I doubt it's about serving the middle seat... reaching for that would be no different to reaching for the window seats in a 3-3-3 config.

The only downside I see to 2-5-2 is that it looks "unfair" to the passengers between the two isles, but in reality, as discussed, it's actually a cleverer seat plan.

The Y+ seat configuration is only part of the Y+ advantage over normal Y class. Note that legroom/seat pitch is also increased to at least 38 ins as agsinst anything between 31 and 34 in normal Y.

ANA has gone one step further with its new Y+ (supposed to enter service on the Tokyo-New York route next month) boasting 42 ins seat pitch with the seats installed within a fixed shell.

SFO-HKG FF need the extra seat pitch
 

I am frequent SFO-HKG flyer. CX & AA has no flights here.
I try to accumulate enough UA EQM for 1P. That is the ONLY worthwhile thing is the E+ seat. For these 14 hour flights, UA E+ longer seat pitch is tolerable for $900 ticket from work.
Singapore Airline offers nothing comparable, so avoid.
CX Asia Miles does not offer much anything, except useless redeemable miles. So avoid too.
Or, someone can enlighten me otherwise.

:confused::confused::confused:???

What do u mean? CX does have a non stop HKG-SFO daily?

young707 probably meant CX doesn't offer Y+ on this route while UA has some kind of Y seats with extra legroom....

JALPak, You read my mind bro. UA called 'em Economy Plus. This is most critical leg room for taller person to endure the 14+ hour flights. Regardless how you booked your tickets (like from some super discount internet fare type), as 1P you can log onto UA site seat maps and pick your seats.

Does CX have anything that matches this?

Can I ask CX to match my UA Premier Executive (1P) Gold elite class when I try to book their SFO-HKG flight next time? (I heard AA does).

Actually u can pay for the emergency rows now on CX.
If you become a SL or above you can get them for free.

Please read http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/catha...6-cx-comp.html for your comp from 1P to MPC

with MPC SL / GO I think you can call to grab extra legroom seat with no additional cost, which should helpful for your HKG - SFO flight, even not, just buy the extra legroom seat @ USD 100 per sector, it's quite a bargain at least for me (being CX GR ... I got nothing except dedicated check-in and priority boarding)

Except the exit row seats are narrower and have non-adjustable armrest, so it's not really an equivalent of UA's economy plus, a normal Y seats with extra legroom.

Alas, don't get your hopes up. Many Premier Executives on UA wouldn't even qualify for CX's Silver, let alone Gold. AA is in the same boat as United - having a highly diluted premier flier program, with FFs who yield far lower revenue thresholds than CX's. I still remember that first-half 2009 double elite qualifying miles thing on UA and I think AA, it made Premier Exec and 1k absurdly easy to obtain. The end result is just a less-valuable mileage program.

At the end of the day, I think CX might would comp you Silver for that (although nothing is ever set in stone....for instance, I'm sure they'd be willing to consider Gold if you obtained your Premier Exec through, say 3-4 paid J intl round-trips a year, or some other high-revenue itineraries, CX would be silly not to). I've got a few US-based friends who really believe they're valuable customers to airlines with their 1k and Exec Plat status, yet they literally buy discount economy everywhere they go and just have throngs of coupons and SWUs to almost always sit in J. These guys fully believe it. And they go crazy when I tell them in the long-run it's bad for the airlines for them to be sitting up in J all the time, because it gives other pax less incentives to pay for premium classes and forces the airlines to downgrade the premium experience, since it's not as revenue-generating anyway. Which of course continues the cycle of people not seeing any reason to pay for J or F on those airlines. I'm glad to see that changing on UA (with JFK-SFO or LAX flights, I think, I saw something about no upgrades), but I think a lot more needs to be done. Anything that gets airlines closer to revenue-based perks to pax is, to me, a better system.

Unfortunately you are right. I have a colleague who is UA flier and he says the J in UA is absolutely horrific. He made a joke that when he asked for a drink in J the stewardess told him to get it himself (it's a joke to get his point across.)

The only reason he sticks with UA is that the miles can be redeem for free golf and he absolutely loves golf.

Hmmm, not sure what you mean but AA doesn't do status match last time I asked.

AA doesn't do status match anymore. Unless your company has a corporate contract with them, otherwise AA won't just match your status .