I arrived back at SFO just as CX check-in was opening. There were already a few large tour groups lined up and what I later found to be 20 or so people who'd been on an AA flight to LAX but due to some sort of IRROPs (diversion?) had been moved over to CX.
There was an F check-in line even though F had been eliminated due to the equipment swap, so naturally I used that line.
Check-in took quite some time as the first agent—a contractor—had to call over a proper CX employee, who had to find the station manager to pay out compensation. Based on eavesdropping the conversation between the CX agents, it sounds like I was the only award customer in F. There were two paid customers who were both rerouted on other airlines. After waiting about 15 minutes for the station manager to appear, I had my $390 in hand (in cold hard cash—not a voucher or check).
CX would be joining Pre two days after my flight so I had to join the regular queue, but the line was mercifully quick regardless.
Retro airline posters in the lounge hallway
The CX lounge in SFO is fine. Not great, and it should really have a dedicated F section, but it's adequate. Showers, lots of seating and a noodle bar. I had some dan dan noodles, grabbed a shower and before I knew it, time to board.
Boarding was a mess—the design of the gates at the SFO international terminal is truly awful, far too narrow.
IFE and footrest.
I'm personally a big fan of the CX J reverse herringbone. Reasonably private, comfortable for sleeping, plenty of storage. CX F is a nicer bed, for sure, but the difference isn't that big these days.
Pre-departure champagne:
I'll admit I had been looking forward to the champagne and Tesseron cognac in F, but $390 buys plenty of that on the ground.
Menus:
I opted for the prawns. Eh, nobody flies J for the food anyways.
Baileys, coffee and a praline for dessert:
Breakfast wasn't much better. The cream cheese filling in the omelet was disgusting. Tasted like some sort of cheap cracker dip.
Even though the food on this flight was miserable, that has it's upsides. I do find long-haul flights much more comfortable when I eat little and avoid alcohol, there's just too much temptation in F to avoid it.
We landed about an hour ahead of schedule due to strong tailwinds. I tried to use the CX arrivals lounge but it was completely packed. My first time trying to use that facility and I honestly can't believe how small it is. It should be at least triple that size. I used my Priority Pass membership to get into the PPL arrivals lounge across the hall, which wasn't nearly as crowded, though still approaching "full". We landed well before the Airport Express had even started running so I had time to kill.
I had about 16 hours until my flight to Auckland departed and couldn't wait to get into Hong Kong proper—but first, coffee and a shower.
Next up: a full rich day in Hong Kong