gnomey

I think moving / walking down cabin is generally fine. F->C, F->Y, C->Y. What is not fine is the opposite. This is why the Y cabin FA stopped me since she couldnt recognize me and the flight (that doesnt touch US soil at all) is still in the early throes of boarding process

Have done the down-cabin stroll many times, but coincidentally, not yet on flights to the US. So this is something new I learned today. Probably the whole FAA regulations blah blah blah that includes not congregating near restrooms - though i have seen that happened before a few times on flights to US and no FA bother stopping that. Worth noting that these are not US airlines.

US airlines : safety > comfort, perhaps a little overzealous sometimes.
Non-US airlines : comfort >= safety

jamienbaker

There's an exception to the "no down-cabin on CX flying to US".

If both F lavs are full, the CX protocol is to accompany the F passenger to J, cut whatever queue might exist, so that the F passenger can do their business.

When we were a family of four in F I tested this. Three separate flights. Sent the kids into the lavs and told them not to come out. In each instance, the CX FAs escorted me or my wife back to the J lav.

Service at its finest.

Jamie

Anlun

Hmm I see. Thanks for all the info. I guess at this point I just have to pray for a miracle that someone decides they don't want their first class ticket... I also just noticed CX did an equipment change of our F class seated flight from HKG to BKK and put is in a terrible J product plane... I think this may be the last time we go with CX to Asia and stick with JAL.

eponymous_coward

If you want to be in the same cabin as your wife, you have the option of trading your F seat with your neighbor. I'm sure they'll take you up on your most generous offer.

(You also have the option of downgrading the F award to J or changing flights to a seat with two F awards available.)

The "terrible product" CX offers is quite comparable to domestic F or narrowbody F/J: 45" pitch, recliners, AVOD. It's a two-ish hour flight. You'll do fine, and JL doesn't offer lie-flats on all USA-JP routes, which IMO is a MUCH worse issue than a recliner on a two to three hour flight. This is the seat you'll get on NRT-YVR/SAN or LAX-KIX, which are the most common routes where AS gets award inventory...

jamienbaker

ORDHKG has 4 selling. If that doesn’t change, 3 to 4 seats will gradually be released. Sort of gets you into BKK on the late side...but so will JL. JL selling 3 on each JFK departure. FYI - HKGBKK and HKGSIN is an aircraft lottery. Should never be counted on.

Anlun

Yep I just read about this lottery of flight equipment changes. I'm on the phone now with AS to have our 777 plane flight changed to the new A350s and have some of my miles refunded. I would consider giving up my first and have us both in business but their doesn't look to be any J available and I'm not really willing to give up the cost of points to go to J at an F price. I've been eyeing the ORD to HKG flight but it gets in to HKG too late. We want to have some time in HKG before moving on (hence the JFK flight). I appreciate all your help though!

ESFLYER95

JFK-HKG-NRT In J with long stopover booked for next April in J. 50,000 and $75ish.

BA was only showing one available seat on both flights and AS agent could see them both. Brilliant Boise based agent.

Flying for Fun

When I booked TWO CX J JNB-HKG//HKG-BOS awards for mid February last week Alaska could see the exact two J I found on Quantas. Booked within 10 minutes and CX Record locator and e-ticket numbers available before call completion. My Brilliant Boise based Agent was Carly.

James

jamienbaker

Same agent (name/location) got me in F JFKHKG when other agents said none. Same agent also managed to book EWRHKGSIN in J when married segment showed no availability. She was able to piece the two segments together.

Bravo Carly.

dkerr

Flights that day are pretty full in both F and J cabins. That said many people that fly F and J do have to make changes to their travel plan. In the past I have been in same situation as you, but in the last three days before flight there was a lot of changes in F inventory, fluctuated between F0 and F3. In the end I was able to get an F seat at ~20 hours before flight time. I'm not saying that you will luck out and I don't want you to get your hopes up, but it is possible.

DAK

Happy

THIS!

We have flew the TRULY TERRIBLE JL 787 KIX-LAX - recliner seats that were WORSE than AA's 777-200 I kid you not. It was actually an AA award at that time the only route we could find availability before we left home for a 35 days RTW trip. I could have waited till we were in HKG then booked an award because JL also released its routes with better seats close to departure. Alas I made the mistake to fly back from KIX instead of TYO. We could have easily done HKG-ITM, and then TYO-US instead, just to reverse the order of our stay in Japan.

I wonder the poster has ever flown CX regional J before?

Happy

Yes, that happened, and not as rare as one might think.

We actually had the 3rd passenger in our F cabin HKG-LAX in Feb, that canceled his plan the morning of departure. When we boarded the FAs cheerfully told us we could sit wherever we liked. I asked, wasn't there another passenger per the seat map? She said it WAS up till last night, but apparently the gentleman had other plan and canceled his reservation this morning. My husband slept thru the whole flight skipping meal services altogether until I woke him up to make him tak a bowl of congee. So it did not matter we had the whole cabin on that flight. lol.

Then in Sept when I checked, my husband's 12:30 HKG-LAX has 4F opened the night before when he had his and I was on the 4:30 flight which seemed to be quite full as no F award released. He told me he was the only passenger on his flight. So the other passenger also canceled just before departure. On my flight, there were 3 empty seats in F. I dont believe CX would hold 3 F seats for possible Op-Up. The other 2 passengers very much appeared as not paying customers but I of course no way to verify that, just make the guess based on the young man and young woman's in flight behavior.

yerffej201

Does Alaska still have trouble seeing CX space that is not the available seats - 1 situation? I'm looking for a HKG-DXB flight, BA and QF both see it, there are three seats, but alaska can't see any.

Flying for Fun

In my recent experience booking CX (within the last week) J1 YVR-HKG//HKG-DPS for January and CX J2 JNB-HKG//HKG-BOS for February matched QF precisely. After booking the J2 I went back and checked QF and the availability was gone. I talked to Agents in Phoenix & Boise. If the flight you are looking for is an early departure like 1:00 am others have said to make sure the agent puts in 1:00 am in their search to see availability.

Feel free to PM me.

James

jamienbaker

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. HKGJFK last August, CX released three F awards simultaneously. I needed all three. AA res/BA web/QF web saw all three. AS res could only see two. Even after booking one with AS, they could only see one more. So I booked that as well, and ended up having to use AA currency for the third.

For next August’s trip I experienced the same. AS sometimes matched AA res/BA web, sometimes not.