DaisyO

You might want to consider flying KE and connect from ICN to TPE or NRT/HND/KIX or wherever else you plan to go/where there's availability in Japan using your Skymiles. However, you can't redeem Skymiles for F, only J. As someone mentioned before, it's only a little over an hour between TPE and HKG and TPE to NRT is 3 hours. You might want to try using Avios for the short hops because they're based on distance and you can find decent J class space intra-Asia.

For using AA miles, sometimes space is released on partner airlines closer to departure date. Since your goal is F class, I'd jump on availability first and then play around with dates later. Keep in mind that AA doesn't charge to change the date.

ijgordon

CX is very "good" about releasing unsold F inventory as awards in the week and days prior to departure. Not sure if its the case with JL (or DL/SkyTeam). So CX is always good for last minute travel, though that may be complicated by trying to schedule the other direction.

Jaimito Cartero

CX and JAL both have very nice F. I'd probably try CX first, and try JAL later on. I find CX F is easier to find awards for, too.

2Tall4Y

JL has wifi and direct flights to NRT/HND whereas CX will route through HKG and has no wifi. You seem flexible and I'm sure you will be able to book a great trip! Award availability is great on both carriers...just avoid the JL 787 if you want the latest hard product.

flatlander

CX F is good, of course - very good. Also easy to deal with in that they are fairly Western in service manner (they come and check on you and talk to you as much as you want) and the food is familiar, being HK (Cantonese) or Western. The crew will speak good English (JL crew can be a little shy or limited sometimes)

JL F is good, really good. The service style is invisible, apparently effortless excellence - the crew will rarely come to check on you unless you hit the call bell or you are involved in something (having a meal, you just woke up and might want something, etc) at which point they immediately appear. Other than that they keep out of your way (exemplified by how the food is all on request after the main meal service, so order when you want). The seat is excellent, the food is good (and from Japan, very good indeed, take the Japanese menu and drink the Japanese sake and other booze).

If IFE is a big deal for you, CX IFE has a lot more English content than JL IFE. I'm largely self-entertaining so I don't mind.

JL F is probably the best service experience I've ever had (and I've done a lot of CX F).

If you want an easy, good experience, go CX.

If you want to try something different and excellent, go JL.

jsfrSE

I would agree with the above comments. I recently flew on JAL from JFK to NRT and the service and food were really excellent. The entertainment system though pales in comparison to Cathay.
In terms of the temperature in the cabin, it was a bit warm when we took off, but I did mention this to the FA and the temperature was much better for the rest of the flight. The Service Director even came a few hours later asking me if the temperature was ok for me.

flyingmusicianlax

Both great options... I can only add my experience with JL F from April 2014, NRT - LAX. It was, in a word, superb. The purser easily fulfilled our slightest whim (she was a bit "senior," so her service took on a bit of a matronly quality, which, to me, made it seem more sophisticated). The food was the highest quality Japanese and Western fare. I'll post pics once I get to my old phone tomorrow or the next day. The seat was excellent, with a beautiful HD television. Tons of storage and controls... it reminded me of LH F on the 747-8i. Only negative was the cabin temperature... boy, do the Japanese like it hot! I would have said something, but, aside from my girlfriend and one other caucasian man that looked like an entertainment exec, the rest of the cabin was of an Asian extraction. So, I think I would have been over ruled.

Nevertheless, a stellar experience riding JL. FWIW, the main first class lounge at NRT had a wonderful selection of whiskey and other alcoholic beverages - putting The Wing F lounge at HKG to shame - so, if you're a whiskey connoisseur, I highly recommend it. Also: there's a very good selection of food in addition to free massages, pending availability.

edh101985

Thanks for all your help so far. I think I will leave a lot of it up to the availability I can find. I read AsiaAir is doing some pass starting next month that allows you to visit multiple countries for a set price. Hopefully when more info becomes available, I can work that into my trip.

Spock Seat

AsiaAir's hub is KUL. They also do not go to HKG, but they use MFM (Macau) which is fine for non-stop travel to and from Don Mueang (the old BKK airport but without the goodies that it used to have), and CNX. All TPE flights connect via KUL. Ditto with flights originating in Japan.

For me, AsiaAir is like the WN going somewhere other than where I want to go. The CX All Asia Pass is a better option.

Good Luck!

Spock Seat @:-)

Jaimito Cartero

Be wary of any airpass deal on Air Asia. Very often you will pay lots of extras, airport taxes, fuel surcharges, etc on each flight segment. This is in addition to the fee for luggage, seats and meals.

They used to have a flight out of HKG. I took it in 2012.

One thing that drives me crazy about Air Asia is the constant schedule changes.

edh101985

Thanks for the heads up about AirAsia. I'll prob use Avios to get from Hkg to Taipei, and then just pay for a flight to get to Tokyo. For 4500 miles it's a steal.

nov11

Air Asia (AK) still flies from HKG to KUL 4 times daily

SeriouslyLost

Did you mention it to the FA so she/he could leap out of the plane in shame?