scnzzz

Yep, that bar is great. I'm a fan.

OTOH, on CX, there's no real need for a bar...the call buttons on those aircraft actually work Seriously, CX has plenty of between-meal snack options, and the FAs there are usually more than happy to sort you out.

aBroadAbroad

Nah. I think most people would much rather walk up to a counter to grab snacks than have the FA whip up a very decent burger, or a giant bowl of noodles, and deliver it on a tray with proper utensils and all

hillrider

CX hands down.

For the noodles alone; it's the best mid-flight snack, and works wonders against dehydration.

AA and CX crews seem to be from two different planets. I've never seen an AA employee clean the lav, while on CX they're outstanding with it -- on one F flight they even cleaned it after every customer (as long as there was nobody waiting for it)!

ijgordon

The J catering on CX, particularly the main courses, is quite dreadful. as mentioned the seats are the same, service more likely to be "better" in CX but AA has WiFi.

scnzzz

That seems a bit harsh...I've always enjoyed the J meal options on CX. My long-haul reference points are AA J/F, BA J, LH J/F, NH J, UA J/F, LX J, and FWIW AI J. I'd rank, at least as far as mains go, LH and BA near the bottom and AA and NH near the top - considering presentation, and food quality. No commentary on wines as I can barely tell whether it comes from a box or a bottle. (AI ranks below the bottom in terms of presentation, but very acceptable in terms of food flavor/content)

But that's just me.

ccengct

CX, no contest.

luckypierre

Although I am curious about the new DFW HKG service, my vote is for CX

yyzAAguy

A couple of you seem to have the same opinion as me: "CX hands down". Food, toilets, duvets (yes the seats are the same but the thin plastic American blankets don't come close to the big puffy duvets in CX J), movie selection, superhandsome FAs and the food! The food! Dessert trolley. A cheese course with grapes and port. AA? You can update your Facebook page.

Suggestion: US PHL to YYZ, then CX 829 to HKG. CX829 leaves Toronto at 01:30am, arrives HKG 05:00. You might not have considered this and my experience has been good, finding availability CX J YYZ-HKG-YYZ.

YMMV

ijgordon

Maybe a little harsh, but I've always found their casserole dishes a mushy mess. General commentary on the CX forum corroborates that they're not good, and it shouldn't be that hard to find pics on airlinemeals.net. That said, I haven't been in AA 3-class J in a number of years (been taking BA to London), and I don't think AA's mains were much to write home about either (they were always better in 2-class J). Further, my point of comparison for CX was usually Continental on EWR-HKG. A few years ago, I was doing this route several times per year, and I spread it out for FF purposes. I much prefered the old CO catering, which I understand isn't what it used to be. And also, the catering schedule on CX can be wonky. I think they go back and forth on it, but I've always had the main meal upon departure and the second meal mid-way through flight (which you can miss if you're sleeping). Then by the time you're getting close to arrival, and you're hungry, most of the snacks are gone. CO did the main meals at the beginning and end of the flight, with a substantial snack service in the middle, but able to be served on-demand. I'm not sure what AA does, I've never been on one of their ultra long-hauls to Asia.

Of course, for some people, catering isn't that high of a priority, but since the seats are the same here, it does really come down to the "little" stuff.

JDiver

"AA: You can update your Facebook page." ROFL! Well, I guess they know why you fly!

As much as I like AA, I think you have won the prize for your answer here. A nice comfy overnight sleep, breakfast, then ready to have a full day in Hongkers when one arrives. Of course, if it's this winter, getting out of PHL is possibly going to be the trickiest point of all.

SeeBuyFly

I agree, the food is generally cheap and dull (also salty). An example of the lack of imagination is the packaged Haagen-Dazs icecream instead of a more creative dessert.

The exception, already noted by another poster, is the noodle soup 'snack', which is excellent for airplane food.

Jaimito Cartero

I haven't flown AA on this route, but CX has never let me down, yet. As long as you're getting the new J seats, anyway. I wasn't much of a fan of the old style seats in J. The F seats are my favorite.

I can't think of a good reason, other than cost/availability that I'd take any US carrier over CX, SQ, or similar.

exmike

I cant imagine why you wouldn't shell out the 12,500 miles to fly CX F, which is arguably one of the best out there. Unless there is no availability...

pauleeepaul

+1- the best value per mile going on either airline for a flight this long.

The OP references EWR-HKG on CX. UA serves this route, CX NYC service is to JFK.

ijgordon

Pretty sure that's just for a snack. I've always had a slice of cake for desert with the main meal in J, and that's usually pretty good. As are the starters, usually, my "beef" is really just with the main courses. Was looking through some old photos yesterday of various travels, and I just have to reiterate my view...