Review of Cathay Pacific flight from Vancouver to New York in Business

Hi everyone! Welcome to yet another leg of the Summer 2018 travel series! After a nice getaway in Vancouver, it was time for me to head back to New York flying on Cathay Pacific yet again. Even though it was cold (especially in a month like June), Vancouver is an amazingly beautiful city. In fact, one thing that I'd like to point out is that the whole city is so easy to navigate around, which is a huge perk since I was going there for the first time.
I was honestly quite sad about my vacation ending. However, I'm glad I was able to spend some quality time with my parents before heading to reality back in New York. I do have to say that this is a repost of the same flight as I had issues with uploading some of the images. Luckily, it all got resolved in the end. Anyways, without further ado, let's get on with the flight! ;)
Inbound flight can be found here!

Pre-flight

We weren't staying far from the airport, so we had plenty of time to spare since the flight wasn't until 10:55 PM. In fact, my parents and I ended up spending our last day eating an amazing lunch and catching up after a while, as well as relax before finally heading to the airport at around 8:40 PM.
International Departures exterior at Vancouver International Airport

Interior/departure lobby

Cathay Pacific check-in counters

Before actually checking in, there were the usual questions being asked about our stay as well as our bags with this US-bound flight

Once that was done, we were able to check-in, where the whole process took less than 5 minutes.

Heading towards security

From a first impression, the YVR departure area was slightly hard to navigate around. However, I was able to find the security checkpoint after doing a little sightseeing, which was definitely worth the walk!

One of the most famous sculptures at the airport: The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, the Jade Canoe

Various restaurants at pre-security

A bear at YVR

Now, heading towards security!

Post-security

To my surprise, security took approximately 20 minutes due to long lines, despite the fact we made it a couple of hours prior to the flight.

Some duty-free shops

Baggage claim area viewed from departures

FIDS

A larger duty-free area, with a variety of products to choose from

Airside. I must say however, YVR is one of the most iconic airports I've ever been to!

Luxury shops

I decided to check out the rest of the airside while my parents headed to the Cathay Pacific lounge located near gate D67

Fish tank/aquarium

Nature at an airport?

More art

Overall, YVR is quite an amazing terminal. In fact, it was pretty much how I imagined it.

I got so excited when I got the opportunity to plane spot!
China Airlines Airbus A350-900, B-18901, which will serve as CI31 back to TPE

I'm not sure, but I thought this was a special flight for some reason as there were people setting up with food and beverages.

Anyways, I then headed to the CX's lounge at YVR to see how it compares to the once I've reviewed in both Hong Kong and Bangkok

Cathay Pacific lounge entrance, with the lounge located one level above the main departure area and is accessed through an elevator.

Lounge invitation

Shots of the lounge

Overall, the lounge was fairly decent, with a wide variety of food and beverage choices as well as the famous Noodle Bar, which I missed very much! I ended up ordering a wonton noodle soup, which is one of my favourite dishes! Also, it has an amazing view of the tarmac!

Another shot of the lounge

Buzzer which notifies you when your dish is ready

Washroom and shower room entrance

My noodles!

This lounge visit wouldn't have been complete without a glass of champagne!

Boarding pass

I recall spending approximately half an hour before finally proceeding to board the flight

Heading towards the gate

It was quite a bit of a walk, but we made it in good time

Gates D71-77 area

Gate D73 entrance

The holding room used for those passengers who originally boarded from Hong Kong as they had to go through a second security process

Plane to JFK: B-KQG. This bird has had an extremely long journey!

I could tell already that this flight was going to be full

Well, time to head back home!

Before boarding, there were officers asking every passenger about our hand luggage as a secondary security measure, which is a normal procedure for a US-bound flight
Let's board!

Some pre-flight information:
Date: 15 June 2018
Airline: Cathay Pacific
Flight Number: CX 888
Route: Vancouver (YVR) - New York (JFK)
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Registration: B-KQG
Distance: 2444 miles
Scheduled Departure Time: 10:55 PM
Actual Departure Time: 11:12 PM
Scheduled Arrival Time: 7:00 AM
Actual Arrival Time: 6:55 AM
Flight Time: 5 hrs 5 mins
Departure Gate at YVR: D73
Arrival Gate at JFK: 47

Inflight

Main business class cabin

My seat, 22K with the inflight controls

Right before I was able to take my seat, the captain came on with his usual pre-flight welcome stating that we will be departing right on schedule with a short flight time of 4 hours and 32 minutes
The comfortable legroom on the 77W, even if it's for a short flight

View from my seat, right next to an American Airlines Boeing 737-800, N921AN, serving as AA1519 to DFW

Pre-departure drink: Water

Flight info

Settled into my seat yet again!

Cabin view before departure

Hot towel

Starting to pushback at around 10:56 PM

Views from pushback

Cabin lights were dimmed in preparation for takeoff

Taxiing to Runway 26R

We took off at 11:12 PM
Our location, 10 minutes after departure

East Coast bound!

Thanks for everything, Vancouver! See you soon!

After approximately 15 minutes, the crew came around to distribute amenity kits, menus, and water bottles

Mood lighting change

Menu cover

Menu for tonight's flight

Drink menu

Amenity kit

Water bottle

Discovering the entertainment selection

Time to continue where I left off! ;)

Soon, the dinner service started with the cabin crew taking drink orders. Like always, I got a Perrier

Table setup with the appetiser, garlic bread, and dessert. I'm guessing everything was put out all at once since this was only a short flight

My main course: Wok-fried cod, ginger and spring onion with assorted vegetables and jasmine rice

Cabin view inflight

Hot towel to officially end the dinner service

The cabin lights changed a couple of minutes later, transforming the cabin into complete darkness

The bathroom with the standard J sink

Once I got back to my seat, I switched to the inflight map to find out our current location

View of my seat with the lights off

I continued to watch more episodes of The Big Bang Theory before ultimately calling it a night over Manitoba, with approximately 2 hours remaining for the flight

Cabin view

I set the seat in the fully flat position, lay the duvet all nicely spread out, and I slept for the remainder of the flight.

I was sleeping soundly until the captain woke us up with his pre-arrival announcement saying that they are now starting the descent into New York and we had the usual 30 minutes before we landed.

Pre-arrival drink: Orange juice

It didn't take long for the cabin to prepare for landing as the whole procedure was quick as always

Approaching JFK

Final shots before landing

Over Long Island, with the skyline of Manhattan visibly far ahead

Before I knew it, we landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport 5 minutes ahead of schedule. The taxi to the terminal took quite a while, but it gave me a chance to spot some planes!

South African Airways Airbus A340-600, ZS-SNE, which just arrived from JNB as SA203

Terminal 4, with the ATC tower

Actual flight route

Taxiing to Terminal 8

Docking at gate 47

Post-flight

Disembarking/Arrival into JFK

A similar walkway from the departure area

See you guys soon!

Since this was an early arrival, we breezed through immigration and customs, making it to the arrival hall within 10 minutes.

Terminal 8 arrival hall exterior during the day

Afterwards, we met our private cab driver and then headed back home