Originally Posted by
Ben Ell
This may seem an obvious answer to a lot of people, but I might ask it anyway. There aren't too many descriptions or TR's here to really be able to make an informed choice.
In a CA 737-800, is it worth stumping the extra for First than Y?
Its a 2 hour flight and F is around 2x the price of Y (1400 vs 700AUD). But, theres a little more room, lounge access, and I assume better food, and thats it? The legroom doesn't look fantastic in F, and there doesn't appear to be any IFE (basing this off a single TR I found here on CA). Is the food actually decent in F, or just less awful?
(The CA F looks about equivalent to QF domestic C, which is normally about 4 times the price of Y, so it is tempting from that perspective)
On the otherhand I have heard that Y on Chinese airlines is basically unbearable..... (believe it or not, some airlines are perfectly comfortable in Y)
One major thing thats drawing me towards F though is in case things go balls-up. I'm flying PEK-ULN and have heard that delays/cancellations are relatively common. I HAVE to get ULN on the day I'm flying, so I'm hoping that if things get mucked up I may have a few more options than if in Y (or at least CA may make more of an effort to get me there).
cheers^
CA F food is decent, if not good (sometimes excellent). The presentation and taste is in-line with that of other "average airline" peers. The 738's seats are as you have said, without PTVs, but even with PTVs, there's not much to miss out (their AVOD selection on long-haul aircraft is quite limited).
Yes, in my opinion, CA F is worth 2x over CA Y (although F is often less than 2x of Y). If you're not *G, lounge access is quite useful while you can also get more miles when earning on KrisFlyer (150%).