I just flew this fare for the second time. First time in November SFO-HKG-DPS, and this time LAX-HKG-BKK, both with stopovers in HKG. I'm glad I bought this fare x2, which will let me retain FWC Gold for another year.
Seat:
SFO-HKG has the older seats, but they are definitely more comfy for sleeping. Seats appeared to be a bit worn out, but you will get a good sleep. The only problem was there was no air nozzle and the cabin was way too warm.
LAX-HKG has the new setting, and I appreciate the modern seats and new IFE system with a really big screen, but they are not as comfy for sleeping for a bigger profile person. I ended up watching quite a few more movies while getting less sleep than I originally hoped for. On the plus side the cabin was at the right temperature and there was individual air nozzle with the new setting, and flight attendants were all excellent. I would even say the LAX-HKG experience was on par with CX if not better, because HX has a much smaller J cabin and it was feel as busy as the CX J cabin.
Food and service:
The food was not good SFO-HKG both ways when I flew in November and service was hit or miss, especially with the male flight attendants who worked pretty fast but really didn't know the proper etiquette as a flight attendant. They even undercook the dim sum plate and it was cold when I received it. But there is a huge improvement this time around on LAX-HKG. The lunch menu was excellent. I had the vegetarian option which was the roasted veggie terrine and it was very good. My wife had the miso beef and she said it was excellent also. Abalone appetizer was good too. As for dinner, there were only two options, beef lasagna or BBQ pork over rice. I had the latter and it was ok but nothing special.
Lounges:
The Air France lounge in SFO was crowded and there was very little food option. The LAX International Lounge had much less crowds, but food option was also very limited. There was only some sad looking sushi and fruits, and packaged food include Oreos, instant noodles, cereal, oaks, granola bars, Milano cookies and kettle chips. They did have plenty of drink options. I grabbed a couple of IZZE and S.Pellegrino before leaving which really helped in flight, as I didn't have to call the flight attendant every time I wanted something to drink. Make sure you grab a couple of Sweet Maui Onion Kettle chips - these were amazing and perfect as a mid-flight snack while watching movies on the flight.
Club Autus lounge was good with plenty of hot food options and seats. Food option at Club Bauhinia was not bad either, but it didn't look at modern and the amenities was lacking. Both clubs do make HK Style Egg Waffle after 12PM. Make sure you ask for one before walking out of the lounges.
DPS lounge was extremely crowded at night and there was only two showers. I had to wait in line for 45 mins to take a shower. There were quite a few food options and they were all pretty bad.
Conclusion:
I saw a sign at check-in that anyone can pay only US$7xx to upgrade at check-in to upgrade to business from economy, and I noticed quite a few people in J cabin were paid-upgrades. I would do that in a heartbeat from LAX-HKG, for that it is an almost 16hr flight and everything was amazing. In the future if this fare is in the $2000 range, it'll definitely be an excellent choice over US and Chinese airlines. I just hope they get their financial problems sorted out and hopefully they will fly to NYC in the near future.