I have a dilemma- I am booking our return flight for our honeymoon- from Japan- we will be in Kyoto- we can fly Cathay Osaka to HK then HK to NY on Cathay- business class

or we can fly American Tokyo to NY (JL is full)

It adds more flying time but I believe the seats on Cathay go totally flat in business-

worth it?

Not if you're on your honeymoon - in CX long haul business class you travel on your own.

I do agree with above. Eventhough, CX business class seats and service are much better than AA, however, on a honeymoon AA would be a better choice to stay togather for that long flight as CX seats are separate cubicles that will leave each of you away from each other for the duration of the flight.

it is the return leg.... perhaps you may want to have a little space by then....

Pick CX if your preferences are like this:
- Do you want a true flat bed - yes
- Do you want superb AVOD entertainment - yes
- Do you mind having a wall between you - no
- Do you mind the extra travel time - no

Personally, I rate AA's biz class seats at the bottom of the angled lie flat range. I don't mind the angled lie flats on QF, OZ, AC and AY, "will do if there is no better alternative" on SQ, MH, IB and LH, and will consider a detour to avoid AF and AA as these are the most cramped of the seats.

AC does not have angled lie-flats anymore... its fully flat (intercontinental) or recliners (North America/Caribbean etc).

Another option is to waitlist on JL.

If you want a truly lie-flat bed and don't mind flying NH, that's an option too. They will start having their new business class seats on JFK flights from Feb 20 on alternate dates (http://www.ana.co.jp/int/svc/en/new_brand_2010/info_01/). But I assume you are an OW member since all of the options you mentioned are in OW

You'd be adding, what, 8-10 hours? I love the new CX J seats, but doubt I would add the extra time needed to fly them if I could go direct.

I've booked an award LAX-xMEL-SYD outbound and SYD-xHKG-LAX homeward both in F . The trip will be with my father as a gift for his birthday.

The return via HKG will take a total of nearly 17 hours longer. But almost 11 of that is in HKG.

For me, the questions were:

Pick CX if your preferences are like this:
- Do you want a true flat bed - yes
- Do you want superb AVOD entertainment - yes
- Do you mind having a wall between you - no
- Do you mind the extra travel time - no
- Do you want to visit HKG for the 1st time, even if it's for less than 12 hours - Absolutely
- Do you want to try CX in addition to QF - Absolutely

(Yes, the last 2 questions clearly indicate that I'm a noob in the world of TransPac flying.)

That's my calculus -- YCMV.

If everything else was not already pointing towards Cathay and KIX, the ease of taking the Haruka train from Kyoto station and arriving straight at the terminal compared to the hassle of getting to NRT...

Dude, it's an extra 8 hours on flight time alone and not including waiting time in HKG for connecting flight.

No it's not worth it.

If you're seriously considering CX J via HKG then try and sweet talk yourself (or better yet upgrade yourself) to F - that would really be a good honeymoon experience if u could get one...

CX J seats are excellent for sleeping in but not for travelling together... but service wise you will definitely be better off taking CX rather than AA...

Also if you're flying 4 hours to HKG why not stay a couple days on the way - HKG is a great city... then it makes the transit worthwhile...

my 2 cents for you...

I agree. Just extend your honeymoon a few days in HK if you takes CX.

Surely, CX F would be a truly unforgettable experience. If you do choose CX, you could ask the check-in agent as this is a special circumstance in which you family will be literally "seperated" and note your honeymoon, they might be nice.

+1 and.....Hong Kong is generally cheaper than both the US and Japan.

If your wife doesn't mind the extra flying time, I'd connect through HKG on CX if:

- you want the extra miles or points
- you've only flown in AA's J class product and want to compare for future flights
- you can spend some time in HKG
- you will spend most of your flight sleeping/relaxing/watching the IFE and not chatting with your spouse

Personally, I don't have a problem sleeping in the slanted J seats on AA. There is certainly more width, my feet don't get bumped, and it feels less claustrophobic. You do have to worry about your seatmate climbing over you but if it is your wife, then hopefully that won't bother you this early in the marriage!

I do prefer the amenities, privacy, food, service, and IFE on CX but if it is just for sleeping, it's a toss up for me (I'm 6' 2" and my feet hang over the foot rest in the CX J seats and they always get bumped when someone is walking through the aisle.)