noubliepas

Haven't flown the AY 350 but done 2 14 hour flights on the CI 350 and preferred it to the 787. Like others said, it's quieter, and I felt more refreshed after landing compared to 12h on the BA 787.

riku2

A small premium economy cabin seems very good for those sitting there since there is more chance of an op up to J if PE OR economy is oversold. The smaller the cabin the more chance of upgrades.
So long as PE is not sold out due to being too small or cheaper fare classes sell out then i'm all for a small PE cabin.

nanyang

I've done some flights on AY A350s in J - I agree, it's not the greatest product around, but then again, either one is going to Finland or booking b/o of the low prices. Am I correct or not? I tend to think AY are fine - it's not SQ though.

Then again, I would pay a premium to fly with AY vs. BA, other things being equal. I appreciate BA can be a good option if one wants a non-stop from London or wants to get those miles (Avios?). As for the BA long-haul product / service - hmmm, I'm not a keen fan. Also would rather not connect at LHR, if it can be avoided.

787 vs. A350. Doesn't that depend on the cabin config or have I misunderstood something?

FlyerMU

I flew A350 with AY, LHR->HEL->SIN and back and though it was great (except maybe the flight timings, and their insistence on serving a meal after a 0030 departure).

Anyway, I was caught out by the IFE as for most of the flight I though they only had 6 movies available (luckily I slept a lot of the flight) - turned out that the seat unit had been booted too early I think. A quick reboot gave a much expanded and broader movie list. Because it had started up and worked perfectly well, just with a tiny selection, I assumed that that was it. Maybe worth checking.

Matt.

Jed

That only applies if the airline respects premium economy as a cabin in its own right and only upgrades one cabin at a time. CX may well do that and not upgrade from economy to business when premium economy is in between. BA will not infrequently upgrade directly from economy to business despite premium economy being in between

orbitmic

I think there is an issue in comparing different planes on different airlines as it becomes hard to decide whether the differences you note become related to the make or the airline.

the two planes also target different market: the 788 in particular is a much smaller plane, more 767 like, and the A350 has a much longer range than the 788 though not the 789.

Personally i much prefer the A350 to the 787 like for like. It feels quieter, more spacious and relaxing, somehow air quality feels better even though it is supposed to be similar, and I like some of its standard equipmemts better. The 787 was briefly fun and together with the A380 and A350 has much better air quality than all older models, but in my view it never lived up to the Dreamliner claim, and the novelty of electromagnetic windows (which actually aren't that great) and larger windows wears out after the first flight.

of course, jl which has the 787 y in its originally intended 8 across version shows why people thought it might lead to better flight comfort. But beyond that, in any case, if taking plane into account at all, I'll choose a 359 or a 388 over 788/789 any day.

nanyang

Good point, IFE on AY is pretty weak. Last HEL-SIN flight in Aug, IFE froze a couple of times and rebooting did not help.

Judged the content to be poor enough that preferred reading a book anyways.

obduro

Difficult to do a comparison across different products (most effective way would be to do a comparison of 787 and A350 with say QR given they have both in their fleet) but another vote for the A350 here - just personal preference having flown both with different airlines.

nanyang

Yes, QR is a good example given they operate both. Can't recall whether they have both 787-8 and -9.

Flew both (787 and A350 back-to-back from Europe some months ago). Can't recall any difference between the two. Then again, I fly on QR rarely.

Seat is ok, but I really dislike the open dormitory feel of the cabin. Same same for both a/c types.

TabTraveller

I've flown 787 followed by A350 on QR quite a few times and my preference is certainly the A350.

The cabin feels much roomier (I assume the A350 is bigger?), the aircraft is certainly quieter and you can control the window shade easily without the silly tinted glass. Oh and I think the A350 has much better cameras that seem to be in HD (can't recall if the 787 even has any?).

Seats are however identical and both are much nicer planes than the old generation.

stewaran

on arrival at HEL, does the A350 de-board from 1L or 2L?

mikeday1983

I felt more claustrophobic and cramped on the 787 when I flew it. In CW, the window seat feels unpleasant (compared to A380/747/777) because the fuselage curves quite tightly over you. I'm yet to fly the A350 but from reading the specs I don't think it will be the same. Also the electronic windows in the 787, a solution to a problem that didn't really exist!

Externally, the A350 looks amazing. The wingtip design is fascinating. The only appealing external design feature of the 787 is the engine cowling.

LostAntipod

One feature of the 787 that may be lost on most passengers is the active turbulence stabilisation. In the right conditions , you may notice the gentle yawing and pitching up front. I don't know if the a350 has something similar. It's one of those things that's almost impossible for us judge. I do agree the a350 is the quieter of the two.

Stez

I flew on CX's A350 twice in Premium Economy, and I was left underwhelmed, and preferred their older A330s. I've only done the 787 in J, and fully intend to keep it that way, especially after reading corporate-wage-slave's journey in Y.

Frequent flyer 101

Not a fan of the lack of space for feet on the Finnair A350. I love the seat design, just wish it had a few more inches down there!