CX Premium Economy Experiences and Thoughts [consolidated]
Jan 29, 2014, 4:28 pm
#61
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX DM
Posts: 1,140
I flew LHR HKG and back on CX PEY, it was pretty reasonable. (though the ticket price was way above what BA charge for the same journey).
The FAs were attentive enough, I felt. Welcome drink and meal service were pretty decent and I managed to get the sleep I wanted.The costs of J on HKGLHR is so out of my reach that PEY is the best I can hope for right now.
The FAs were attentive enough, I felt. Welcome drink and meal service were pretty decent and I managed to get the sleep I wanted.The costs of J on HKGLHR is so out of my reach that PEY is the best I can hope for right now.
BA HK$19,698
CX HK$23,298
CX has cheaper PEY fares, but they all involve one stop on one leg e.g. in Paris or Frankfurt.
Worse still the CX fare is non-upgradeable i.e. it's in E class. The upgradeable PEY fare is HK$38,368 which is just HK$10k less than I. That's poor value compared with pre-PEY upgrades from Y to J.
BA gets my business.
Jan 29, 2014, 9:34 pm
#63
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: CX Green, QF Platinum, BAEC Silver, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 10,780
Just been looking at HKG/LHR return prices in late May:
BA HK$19,698
CX HK$23,298
CX has cheaper PEY fares, but they all involve one stop on one leg e.g. in Paris or Frankfurt.
Worse still the CX fare is non-upgradeable i.e. it's in E class. The upgradeable PEY fare is HK$38,368 which is just HK$10k less than I. That's poor value compared with pre-PEY upgrades from Y to J.
BA gets my business.
BA HK$19,698
CX HK$23,298
CX has cheaper PEY fares, but they all involve one stop on one leg e.g. in Paris or Frankfurt.
Worse still the CX fare is non-upgradeable i.e. it's in E class. The upgradeable PEY fare is HK$38,368 which is just HK$10k less than I. That's poor value compared with pre-PEY upgrades from Y to J.
BA gets my business.
Jan 30, 2014, 5:18 am
#64
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX DM
Posts: 1,140
I'm going to try GE90-115B's suggestion of calling CX directly for the price of an R fare so that I can get an upgrade.
Jan 30, 2014, 8:54 pm
#65
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: YYZ
Programs: NH Plat, AA Gold
Posts: 542
Here's some price points for some family travelling in May.
I can do part of the itinerary in miles; PE(T) is consistently 20% more expensive than Y(X) so it's a no-brainer.
HKG-CTS-HKG
Y(M): HK$6,160++
PE(E): HK$11,350++ (+84%)
SYD-HKG-SYD
Y(S): A$624++
PE(E): A$1,295++ (+107%)
Almost double the price for 38% more space, the business class first main and no changes to the soft product? I'm still feeling fleeced.
I can do part of the itinerary in miles; PE(T) is consistently 20% more expensive than Y(X) so it's a no-brainer.
HKG-CTS-HKG
Y(M): HK$6,160++
PE(E): HK$11,350++ (+84%)
SYD-HKG-SYD
Y(S): A$624++
PE(E): A$1,295++ (+107%)
Almost double the price for 38% more space, the business class first main and no changes to the soft product? I'm still feeling fleeced.
YYZ-KUL-YYZ via HKG
Y(V) : C$1597
PE (E): C$2850 (+78%)
Feb 4, 2014, 7:10 pm
#66
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,118
Just a data point from CX 902 from MNL to HKG yesterday. Was seated on row 40 on a 747 so could see what went on in PE. The curtains were open and the service was exactly the same. I paid HK$2,0xx for K class return before taxes and surcharges. PE was HK$3,000 before taxes and surcharges when I booked (I don't know which booking class).
Feb 5, 2014, 2:32 am
#67
Suspended
Join Date: May 2006
Location: HKG
Programs: A3, TK *G; JL JGC; SPG,Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,952
Feb 6, 2014, 5:53 am
#68
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX DM
Posts: 1,140
Feb 7, 2014, 3:07 am
#69
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX Marco Polo Club, Virgin Flying Club
Posts: 91
Weird pricing
I had a few upgrades to Y+ on BKK flights before they started selling it as a separate booking class. It's OK, but I wouldn't pay much extra on a short flight.
Just out of curiosity, I tried dummy bookings for Y+ (also to BKK) a few weeks ago and found that it was almost impossible to reserve both legs in Y+ and if you end up with a mixed booking Y & Y+ it was more expensive than the cheapest J tickets.
Just out of curiosity, I tried dummy bookings for Y+ (also to BKK) a few weeks ago and found that it was almost impossible to reserve both legs in Y+ and if you end up with a mixed booking Y & Y+ it was more expensive than the cheapest J tickets.
Feb 19, 2014, 8:48 am
#70
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC, AMEX, BA, WS
Posts: 164
So my girlfriend and I just had our first experience in PEY, from YYZ to HKG and back. We thought it was worth it.
A big part of it was due to our seat selection, a pair of seats by the window in the back row. We had no one behind us and were still able to fully recline, and the drawn curtain behind us muted a lot of the noise from the cabin behind. Amazingly, I actually slept both ways — something I hardly ever do unless I'm lucky enough to fly J...
The smaller cabin made for a quieter environment, and the only irritation for me was the IFE screens in front of us. That designer toiletry kit may be a gimmick, but the eye mask came in very handy!
We were also able to compare shorter-haul PEY with Y from HKG to KUL, as we got upgraded to PEY on the way there. I'd agree that for shorter flights the premium probably isn't worth it.
The big question for us is whether we're going to spring for full-fare PEY tickets next Christmas, in the hopes of an AM redemption upgrade to J. Last time I checked they're priced at $3,000 CAD. That's a lot!
A big part of it was due to our seat selection, a pair of seats by the window in the back row. We had no one behind us and were still able to fully recline, and the drawn curtain behind us muted a lot of the noise from the cabin behind. Amazingly, I actually slept both ways — something I hardly ever do unless I'm lucky enough to fly J...
The smaller cabin made for a quieter environment, and the only irritation for me was the IFE screens in front of us. That designer toiletry kit may be a gimmick, but the eye mask came in very handy!
We were also able to compare shorter-haul PEY with Y from HKG to KUL, as we got upgraded to PEY on the way there. I'd agree that for shorter flights the premium probably isn't worth it.
The big question for us is whether we're going to spring for full-fare PEY tickets next Christmas, in the hopes of an AM redemption upgrade to J. Last time I checked they're priced at $3,000 CAD. That's a lot!
Feb 19, 2014, 11:55 pm
#72
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,777
Feb 20, 2014, 12:10 am
#73
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,377
Feb 20, 2014, 12:29 am
#74
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,421
I suppose CX is taking a long term view and thus is introducing PE on regional.
Eventually CX is going to cut Economy standards with all the LCC craze- then PE may be worth it for regional.
where the economy class is bad PE is doing good, trying to do bookings to AKL and PE is extremely difficult.
Eventually CX is going to cut Economy standards with all the LCC craze- then PE may be worth it for regional.
where the economy class is bad PE is doing good, trying to do bookings to AKL and PE is extremely difficult.
Feb 20, 2014, 1:25 pm
#75
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 580
PEY experience
just stumbled off a HKG-JFK flight in PEY.
this is my experience.
my flight began in SIN. the PEY queue was shared with the online check-in bag drop queue. there were 4 queues - J, MPO, PEY/online check-in bag drop, and Y. it would have been better if there was a dedicated PEY queue or shared with the MPO queue.
boarding at SIN had only 2 queues - J and Y. PEY treated as extension of Y - boarding by row numbers.
SIN-HKG leg was in Y; so no idea how regional PEY is like.
boarding at HKG was organised into 3 queues. F, J/MPO and Y. Did not notice separate PEY queue.
on board, the PEY cabin was cosy and quiet.
pre-departure drinks offered as promised.
the lavatory in the section (77H) is for PEY pax only. Y pax using it was told not to do so in the future. the curtains between PEY and Y were drawn shortly after the first meal service. they remained closed until preparation for landing.
meal service started with PEY before continuing to Y. however, the PEY trays were only cleared after all Y meals were served. based on the training manual circulated on this forum, this should not have been the case as PEY trays should be cleared when pax is done with the meal and not until all Y meals are served.
although i had scored 31AC, the lack of windows meant not being able to look out.
getting snacks was a chore as they were only set up in the Y galleys. however, response to the call button was quick. this makes up for the lack of a dedicated FA.
this is my experience.
my flight began in SIN. the PEY queue was shared with the online check-in bag drop queue. there were 4 queues - J, MPO, PEY/online check-in bag drop, and Y. it would have been better if there was a dedicated PEY queue or shared with the MPO queue.
boarding at SIN had only 2 queues - J and Y. PEY treated as extension of Y - boarding by row numbers.
SIN-HKG leg was in Y; so no idea how regional PEY is like.
boarding at HKG was organised into 3 queues. F, J/MPO and Y. Did not notice separate PEY queue.
on board, the PEY cabin was cosy and quiet.
pre-departure drinks offered as promised.
the lavatory in the section (77H) is for PEY pax only. Y pax using it was told not to do so in the future. the curtains between PEY and Y were drawn shortly after the first meal service. they remained closed until preparation for landing.
meal service started with PEY before continuing to Y. however, the PEY trays were only cleared after all Y meals were served. based on the training manual circulated on this forum, this should not have been the case as PEY trays should be cleared when pax is done with the meal and not until all Y meals are served.
although i had scored 31AC, the lack of windows meant not being able to look out.
getting snacks was a chore as they were only set up in the Y galleys. however, response to the call button was quick. this makes up for the lack of a dedicated FA.
Last edited by epigram; Feb 20, 2014 at 1:46 pm