Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - LAX-HKG-BKK in J. Advise please

My first time on CX. I am scheduled leave on 4/16 to BKK from LAX and am trying to decide between the CX 881(01:55 departure and arrive at 07:35in HKG) and CX 883(23:55 Dep and arrive at 05:35 in HKG) flights.

Flight 885 leaving LAX at 13:20 is sold out. My connecting flight to BKK leaves HKG at 0855am.

My questions:
1. Which flight to choose 881 or 883
2. Best seat in J
3. What to expect in regards to meals?
4. Will I have sufficient time to experience the Wing/Pier at HKG?

Thanks.

1. 883 to allow for delays and to be sure to have time to freshen up in The Wing
2. 86A
3. There is a whole thread in this forum where CX J menus are copied verbatim... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=525744
4. Yes if you get 883; maybe if you get 881.

I'd agree with everything christep says. Assuming 883 is a 747, I'd just add that other upstairs exit row window seat, 86K, is a second choice to 86A. Also, the upstairs J is generally better than downstairs in terms of privacy, quiet and perhaps service. You can check out the Cathay Pacific page at seatguru.com for further info on seating choices.

More generally, CX is great. The only minor quirk I've encountered is that upon check-in at SFO the agent sometimes asks to weigh my carry-on "wheelie" and cautions me that if it does not fit into the overhead compartment I'll have to have it sent as check-in luggage. But it is about as large as such carry-ons normally get and always fits into the overhead, so no problem.

I'd agree with everything christep says. Assuming 883 is a 747, I'd just add that other upstairs exit row window seat, 86K, is a second choice to 86A.

Not having been on a CX 747 yet (next week), what's the difference between 86A and 86K? They appear to be the same seat just on different sides.

I've got 86A booked for my HKG-SFO flight next week. Then 1A for May's trip. :)

Steve

86A has slightly more legroom than 86K and have FA seats opposite it.

Note also that the space for carry-ons upstairs on the 747 is very restricted - only small bags will fit in the overhead bins, and slightly larger ones in the side bins if you have an A or K seat. Anything bigger has to be stored downstairs so you might as well check it since access inflight is quite inconvenient.

Note also that the space for carry-ons upstairs on the 747 is very restricted - only small bags will fit in the overhead bins, and slightly larger ones in the side bins if you have an A or K seat.

Isn't it the other way around? Bigger bags (up to 20" rollaboards IME) can fit the overhead bins but not the side bins? :confused:

Upstairs, not in my experience, no. But I guess it depends on the shape of the bag. My 22"*14"*9" wheelie bag doesn't fit anywhere upstairs.

The downstairs overhead bins are significantly bigger.

Yes, 22" rollaboards won't fit anywhere in Upper Deck anymore, but were we not talking about UD side bins vs. UD overhead bins? I was comparing the two.

My first time on CX. I am scheduled leave on 4/16 to BKK from LAX and am trying to decide between the CX 881(01:55 departure and arrive at 07:35in HKG) and CX 883(23:55 Dep and arrive at 05:35 in HKG) flights.

Flight 885 leaving LAX at 13:20 is sold out. My connecting flight to BKK leaves HKG at 0855am.

My questions:
1. Which flight to choose 881 or 883
2. Best seat in J
3. What to expect in regards to meals?
4. Will I have sufficient time to experience the Wing/Pier at HKG?

Thanks.

The earlier night flight has a bad tendency to stop in ICN and TPE for refueling. Often this leads to missed connections at HKG. The later night flight apparently does not stop as much. Cargo loading issue?

That being said i took the earlier one was fine back in Feb of this year.

There was a whole thread on this a while back.

Enjoy (or maybe its cry):
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=500881

The earlier night flight has a bad tendency to stop in ICN and TPE for refueling. Often this leads to missed connections at HKG. The later night flight apparently does not stop as much. Cargo loading issue?

That being said i took the earlier one was fine back in Feb of this year.

There was a whole thread on this a while back.

Enjoy (or maybe its cry):
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=500881

I think the above applies only in the winter. This time of year, either flight should be fine except under extraordinary weather conditions.

1. 883 to allow for delays and to be sure to have time to freshen up in The Wing
2. 86A
3. There is a whole thread in this forum where CX J menus are copied verbatim... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=525744
4. Yes if you get 883; maybe if you get 881.

Thanks for the info. My travel agent booked me on 881 but I am going to try to to change to 883. I am flying on CX but with AA flight number. Do I call AA or CX for seat assignment to get 86A or any other upper deck seats? Currently my seat assignment shows 14D from LAX to HKG.

I think you would call AA to try to get the seat assignment (but I'm not sure since I've never flown an AA codeshare on CX).

AA can not assign row 86 (or row 11 downstairs for that matter), so you would have to call CX for that seat assignment.

86A has slightly more legroom than 86K and have FA seats opposite it.

Also, 86K is slightly further forward than 86A, so the access to the side storage bins by the window is a bit less convenient. But no big deal. In any event, those side bins are a small factor in favor of the window seats throughout the upstairs, as opposed to (obviously) the aisle seats or to downstairs window seats.

On a couple of other points that have come up on this thread:
1. Could be coincidence, but one time (out of five round-trips during the past year) I booked the CX SFO-Hong Kong flights as AA, I was not able to get the exit row seats even by calling CX for seat assignment. Maybe they are only given to people with CX bookings?
2. StarG and christep, are you sure the 22" wheelies don't fit in the upstairs overhead bins? This wouldn't be the first time I've recalled things incorrectly (just ask my wife!). But I could have sworn that my bag, which is about the same size as christep's, fits fine. Perhaps the upstairs bins on the SFO 747s are larger than those to LAX, but this seems unlikely.

I haven't flown CX before (next week!) but I've been upstairs on MH and I recall my 20" travelpro not fitting in their overheads. That's why I had asked about it.

My flight next week it on the AA codeshare numbers, and I was able to get 86A. by calling CX no problem, they offered it straight away when I asked for something upstairs.

Steve

Well, I stand corrected!

AA can not assign row 86 (or row 11 downstairs for that matter), so you would have to call CX for that seat assignment.

I called AA and they could not see row 86 as available but I was able to get 86K at the AA check-in counter in DFW. 86A was already assigned to someone else.

I called AA and they could not see row 86 as available but I was able to get 86K at the AA check-in counter in DFW. 86A was already assigned to someone else.

That's good to know. It seems that the airport on day of departure can get into the actual CX seat map where as the one that reservations sees is restricted.