Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - What flight for F award HKG-LHR in Jan '09?

Hi,

I’m booking anytime in January '09 on Qantas points. I'm looking at a QF FC award for B744 QF127 (arrives HKG 17:45) and CX FC award HKG-LHR.

1) The only flights I could catch are the daily B744 CX255 which departs at 00:55 and the daily B744 CX251 which departs at 23:55.

Does one offer a better overall experience in regard to things such as inflight services, crowds and services in lounge and differences in meals.

2) Do either of these flights have exceptionally low FC awards? ***HELP! CAN ANYONE SEE ANY FIRST CLASS AWARDS HKG-EUROPE IN JAN '09??? Will take anything! I need to book NOW! Any tips on snaging the seats?

Thanks for you help!

Cheers,
Budding CX convert

You should take whatever flight you find availability. Booking with QF points, you are not going to get a big choice of flights, so whatever comes up, grab it.

The 2 evening LHR flights departing HKG depart within an hour of each other so it's not such a big deal. You are likely to find more availability on the flight that departs at 9am.

Sorry to disppoint, but your chances of getting F awards on the two night flights are virtually impossible. Having done HKG-LHR for 8 times last year, I would say that flights are January are overbooked the most because of people returning from their holidays and students going back to UK etc.

If you follow this thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=775415) closely, downgrades were offered on many HKG-LHR flights in January. I was onboard CX255 in purchased F on the 7th and witnessed some pax getting involuntarily downgraded from J to Y and also seen some Y pax getting IDB at the gate, and they were either endorsed to BA or offered to fly next day. FYI my flight zeroed out approximately three weeks before departure.

Both night flights are currently operated by 74A/744s but by next year they will both be 74As. Your chances are much better than 257 and 253 which are the morning and afternoon departures but seeing that you can only make the night flights I would advise trying BA in F. Grab whatever you can now, and hope that something better comes up later.

There are no set dates on when CX releases these awards. Unfortunately both QF and CX award booking engines will not show availability accurately so I think you could only call QF.

It actually doesnt have to be LHR, which other Western European destinations offer the FULL First Class inflight experience but offer more award availability? (remembering this is a one-way trip)

It actually doesnt have to be LHR, which other Western European destinations offer the FULL First Class inflight experience but offer more award availability? (remembering this is a one-way trip)

Your only other option will be FRA (only 1 flight has F Class the other is 2 class) and CDG and they are also impossible to get most of the time in F Class.

CX only has 12 seats in the old setup compare to 14 on BA and QF and only 9 seats in the new setup so changes of getting award seats if you are not CX MPO is not great.

The morning and afternoon flight to LHR can be better, however at present they are the old F Class, but by 2009 there is a great chance all of them will be 74A.

It actually doesnt have to be LHR, which other Western European destinations offer the FULL First Class inflight experience but offer more award availability? (remembering this is a one-way trip)

I just looked it up for you but nothing is there. Sad to say but you can pretty much forget about getting an F award now. Even J awards are scarce. By the time they release seats for Jan (if ever) they will all go to elite MPOs who can waitlist for CX awards. For CX awards, companion and upgrade awards have priority over full redemptions too.

By "FULL First Class inflight experience", what exactly do you mean? A340 vs B744? Old F vs new F?

if john is using AM for the award, he might be able to standby at the airport... Not sure if he wants to do this tho. (can non AM do one-way?)

Experience wise I've only flown BA + QF First products. QF is better.

I'd try for a Cathay First flight, as it's meant to be one of the best. Either way, with a Oneworld F tik u'll be able to use CX The Wing at HKG which has great Cabanas + Buffet + Champ cocktails.

I'm trying to book a Cathay F reward flight with my BA Miles for next year too.

Good luck, very low chances.

Full First Class reward on CX Europe flights is difficult to be grabbed even as a CX DM I would say. CX has two different availabilites for full First Class reward and upgrade to First Class reward (for Asia Miles/MPO members only). The reward should be all gone by someone redeeming upgrade First Class reward.

My advice for you is to celeberate the new year on the plane as 31Dec night or 1Jan morning seem to be the only two dates,which full First Class reward is available.Good luck ^.

To the OP, what are your plans now?

Well it would be preferable to go QF FC from SYD-ASIA (due to ground services and massage appointments) and then whoever from ASIA-LHR.

Despite that I am looking at availability twice a day, for a full year in advance I cant get Qantas FC the whole way (only J).

So I have two options:
-QF SYD-MEL-LHR (the same price in points plus all ground services)
-QF SYD-ASIA, BA ASIA-LHR

Is BA supposed to have announced a new FC by January '09 and have deployed it to some extent?

QF would have its new FC operational on the A380 for a full five months before this date. Is QF never going to install the new FC onto 744?

Both these questions would impact my decision

Cheers

Experience wise I've only flown BA + QF First products. QF is better.

I'd try for a Cathay First flight, as it's meant to be one of the best.
I've never flown QF nor BA on this route so I won't comment on them. But I flew CX255 in F as recently as last month with the new seats and to be honest, the seat was the only aspect of the flight I enjoyed because the crew was average and the catering was just awful. The prawn I had for dinner was extremely salty & greasy and the Breakfast egg was poorly cooked and wet. And my other experiences with Cathay on the subject of FC catering and crew on this route prior to that are also something that will not draw much appraisals from me. To be honest from all the CX networks I have flown in F, I find the LHR runs to be the worst.

I've never flown QF nor BA on this route so I won't comment on them. But I flew CX255 in F as recently as last month with the new seats and to be honest, the seat was the only aspect of the flight I enjoyed because the crew was average and the catering was just awful. The prawn I had for dinner was extremely salty & greasy and the Breakfast egg was poorly cooked and wet. And my other experiences with Cathay on the subject of FC catering and crew on this route prior to that are also something that will not draw much appraisals from me. To be honest from all the CX networks I have flown in F, I find the LHR runs to be the worst.

You are just picky.:D

Seriously I think in terms of the overall experience (schedule, seat, catering etc....) CX will be the winner from HKG-LHR.

Remember QF and BA will get their food from the same kitchen as CX at HKG!

But since the op can't get the seat, he might as well stick with QF or BA.

Remember QF and BA will get their food from the same kitchen as CX at HKG!


Oils aint oils, just like food aint food......The kitchen will prepare food to the direction of the carrier that is buying it. Then you are in the hands of the FA who tries to make it into something interesting.... (but you know that already).

So I have two options:
-QF SYD-MEL-LHR (the same price in points plus all ground services)
-QF SYD-ASIA, BA ASIA-LHR
Do these two options have the same mileage requirement?