A brief report after my outbound:
The new A350 is stunning inside. Beautiful, bright interior, I didn't run into any non reclining seat issues but the carpeted panel under the footwell was loose.
Amenity kit was super cute design but relatively basic content except for the L'Occitane lotion. Slippers were appreciated, no pajamas offered though. The headphones were crap, and didn't even work. At first I thought it might be the IFE (which as many have reported is quite limited in content but I managed to find one TV show and one movie to watch), but I plugged in my Bose with a two-prong adapter and it worked like a charm.
FAs are pretty strict with pre-takeoff/landing checks. I was asked to open my window shade, they checked that storage compartments were closed, they put my backpack in the overhead after discovering I had kept it under the footwell (note: I have done this many times on AA with no issues). Even made me unplug my phone charger during takeoff. All done with a smile, so I didn't mind.
I took an extra pillow from an empty seat next to me. The FAs upgraded an economy pax to that empty seat after takeoff (older man, maybe a parent of an employee?), but he was out of sight during takeoff and landing. Bed was comfortable, got a solid 10 hours of sleep with a brief moment in the middle to enjoy midflight snack and a movie.
Ordered the Asian option both meals LAX-HKG. The lobster/abalone appetizer was stellar. Mains were probably closer to premium-economy level but enjoyable enough. Rather poor wine selection aside from an acceptable champagne (Charles de Cazanove), including Canyon Road Cabernet ($5-7). When I woke up 7 hrs into the flight, they were out of dimsum, but I enjoyed both the warm vegetarian sandwich and the cheese plate. I asked for a Glenfiddich scotch, and was given a wineglass full of it! Needless to say I quickly fell asleep afterwards.
Club Autus has nice clean showers with great water pressure and L'Occitane products as well. When I check in, agent told me "There are two shower rooms, one with no hairdryer, one with no toilet. Which would you like?" I chose the one with no (broken) hairdryer. Great food selection, and interesting if a bit sweet signature cocktails. I tried one with lychee, gin, lemon juice, and beer (!) and it was strange but not unenjoyable.
Once I was full, and with a 5 hour layover, I went back to the main terminal and enjoyed the superior alcohol selection, plane-spotting, and people-watching at the Centurion Lounge.
HKG-BKK was on the older A350, and the cabin looked much more dim and dark. Seat had much less storage and was less private, but arguably the widest business class bed in the sky. It was almost marginally uncomfortable for side sleeper like me that likes to lean his arm up against something, and I couldn't find a good place to rest it. Chose the Asian option (stir fried beef udon noodles) and was sorely disappointed. Full and buzzing from lounge hopping, I napped in the extra wide seat for an hour or so until preparations for landing began.
Service was generally quite good. Was addressed by last name more often than not, and on LAX-HKG the few times I rang my call bell were answered within seconds and with a smile. I was handed a compliment card to fill out on LAX-HKG, which I found a bit awkward considering no other passengers got singled out for feedback that I could see. I left some nice remarks as I felt they did a great job, a bit step above US carriers and almost on par with the established Asian carriers.
Can't wait for my return journey!