films the flights (especially the menus and the loos) and the lounges. The one I pay least attention to is Sam Chui, as he doesn't stop talking and has been known to accept payment for reviews, which is bias in my book.

I can't really comment about Cathay as I last flew with them before the handover, an aeon ago in aviation terms. In those days they were extremely good, the food being exceptional; It seems none of the other regulars here have flown with them recently either, so you might want to take a look at the three flight reports on Cathay in https://theluxurytravelexpert.com/tr...usiness-class/ as these are much more recent.

I remember flying with family with Cathay when knee high and they were the family favourite and I know they had rough times before and obviously during the pandemic.....the main thing that appeals with them more than the others is the nonstop flights (granted coming back is a 4 hour flight SIN/HKG before transferring to the HKG/MAN nonstop but HKG airport is a comfortable place to spend time compared to European airports). I try to avoid UK airports apart from MAN and many of the European ones too apart from perhaps CDG and AMS (although chaotic I know my way around those two better than most airports in UK/Europe). I have yet to visit Helsinki so cannot comment on there even though the Finnair flights look pretty good on timings etc.

I looked at Etihad, they seem to be OK on timings but a tad on the high end fare wise, so that may be an option on top of Cathay, Finnair, Emirates, Turkish, Singapore and Qatar. There is absolutely no way on this earth that I would go with BA even if it was the last airline operating.

The reviews that you linked Justapax1 have been very helpful, thank you.

Spoilt for choice...I think it will come down to basics.....costs, comfort and timings and whether I can get away without having to spend a night in HKG pre-cruise, which is always going to be a risk especially in mid December from MAN but since I shall be booking through the cruise line's own flight section (which means they pick up the pieces in the event of a delay etc and make the ship wait), I am going to keep trawling through the reviews, read up on experiences from people on this site and just watch the schedules and fares til I am able to finally book flights at 330 days out. Suffice it to say I will definitely be going business class for the first time ever as a treat to myself :)

Thank you Justapax1 , Mr Mac , Helol , Andy_S and everyone for you valuable help and advice (and patience).

Discovered this review with a difference, Sam Chui aboard Cathay HKG to CDG...behind the scenes and with a tech issue with the first aircraft meaning a swap over...2 hours unload/reload from one B777 to another. Kudos to the crew, they worked as a proper team to get everything swapped over in a short amount of time


I have to admit that I like watching reviews like this when something unplanned happens so you get to see the crew handling it...Cathay did very well working as a team on this problem, from flight deck to CC's and groundcrew, excellent to see everything behind the scenes too.

Years ago we flew several times with Cathay and the experience was underwhelming - the CC weren't very helpful - even in First. When you could fly SIA, MAS, Thai or JAL they were a real outlier for us.

I'm leaving this out of the main Heathrow power thread:
Yesterday, I collected family from T5. Fortunately, their flight booked for Saturday from Spain operated normally. They related that, at the gate, they heard Americans who had been diverted and now making a connecting flight. Apparently, they were very annoyed at how they had been treated. It sounds like the usual self-pity rather than, "Our aircraft landed and we are all safe. Out luggage will be OK. We have been delayed but are fine".

I wonder if they would have thought differently, if the delay had been caused by an aircraft prang ...

In the past, I've been delayed by various things, sometimes I had to pay and sometimes insurance did. In 2003 I was three days late getting back from NYC due to a massive, city-wide power failure. I missed a wedding (that I was supposed to lead) but all was fine in the end.

Watching the streamers again, this time at MAN

Doesn't happen often that you get to see the emergency systems working but a TUI B787 took off a short time ago and blew a tyre, immediately returned to MAN, using the designated emergency runway 23L textbook landing. The ATC connected person on the stream confirmed #5 tyre deflated and no overheating, the aircraft will shortly return to stand.

I have to admit that watching the streamers at various airports is perfect for those with a love of aviation, but I cannot help but wonder if one day a streamer will catch something potentially catastrophic. There was no way of knowing that the TUI would land safely just now, thankfully it did...but the streamer was effectively locked onto it with full zoom right from short final til after it had completed its roll out after landing

Would a streamer stop filming if the worst happened or would they continue since if caught on film the media and those so-called "disaster tourists" lap it up?

I would like to think that most if not all streamers would stop filming if it became obvious that things were going very wrong.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....d9b4af7d64.png
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....081bc8c66e.png

Maybe stop streaming, but any and all angles being filmed, including the response of the emergency services after an incident, would be useful to the AAIB in their investigation. Just like you keep the dashcam running if you witness a RTA however gory - the police will want to see it.

I think dashcams are like carrying umbrellas - if you carry an umbrella, it won't rain. Since I fitted a dashcam, I haven't witnessed even the most minor of fender benders. Same illogic apples to filming aircraft.

This refers to last year but is impressive.

The Guardian 6th April 2025
Will this affect air fare pricing??
Nope!

Next, King Canute Starmer sets his throne by the shore and orders the tide back.

The joke used to be that the shortest recorded time period was that between the traffic light going green and the motorist behind you sounding their horn. These days the shortest recorded time period is that between a spectacular accident and someone posting footage on social media complete with (they think) conscience-salving "I hope they're OK".

That was the definition of a split second...

Femtosecond in this part of Essex mate :)

Worked on me whilst on unfamiliar road in Derbyshire. At red light to take a longer look at sat nav and BLAST.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/lat...syjet-35012909

"As an airline, we are committed to making easyJet accessible to everyone. easyJet carries around one million passengers requiring some form of assistance each year and our research shows that 87% of easyJet passengers who require this are satisfied with the services we provide."

That means 130,000 people a year are dissatisfied with their service.

Best dressed in the sky: The top 7 airline uniforms of all time
 

The views of the writer, not necessarily mine. I think the Singapore Airlines by Pierre Balmain was definitive, and helped the airline's image greatly. Singapore never quite got to my favourite airline spot though.

I know many Brits seem to have an inordinately fond recollection of the BCAL uniforms. Could be to do with the shortness of the skirts?

With Air NZ unveiling its new staff uniform by royal favourite Emilia Wickstead, featuring prints from artist Te Rangitu Netana, and Qantas preparing to update its cabin attire, your nearest airport runway is the one fashion fans are watching.

Designers of uniforms have a growing responsibility to get it right, with airline cabin crew now the best-dressed people in the air as passengers become more relaxed in their attire, with pyjamas disguised as travel wear an increasingly common sight.
Here are the uniforms from the past and present that should inspire the future of sky-high fashion.

https://archive.md/vzvXb

Pierre Balmain revealing his designs for Singapore Airlines in 1974, and the uniform today. Credit: Getty, supplied

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....ff0431c199.jpg

And then there was Braniff:


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....9b1bf84219.jpg


Which uniforms are your favourites?

As regards the number of passengers commenting on Easyjet flights ........................

There is nothing like 'lies, damned lies and statistics' !!! You can't say that those who don't tick the 'satisfied' box are 'dissatisfied' ... there should be a 'box' to tick for 'neither satisfied nor dissatisfied' and another for 'I do not wish to share an opinion'. :ok:

Singapore WAS definitive - and keeping it much the same shows just how right they got it 50 years ago

I am glad never to have travelled with Braniff whilst those uniforms were in use. The look as if they were designed only to get newspaper and TV coverage = free advertising.

Braniff were fun - not always punctual but, looking back, they were much more modern in their outlook then the ultra staid offerings from the big US airlines at the time. And they never lost our luggage.