LHR-HKG BA or CX?
 

Hi,
I booked a flight LHR-HKG on C in BA (BA25) but thinking to switch to CX (CX250). Both are served with a 747, which should be a better hard/soft product?

I think CX business class seat is better than BA for that long flight. It is wider and more comfortable and also goes into flat bed. Also it provides you with more privecy.

BA lounge in LHR is much better than CX, however, in Hong Kong CX the Wing takes the edge.

Food, I always find CX food service is not appealing to me. I give a higher score for BA in that area.

As it is an early evening flight I would suggest a visit to the lounge in T5, you can pre-select your seat now on manage my booking, so no worries there. It really comes down to personal preference, both carriers are good. Some will tell you CX others BA. Best thing is to try both and make up your own mind. Certainly though, the CX lounges at LHR are nice, but not a patch on the BA Galleries.

Take BA - the lounges are superior in LHR, and you can use CX's lounges in HKG when travelling BA.

The BA CW bed goes completely flat (as does CX's J bed on the 747), and when in flight with the privacy screen up, you don't so much of the problem of potentially looking at another person with CX's herringbone layout (which I don't like).

With CX you have a small chance of an A340 instead of the 747, which only has angled lie-flat seats.

Reports suggest that CX's seat is a little narrow in seat mode.

There is rather mixed opinion about the harringbone layout on CX's J - narrow seats, compact and coffin-like for some, and hard to look out of the windows (although on over-night flights that's not such an issue perhaps).

BA's NGCW seats on the upper deck of the 747 is really quite a nice and private cabin w/o being cramped (tho not sure if CX's UD is comparable).

Not sure if you have OW status... if you do you may have access to CX's lounges at HKG with a BA J boarding pass too.

You don't need status - just a same-day oneworld boarding pass in J or F.

I definitely prefer BA over CX in business for all the reasons cited above but most especially the herringbone layout which feels cramped and 'odd' with no firm anchoring sight lines to the cabin and fuselage. I am really slim and 1.79m, so how people of size manage I don't know.

Conversly in first CX leaves BA for dead in all areas IMO

I believe this is not correct, and that you need status PLUS a oneworld boarding pass to access another OW lounge other than the lounge of the airline you are flying.

But it appears OP has Emerald status, so access to CX's lounge in HKG should not be a problem.

As to the seat, I do not like tight spaces at all, and CX's business seat with those high walls is just too confining for me. I like BA's CW window seats. I find that even (especially) with the screen up I do not feel confined at all.

All things considered, I would take BA. I think the CX new J seats are too claustrophobic, and BA CW (with the exception of the EF seats) are preferable to the herringbone seats on CX.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/125)

Nope. It should be elite status or OW BP on the day of flight.

If I can get an Upper Desk window seat, BA is better.

Personally I would choose the flight with the best timings. Done both. I'm fine with the CX herringbone seats - almost but not as good as VS. If you want Chinese food, CX is better. Service on CX J is OK but it does not compare with service on CX F.

At least the table top is sturdy on CX unlike BA and the screens seem bigger.
CX AVOD have film selections in various languages so the English options are not as many as on BA.

With oneworld status: any onward same-day oneworld boarding pass
Without oneworld status: any J/F onward same-day oneworld boarding pass

http://www.oneworld.com/ow/ffp/lounge-access

I'd take BA
 

It is a no brainer that the BA NGCW seat wins hands down versus CX's new herringbone. As a matter of fact it is not even close. You'd get superior comfort with better cushion and much less clausterphobia. Of all the new J seats (those introduced within the last 3 years) I have flown in the NGCW ranks 2nd in my favorites just behind SQ's. And among the four herringbone desgins I have flown on (NZ, AC, VS, CX), I find the CX one to be worst. So CX's new J seat doesn't even rank in my top 5 favorites.

CX wins with Chinese food but BA wins with western meals. CX's western meals has been nothing but a disgrace in both J and F the last 2 years that as a regular flyer with the carrier, I have stopped ordering western choices off the menu from them recently. Sevices on CX J used to be top notch. But my last few has been inconsistent that a BA J crew can beat them on several occassions.

So I would take BA J over CX J.

OP's profile indicates he is OW Emerald but no indication of which airline.

If AA then OP gets more miles from CX than BA^

I would do the same.

My preferred timings are the early evening departure (on both BA and CX) which allows a reasonable nights sleep and half a day in HKG before a good sleep that night resulting in minimal jet lag.

On the way back I prefer the afternoon day flight which only CX offers as the overnighters arrive at a silly time in the morning meaning that the whole day in London is spent rather tired. With the day flight you get into London in time for bed and a normal start the next day, again minimising jet lag.

Thank you everybody for the useful info!^

I am inclined to take BA on this trip...next week will fly CX from HKG-JFK. So since I haven't been able to fly C on BA this will be a good opportunity to compare both airlines.
I booked an upper deck rear facing window seat on BA. Hopefully is not crampy to access the aisle. On CX this is not a problem, since they have only one row on each side in the UD.
Regarding departure time, both depart at almost the same time, so no difference on this variable.

As OW Emerald I always use CX F lounge in HKG, which is quite good. Should I use T5 BA lounge? Is it possible as OW Emerald to use the Concorde Room?

Many people think lounge is so important in taking a decision on which airline to fly. Sometime I think why we think this way !!! We spend only 1 hour in the lounge prior to departure, howerver, we are stuck up in the air for almost 14 hours on the airline seat :confused: