Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - CX F from USA to JNB what to expect?

Have taken CX twice now to Asia in F and know what to expect - but am planning HKG to JNB and heard F and J seats may not be the latest and greatest - can anyone validate what to expect?

Is an AA award still possible if I want to bring a guest?

Have taken CX twice now to Asia in F and know what to expect - but am planning HKG to JNB and heard F and J seats may not be the latest and greatest - can anyone validate what to expect?

Is an AA award still possible if I want to bring a guest?

Yes, you'll be flying on a 747-200 aircraft circa 1980. No IFE, No flatbeds. Seating 2-2 in F class. Meals are mediocre at best. Lots of wildgame ex-JNB.

:D

No!! CX are using those MD80 from HKG-JNB and will make 10 million re-fuel stops!

Also the seats in the So Called F Class = those on Domestic AA!

Check-out this thread. Very long and detailed, but explains the CX USA to JNB F experience in detail (not bad writing if I do say so myself ;) ):

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=182478&referrerid=6611

Yes, you'll be flying on a 747-200 aircraft circa 1980. No IFE, No flatbeds. Seating 2-2 in F class. Meals are mediocre at best. Lots of wildgame ex-JNB.

:D

You're joking, right? CX phased out its -200s several years ago, around 1996 or 1997.

You're joking, right? CX phased out its -200s several years ago, around 1996 or 1997.

LOL as much as I liked GB's and newcx12345's answers maybe it's time to jump in with a straight answer before we get anyone else posting "I didn't know CX had MD-80s..."

F and J seats on CX's long haul fleet (744, 74J, 34C, 34D, 333, 346) are, for all intents and purposes, the same and are the sleep-suite type in F and the New Business Class in J. The old cradle style J seats are only on the regional (330, 777, 773) aircraft now.

Hmmm.... are there 10 million places to make a fuel stop between HKG and JNB? :D

CX F service HKG-JNB is seasonal, so be careful if changing your dates (the flight may be operating sans-F). Often the JNB-HKG sector is superior service and meal quality to LAX-HKG for example, but it is somewhat erratic (I've had 4 good flights and 1 bad one, but have stopped flying that route as I prefer HKG-LHR, also JNB has badly deteriorated in the past couple of years).

Editted to add: Safety is a serious issue in JNB. Think Murder City. It can be safe if you act properly, but you have to actively ensure your safety. If you are renting a car, know the traffic rules. It is legal to run a red light, and you will have to do it sometimes in certain parts of JNB. Don't go anywhere that you haven't researched beforehand and understand what you are getting into. It pains me to give such warnings, but this is the reality of today's South Africa.

F and J seats on CX's long haul fleet (... 34D...) are, for all intents and purposes, the same and are the sleep-suite type in F and the New Business Class in J. For the 34D it is ("new") Long Haul Business Class for J, but there is no F.

I flew Cathay Pacific First Class from New York to Vancouver to Hong Kong to Johannesburg in April. I thought the overall service was quite good. I have detailed it in a trip report located HERE (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=316255&referrerid=6135)

For sure, you'll want to verify that First Class is indeed being offered during your travel dates. Business Class is nowhere near as nice.

I made this trip a couple of times spanning March to June as well.

The toughest part of this trip is having to force down all that gourmet food so late at night departing NAmerica and HKG. It was sheer torture, like being force fed in some prison! And then there was being confined to The Wing and The Pier for most of the day, having nothing to do but sleep away the hours in a small chamber will multichannel satellite TV and stereo music hour after hour. And then having to endure several buffet meals washed down with wines of the finest calibre... I tell you, this is something one does not want to endure. Particularly after they package you into those bedseats, forcing you to lay down 180-degrees while everyone else in the back of the plane gets to sit up straight. I tell you, the most difficult 48-hours of travel each way I have ever endured. I think I gained 5-pounds in each direction from being force fed like a French goose!

And of yes, they force you to get into this uniform so you look like a refuge from Shanghai!

BTW, they don't advertise it, but you are given free access to the old BA Arrivals Lounge in the InterContinental Hotel across from the terminal. There you just show your First Class boarding pass and you can use the showers, and if you can still face it, a full English style buffet breakfast. Oh, the horrors of this trip still haunt me...

The toughest part of this trip is having to force down all that gourmet food so late at night departing NAmerica and HKG. It was sheer torture, like being force fed in some prison! And then there was being confined to The Wing and The Pier for most of the day, having nothing to do but sleep away the hours in a small chamber will multichannel satellite TV and stereo music hour after hour. And then having to endure several buffet meals washed down with wines of the finest calibre... I tell you, this is something one does not want to endure. Particularly after they package you into those bedseats, forcing you to lay down 180-degrees while everyone else in the back of the plane gets to sit up straight. I tell you, the most difficult 48-hours of travel each way I have ever endured. I think I gained 5-pounds in each direction from being force fed like a French goose!

And of yes, they force you to get into this uniform so you look like a refuge from Shanghai!

BTW, they don't advertise it, but you are given free access to the old BA Arrivals Lounge in the InterContinental Hotel across from the terminal. There you just show your First Class boarding pass and you can use the showers, and if you can still face it, a full English style buffet breakfast. Oh, the horrors of this trip still haunt me...


hahahah, no one told you stuff yourself like a PIG and sleep like a pig on the plane and @ the Wing. The Beauty of being in F Class is that you can eat whenever you want and how ever much you wanted.

Also in HKG, you can go out and visit the beautiful city and then come pack for a relaxing shower/bath and some food before heading off to JNB.

I think this route is the best (if in F)