I'm not a newbie to flying in the front of the bus, traveling in international J/F for almost 30 years. Most airlines and flights are fine, with the occasional glitch, but nothing to crow about. I rarely have a bad flight, because I'm a "glass half full" kind of guy, and make the best out of whatever (with maybe the exception of Biman Bangladesh). But I'd never flown CX long haul F, only intra-Asia in Y and J. On a trip this week to Asia I managed to 'win the lottery' and score an Aadvantage award in F on a return from PEK via HKG. I was half expecting to be disappointed, because my expectations were so high about F on this legendary airline I've read and heard so much about over the years. Probably only LH and SQ (and maybe EK) share this ethereal, mythic space.

All I can say is "Wow." CX, in my opinion, got it totally right. The F seat on the 777 was one of the best I've experienced, really well configured and thought out. The IFE had the best selection I've seen; this was the first flight over 7 or 8 hours when I haven't pulled out my laptop to watch some stored stuff because I'd seen everything on the IFE (or not interested in what they offered.) They even have an "Editor's Pick", a film I'd never heard of, that was just great (Sils Maria that was just released in the US on 10 Apr.) The food was fine, nothing to write a review about. Even in first class, I temper my expectations about airline food. CX could hit it out of the park if they adopted SQ's "book the cook".

So what made it fabulous? The crew. With some Asian carriers, the flight attendants can be like subservient cupie dolls, and as a modern western man, that often makes me uncomfortable. Some people may like it, the bowing and the kneeling, but it's not my thing. Often there's also a language gap, with only rudimentary communication possible in English.

Not so with this crew. The lead in first on CX 846, Josephine, was fluent in English and even discussed the wine list with me. I was like a giddy kid, flying CX first for the first time, and told Josephine that (when I asked her to take my picture.) She was great from that point on, explaining 'how it worked', that I could have whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it without patronizing me. I've flown int'l F plenty of times on other carriers, and know that on most you can time your meals the way you want. But on many airlines (BA, here's looking at you), if you want to sleep a bit and have your dinner later, you get attitude. I can't recall having it offered upfront that I can time my flight dining to my schedule. When I'd finished my main, Josephine asked about dessert, and I said the apple rhubarb crumble looked good but I was too full. Her reply? "Let me hold one back for you for later, in case someone else asks for it." That's the attention to detail you rarely find on any airline. Some of you jaded FFTers may think "duh", but that hasn't been my experience in F.

I also noticed that Josephine and her colleagues working first class modulated their behavior for each passenger. Across the aisle from me was an older Chinese gentleman, and I saw the difference in interaction. Much more formal. But that to me is the sign of great service — modulating the service delivery to the service expectations of the customer.

Yes, there was the the orchid in the bud vase, the caviar and Krug, and the personal welcome 'thank you card', all of which are well documented as part of CX's mythic service. But somehow the delivery of the whole experience just exceeded my expectations. And exceeding the expectations of this old road warrior is a tough thing to do.

So thanks, Josephine and CX, for reminding me that there can still be wonder and delight at 35000 feet.