Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - London or Paris to Hong Kong?

Since CX changed the daytime LHR-HKG flight to an A-340, I am considering the CDG-HKG flight because it is still a 747. But I recall some negative comments about the catering ex-CDG. I would think that catering of the Paris flight would be better than those that depart London. Any recent experiences?

Why do people dislike the A340? I actually prefer the Airbus plans as they are quieter, and although the plane is narrower, this slight narrowness makes the plane that much more hospitable. The 747 can be a bit too cavernous.

Also, if you have a window seat, you don't feel trapped in by the 2 people you need to get past to get out, and in J class, there's no middle seat!

Chinese offerings ex-LHR are better than ex-CDG.

ex-CDG catering can be a bit iffy whereas ex-LHR they do tend to be quite good. Depends on the catering CX contracts from at CDG. But honestly, it won't that much of a difference if you want to be nitty gritty on airline foods.

I once thought how bad can airline food be since it's out of CDG and the French would know how to make a bad meal good, right?

Well, I found out, that the French can make a bad meal if given insufficient funds on catering as I realised that my meal aboard an AA economy class flight can be downright scary!

Why do people dislike the A340? I actually prefer the Airbus plans as they are quieter, and although the plane is narrower, this slight narrowness makes the plane that much more hospitable. The 747 can be a bit too cavernous.

Well, the lav in FC on the A-340 is smaller than most coach lav's on AA's wide bodies!! I like the nose area and upper deck of the 747. The A-340's tend to be more prone to turbulance than the 747, IMO.

Why do people dislike the A340?

I guess its just a matter of preferences. But for me:

* There is nothing that compares to the F cabin on the 744. No through foot traffic. Seats that give you a window view with some forward looking angles.

* In J, the upper deck offers window seats with side cubbies that double as a small are to place things. Also, very minimal foot traffic compared to down stairs.

* I will say the 340 is a quiet plane.

Do not wish to be impolite here, but;

The A340 is more prone to turbulence? :confused:
You mean it flies in different air? :rolleyes:

I once thought how bad can airline food be since it's out of CDG and the French would know how to make a bad meal good, right?

Well, I found out, that the French can make a bad meal if given insufficient funds on catering as I realised that my meal aboard an AA economy class flight can be downright scary!
I flew CX once from FRA and the meals were much better than the one I flew from CDG but not as good as the ones from LHR.

I actually prefer the Airbus plans as they are quieter, and although the plane is narrower, this slight narrowness makes the plane that much more hospitable. The 747 can be a bit too cavernous.

Also, if you have a window seat, you don't feel trapped in by the 2 people you need to get past to get out, and in J class, there's no middle seat!

I agree with you, sxc, I took CX 104 from MEL to HKG rather than CX 134 purely becuase of the later flight being a B744. If I was travelling alone in Y class , I would always prefer to fly in an Airbus since I don't need to climb over 2 strangers!

Actaully on a side note, I think CX's catering (espeically in Y) has been declining lately, cost savings or simply bad catering companies?

Do not wish to be impolite here, but;

The A340 is more prone to turbulence? :confused:
You mean it flies in different air? :rolleyes:No, but I agree that the B747 does seem somehow to be more stable. In much the same way that different cars can feel very different going over the same bumps in the road.

I agree that in F class, the 747 is much preferable to the A340.

I also agree that CX Y catering has declined but in selected routes it is still very good. All routes I have experienced have seen a decline except HKG-NRT. As the catering on Japanese airlines is always excellent, CX has maintained the standard here. There is still ice-cream for dessert, and there is a soba noodle appetiser on top of the cold appetiser (usually sushi or salad).

This decline happened after SARS. As we know, the J class catering on long-haul flights also degraded to the standard of Regional flights with the use of pre-plated meals.

No, but I agree that the B747 does seem somehow to be more stable. In much the same way that different cars can feel very different going over the same bumps in the road.

It would be very simple to conclude that a plane with a MTOW of 270 tons is going to behave different in turbulence from a plane with a MTOW of 400 tons.

But I will not get into the discussion further, otherwise it will end up as one of those A v B topics and they are such a waste of time.

IMO, I flew LHR-HKG on CX on F about 6-9 months ago was not impressed witht hfood quality...

Chinese offerings ex-LHR are better than ex-CDG.

ex-CDG catering can be a bit iffy whereas ex-LHR they do tend to be quite good. Depends on the catering CX contracts from at CDG. But honestly, it won't that much of a difference if you want to be nitty gritty on airline foods.

I once thought how bad can airline food be since it's out of CDG and the French would know how to make a bad meal good, right?

Well, I found out, that the French can make a bad meal if given insufficient funds on catering as I realised that my meal aboard an AA economy class flight can be downright scary!
Catering out of CDG, on Air France F is ^ ^

IMO, I flew LHR-HKG on CX on F about 6-9 months ago was not impressed witht hfood quality...

Disagree. LHR catering used to be awful (2000) but has improved leaps and bounds since. Not a patch on ex-HKG but for the dishes that I've chosen, on par with other outports like SYD and AKL (in the 34C days).

Disagree. LHR catering used to be awful (2000) but has improved leaps and bounds since. Not a patch on ex-HKG but for the dishes that I've chosen, on par with other outports like SYD and AKL (in the 34C days).

The only thing I can say about LHR catering is : Be careful when ordering AVML . If you order it on CX, you will get your basic asian ie Chinese offering.

If you order it when travelling on BA, you'll end up with an Indian Vegetarian Meal.

I find the A340 to be extremely quiet, especially from the front cabin.

With regards to turbulence, fair enough it's lighter but it also has FBW - so the aircraft will ride out the turbulence better than a non-FBW aircraft.

Well food aside I would say LHR wins hands down as CDG is the most user-unfriendly and poorly managed airport I've ever come across. Plus I'd be interested to see what the new CX business class lounge at LHR is like. The choice of two evening flights to Hongkong rather than a lunchtime one also leans heavily in London's favour for me.

s CDG is the most user-unfriendly and poorly managed airport I've ever come across.
Probably the most user-unfriendly of all Western Europe.