edh101985

Hello,

I was hoping to get some help. I currently live in Atlanta. I have never flown first class before. I have no set dates, but what is better to chose, and what has better availability. I would be flying two people one way to one of the cities. My goal is to fly to one of the cities, and buy a tix to some other asian cities, and then end up in the other eg: fly to Hong Kong, pay to go to Taiwan, and then Tokyo. My return miles will be Delta, so I need to take that into consideration finding the best availability. Yea... First world problems.

Thanks

drminn

I flew ORD - NRT in JL F and HKG - ORD in CX first last month. The service level and hard product are very comparable, with the service on JL a bit more stilted vs a bit more personable on CX. It felt a bit like the FA on JL would jump out of the plane and commit suicide if the food wasn't to my liking - not sure if this was an act or just the Japanese way.

ctrlf

what a charming way to describe japanese service-culture

NA-Flyer

+1

100% agree with above ^

aBroadAbroad

Will your outbound ATL-Asia segments be on award tickets? If so, will they be DL or some other carrier?

edh101985

Yes, either outbound or inbound will be Delta (or Korean Air if available) flying to one of the two cities. Is one direction better availability than the other?

aBroadAbroad

Yes, you said in your first post that the return will be a DL award. What's not clear is what you plan for the outbound. You said first class, but have not indicated whether it will be a purchased ticket or an award or… ?

Do you intend to purchase a one-way first class ticket in one direction and redeem a one-way award in the other?

I'm trying to figure out how to position this thread to get you the best possible advice.

edh101985

Ah, sorry. The first class will be for 2 people using AA miles.

aBroadAbroad

Got it! Since you seem primarily to be seeking advice on the best way to redeem you AA miles, I've moved your thread to the dedicated AA forum. (Should the mods here determine that it's not the ideal place, it may end up relocated again.)

Good luck!

~Moderator, Information Desk


ETA: you might want to take a look at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...solidated.html and http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...ilability.html to learn more about booking such an award.

mattsteg

Consider both as an option and let availability determine your plan, especially if you want to confirm in first from the get-go rather than wait for space to open up.

alien

+1. This has always been my approach for my wife and I. Both are a pleasure.

AlwaysSunnyInORD

I cannot speak to either F product since I have not flown either, but from what I gather on these boards both are great products. Cathay probably gets a slight edge but I think it comes down to personal preference. There are reports that JALs cabins can be warm, making sleeping more difficult.

Have you signed up for an account on BA.com? You can search for award availability for both Cathay and JAL on their website once you sign up.

I agree with mattsteg, your best bet might be to find availability first. Availability is limited but it shouldn't be impossible if you have a lot of flexibility. I booked 2 round trip award F tickets on JAL a few days ago.

Lastly, I don't know anything about redemption amounts for Delta but with AA you would be looking at 62.5k miles per person to/from Tokyo or 67.5k miles pp to/from Hong Kong.

Penguinmoon

I just flew both in October. There are some other threads on this topic. Basically, for me: The service and seats the same. JL had the edge with food, some of the best I've had on an airplane. CX has the edge on entertainment (JL's is sorely lacking). I like both NRT and HKG lounges. As others mention, I would just book which one suits your schedule better. If you are returning in F as well, book CX oneway and JL the other.

Spock Seat

If you are planning on paying from HKG to TPE, economy class flights (less than 1 hour) on CX are cheap. But to Japan from HKG or TPE, it's pretty expensive in Y (in my opinion) for only a 3.5/2.5 hour flight.

This is how I would do it:

I would suggest going to Japan in business or first using the Delta miles (I dunno if you can still pull SQ using Delta anymore, I really don't use Delta anymore except between NRT-HKG for KE). After Japan, consider 20K (2X) AA miles in Y to TPE (2.5 hour flight). Delta miles can also be used for KE here, but you'll connect in ICN, and I don't know if there is a single Delta flight from NRT to TPE. NW used to have one before the merger.

Pay for TPE to HKG (cheap) on CX, and then CX First Class from HKG back to the US using AA Miles. That way you can experience the CX First Class Lounge at HKG on the return----a real lifesaver sometimes!

If you have the miles for First Class all the way, fine. The Asia 1/Asia 2 boundary on AA awards cut Hong Kong from Japan, but on Delta they are/were a lot less---but Delta changed everything and I'm burning them.

Good luck!

Spock Seat @:-)

trajectory

I flew SFO-HND mid December, midnight departure. No full dinner was served, just snacks or what I would call appetizers. The sandwiches were a bit stale. Not really what I would expect of an F product.