Is CX that bad?
 

We are planning our trip to Asia this Summer and I keep hearing the horror stories about CX's new seats. We will be traveling from SFO to HKG, SIN, KUL, and PVG. Right now, I can choose to fly CX all the way through or SQ just to HKG and then LCCs such as Jet Star and Air Asia for the rest. I just have a few questions before I make the decision.

How are the seats in CX's 744? Will they be that bad for people between 5'3" to 5'6"?

How does StudioCX compare with KrisWorld?

How's the service and food compared to SQ?

Should I buy CX all the way through or SQ plus all the other LCCs?

If I chose the CX way, which departure from HKG should I choose? There is a midnight flight that arrives in SF at 10PM and a 14:00 that arrives SFO at around 11. Usually, the time difference wouldn't really affect me for flights arriving in the morning. I normally will be able to sleep usually around the early evening or late night and wake up at around 5-6. I never tried a night time arrival since I used to live in Shanghai where SFO arrivals are in the morning.

Oh yeah, is $1300 reasonable for SFO-KUL-HKG-SFO? Can it go any lower?

For SQ, their sale ends Mar 31 for flights until Jun 1. Should I wait past Mar 31 to see whether they have sales for later?

First, Business or Economy ? It kinda makes a difference.

Economy.

I have no problem with the new Y, but others may.

USD1300 SFO-KUL-HKG-SFO is reasonable if you depart between June and August. These seats may be gone by May or perhaps sooner.

Our departure date is June 28 and returning on August 10, 11 or 12. How does StudioCX compare with KrisWorld. When you recline the seat, how's the legroom for people between 5'3 and 5'6?

I am 5'8 and i do not have any problems with the legroom, it should be sufficient for people between 5'3 to 5'6 even if you recline your seat. As for the IFE, personally i think Studio CX is better than KrisWorld. The only thing you have to watch out with CX's new seat is your back.. you might end up having a backache if you spend too long a time sitting in it

How does it make your back ache? Is there a way to prevent this like put a pillow behind or something?

I am 178cm (5'10) and have no problem. I slide my feet under the seat in front.

June - August is peak season. If you go to HKG and KUL, that price is reasonable. There may be other ways to get lower fares (perhaps flying roundtrip to KUL - not necessarily on CX, and do a round trip to HKG on Air Asia).

I like the CX programmes because there are Cantonese movies (the English movies are very good too).

There is some sort of a plastic frame in the seat back, putting a pillow might help but it does not work for me, i still feel the pain after a long flight.

For the $1300 price, i personally think it is reasonable if this is V class, this is usually the lowest mile earning rate from North America to Southeast Asia

Food in Y is better on SQ than CX. Service is very good though robotic on SQ. In CX's Y class service can be a little inconsistent. as to IFE I prefer CX's system, but however if you fly to KUL you may well be on a plane using an inferior system that does not use AVOD. Ditto for SQ.

Yes, that should be a mileage earning booking class, although not necessarily V.

The only thing I'm really worried about right now is the seats. As long as it doesn't break my back or something, I'll be fine. I'm only worried because it will be a 20 hour journey to KUL and then another 12 hours back to SFO.

If you are travelling in Y class, there is no magic solution to your problem irrespective of who you fly with unfortunately.

Well, I never heard of any bad stories with SQ's new Y seats. I was just wondering if it was bad enough that I should book SQ instead.

I've just flown CX from SFO-HKG-SFO. I've never experienced such uncomfortable seats. Backs don't recline. Seats only slide forward a little. Worst experience ever.

In addition, I smelled curry circulating in the air two hours before meals being served, probably for those special meals passengers. Nauseating experience and I love curry.

Having flown Y on both SQ and CX on the SFO-HKG multiple times, I'd pick the latter. Some observations:
* The seat is ok despite my height (176cm). I carry a neckpillow, and use the provided blanket/pillow as back support. Adequate neck+back support makes a major difference for me.
* My legs get a little squished on both carriers in Y, though to a lesser extent on CX.
* I really appreciate not having the seat in front move in my face. It feels really cramped on SQ when the person in front reclines, especially during meal service when some people finish early and recline.
* No major difference between Krisworld and StudioCX from my perspective.
* Marco Polo Club is way better than Krisflyer. I find just the Kris-everything on SQ annoying. What on earth is a Kris anyway.
* Food service on CX is more orderly and prompt. SQ seems to pass out the special meals (mostly to fellow Indians with vegetarian needs) early, and take ages to do the main service. Since I never order special meals, I hate sitting in SQ1/2 while the whole cabin smells of Indian food and regular service is nowhere near starting.
* SQ service is generally more predictable. CX seems to depend on crew origin; crews on HK->SFO seem more experienced than SFO->HK ones (CX872/873).

I, for one, love the new Y seats, in which I usually sit in them for the 16 hr. flight to JFK twice times a year (2 rts). There is nothing I hate more than having the seat of the passenger in front of your reclining to the max to the extent where the seat is literally in your face and you can't view the PTV, this solves it completely. The comfort is a bit compromised though, but a pillow or two can solve the problem.

StudioCX, by far, is a lot better (selection and interface) than SQ but a bit behind Emirates ice and Qantas's IFE (limited to A380 only, otherwise, poorer than CX). IMHO, SQ is basically robotic in everything (see A.net TR about this) and they never go the extra mile for a passenger (in my past trips, as *G). CX does but service is not always "perfect".

I think SFO-HKG-KUL v.v on one-ticket would be cheaper than CX + AirAsia, since AirAsia can be quite pricey if there are no sales.

You might want to consider looking at www.cathaypacific.com/experience for a virtual 3D tour and http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_.../entertainment for a brief summary of movies (they have Up in the Air!!)

BTW, for the cheapest Economy Class tickets (Sweet Deals etc.) on SQ, they do not earn miles on UAM+ and 2P status (*S) does not have any "real" benefits. They are infamous for this, don't expect op-ups either.

To be fair, CX also passes out special meals early too. However, with few exceptions, there are not too many passengers ordering special meals. Therefore the wait is normally short.

Interesting observation. I have only been on CX872/873, and I think they are "good enough". My other flights to and from LAX are somewhat the same as CX872/873. I do not experience a noticeable difference.

I do agree that the crews, in general, are somehow unpredictable though.

Otherwise, I am satisfied with the seats, meal services, ground supports, etc.

I know what you are trying to say but still seems kind of a funny statement since one would have to assume that the crews going one way eventually have to go the other way to get to their home base thus evening out the experience. :D

I've not had a bad experience with CX crew as such. It's just that the level of experience differs. For example, if I am seated near where service begins, and all the items look about the same, I request the FA pick my meal selection based on their estimation of cabin needs. The more experienced FAs know which one to pick and are very happy to receive the help, while others get a little flustered.

While CX too serves special meals first, SQ seems to take longer. I did not really keep track of whether there were more pax with special meal requests on SQ than CX. SQ does get a lot of business from Indian travelers because their Y food options are better, plus they have Indian FAs .

Maybe CX873 crews are more frazzled because of the late night SFO departure and associated cranky pax. Now that CX872 has been retimed to a late HK departure maybe they'll both be more comparable :)

I have been on CX872/873 for a few times in the last two years. My experience on them was actually great. Before my last trip in last November on CX873, I had an absolute tough day at work. So I got to SEA, flew down to SFO, and checked-in with CX at SFO (AS could not check me through in SEA). Then I was terrorized when I was told in SFO that only middle-seats in Y were left for the 15 hours. So I got onto the plane totally exhausted and unhappy with the seat assignment (not CX's fault, but I could do nothing because I could not online check-in with CX with an AS award ticket).

During the "dinner" meal service, an FA (a nice cute HK girl) noticed my "cranky face", looked at me in concern, and took the extra step to ask if I were okay. She asked if I needed anything, and I told her I just needed some water to help settle down. That little step when I was in need made me feel so much more comfortable and built up my loyalty tremendously with CX. When she did that, I was feeling it was like a CX's TV commercial, but it actually happened to me in real life. ^^^ Out of almost 400 pax, the FA noticed my needs. ^^

This happened in my last trip on CX873, and this reminded me that I still need to send a letter of appreciation to CX regarding this. Until you pointed it out, I thought she was a HK-based crew.

Right now, I can get $1310/person on all CX flights, but I can get $1403/person on SQ (SFO-HKG-SFO) + CX (HKG-KUL-HKG). Opinions?

arthursiew,
my 2 cents:

• Seat:
  This has been discussed extensively in the past, link to some of those discussions:
  Any reviews of CX's new economy class seats?
  Is the new Y seat that doesn't recline really that bad?
  Personally, I love the new seats. Person in front of you not reclining into your space is a huge plus for me :)
• CX Studio vs Krisworld
  Both are equally good, can't go wrong either way.
• Service & Food
  I personally prefer SQ food slightly over CX food. But this is subjective. Service is more robotic(ie efficient) on SQ. I've seen CX FA's get flustered if there is full load in Y and if the passengers are demanding(lot of special meals/kids etc)
• Fare
  If $1300 is an online fare, you should definitely talk to a consolidator. They might be able to do better. If you'd like, I can recommend a good local TA-send me a PM.
  
  In conclusion, I would pick CX all the way to KUL

Sent a PM.

I calculated everything. Now, I would like some opinions.

Option 1- $4019 total

SFO-KUL (CX), KUL-SIN (3K), SIN-KUL (3K), KUL-HKG (CX), HKG-SFO (CX)

Option 2- $4239 total

SFO-HKG (SQ), HKG-KUL (MH), KUL-SIN (3K), SIN-KUL (3K), KUL-HKG (MH), HKG-SFO(CX)

Which one would you choose? If I chose, SQ... I'm not sure if I can handle a 10PM flight arriving at 8PM because it may totally alter my sleeping times, as I am able to handle morning arrivals. Are 8PM arrivals that bad? Besides this, which do you think is the best option?

Are those in USD? If so, both options are really expensive.

Also, consider KUL-SIN and SIN-KUL on land unless you are transiting.

I would recommend this option a bit more than Option 2, also taking into consideration the price. BTW, what happened to the $1310 fare and what about AK (only LCC flying HKG-KUL nonstop)?

For 3K and CX, you might want to consider joining the QF FFP for elite status (3K fare might have to be upgraded though).

The total price he's quoting is for 3 people I believe.

The $1310 fare does not include AK. AK is also more expensive than CX and MH. It's also cheaper to book all of the CX flights in one itinerary, so that's why it's cheaper. AK quoted me 4930HKD for 3 people while MH quoted me 4950HKD for 3 which I found to be a much better deal.

Yes, it's for 3 people.

Now that is very expensive. AK quite often has HK$200 fares one-way for this route (though you have to play around with their booking system for dates or use www.airasiaplus.com).

Maybe consider Tiger Airways via SIN?

I checked a lot of the dates in June and July and they are all 714HKD one way. Tiger Airways is 495HKD one way, but that would make me wait from 6:30AM to 11:30 plus wait another long time for another flight to KUL. The difference is about 100USD total, so I rather pay 100USD than make the whole entire journey 30+hours.

Price changed today.

CX+3K=$4136

SQ+MH+AK= $4245

Opinions?

In FT's spirit, wouldn't you pick SQ for the UA miles? (unless it's a non-mileage accruing fare)

For SFO-HKG, I prefer SQ because (a) the seats have better padding; (b) I will not go hungry on SQ flights; and (c) SQ has upgraded the blankets in Y on the 77W (it's thick and fluffy) and the SQ pillows provide better support.

I suspect arthursiew's fare is Sweet Deals, which is booked into non-eligible mileage fares. Could OP shed some light on this?

Why don't you tell us what are your thoughts? In economy on these airlines, a lot boils down to what is important to you.

Yes, this is the Sweet Deal fare. I don't really care for the mileage right now, because we are considering switching to KrisFlyer or Asia Miles/Marco Polo as UA's pricing has been very expensive lately.

I have not been on SQ for many years, so I always wanted to try them again. However, we don't want to spend so much money for this Summer because we will be going to a lot more places than I specified. Right now, my dad thinks we can get a fare of $1100 all the way to SIN or KUL later this year because of the economy. I hope he's right because I don't want to wait a little later to find out the prices raise.

If your main concern is the seats, take SQ. They are slightly better than average Y class seats, you will know what you are getting. CX seats are more radical and you might hate them, tho you might love them.

The price differential is not much.

Bought tickets with SQ. Much cheaper than CX. CX wanted $1600+/person now. Got SQ tickets for $1232/person ($3698 for three). Good deal?

Quite a good deal... does it earn you KF miles? better if it does