CX First Class HKG-JNB on the way to Africa
Jun 17, 2001, 3:29 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Digital Nomad
Programs: AA2MM LIFETIME PLT, Turkish Miles&Smiles Elite, Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,024
CX First Class HKG-JNB on the way to Africa
So when we last left off, I was in The Wing after having just come off the best flight of my life: LAX-HKG.
I was a little concerned about my next flight HKG-Johannesburg because the aircraft was scheduled to be an A340 with the old First Class.
By the time I made it to gate 40, most of the passengers had boarded. I arrived at my seat 2A, I was disappointed that I had a seatmate and that First Class looked very full. A couple arrived after I did and looked shocked to see the old First Class seats. They even asked if it was Business Class and not First Class. They had just come in on a 747 and didn’t know the old seats still existed.
For those of you who haven’t experienced the old FC seats, they would have been considered WONDERFUL before the age of fully flat bed seats. The footrest comes up fully horizontal in front of you just like the fully flat bed. The difference the seat back doesn’t recline quite all the way. It does recline much further than any Business Class seat I’ve seen.
I was offered a welcome cocktail and a canapé of sushi. About 2 minutes after getting my champagne, my seatmate knocked over my glass onto me and my seat. A flight attendant brought over a blanket to cover the seat and offered me the sleep suit to change into.
We took off on time for our 12h45 trip to South Africa. I have to admit that at this point, my expectations were much less for this flight than the previous simply based on my personal area. The seat on the A340 is NOTHING like the space given to each passenger on the 747 in First Class.
The flight attendants passed out the menus, wine lists and wooden boxes of amenities. Since this was a late evening departure, the supper offered was the same kind of A la carte menu offered on all other CX flights. I had Noodle and Wonton Chicken Soup, a Braised Fish dish from the Sichuan Garden Restaurant and some ice cream for dessert. Both the soup and fish were beautifully presented and tasted delicious. The ice cream was presented in the container it came in same as in Business Class. It could have been put in a bowl and served with some cookies.
After dinner I decided to finish the movie I started on the previous flight. After a few minutes of searching, I discovered there was NO PERSONAL VIDEO. Ugh. I was stuck with the normal video channels. The unfortunate thing is that the USA and South Africa Routes share the same exact video programming so my trip home will have the same movies.
Because I had slept 8 hours on the previous flight just about 5 hours before, I knew that it would be hard to sleep much so I spent most of the flight watching movies and trying to catch a nap or two.
About four hours after supper, I asked the flight attendant what snacks were available and she said anything from the A La Carte menu from supper could be served. I chose the minced meat congee which wasn’t as good as the other supper items I had tasted.
About two hours before landing, the flight attendant came by and asked me what I wanted for breakfast and when I wanted it. The choices were once again from an A La Carte menu. I had a delicious Mango Shake, yoghurt, and fresh scrabbled eggs with sausage. CX offers freshly cooked eggs any style! This is better than any omelette I’ve ever been served that had been cooked about 12 hours before. The croissants were also wonderful. I had three!
Overall, this CX First Class experience lags far behind most First Classes on other airlines because of the seat. While the service and food were excellent, overall comfort was NOT FIRST CLASS. I encourage CX to transition all their A340s ASAP. CX flies 747 to South Africa during high season. The other times of year, I’ll be glad to spend the extra miles to fly BA or Swiss Air until they can update their fleet.
I was a little concerned about my next flight HKG-Johannesburg because the aircraft was scheduled to be an A340 with the old First Class.
By the time I made it to gate 40, most of the passengers had boarded. I arrived at my seat 2A, I was disappointed that I had a seatmate and that First Class looked very full. A couple arrived after I did and looked shocked to see the old First Class seats. They even asked if it was Business Class and not First Class. They had just come in on a 747 and didn’t know the old seats still existed.
For those of you who haven’t experienced the old FC seats, they would have been considered WONDERFUL before the age of fully flat bed seats. The footrest comes up fully horizontal in front of you just like the fully flat bed. The difference the seat back doesn’t recline quite all the way. It does recline much further than any Business Class seat I’ve seen.
I was offered a welcome cocktail and a canapé of sushi. About 2 minutes after getting my champagne, my seatmate knocked over my glass onto me and my seat. A flight attendant brought over a blanket to cover the seat and offered me the sleep suit to change into.
We took off on time for our 12h45 trip to South Africa. I have to admit that at this point, my expectations were much less for this flight than the previous simply based on my personal area. The seat on the A340 is NOTHING like the space given to each passenger on the 747 in First Class.
The flight attendants passed out the menus, wine lists and wooden boxes of amenities. Since this was a late evening departure, the supper offered was the same kind of A la carte menu offered on all other CX flights. I had Noodle and Wonton Chicken Soup, a Braised Fish dish from the Sichuan Garden Restaurant and some ice cream for dessert. Both the soup and fish were beautifully presented and tasted delicious. The ice cream was presented in the container it came in same as in Business Class. It could have been put in a bowl and served with some cookies.
After dinner I decided to finish the movie I started on the previous flight. After a few minutes of searching, I discovered there was NO PERSONAL VIDEO. Ugh. I was stuck with the normal video channels. The unfortunate thing is that the USA and South Africa Routes share the same exact video programming so my trip home will have the same movies.
Because I had slept 8 hours on the previous flight just about 5 hours before, I knew that it would be hard to sleep much so I spent most of the flight watching movies and trying to catch a nap or two.
About four hours after supper, I asked the flight attendant what snacks were available and she said anything from the A La Carte menu from supper could be served. I chose the minced meat congee which wasn’t as good as the other supper items I had tasted.
About two hours before landing, the flight attendant came by and asked me what I wanted for breakfast and when I wanted it. The choices were once again from an A La Carte menu. I had a delicious Mango Shake, yoghurt, and fresh scrabbled eggs with sausage. CX offers freshly cooked eggs any style! This is better than any omelette I’ve ever been served that had been cooked about 12 hours before. The croissants were also wonderful. I had three!
Overall, this CX First Class experience lags far behind most First Classes on other airlines because of the seat. While the service and food were excellent, overall comfort was NOT FIRST CLASS. I encourage CX to transition all their A340s ASAP. CX flies 747 to South Africa during high season. The other times of year, I’ll be glad to spend the extra miles to fly BA or Swiss Air until they can update their fleet.
Jun 17, 2001, 6:59 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Diamond, AA CK, UA Gold, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hertz Platinum, Avis Presidents
Posts: 236
I am very sorry to hear your assessment of CX's first class on the A340 as I will be on that route in the opposite direction in a little over a month. Great report nonetheless, thanks.
Jun 18, 2001, 8:59 pm
#4
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,347
About the A340s' F seats, it is actually better than the pre-Suite old F class on Boeing 747s. Back then, there are 16 seats on CX F seats, and the legroom is only 60 inches. Then the A340s arrived and CX actually increases the legroom on the A340 first class from 60 to 74 inches. Anyway, it is just a piece of fun fact for you to know.
CX will install the suite on the A340s and it will take some times, as the demands for a/c are high during this season. CX will also receive some of the ex-SQ's A340s soon. They will come with the suite hopefully. Some of the longer haul A330s will see the suite as well(on the flight towards Australia).
Carfield
CX will install the suite on the A340s and it will take some times, as the demands for a/c are high during this season. CX will also receive some of the ex-SQ's A340s soon. They will come with the suite hopefully. Some of the longer haul A330s will see the suite as well(on the flight towards Australia).
Carfield
Jun 19, 2001, 3:15 am
#5
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: HKG
Programs: AA 3MM EXP, SQ Solitaire, LH SEN, CX DM, Hyatt CC, Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 3,179
Great report! I wonder if the new 340 with the Suites will have enough personal space. I can imagine the huge CX suites to take up a lot of space, thus making the cabin seem more cramped.