Differences between CX and KA
Hi all, I am based in Shanghai and I have flown quite a bit in CX J. I usually select CX over KA, because CX use a large amount of their long haul A330's on the PVG route.
As CX/KA are sold interchangeably, at least to Shanghai, I assumed that the onboard product would be the same. Yesterday I took my first KA flight from HKG - PVG and I noticed quite a lot of difference.
- No champagne offered on KA as PDB
- Different drinks options, Taittinger champagne instead of Billecart
- No hot towels on KA, just horrible smelling wipes
- No introduction from flight deck, every CX flight I have taken has featured an intro from the captain.
- Different menu on KA, I quite liked the Asian Delights option that changes every day. I thought the food was in general better than my recent experiences on CX.
- IFE on KA did not tell you how long was left on the flight (this could be isolated)
- I thought the service on KA was much warmer and friendlier than my experiences on CX.
I just thought it was strange that there was these small differences between them. Surely they have the same suppliers in HKG and it would be more cost effective to have a uniform service. Also, CX/KA operate a lot of flights to Shanghai and it seems strange to differentiate.
One other question, why would anyone pay for F on KA, when they can get the same seat on J on CX?