Regarding service, CX expects you to ring the call light for service. CX's customs are not the American style "never ring the call light"...the exact opposite. They expect you to use it and will come immediately. It seems to throws first time American travelers off. This holds true in J and F, BTW. Flight attendants trucking through the cabin with water in plastic cups is not my idea of good service, but it is what Americans expect so I guess there is just some cultural misunderstanding.

In general, the placement of the PEY cabin does indeed make FAs less inclined to go up there unless the call light is rung. I can see how this is an annoyance although I'm not sure what CX can do about it given they assign Y flight attendants - not J - to work the PEY cabin. From a plane geography standpoint, the J FAs (and even galley) is closer. They do make a minor attempt during boarding by having J FAs help out. But during meal service, indeed it's the Y FAs.

As comparing it to US carriers, that's just insane given the hard product difference. I understand the soft product service concerns, but you can't be serious about taking UA "economy plus" over CX PEY. UA, DL and AAs "economy plus" is nonsense - the seat is identical. You get a few extra inches of legroom but an identical, crappy economy seat. AA is flying 10 across in their 77Ws in Y class, including "economy comfort" or whatever they call it. UA is rumored to be configging their new 77Ws the same. These are not PEY products but more like getting a priority seat like a bulkhead or exit row or something. It is not PEY. By contrast, CX PEY is 8 across and a totally different seat.

I wonder if those travel bloggers make for impossible expectations. CX is all around a very good airline, and they offer a genuine PEY product, something none of the big 3 US carriers can claim. You get a bottle of water at your seat, J class first meal, improved headphones over economy, don't have to fight your neighbor for his armrest, and a significantly enhanced seat over what is in Y class, in terms of material, pitch and width. The product is not competing with J but rather "enhancing" Y, and if sedn in that light I think it does a decent job.