Hi everyone! I'm going to be flying on my first international flight and would really appreciate your help in answering my many questions. I will be flying in economy class from YYZ(Toronto) to SGN(Ho Chi Minh City) with a stop in HKG(Hong Kong).

1) My relatives are loyal Cathay Pacific customers and insist that I fly with them as well. However, when I was looking up tickets, I found Air Canada to be $200 cheaper. Is it worth it to fly AC and save $200? I've read a lot about rude service on AC, but CX has terrible seating.

2) I am a university student, and cost would be a big factor in choosing the airline. I was wondering if there are any student discounts?

3) I will be flying anytime in May to August and will be staying for two to three months. The cheapest CX economy ticket I found was $1064 before and $1356.xx after taxes and fees. Can I find cheaper or is this already a good deal?

4) Would it be better to use a travel agency or just purchase the ticket online? I've read that some charge a fee, so it might not be worth it in the end.

5) Does CX price match?

6) I noticed that CX has a maximum stay of 3 months. Does anyone know why and how I can get around this? My original plan was to stay for 3.5 months. I'm not complaining about missing .5 months, just wondering!

7) Some stopovers in Hong Kong are 15+ hours long. Silly question.. Can you leave the airport to wander around Hong Kong for a bit and come back in?

Any other infos and advices are much appreciated.
Thanks all. And sorry if this is in this wrong section!