Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - Flight 828 HKG to YYZ - What goes on in YVR?

I see that CX828 stops in YVR for an hour and a bit - I am assuming since it is not a Vancouver flight per se this is for fuel and you don't go through Canada Immigration until arrival YYZ? I ask as 1:15 or so cannot be enough to do even 1/2 of the formalities.

I am thinking of a first trip to BKK and on CX for Xmas and am trying to understand the logistics - (For YYZ to HKG via YVR 800a.m arrival and 855 a.m departure) is the 55 minute connection in HKG enough to connect ? Or would it be better to take the HKG/BKK 2:20 p.m. flight some 6 hours later to eat and shower and so forth?

I get the impression these guys and HKG are pretty efficient so it's 55 minutes becuase 55 minutes is enough though no chance to see the lounges etc. On the return, I could, I guess take an earlier flight BKK to HKG to have time to poke around. Since that is also a very short connection - 1:10.

And as the schedule says the aircraft is a 343 for both 829 and 828 to/from HKG/YYZ , question: are these for sure the NBC seats? I gather this is the case now, although I did want to buy a RTW first class ticket but woe is me there is no FC on this flight - unless that changes later in the year? But I sure don't want the old J seats either.

Passengers remain on board and must remain in their seats while the aircraft gets cleaned, and there is a crew change. No passengers are allowed to board with the exception of off-duty CX staff on staff travel. This is the only exception to allowing passengers.

Can't use the lounge in YVR, which is under renovations anyway.

34D aircrafts are used. There are no F class seats on this aircraft type.

Passengers remain on board and must remain in their seats while the aircraft gets cleaned, and there is a crew change. No passengers are allowed to board with the exception of off-duty CX staff on staff travel. This is the only exception to allowing passengers.

Can't use the lounge in YVR, which is under renovations anyway.

34D aircrafts are used. There are no F class seats on this aircraft type.


On the reverse way back YYZ-YVRx-HKG, I was told by CX that sometimes they do pick up pax to goto HKG (if they overbook the other 2 flights to HKG).

34D aircrafts are used. There are no F class seats on this aircraft type.

According to Seatguru.com the 34D is a 45" pitch J seat not NBC which is the 34C or the 34-600 with F. Are these that small a seat? I can't fly 15 hours in a 45" pitch seat.

The flights that commence in YVR are true F , J , Y configurations - is that correct? I might try a RTW that starts in YVR and ends in YYZ via BA and jut get to YVR on my own dime. For the small increase the RTW fares in F seem like a good Xmas gift from me to me.

What is your impression of the 55 minute HKG connection in terms of likelyhood and on time performance etc?

According to Seatguru.com the 34D is a 45" pitch J seat not NBC which is the 34C or the 34-600 with F. Are these that small a seat? I can't fly 15 hours in a 45" pitch seat.

The flights that commence in YVR are true F , J , Y configurations - is that correct? I might try a RTW that starts in YVR and ends in YYZ via BA and jut get to YVR on my own dime. For the small increase the RTW fares in F seem like a good Xmas gift from me to me.

Seatguru is wrong wrong wrong! The 34D aircraft have the NBC seats with a 60" seat pitch.

All flights ex-YVR sell F, J and Y. If you can, go with F. It's leaps and bounds ahead of J. Even J on CX, which can be patchy at times.

All Airbus A340s are equipped with the new Business class with the lie flat seats, especially on the YVR and YYZ routes.

On CX 828 and 829 as well, the flight will stop at Vancouver, but only crew change and refuelling. You will clear custom and immigration at Toronto, and Hong kong respectively.

On the return, they will take in additional passengers from YVR only at overbooking situations and staffs... but only on extraordinary days. Because they don't do catering at YVR... all the food and beverage are loaded at YYZ, and HKG for the whole flight (to save $$$ in my personal theory) and I think they may clear the trash too. So if they take in extra passengers, extra meals will have to loaded. So it is only rare that additional passengers will be carried on the continuation YVR-HKG segment on CX 829.

Anyway, New Business class for sure on CX 828/9...

Carfield

Seatguru say: "This year Cathay will be reconfiguring 10 of the 15 A343 aircraft to this 2-class version, referred to as A34D. The current 3-class configuration is referred to as A34C.
Business Class: 45.0" pitch 20.0" width
Economy Class: 32.0" pitch 17.5" width "


Are they implying that the 34D will have 45 inches after reconfiguration to NRBC??? or is this just nonsense??

It's nonsense. The 34D is configured with long-haul (new-ish) business class.

Not to hijack the thread :p but since the discussion has turned (somewhat) to the 34D, I read on airliners.net that CX are planning to change ONE 34D back into a 34C next year. Anyone able to confirm, deny, explain why CX seem to like playing musical configurations?