NYCtraveler

I just did my umpteenth first class flight on Cathay and I think it is an excellent product. That said, I have some suggestions for improvement.

1) Please bring back snacks with your drinks etc. On Etihad and Emirates I really enjoy the little amuse appetizers or a small plate of snacks. Sitting there with my Krug and my little dish of almonds? ugh. Years ago they used to serve little appetizers right off the bat....these need to return.

2) Bose headsets, but I think this are coming soon?

3) Everyone in First should get two LARGE pillows when they go to bed.

Lastly regarding the new Wing..... I am NOT loving it. It is bigger but it is basically serving the same items.... More on demand but still mediocre Chinese food.

When you compare this with Qantas signature lounge in Sydney where you are dining on Hamachi sashimi and grilled prawns before boarding or Emirates where you can have a rack of lamb in their lounge or even British airways who gives you 5-7 dining choices in their restaurants.....Cathay's Premier lounge is just weak in this respect.

Though part of me wonders if this wasn't the plan. Because if they had a European style restaurant with fusion cuisine....could you imagine how busy it would be? I would think a madhouse....especially because the staff there now seem stressed just handling the buffet.

Lastly, the door from the business class lounge to the F class lounge is not properly staffed.....I watched 7 people walk right in from the J class lounge into the F class restaurant without showing ANY paper. One family of 5 with a small angry child were quite proud of their coup.....Cathay seems under staffed here.

Thats my two cents. I still think the hard product is one of the best flying.

Safe travels to all.

NYC

hamallu

Bose are overrated!!! I find Sennheiser to have far better acoustics.

Far Siren

What could be possibly worse? You must have such a tough life; do you sometimes think "what's the point?"

QRC3288

I totally agree, but having Bose will make more folks happy. Even though Bose isn't the best sound they're decent enough and has brand cache so folks will feel they're "getting their money's worth".

The Sennheiser competitor to Bose QC-15s is the PXC-450s. PXC-450's have much better sound quality than the QC-15s and retail for ~$50 more (although you can often find them cheaper). However, apparently noise-cancellation isn't as good as Bose. Would CX be wise to buy the Senheisers? I doubt it. Not only would CX have to shell out more money, but I suspect most people would think CX was being "cheap" by not having Bose, that's how much brand equity Bose has built up with consumers. Truth is, Bose is more famous with folks who aren't really into sound, which is most people. And the QC-15s do a very good job cancelling out the background noise, which is half the battle (if not more) on an airplane.

I also bet Bose, a company that's pretty clever at marketing, might give CX a great deal to get those phones in F class. That's awesome positioning for Bose.

Check out the happy customers of QC-15s on Amazon. There are ~4x the amount of reviews for QC-15s vs PXC-450s! Whether Bose is overrated or not, most folks on don't know what Sennheiser is anyway and Bose is just fine, plus Bose wins in the noise-cancellation department. This review pretty well sums it up http://www.amazon.com/Bose%C2%AE-Qui...owViewpoints=0

marcuslai

It is supposed to the first class dear, and I imagine CX is aiming to be the top or near the top of this class of service. In this context, OP's statement is quite on the mark if you compare what other top-tier airlines offer in this cabin.

I was just reading a TR yesterday where another airline has balik salmon as a self-service dish in the lounge : http://flight-report.com/reportage/4060/DXB-CDG.html

yamanote8

A noisy airplane is never going to be a great sound stage. Senns may have better acoustics, but nobody does NC as well as Bose (in a consumer-grade product anyways) and the better acoustics isn't going to mean much with all that engine drone.

Guy Betsy

Maybe a great way for CX to improve on their F service is to follow SQ and make F class redemptions only available through their own FFP and not open for all. And perhaps close off sections of the F lounge like the Cabanas to only full F fare paying passengers and not to award passengers.

Then we might see some exclusivity. ^

CanucksHKG

If you close it off to only revenue passengers, then what about CX/OW EM's that are only travelling in Y or other carriers?

Guy Betsy

I meant fare paying full F passengers on CX tickets. Like SQ TPR at one point.

swy

Not necessarily F specific, but it's still part of the experience: I found their PEK lounge much worse than any of their HKG lounges. At the very least, they should add a shower there.

correctioncx

But it is a short haul destination, will showers be that essential for a 3 hour flight?

I think the idea the limit redemptions in F to CX members ( at least to exclude AA out) is really attractive and will dramtatically increase the overall exclusive experience.

ak333

I wouldn't like it if CX went to F redemptions only for their members, but I could understand it. If you just want to discriminate (because that's what it is) against us AA members since we have a program that actually allows us to use a reasonable amount of miles for a redemption, then it's time for CX to leave oneworld.

CanucksHKG

Try telling that to BA's Concorde Rooms.
Since CX is building another lounge at HKIA, a reasonable solution would to turn the new Pier F or current Wing F into something more exclusive. While still leaving F/J lounge options for other passengers and oneworld elites.

QRC3288

I agree totally...it's definitely not essential. I see little point in having a shower ex-PEK airside. PEK is a starting point, not a OW transit destination. All eligible pax on ex-PEK flights already have shower access at least for part of that journey in HKIA! Why would you need an airside lounge in PEK?

Think about it...eligible pax have shower access upon arrival at HKIA via either The Arrival (HKG final destination) or the airside lounges (for transit pax).

Further, almost all pax ex-PEK have accommodations - aka shower access - at their hotel/home/etc prior to arriving the airport, because there is virtually no OW transit pax. Sure I'm sure all of us have done a few day trips to PEK and whatnot that are the exception. But really, I don't see why a shower would be practical at PEK. I'd love to see an expansion of the PEK lounge...doubt it's happening...but I think a shower would be a complete waste of resources there.

correctioncx

Every airline discrimate and will offer more perks to its customers. Eg AAEXP gets free F class upgrades domestic. And you AA has concierge key level. I think CX can just differentiate more and limit some things for its customers.