Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - NRT to HKG, do CX has the best C product?

Never travel this route before. Compare to JL and NH, is CX better in term of lounge at NRT and in flight service?

Depends on what you're looking for.

I'd take NH just to spend a few hours at their fantastic NRT lounge, and drown myself with the extensive range offered at its sake and sochou bar! :)

Otherwise CX is better for more confident and personable onboard J service, slightly better food, and wider AVOD range. Plus CX cabin announcements are more succinct and clearer, compared with the frequent and lengthy versions of NH, often barely audible and heavily accented, which can be quite annoying.

Ah. I would choose either JL or CX (slightly leaning towards CX). StudioCX is awesome (among all the ones operating this route, and worldwide) and as said above, NH announcements (actually, most Japanese ones) are quite lengthy. CX is very swift and direct in this aspect. You can get a few minutes more of rest or TV.:D IMHO, I also prefer CX J food.

Otherwise CX is better for more confident and personable onboard J service, slightly better food, and wider AVOD range. Plus CX cabin announcements are more succinct and clearer, compared with the frequent and lengthy versions of NH, often barely audible and heavily accented, which can be quite annoying.

You must be flying a different CX than the one I fly NRT-HKG. And to the OP, the answer is "no", you shifty cross-poster.

NH is a great airline in terms of food/wine and service. J is not F, but if you get modern seats on NH plane, you will not be disapointed.
I would avoid JL as they are nearing bankrupcy.That could imply unexpected cuts in services and very low staff morale who have other things on their mind.

NH is a great airline in terms of food/wine and service. J is not F, but if you get modern seats on NH plane, you will not be disapointed.
I would avoid JL as they are nearing bankrupcy.That could imply unexpected cuts in services and very low staff morale who have other things on their mind.
These are not really valid reasons to avoid JL. They really are a good choice. The Japanese government, as reported in the news, will not allow JL to go bankrupt (correct me if im wrong). Low staff morale cannot imply that the entire working force (unlike United :D) is grumpy. Japanese staff are actually one of the most friendly.

You must be flying a different CX than the one I fly NRT-HKG.
Do you mean you've had bad experiences or do you mean his points are wrong? If points, I can't completely say that his points are wrong as NRT operates sometimes with long-haul equipment (wider AVOD..on and on)

Do you mean you've had bad experiences or do you mean his points are wrong? If points, I can't completely say that his points are wrong as NRT operates sometimes with long-haul equipment (wider AVOD..on and on)

No, I haven't had "bad" experiences with CX. The food is OK, and the service is fine. But the chances of getting a "real" long-haul hard product (lie-flat seat, AVOD) are very slim now, probably less than 1 in 10 or 20, so I wouldn't bet on it. That makes CX the last choice for me in that sector.

And CX on-board announcements are notorious for their length, superflousness ("no hot drinks", anyone?), and ability to piss me off when they do them in three languages with pauses in between. Not to mention the 20-25 minutes of video junk one must put up with before getting to the on-board entertainment.

Lounge in NRT is only OK, the NH and JL lounges are quite a bit better. In HKG the opposite is true, of course.

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I thought CX J passengers can have access to JL J lounge at NRT. Or am I being naïve? :-)

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I thought CX J passengers can have access to JL J lounge at NRT. Or am I being naïve? :-)

You are correct. And JL J passengers have access to the Wing/Pier in HKG also, so that whole lounge issue is moot when considering JL (but not NH).

I fly this route (NRT-HKG) every month, used to fly NH/JL/CX. Currently only fly CX.

Reasons:
1) Flight schedule: CX has more flights offering more flexibility when building your itinerary
2) Hard product: seats for all of them are regional. NH sometimes put their 773 or 744 with long haul seats. NH C long haul product is slightly better than CX/JL regional when reclining, but quite narrow compared with CX. If you are NH elite you could get F seats for the price of C (servive will be C though).
3) Soft product: IMO CX food is better on quality,volume and taste and wine quality. NH has been trying to put weird Japanese food (kind of for experts) and downgrading their drinks quality. JL is erratic, moreover these days with their financial problems (even if the government says they will not allow to go bankrupt, what if it goes bankrupt and you are holding a JL tkt..are you going to call Japan's prime minister to claim your money???). PA announcements, already mentioned above. NH/JL are endless. CX brief and straightforward.
4) AVOD: I like better CX Studio, but NH offers some interesting Japanese movies. JL...well if you are lucky and get the "good" magic system then ok, but on my experience I mostly get the old magic that really sucks.
5) Lounge: NH NRT lounge is good, but OW (CX/JL) offer in NRT the JL C class lounge or the Sakura (if you are Emerald). In HKG CX lounges (Wing/Pier) are the best you can get, *A are just regular lounges.

Hope it helps.

4) AVOD: I like better CX Studio, but NH offers some interesting Japanese movies. JL...well if you are lucky and get the "good" magic system then ok, but on my experience I mostly get the old magic that really sucks.

The in-flight entertainment in regional CX isn't AVOD. It is plain IFE. Good selection, but not OD.

The in-flight entertainment in regional CX isn't AVOD. It is plain IFE. Good selection, but not OD.

Yes, you're right, it's IFE.

Thanks to all!
I eliminated JL already because of its financial hardship.
Now is NH vs CX.

Thanks to all!
I eliminated JL already because of its financial hardship.
Now is NH vs CX.

Hi neuro0, while all fine and dandy, you know that you should not have cross posted here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japan/1006778-best-c-class-nrt-hkg.html

I am leaving this thread open because there are many who have answered your question and further might add to your questions in the 'new' topic.

I would avoid JL as they are nearing bankrupcy.That could imply unexpected cuts in services and very low staff morale who have other things on their mind.

Seriously? "Could imply"? Have you ever flown JAL? I may be one of their fanboys but I can tell you from having flown them since 2001 that their service is fantastic not only in J or F but in Y as well. Their morale has not changed in the slightest, the customer is number 1. Before I decided on JAL as my transpac carrier I flew on a bunch of different Asian airlines and JAL was the best of the bunch with Korean Air a close second. Not to knock CX's J service which I have experienced but their Y service isn't even close.

I'd bet money and give you odds that if JAL goes under, the staff and service would continue to be superb until the last flight was finished.

Seriously? "Could imply"? Have you ever flown JAL? I may be one of their fanboys but I can tell you from having flown them since 2001 that their service is fantastic not only in J or F but in Y as well. Their morale has not changed in the slightest, the customer is number 1. Before I decided on JAL as my transpac carrier I flew on a bunch of different Asian airlines and JAL was the best of the bunch with Korean Air a close second. Not to knock CX's J service which I have experienced but their Y service isn't even close.

I'd bet money and give you odds that if JAL goes under, the staff and service would continue to be superb until the last flight was finished.

Yes, I have flown JAL many, many times in J & F (not Y). No doubt that Japanese airlines provide outstanding service compared to most other airlines. We all know that personal experiences can be different so I am only reporting my personal experience; but it is backed by many of my Japanese friends (I spend months in Tokyo every year). JL has two problems. First many of its planes have not been upgraded with recent seats, so you could end up with antique seats. Second, there is a long history of bad relation between management and staff. Part of the fact that JL has long been a government airline and is still has the mentality. So the risk of "social unrest" when the necessary survival plans are announced are significant. As you mention KE, I am afraid that they suffer from the same problem of having many longhaul planes with outdated seats. it might not affect the transpac routes, but certainly does some European and Australian routes. Personally I find NH and OZ clearly superior to JL and KE.