As this is my first TR go easy on me. I haven't included general cabin photos as there's plenty of them available online. The main purpose is to compare CX F & J, and F on the 77W vs 744, at a high level.
I have posted under the AAdvantage thread regarding my booking process but it's worth a quick recap.
Booking process
I booked in Dec 12 for the flights I've just taken in the last week, initially with all flights in J (award U class). I did not consider BA because of the fuel fines and I like the long leg from Asia to LHR so I concentrated on Cathay as it has what I think is a great J hard and soft product. I could not get a direct routing from HKG-LHR so I looked at all the other European destinations CX serves with a 77W to ensure the new business class and found availability to CDG, with a quick BA hop over to LHR, so I booked this.
However, having read that CX often open up award availability with 7 and 3 days before a flight, I checked expertflyer 3 days ahead of my outbound flight and saw that whilst J was almost fully sold all 6 First class seats were unsold and sure enough at about 1.30pm I could see 2 First seats available via the BA website on the CX direct flight to LHR (Z class), so I decided to spend the extra 20k (80k vs 60k) to go First on that leg. As I mentioned in the AA thread the CX flight i booked was actually listed under the QF flights page on the AA award booking system, so if an AA agent can't see a CX flight you know to exist ask them to look under other airlines for it.
The next day, being 7 days from my return date, only 1 of the 9 First class seats had been sold and again at about 1.30pm Sydney time CX opened up 4 award seats in First, so I upgraded the return leg as well so that I could a) compare First on 744 vs 77W, and b) avoid the old herringbone style business class on the 744.
CX100 SYD-HKG A330 Business class 2pm 18G
After having my ticket reissued twice due to the First upgrades I decided not to check in online (I had checked in for this flight before the second F upgrade request and it was a nightmare for them to un-check me, to allow re-ticketing). I saw no reason to as I had used 'Manage my booking' a few hours before and my chosen 16K was still showing (I hate middle seats). At the airport it was another story - I was given 18G. The agent told me when AA reticketed me the system had deleted my pre-selected seats. I pointed out that this could not be correct as my pre-selected seat for the following flights were still in the system. I argued for a while but in the end all window seats were taken so all I could do was hope for a no show.
Not having any current status I was off to the QF Business lounge. It was at this point that I really wished CX flew First to Australia as the gap between the Business and First lounges is immense. I always find the QF Business lounge a bit unfriendly compared with others, but at least the wine tends to be decent quality. i decided not to eat and await the onboard selection.
Of course when I checked at the boarding gate I was told that all the window seats were full so I was stuck with my 18G. Once onboard I noticed 2K was free but despite asking again they refused to allow me to sit in 2K given it was a crew rest seat. I was not particularly impressed but soothed my nerves with a nice glass of Deutz champagne pre-takeoff. I chose the chicken breast option from the menu which was quite dry but nonetheless filled the hole and I settled in to enjoy the Cathay entertainment system which is reasonably good (albeit I saw Jerry Maguire listed in the New Releases section which I found odd). I won't go into further detail as I'll provide the comparison next.
CX251 HKG-LHR 777-300 First class 11.55pm 1A
I took the opportunity to use the First class Wing lounge by gate 2. Even though I had read about the cabanas when offered a shower I just took it and it was perfectly fine. I also ignored the pre-flight dining as i knew i wanted to eat on the plane with the aim of spleeping for the last 8 hours or so. Suffice to say the Cathay lounges at HKG are all very pleasant.
When I stepped on the plane I knew I had made the right choice - not only would I get to LHR 6 hours earlier than going via CDG, but I could tell that despite the very good J product, I was in for a special treat with F. The 2 F attendants introduced themselves as well as the CSM, and I settled in with a nice glass of Krug (and with the bottle for a photo). Despite all 6 seats having been unsold only 3 days before they were all now full, probably with a few op-ups as the flight was full.
First impressions of the hard product - the seats are significantly larger than J as you would expect with better padding, although overall they look a little dated and suffer from wear and tear. I think the cabin refresh due soon will be worthwhile. The Shanghai Tang pyjamas look great. The cabin of 6 seats is cozy and having 2 dedicated toilets behind the coughpit is great for 6 passengers, albeit the outer toilet is much larger than the inner.
The caviar plate was delicious, albeit eating caviar at 2.30am Sydney time felt a bit odd but I dealt with it. Given I was quite hungry attakeoff I chose the beef option to be accompanied by their promotional wines of St Emilion, being Chateau Figeac 2007. The beef was well done yet still reasonably juicy (why is it always this way?) and the wine was delicious, as you would expect with a retail price of approx ~$200 per bottle. The only criticism I have is that no water bottles were given out after dessert meaning a quick trip to the galley a few hours later when the effects of the red had kicked in. You do notice the crew passing by quite regularly to and from the forward galley. I agree with most reviews that 2A would be best, but I'm still happy I chose 1A and have kept the boarding pass.
CX252 LHR-HKG 747-400 First class 12.30pm 2K
Beginning in the LHR CX First lounge I had a great vantage of runway 27L.
When I boarded the 747 I knew immediately that this was preferable to the 777. 2A/2K are great seats for single travellers, 1A/K for couples, and with only 2A and 3A occupied apart from myself I knew the service would be great and it was. The ambience is still cosy but a little less claustrophobic and with no one walking past the seat is very private. The toilets are much larger than on the 777 and have windows which is a pet like of mine. I had also forgotten how fast the big old birds fly too - by 30,000 feet the ground speed was 1,000kph with a 50kph tail wind.
The caviar starter was the same but more enjoyable just because of the time of day. The wine was Chateau Dassault 2004, only $50 retail but to me preferable to the Chateau Figeac mainly because of the larger % of Merlot. The crusted lamb rack was delicious and after cheese, ice cream, port and chocolates I couldn't fit another thing in, apart from a few more glasses of the red of course.
The descent into HKG was through a fair bit of weather and you do notice the wind/rain noise more in the 747 vs 777 but this didn't really bother me. The lounge staff in LHR had printed passes for both the arrivals lounge and First departure lounge(s) for my departure much later that day. The arrivals lounge was packed and it took a good 30mins for a shower to be free. I had made the mistake of trying to enrol for the e-channel pass having 3 landing slips from the prior 12 months - after 30 mins of waiting I was told you could only enrol after having departed 3 times ie. on your 4th arrival. Maybe next time...
CX101 HKG-SYD A330 Business class 11.55pm 16K
After a full day's work and with my chosen 16K boarding pass already printed I was happy when I got to the Wing - the other end of the airport from my Gate 70 departure near The Pier, but The Wing is my favourite HKG lounge and a bit of exercise doesn't hurt. This time I asked for a cabana and I was not disappointed...definitely the choice if one is available. I followed up with pre-flight dining where the dishes ranged from OK to very nice. With a 10min pitstop at The Pier just before boarding I sat in my seat and drank the pre-flight Deutz feeling exactly as I had wanted to, ie. almost unconscious from jetlag, exhaustion and a full stomach. I can't really review this flight as I fell aslepp almost immediately and woke up with an hour to landing, had a strong cup of tea and the trip was done.
Conclusion
CX new J on A330s and 77Ws is still my favourite business class product. But if you have the opportunity do try F, particularly if the J option is the old business class herringbone seat. I was reluctant at first as I thought there would not be much of a step up from the J product since it's so good, but the best way I can describe it is it makes what would otherwise be a pleasant flight in J, a memorable flight in F. This is particularly attractive if you are using AA miles as the incremental cost in miles is pretty small in most cases; for me with the current relatively poor buy miles promotion it cost me ~USD1,000 to upgrade both legs. I will also look at the F options on other carriers such as MH and JAL in future.
I have posted under the AAdvantage thread regarding my booking process but it's worth a quick recap.
Booking process
I booked in Dec 12 for the flights I've just taken in the last week, initially with all flights in J (award U class). I did not consider BA because of the fuel fines and I like the long leg from Asia to LHR so I concentrated on Cathay as it has what I think is a great J hard and soft product. I could not get a direct routing from HKG-LHR so I looked at all the other European destinations CX serves with a 77W to ensure the new business class and found availability to CDG, with a quick BA hop over to LHR, so I booked this.
However, having read that CX often open up award availability with 7 and 3 days before a flight, I checked expertflyer 3 days ahead of my outbound flight and saw that whilst J was almost fully sold all 6 First class seats were unsold and sure enough at about 1.30pm I could see 2 First seats available via the BA website on the CX direct flight to LHR (Z class), so I decided to spend the extra 20k (80k vs 60k) to go First on that leg. As I mentioned in the AA thread the CX flight i booked was actually listed under the QF flights page on the AA award booking system, so if an AA agent can't see a CX flight you know to exist ask them to look under other airlines for it.
The next day, being 7 days from my return date, only 1 of the 9 First class seats had been sold and again at about 1.30pm Sydney time CX opened up 4 award seats in First, so I upgraded the return leg as well so that I could a) compare First on 744 vs 77W, and b) avoid the old herringbone style business class on the 744.
CX100 SYD-HKG A330 Business class 2pm 18G
After having my ticket reissued twice due to the First upgrades I decided not to check in online (I had checked in for this flight before the second F upgrade request and it was a nightmare for them to un-check me, to allow re-ticketing). I saw no reason to as I had used 'Manage my booking' a few hours before and my chosen 16K was still showing (I hate middle seats). At the airport it was another story - I was given 18G. The agent told me when AA reticketed me the system had deleted my pre-selected seats. I pointed out that this could not be correct as my pre-selected seat for the following flights were still in the system. I argued for a while but in the end all window seats were taken so all I could do was hope for a no show.
Not having any current status I was off to the QF Business lounge. It was at this point that I really wished CX flew First to Australia as the gap between the Business and First lounges is immense. I always find the QF Business lounge a bit unfriendly compared with others, but at least the wine tends to be decent quality. i decided not to eat and await the onboard selection.
Of course when I checked at the boarding gate I was told that all the window seats were full so I was stuck with my 18G. Once onboard I noticed 2K was free but despite asking again they refused to allow me to sit in 2K given it was a crew rest seat. I was not particularly impressed but soothed my nerves with a nice glass of Deutz champagne pre-takeoff. I chose the chicken breast option from the menu which was quite dry but nonetheless filled the hole and I settled in to enjoy the Cathay entertainment system which is reasonably good (albeit I saw Jerry Maguire listed in the New Releases section which I found odd). I won't go into further detail as I'll provide the comparison next.
CX251 HKG-LHR 777-300 First class 11.55pm 1A
I took the opportunity to use the First class Wing lounge by gate 2. Even though I had read about the cabanas when offered a shower I just took it and it was perfectly fine. I also ignored the pre-flight dining as i knew i wanted to eat on the plane with the aim of spleeping for the last 8 hours or so. Suffice to say the Cathay lounges at HKG are all very pleasant.
When I stepped on the plane I knew I had made the right choice - not only would I get to LHR 6 hours earlier than going via CDG, but I could tell that despite the very good J product, I was in for a special treat with F. The 2 F attendants introduced themselves as well as the CSM, and I settled in with a nice glass of Krug (and with the bottle for a photo). Despite all 6 seats having been unsold only 3 days before they were all now full, probably with a few op-ups as the flight was full.
First impressions of the hard product - the seats are significantly larger than J as you would expect with better padding, although overall they look a little dated and suffer from wear and tear. I think the cabin refresh due soon will be worthwhile. The Shanghai Tang pyjamas look great. The cabin of 6 seats is cozy and having 2 dedicated toilets behind the coughpit is great for 6 passengers, albeit the outer toilet is much larger than the inner.
The caviar plate was delicious, albeit eating caviar at 2.30am Sydney time felt a bit odd but I dealt with it. Given I was quite hungry attakeoff I chose the beef option to be accompanied by their promotional wines of St Emilion, being Chateau Figeac 2007. The beef was well done yet still reasonably juicy (why is it always this way?) and the wine was delicious, as you would expect with a retail price of approx ~$200 per bottle. The only criticism I have is that no water bottles were given out after dessert meaning a quick trip to the galley a few hours later when the effects of the red had kicked in. You do notice the crew passing by quite regularly to and from the forward galley. I agree with most reviews that 2A would be best, but I'm still happy I chose 1A and have kept the boarding pass.
CX252 LHR-HKG 747-400 First class 12.30pm 2K
Beginning in the LHR CX First lounge I had a great vantage of runway 27L.
When I boarded the 747 I knew immediately that this was preferable to the 777. 2A/2K are great seats for single travellers, 1A/K for couples, and with only 2A and 3A occupied apart from myself I knew the service would be great and it was. The ambience is still cosy but a little less claustrophobic and with no one walking past the seat is very private. The toilets are much larger than on the 777 and have windows which is a pet like of mine. I had also forgotten how fast the big old birds fly too - by 30,000 feet the ground speed was 1,000kph with a 50kph tail wind.
The caviar starter was the same but more enjoyable just because of the time of day. The wine was Chateau Dassault 2004, only $50 retail but to me preferable to the Chateau Figeac mainly because of the larger % of Merlot. The crusted lamb rack was delicious and after cheese, ice cream, port and chocolates I couldn't fit another thing in, apart from a few more glasses of the red of course.
The descent into HKG was through a fair bit of weather and you do notice the wind/rain noise more in the 747 vs 777 but this didn't really bother me. The lounge staff in LHR had printed passes for both the arrivals lounge and First departure lounge(s) for my departure much later that day. The arrivals lounge was packed and it took a good 30mins for a shower to be free. I had made the mistake of trying to enrol for the e-channel pass having 3 landing slips from the prior 12 months - after 30 mins of waiting I was told you could only enrol after having departed 3 times ie. on your 4th arrival. Maybe next time...
CX101 HKG-SYD A330 Business class 11.55pm 16K
After a full day's work and with my chosen 16K boarding pass already printed I was happy when I got to the Wing - the other end of the airport from my Gate 70 departure near The Pier, but The Wing is my favourite HKG lounge and a bit of exercise doesn't hurt. This time I asked for a cabana and I was not disappointed...definitely the choice if one is available. I followed up with pre-flight dining where the dishes ranged from OK to very nice. With a 10min pitstop at The Pier just before boarding I sat in my seat and drank the pre-flight Deutz feeling exactly as I had wanted to, ie. almost unconscious from jetlag, exhaustion and a full stomach. I can't really review this flight as I fell aslepp almost immediately and woke up with an hour to landing, had a strong cup of tea and the trip was done.
Conclusion
CX new J on A330s and 77Ws is still my favourite business class product. But if you have the opportunity do try F, particularly if the J option is the old business class herringbone seat. I was reluctant at first as I thought there would not be much of a step up from the J product since it's so good, but the best way I can describe it is it makes what would otherwise be a pleasant flight in J, a memorable flight in F. This is particularly attractive if you are using AA miles as the incremental cost in miles is pretty small in most cases; for me with the current relatively poor buy miles promotion it cost me ~USD1,000 to upgrade both legs. I will also look at the F options on other carriers such as MH and JAL in future.
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