Originally Posted by
Gongzuokuang
I've done the ORD-HKG trip a number of times in F and twice in J. Yes, I would agree the F cabin/seat is one of the best. But that's just relatively speaking when compared to other airplane seats. You are still stuck in a tube for 15 hours! :-)
Quite frankly, I don't notice much of a difference in the noise levels. And much of the time I'm without earphones, reading or working.
I also don't see much of a difference in the service. Others will consider this blasphemy, but I've spent my share of hours in F and J, and I don't really see much more than a superficial difference. Of course, F has a drastically smaller FA:PAX ratio, so they get things to you quicker. But they both rely on the ignore-you-till-you-push-the-button service model. What's the difference if you are in F or J and still need to push the button? Yes, in F there are fewer steps for them to get to you. In J, there might be more PAX needing attention, but the FA will still get to you. So unless you are a "Well, I almost had to wait" kinda PAX, the service level is comparable.
Yes, in F you have better booze, and marginally better food. And of course, a much larger seat. But in my book it's not worth the enormous premium.
The "ignore-you-till-you-push-the-button" service model works well most of the time in F. The FAs try not to create unnecessary traffic in that cabin. as most F passengers do not like seeing somebody walking once every five minutes in the middle of a flight. They do come by, but if you need anything, it is better to push the button instead of waiting for a FA to show up.
My mother-in-law didn't know that. On her way to SFO, she felt asleep when taking off, woke up when the cabin was dimmed out and slept again, and didn't get anything until late in the flight. I told her she could eat anytime, but forgot to tell her to call the FA
. She knew to do that on her way back to HKG
.