CX251 HKG-LHR in F
 

Booked this flight using BA executive miles and soooo excited - BA F is good but Cathay F looks amazing! Just reached the 180 days to go mark - cabin empty at the moment except me so have chosen 3K as lone traveller - is this sensible or would 2K be better? If anyone has flown on the CX251 in F I would love to know about the flight - meal etc. also which lounge in HKG should I choose I believe there is a Wing and a Pier???

Thank You

To be honest, all the seats in F class are pretty much the same assuming you are the only one in the cabin. However, I really like the notion of sitting in 1A, but thats just me (; Pick the Wing over the Pier. Better lounge overall.

From all the times I have taken 251 in F, the menu has always been Supper (which is an abbreviated Dinner service and does not offer as much choices as a regular Dinner service, but you still get Caviar service) as the after takeoff and Breakfast prior to landing. But F is F and you eat whenever you like and you don't have to eat at the same time as others.

How do you know there are no one else in the cabin at this moment? Just because the seat map isn't showing seats being occupied does not necessarily mean no one else is booked in. People do not necessarily pre-select their seats in advance at time of booking.

There are many many threads relating to Pier vs. Wing, which one to choose, etc. A quick search and/or a look into the sticky FAQ, will yield your answers. Same goes for seat preferences.

I do totally agree. I took CX from YYZ to HKG and back many times in First class on the 77A and I strongly believe it is the best First class seat in the sky ^

As a lone traveller, I would prefer any of the following:

1A/1K: Both equally good, gives you that unique feeling of looking out in front of the aircraft. However, very close proximity to the next-door seat.
2A/2K: Probably the most private seats in the house, nobody else anywhere near you

Not sure why you'd pick 3K. I think there are no circumstances where 3K is preferable to 2K.

Sorry to disappoint, but speaking as a regular on this route I can tell you that CX251 is the worst flight out of the four dailies if you want to maximize your F experience. See here why that is the case.

I urge you to move to the other three flights instead. CX253 would be your choice if this is your first time in CX F. HKG based crew, nose of a 744, daytime flight and two "full" meals (the second meal is a "refreshment", but it is more of a dinner, on the other flights you get b'fast instead). This flight usually has the lowest load in F as well.

I prefer row 1 in F as opposed to row 2 which is favoured by many here.

On the 74A, solo Id do row 2. I did 1A and felt too close to my seat mate. Row 2 was great, I didnt mind row 3 either.

How many think row 2 is better because of overhead space? or is that moot now due to the new F seats and their storage capabilities?

Yea I prefer nose of the 747 so I'd got for row 1 something about having 1 on your boarding pass too that is stellar!

for my (semi-leisure, for 1 week in May) trip i'm in between 255 (WL-ing) or 253 (confirmed) as well as NZ 38/39 (in PE or J, both in preliminary thoughts) for 2 ppl. for CX it's companion award + A fare, and both tickets in NZ are paid for.

since they are all different in timings and cost i've got the different concerns

CX 255:
Pro- O'N flight, maximize total time in Europe (IF i get confirmed on the waitlist, or else confirmed on the next day) , shortest immigration time (assuming with fast track), CX F experience.
Con- Flight not confirmed yet (for redemption ticket) , CX Res Agent keep saying i must ticket A fare 3 days within booking regardless of waitlists, mixed crew base(?), Not sure if i'll have enough miles by the time i ticket.

CX 253:
Pro- Max CX F experience as discussed by kchika (double blade sword??), hopefully less busy cabin, redemption ticket confirmed. HK crew base.
Con- getting into the center pretty late. possibility of aircraft swap??? Ticketing time l limit as above

NZ:
Pro- Lower total cost (2NZ Js = 1 CX F), more connection options than CX253, total new experience, currently confirmed earliest arrival
Con- J: herringbone, also why CX J wasnt considered. same service with NZ PE.
PE: possible cramped flight with 3-3-3 config in 772. Otherwise satisfactory experience. (pretty much deal made IF it was a NZ 744)

PS. Time in Europe in general is not a BIG problem unless i need to connect to a flight that I must leave earlier the same day.
Also, I'd be 20K miles short of now and most of my existing miles are in Citi Premier points form. I will/can get some spendings before then, but i suppose i must do before ticketing!

Deal breakers: 1 hr queue at LHR immigration (eg. no more fast track in T3 for 255) , total cost goes up by 5K HKD, NZ seat upgrade in the next 3 mths (which is not happening...), CX F service deterioration...
OR, would anyone say QF PE actually is worth considering?

Anyone has operational voice to be heard? thoughts? i know, it's not exactly apples to apples comparision.

There are no overhead bins in the new F if that's what you mean.

Also, Row 1, the feet area seems somewhat restricted due to the angle of the nose and the placement of the cupboard..

Row 1 for sure if with someone else, 747 best plane to fly, far too much food to eat on one flight

Haven't flown the new CX F yet, but IME generally row 2 in a 747 F on any airline is my first choice if traveling alone.

All things being equal, I'd recommend the Wing over the Pier because the Wing has the nice views out the windows and a much more open feel to it, whereas the Pier is a level down and thus has no windows. But you might find that your gate is much closer to the Pier, so then it's your call on whether you want to walk the extra 15-20 (?) minutes form the Wing to your plane.

I'm sure the flight will be great, but one aspect that you might want to temper your expectations about is the food. Others who fly CX F regularly might well correct me on this, but the couple of times I've flown it (admittedly, the most recent a few years ago) and the many times I've flown CX J the food has been a bit disappointing. Not really bad, but not up to the standards of the FA service, seats, IFE, etc.

Regardless, have a great flight.

I, too, prefer the Wing over the Pier for the openness. On the 744, the problem with row 1 IMO is that the screen is not visible when stowed. This only applies in row 1 on the 744.

You have a decent shot of getting that WL cleared. May is not a very busy month for LHR.

Sadly, since QF/BA moved their flights from SYD/MEL to T3 from T4, the immigration queues have been very long in the morning. I use IRIS which gets me through in about the same time as the e-channels do in HKG. I'm not sure why you're so stressed about this point though...

CX255 may have a mixed HKG and LHR based crew, but only in Y and never in premium cabins. CX253 is 100% HKG based crew. And no, it is highly unlikely that there will be a last minute aircraft substitution for this flight.

If you could fly CX F then by all means go for it. I'm sure the C product on NZ is very good, but remember, at the end of the day, F is F!