Originally Posted by
JALPak
JL offers premium Economy on HND-HKG, long before CX introduced that class of service. And it has wi-fi too. So IFE is not a sure win for CX depending on what you want.
I hadn't realised JL introduced PEY before CX. Perhaps because when flying JL up to Tokyo it was JL736 on a 767 and looking for PEY fares on to the US as there was no PEY on that flight a PEY itinerary never came up. I just looked up today and see it has gone to a 788, which is definitely nice in Y and PEY, and the business class looks very good.
It's an award redemption, OP will have no problem of seat selection with JL system.
Perhaps it is me! But I have found it a nightmare trying to sort out on several occasions (AA codeshare on JL flight), and even talking to the reservations to try and sort out I have found AA trying to be helpful but not achieving anything while talking to JL they have not be helpful at all, and the last time downright misleading. If anyone knows how to overcome this, I will be eternally (well almost) grateful.
I personally like the afternoon timing as it usually means less HKG tourists on your flight and I can avoid the morning rush to HKG and the evening rush hours in TYO. To me going on a trip is more about relaxing instead of trying to squeeze out every single min in your destination.
Unfortunately for me it is business. Now though I try and fly into another centre in Japan and have a couple days there and then go from there on to Tokyo on business, or visa-versa. Last time I went to Miyajima. Even in the wet it was beautiful.
Though I prefer to take morning flights up to Tokyo in order to have time for a good evening dinner, and return on the Saturday morning on the CX flight from Haneda so can have a drink and meal with clients on the Friday evening.