aero0729

Wanted to make some simple pointers for those who are considering CX or JAL F. Overall I think CX destroys JAL but that's just my humble opinion. I just flew both so I can give a good recent comparison.

Seat - CX all the way. I found the seat more private and loved how wide the bed felt. JAL is newer , a little trendier but overall CX wins on privacy and comfort. Note JAL has nice mattresses but CX had better bedding

Cabin Ambiance - loved the brown leather and the Red carpet on JAL but the CX cabin just feels more spacious and brighter. No overhead bins on CX mean more airy feel and the artwork on CX is a nice added touch. JAL looks drab in comparison.

Crew - The worst CX crew I've had beats the JAL crew I had. Very poor English speaking skills. Constantly brought wrong order , would take things away before I wanted them taken away and overall hard to communicate. I think they meant well and we're there promptly when needed but just didn't feel as warm and welcome as on CX where I have always found crews speak superb English.

Food - CX. Oh I'm gonna here some pushback on this one!! CX by 10 miles !!! JAL food just didn't do it for me. It was presented well and I'm sure it's all very expensive but the variety,flavor and ability to meet my more western palette was far exceeded by CX.
- CX brings a fresh bread basket and it's always delicious with pretzel and garlic bread. JAL failed miserably with their fancy,stale and flavorless breads
- CX always has a delicious salad that you can add seafood to if you wish. JAL was lacking a normal western salad option. CX dressings are always good as well
- CX serves a huge USDA prime strip out of Hong Kong and it's always really good. I liked the Wagyu on JAL but portion was small and flavor lacking
-CX desserts are usually so so but they always at least have ice cream . Desserts on JAL were not very good except for the macaroons. This is a weak point of both but CX wins
- Drinks. OK. JAL takes the cake here. No doubt both have great drink menus. But JAL has some very exotic rare teas, sakes and Champagne. I like the taste of Krug over Salon but I think most like Salon more (probably due to its price tag) CX does have Hong kong milk tea and better Vodkas so still to each it's own. But overall JAL wins
- CX usually has a few western options and a few local options and the western options are truly western. On JAL if you don't like Japanese food you will be very limited on choice.
Lounge - The new pier at HKG is one of the best in the world for its style and service. JAL has a sushi bar serving up some great sushi although limited options. Overall CX wins on lounges
Cabin comfort - At first the JAL cabin was kept warm. Then I woke up sweating. They turn up the furnace overnight. Ouch. CX and almost every other airline on the planet win in cabin comfort.
Bathrooms - CX much nicer bathrooms with real linen towels and nicer furnishing. JAL has toto toilets but I thankfully didn't have to use them. I wish not to go Numero 2 on airplanes and wish the rest of the world would join me! Lol. Both airlines kept restrooms clean.

Overall. CX all the way. Due to the hot cabin, weird (but high quality ) food and poor English speaking skills. I may even take AA over JAL. At the end of the day fancy drinks and good service didn't make up for a blazing hot cabin that was very uncomfortable. Also ex-NRT I have had excellent catering on American

Well. That's my thoughts. Call them what you will. Not bias to either program! Not a member of Mileage bank or Marco Polo

PS....IFE is no comparison. I can call this a fact and not opinion : CX IFE is in a whole other league. I think JAL had 10 or less movie options in English and non were any good. Very few TV shows and extremely difficult to operate.

Mauibaby2008

Thank you for this !

77W_12A

Both great airlines. I'd give the edge to JL on food, particularly their Japanese menu.

Service is good on both airlines. Different styles though. JL is a little robotic, but you know what you're getting. CX can have exceptional crew and some that are so so.

IFE, CX wins hands down and blows them away in this department. However, I sleep most of the way.

Ultimately, most important for me is frequency. If I miss a flight on CX, at least I know I have a few options to work with. JL simply doesn't have it and if you're trying to connect and you miss it, good chance you're spending a night in NRT or HND.

DaveInLA

I've only flown JAL F; CX has been on my list but haven't done it yet. The only other international F I've flown is Asiana, which gave me a warmer feeling then JAL did, but I attributed that to a relatively empty cabin and the fact that it was my first F experience.

Anyway, what makes CX IFE blow away JAL? I flew JAL in early July and they had a good array of America movies and 23" screens.

77W_12A

There's A LOT more selection to choose from...not just American television series and movies. A decent selection of UK, Hindi, Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, and of course Cantonese tv series. Plus, I find the interface easier to navigate.

s0ssos

I agree. JL IFE is lacking.
And JL flight attendants don't really speak English. Well, let's put it this way. You wouldn't want to be stuck with them for a conversation partner.

aero0729

What is an array to you? JAL had 10-12 movies in english and less than 10 TV shows. I would say CX had over 100 movies in english and HUNDREDS of TV shows.

flyer121

You don't need to press the "call button" for service on JAL.

DaveInLA

I see. Now that I think back, the collection wasn't huge, but I had no trouble findings a couple good movies to watch on my 10 hour flight (Run All Night, Chappie-- both movies on my to-rent list anyway).

Dr. HFH

Yes, but remember that CX is from HKG, a former British colony, where English is spoken. I don't see this as the fault of the JL crew. Won't be much different on any airline from any non-English speaking country in Asia, NH, for example.

So you're not saying that the food on JL isn't as good as or better than that on CX, just that you don't like it, -- a matter of personal taste and preference.

Again, I see that as cultural, not a fail for JL.

Again, you may not like the JL desserts, but others do.

I would agree here. No sake on CX, of course. And the tea selection on JL is much better.

Yup, completely agree.

They're cotton, not linen on CX.

I prefer CX for cabin temperature, if nothing else.

Never!!

Agreed.

IME, Asiana does give a warmer experience, empty or full F cabin.

Same on Asiana. For much of the flight on OZ, they station a member of the cabin crew to stand at the back of the F cabin and watch to see if anyone needs anything. IME she would typically stand there for 10-15 minutes, then switch off. It was a little disconcerting, at first; but makes for incredible service. When I raise my head to see if there's someone around (for drink, food, whatever), she's by my seat in a second or two. Even before I would have been able to press the call button.

aero0729

,

hiima

AA over JL? That's hilarious.

aero0729

Why? AA is not fancy at all but the seat is PERFECT for sleeping.

Dr. HFH

Compared to the CX F seat/bed?

aero0729

Not comparing to CX. Comparing to JL. JL cabin was too hot to be comfortable in