PotatoPie

I'm looking to use my miles on oneWorld partner airline, Cathay Pacific. I have never flown on Cathay Pacific, in any class, anywhere.

The reservation agent told me that the only first class seat available within three weeks of my intended date is SFO-HKG flight #873, which leaves at 1:10AM. It's not that bad, so I just took it.

Here are a couple of newbie questions:

1. this appears to be a Boeing 744 flight, so which is the best first class seat for someone flying alone?

2. what meals are served on this flight?

3. is there a first class-only lounge at SFO/HKG and is it accssible for someone on a first class award ticket from a oneWorld partner airline program?

4. there is an alternative: YVR-HKG, 2:35AM flight also in first class.... is there any difference in service between SFO-HKG and YVR-HKG, as far as the "fist class experience" is concerned?

5. is Cathay Pacific's first class better/worse/equal to Japan Airlines? (since it's the same amount of miles for the same award) I have flown JL transpacific first class a few times... but it's not that special these days....

Thanks in advance for all replies.

Thunderroad

Welcome to FT!

1. The second row, either seat. First row seats are a bit close together and just a tad inferior to the others in a couple or minor ways, and the last (fourth?) row is by the galley, so you could get a bit of noise there. Though they don't have shoulder-height doors you can close like some Singapore and Emirates F cabins, all of the CX F seats are situated so that you're quite private and largely unaware of other passengers.
2. There's a choice of Chinese and Western dishes, but you can mix and match (e.g., a Chinese appetizer and Western main) and even ask the FA to save you an extra helping for later. (I can't recall whether for each course there is only one Chinese and one Western option--I'm sure others can address this point.) Plus you don't have to dine at a set time--you can tell the FA at what time you'd like dinner, though give her/him some advance notice. There's a bit of a consensus that CX does Chinese better than Western, but don't let that stop you if the Western choice looks better for your tastes. Regardless, while CX food is fine, it's not as superb as most other aspects of the F experience. So while you should look forward to that experience, keep your food expectations modest.
3. Yes, there's the BA lounge that you'll have access to. And within that rather small lounge, a separate and even smaller F room. But both are pretty mediocre. So unlike the very fine CX F lounges in HKG if you're flying CX F back to SFO, it's definitely not worth going out of your way for extra time in the SFO BA lounge. One advantage it does have, though, is that sometimes (though not always) you can board directly into the plane from that lounge.
4. No difference that I know of, though I've never flown that route. I'd think flying via YVR would certainly not be worth doing if it involves an extra stop for you.
5. Never flown JAL F, so can't say. But unlike CX, JAL does not come up at or near the top when folks rank great F airlines in various threads here at FT. FWIW, I would rank CX far above other F's I've flown, such as BA (old), LH, UA (new) and AA.

Despite my points about food and the SFO lounge, CX F is wonderful in terms of service, privacy, seat, bed, in-flight entertainment, etc.. Have a great trip!

dkc192

The 0235 YVR flight (CX889) is operated by a 777, whereas the SFO flight is operated by a 747. Most people, myself included, prefer the more intimate 747 F cabin in the nose over the 777 cabin, which has notably more crew traffic up and down the aisles. However, your preferences may differ. That's the only conceivable difference between the two flights.

PotatoPie

Thanks!

I just looked at the seat map for my flights. The only seat currently taken is 2A, so I guess that person must also like seat row 2. I selected 2K.

While I was on Cathay's website, I checked out the price for a one-way first class ticket..... wow.... the roundtrip is about the same price as a small nicely equipped compact car! I can't think of a way to maximize the dollar value of the miles I used for this award!

PotatoPie

Thanks!

I didn't even think of that.... I prefer 747 over 777, so I'm definitely sticking with the flight I currently have.

hqly2001

Are you using asia miles? How many are you using for this F?

Unterwegs

I completely agree with the other posters. CX F is actually on top of my list for F. You will not be disappointed and the differences between 747/777 etc are minor. Take whatever has the best flying time / connection etc.

I have been in JAL F several times. Also a very good product, better than most other airlines in F, even better than SQ in my opinion. The seats are significantly smaller (4 across on the 777 vs. 3 on CX - the CX seat is wide enough for 2 people). I like the CX design where the seats are not completely enclosed, but private enough and removed enough from the aisle for not beeing disturbed at night by people walking thru the aisle.

Both are significantly better than all the american carriers, BA, LH (the 380 seat is ok, the older seats are inferior), LX (their new F seat is nice, but only on the 330). Asiana is ok, ANA is ok, Thai is almost ok, SQ has some horrible seats (on some of their 777, mediocre seats on the 747 and good seats on the newer 777).

In short: You cannot go wrong with either CX and JL, but if you have a choice pick CX.

PotatoPie

I had a chance to sit in LH A380's new first class seat. (only for a few minutes because I only had a cheap business class ticket) The seat itself was nice, but the A380 first class cabine reminded of a "fancy" dentist's office that I used to go to in Hamburg in the early 1990's

PotatoPie

Would you elaborate on what those bad points about row 1?

I current have 2K, but was wondering if 1A is better for privacy....

Thanks!

beta1607

I enjoyed being in the first row for 2 reason: first nobody ever walks past you for any reason other than the FA and second, the forward looking windows are pretty damn cool.

KLflyerRalph

You'll find a lot of answers to your questions in this excellent trip report. Info about lounge, food etc.

PotatoPie

that's one of the reasons I'm thinking about changing from 2k to 1k. Only the 747 has windows that let see what's in front of plane... and sit ahead of the pilots!

on the CX flight I'm booked on, leaving at 1:20AM out of SFO, is it mostly dark outside all the way to HKG?

FAA1996

1A and 1K are my favorite seats also because of the privace as well as the novelty of being at the tip of the plane with the forward facing windows. While it is closer to the eat next to you, it is impossible to see the person in the other seat without straining forward to do so.
On the three flights I recently took in these seats, it was a hastle to say or even see my traveling companion across the aisle.
No one except the flight attendants will need to come unto your seat so there is no aisle traffic to interrupt you. Of course the ideal situation for a solo traveler would be to have the other row 1 seat empty. You can then sit in one of the seats and keep the other one as a bed.
BTW, I rental flew out of YVR to HKG and came back HKG to SFO and didn't really notice any difference except that our PJs were different colors on the flights and also the potatoes served with caviar out of YVR were way undercooked.
Anyway, whichever seat you chose I'm sure it will be a great experience. Safe travels!

PotatoPie

that sounds like a cool idea! I'll switch to 1A and hope the other seat remains empty. (not that I ever sleep on planes anyway)

Are we allowed to keep the PJs?

Thanks!

Thunderroad

Ah, you're a stickler for detail after my own heart! To start with, you have a good amount of privacy in any of the F seats. They're set up so that the upper part of the shell curves around your head a bit, shielding it from the view of the person across the aisle and vice versa. If I recall correctly, sitting in my seat across from my wife in row 1, I could only see part of her legs. I would guess that in row 2 the view would be even more obscured, but in any event the difference is minor.

More to the point, this photo gives and excellent sense of the part of the F cabin on the 747 and the relative space differences across the aisle, in terms of row 1 versus row 2:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CCMQ9QEwAQ

If you google Cathay Pacific First Class, you're likely to find more photos. And the excellent trip report someone linked to upthread is also useful, but won't answer your row one versus row two question.

I think the photo link above is worth a thousand words, but to summarize the advantages of rows 1 and 2:

For row 1:

1. As beta1607 pointed out, no one walks past you.
2. It thus maximizes the sense of being in your own cabin, except of course for the person across from you.
3. In flying in the first row of a 747 on CX and other airlines, I hadn't been aware of beta's point about forward facing windows in row 1--or at least haven't appreciated them. I guess this could be an advantage, though. But as you point out, on this particular flight most of your time will be in the dark. I believe for the last hour or so, though, you're seeing dawn, which is nice.
4. I believe you're served first, though the CX F service is so good and the cabin so small that this isn't as big a difference as most other airline situations.
5. Sometimes if your carry-on wheelie is too large to fit into your own private closet, you're most likely to have the FA put it into the general storage closet between the two seats. But this is a very minor concern, since the private closets can fit most carry-ons and in any event you can comfortably fit a wheelie underneath your footrest/ottoman without it intruding on your legroom much at all.
6. IF there's noise (such as a crying baby) coming from business class, you're furthest away from it.

For row 2:

1. As you can see from the photo, considerably greater room between you and the person sitting across from you, compared to row 1. This is the big consideration for me and why I'd favor the second row if traveling alone. Even though in each seat you're kind of in your own private world, in row 1 I'd have a sense of sharing that with someone else. But this is definitely an individual preference sort of thing.
2. In the unlikely event that in the seat across from you there is noise from, e.g., a loud snorer or a couple shares drinks and dinner together (with one sitting on the footrest), you're further away from that in row 2.
3. Not near the general closet that the FA's may access at the front of the cabin, though they're only likely to do this at the start and end of the trip.
4. Folks report that due to the curve of the plane the first row seats are slightly less roomy than the other rows, though they're still plenty roomy and in my humble opinion this makes no difference in the experience.
5. In the first row seats, the entertainment viewing screen folds out instead of just being in the viewing area in front of you. This could mean that upon take-off and landing you have access to it for a few minutes less than in the other rows. But if I recall correctly, the entertainment is not available until after you take off and is shut down before landing anyway, so that is a minor difference.

Hope this helps!