Champagne and a personal TV in business class on Cathay Pacific make for a great way to pass the 16 hours from New York to Hong Kong.

The last time I spent a night in tight quarters, surrounded by strangers, most of whom were Asian, it was in a hostel.

But rather than being handed thrice-bleached sheets and being told when the lock-out hours are by a white guy with dreadlocks, too young to be that burned out, this evening began by a beautiful flight attendant asking me if I wanted champagne or perhaps a delicious fruity signature beverage (champagne, always champagne–unless the other options are cava or prosecco).

If a hostel and a Ritz-Carlton married and had a child that could fly you to Asia, it’d be lodging in business class on Cathay Pacific.

After downing my preflight champagne on CX 831 from New York’s JFK International Airport to Hong Kong International Airport, I settled into a comfortable seat that reclined completely flat and, unlike any hostel bed, came with a personal audio/video system, advertised as “Entertainment: Be inspired by our selections of 100 movies, over 350 television shows, 888 CDs, 22 radio channels and over 70 video games.” I’m not sure if I was inspired but I was entertained by highlights of European soccer. And while hostels might have similarly large media libraries, it’s a safe bet that Cathay Pacific didn’t acquire its with the help of BitTorrent.

The next time Cathay Pacific upgrades its fleets, I’m calling dibs on one of the retired seats.

While debating about what to order for dinner–chicken or beef–a plate of lox showed up. And salad. And a roll. Every other time I’ve picked around an airline meal, it was because it looked too gross to eat. In the case of this Cathay Pacific flight, I only nibbled at my beef–which was delicious–because I was too stuffed from the previous courses. And despite the big butter stain on my shirt, my scarlet A, my albatross, showing I belong in coach (if that), the service was impeccable throughout my trip.

I usually have a hard time sleeping on flights, so I tried to drink myself to sleep that evening with the nice array of complimentary drinks (I don’t even like port) but even that approach didn’t work on the 16-hour flight, as I was pretty hopped up for my first visit to China. After five busy days and jetlagged nights in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, however, I had no problem catching a quick 14-hour nap on the return flight–but not until after I ate my dinner of course.

Disclaimer: My flight was courtesy of Cathay Pacific (I’m a travel writer, for God’s sake, you think I could swing business class on my own?).

Photo: Zach Everson