Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - Refueling stop for YVR-HKG?

Reading from the previous threads, I've heard that headwinds are so strong during winter months that LAX/SFO-HKG flights had to refuel in ICN or TPE often. I will be on board CX839 two weeks from now and wondering if YVR-HKG flights also experience unscheduled tech stops along the way although flying time is 1hr 40min shorter than ex-LAX. Most of my YVR-HKG flights are taken during daylight saving schedules, so I don't fly this route often during winter months.

Reading from the previous threads, I've heard that headwinds are so strong during winter months that LAX/SFO-HKG flights had to refuel in ICN or TPE often. I will be on board CX839 two weeks from now and wondering if YVR-HKG flights also experience unscheduled tech stops along the way although flying time is 1hr 40min shorter than ex-LAX. Most of my YVR-HKG flights are taken during daylight saving schedules, so I don't fly this route often during winter months.

Usually not. The range of 744s are sufficient even with the strong headwind.

Had to stop for fuel in ICN whilst flying LAX-HKG just last week... headwinds were indeed very strong.

Depends not only on the headwinds, but the load of the plane as well. If it is a full flight, and lots of freight, it means they cannot take enough fuel on to compensate for the head winds and thus requires a tech stop. I am not sre of the YVR flight but it does happen from time to time on LAX flights.

FWIW, the tech stop is well orchastrated. You pull into a the gate at ICN and you can see the pilots and FAs all lined up on the jetway. They new crew comes on, cleaners tidy up the plane, fuel is topped off and you will push off. Generally, takes ~45 minutes. It is interesting watching the FAs do the safety equipment checks. Lots of hidden compartments on the 744.

I've never been on a plane which needed a unscheduled tech stop...ie the lax to hkg that stops at TPE or ICN, but do they always change crew if its just a refuel?

I've never been on a plane which needed a unscheduled tech stop...ie the lax to hkg that stops at TPE or ICN, but do they always change crew if its just a refuel?

As it's not a scheduled stop, no crew-change.

I've never been on a plane which needed a unscheduled tech stop...ie the lax to hkg that stops at TPE or ICN, but do they always change crew if its just a refuel?

All three times that I've been diverted on the LAX-HKG flights we have had a crew change. The old crew stays with the aircraft and tries to find any open seats - if no seats are available then the jump seats are maxed out as well as the crew rest bunks.

I'm not a geographic nor an aviation tech expert. So I'm curious to know if headwinds tend to be stronger during dark/night hours as opposed daylight/daytime hours? Since CX839 is flown mostly during daylight hours in each time zone, will the flight experience less head winds as opposed to the other CX redeye flights that are flown mostly in dark/night hours?

Correcty me if I'm wrong, but if I recall from past CX timetables when both CX 839 & 889 were flown with 744s, CX839 had a scheduled flying time of 10 minutes shorter than the nightime CX889.

All three times that I've been diverted on the LAX-HKG flights we have had a crew change. The old crew stays with the aircraft and tries to find any open seats - if no seats are available then the jump seats are maxed out as well as the crew rest bunks.

About a month ago I flew ICN-HKG. At the back of Y-class, there was a whole set of crew from one of the LAX flights which had an unscheduled fuel-stop @ ICN in the early morning of that day.

if the operating crew are close to exceeding their flight time limitation (FTL) then a new set of crew will operate the flight, otherwise, the same crew will continue to operate. the replaced crew will then just sit out the final sector as DT crew

CI flies two LAX-TPE flights on some days, one day flight, and one night flight. Both flights are 744s. If you look at their current schedule, the night flight has a scheduled tech stop in Anchorage, while the day flight doesn't have a scheduled tech stop.

I have been told the reason is that the night flight carriers a lot more connecting passengers. Travellers from the US to Southeast Asia tend to max out their baggage allowance, increasing the weight of the evening flight. CI simply decided that they would just make a planned technical stop so that they won't have to worry about weights.