having recently flown CX F and BA F back-to-back, the BA F bag is so much nicer than the CX bag.

starting from the outside, and working our way into the contents....

1. the BA anya hindmarch bag is so luxurious and classy, whereas the CX one is bland and unimaginative. a bag similar to the BA bag retails for around HK$1000 at the anya hindmarch boutique. for those of you who prefer the classic anya hinmarch tassel zip pull, you can have your BA bag "upgraded" at your nearest a.h. boutique for HK$150.

2. the BA bag contains eye gel, face cleanser, and day cream by eve lom - in large portions, plus a big tub of carmex lip balm. compared with the CX version, which contains a very small tube of lip balm (0.08oz compared to BA's 0.25oz) and aftershave balm, BA's product is superior.

3. BA also has two aromatherapeutics sprays - one for moisture and one for sleep enhancement - i'm skeptical if they actually work, but they were great to play with inflight. on the other hand, the glass vial of CX oil didn't appeal to me at all.

4. it bothers me that the tube of sterlizing hand gel is bigger than everything else - i'd rather have a small tube of hand cream instead! who would bother rubbing their hands with that gel? it was a harsh reminder of the days of SARS when i was working in Queen Mary Hospital during the epidemic!

5. in my opinion, the eyeshades and socks from BA were of better quality too.

and if you look on ebay, the BA amenity kit is very popular and fetches decent prices, whereas the CX kit fares less well ....

i didn't bother bringing home the CX kit on both flights (except for the lip balm) but i asked for extra kits on my BA flights .... now i have five BA kits sitting side by side at home .........

i really think CX should upgrade their kits - both the bag itself and the contents of the bag. what about a nice bag from shanghai tang to match their pyjamas? or better still, something in the same rank and calibre as anya hindmarch - i'm not expecting a free louis vuitton bag or gucci amenity kit, but if i'm paying so much for a CX F flight, shouldn't i be expecting something that i would like to take home with me?

CX has failed to impress me with their bag..... their service and product is superior, but their bag really doesn't match the rest of their product.