Any folks ever use Cathay to fly from the West coast thru Hong Kong to Jo'burg? I have a friend from Alaska who did it a couple of years ago and he liked it better than his previous trips from the East coast - says no jet lag.

I've flown Cathay Pacific from the West Coast to Hong Kong and beyond several times and I always got jet lag. It's a long, long flight any time you cross the Pacific. I travel internationally quite a lot and I don't know that I'd go to South Africa by way of Hong Kong.

I do really like Cathay Pacific as an airline though.

My wife and I flew Cathay, Sydney to Harare via Melbourne and Hong Kong in 1992. 26 hours travel but it is an excellent airline and if you can stop off in Hong Kong for a few days it would break up the trip.

We stopped on the way back and spent four days shopping. If you have never been to Hong Kong it is well worth the visit.

If stopping on the way over you can have cheap but excellent quality bespoke clothing, luggage and footwear made overnight.

I don't think I would take the route you are talking about from where i live but from where you live it might make sense to you. I have flown Cathay pacific in the past, actually to Hong Kong several years ago, a truly first class airline with great service and food.Hong Kong was a really neat place to visit and I spent a week there. If you got the time, go for it. As far as the airline,, the rest of the airline industry could take a lesson. When you board the plane,, the entire flight crew lined up and invited us aboard......very, very , professional,, they made you feel like they were glad you were there,,, light years different experience that SAA.