Originally Posted by
kalendil
So, bottom line is, all the HKG-[various cities in SE Asia] I see on Expert Flyer and ba.com is actual, real F; it's just subject to last second equipment changes if they need it for, say HKG-YVR due to a balky plane on that route.
Is that the correct way to interpret the situation?
The first part is correct...it is "real" F. There is no fake F on CX
.
The second part - if they need it for HKG-YVR - is not, because it implies swaps occur less than they actually do. CX has quite a bit of midday slack in their 77W frames, but equipment swaps still occur at a very high rate for regional flights. There are many more mundane reasons why it will be changed (for example, 77H is a relatively low capacity plane at 275. If there is strong Y demand a few weeks out and you're the only revenue F customer, and you're on a partner connecting ticket, CX might make the operational decision to sell 125 more Y and J tickets and dispatch a regional bird instead).
You should go on the assumption CX does not give two squats about your partner F revenue on regional F and assume real likelihood of swap for god knows why, except for Japan routes.