Long Live KA
 

Sorry sebastravel to steal your title from the thread CX Survey giving out 500 miles. It is funny how discussions on certain threads always end up in a different topic. To avoid the Survey thread to become a different topic maybe it is good to revive the KA Spirit in this new thread.

Actually I wanted to write something about my flight last weekend from PGV-HKG, so this triggerd me finally.

I was scheduled on the 1720 flight from PVG to HKG and I was looking forward to it as it was my first flight actually with CX from PVG and they were using the 74A.

Check-in was very smooth and while I was waiting one Chinese couple at the check in were busy talking on the phone and doing stuff until a whole stack of HKD500 bills (or was it 1000) fell out of the woman's purse. No kidding, I think it was almost measured about 15cm. I guess they were ready for some shopping in hKG:D

The lounge was packed around this time, with mainly pax from AA.
As mentioned before the lounge is pretty ok, but food is limited, well they have the dumpling/noodle station now as well. Nothing special though.

The gate was changed to the one near to the lounge and the line for Business/First/MPC was so so so so so longggggggg. I guess this flight has all the commuters from HKG with status. Some biz and first class passengers just went to the front of the Q and got accepted .....I hate that attitude, common guys ...just Q up like all the others!!

Got my seat on the upperdeck and got my glass of bubbles. No menus, no greetings ....very cold service. Announcement in English, CAntonese and poor Mandarin. Well, my Mandarin sucks as well, but this wasn't good!!
AVOD didn't include movies but had all the rest. Food service was pretty standard as was the quality. Through out the flight not much interactions with the FA and no extra frills.

The return flight a total different story!

Was scheduled on the 1pm flight but wanted to go back earlier so I could manage to change my flight at HKIA to the 12pm flight. Great check-in staff, very efficient and quick. Flight in bizz wasn't full and I knew the seat next to me was empty. Once boarded got my drink and I went to the restroom. I saw in the galley the list of the passengers and noticed again that no one was sitting next to me. A couple of minutes later, an Asian lady came to sit next to me. Well, maybe a lastminute upgrade or last minute pax. I noticed already that one of the FA was looking at her sheet and then came up to her and asked for her boardingpass (but that time, she had a drink alr and was checking out the inflight magazines). The lady hesitated and was trying to find her BP and finally showed it to the FA. She was kindly told to get up and move behind the curtain. OMG .....first time to see a PARTY CRASHER in bizz!! The FA even apologized to me. Throughout the flight service was top notch - addressing me by name, got enough to drink all the time and always with a smile.

To cut a long story short : ........I agree LONG LIVE KA for the shorthaul flights! They are just too good on this route. I felt they are more genuine in providing service with a smile.

PS One other thing is that the FA's on KA are much prettier (beauty is in the eye of the beholder).

I agree FAs in KA are generally younger and prettier and friendlier. The KA check-in staff in HKIA is amazing, the ones spread around China are hit and miss.

Party Crasher? Hahahaha, must be a rookie as anyone knows the FAs check their manifest against seats taken at First and Biz classes. My wife once switched a seat with a guy so we can sit together (both of us are last minute upgrades), and the FA came over and asked her to "move back", but of course we settled the matter when we told them about switching seats.

Wow, never saw First-Biz class pax just cut in Q like that, usually they are very good at observing basic manners, but I guess when you fly exclusively F-B enough you develop some arrogance. I don't blame the agents for letting them go, after all, they are the revenue pax.

CX and KA are already boarding MPC first, no need to cut really.

Well, the fear still exist that CX is turning KA into LCC.

I actually see J and F pax frequently cut the queue, and oddly I see it hands-down most frequently in PVG as the OP did. I might be skewed because at PVG I usually just sit by the gate anyway (whereas at PEK, if not but just for habit only, I always sit in the lounge and board at the absolute end). And in my experience it has been almost exclusively Australian or American pax who aren't used to the MPC custom of allowing so many people to board in the J or F line. I've heard a few of them discussing to each other (contemplating whether or not to cut), and I don't think it's arrogance so much as them just not believing it's possible that the J/F line can be so long. Hence if they have a J or F BP they figure "hey, this is China, everybody must just jump in the wrong line so I should go to the front as I'm entitled to" and hence go to the front of the queue.

As for KA being a LCC, I really don't agree here...sorry. For me, over three years and hundreds of KA flights (started flying them in 2007 after the CX consolidation), I haven't seen any significant changes to the usually consistent, reliable service (and indeed often from quite pretty FAs). Flying to China can really be a pain in the a$$, and I definitely credit KA with making the situation as tolerable as possible for frequent fliers (despite the occasional hiccups). Everything I've heard from CX regarding KA is that they intend to keep it as a quality, branded product for mainland China, and to position it as a higher-end carrier catering to businessmen ex-HKG and more well-to-do mainlanders visiting HKG.

I like KA too. I'm only ever flown the BLR<->HKG route , and on the the 33L it doesn't really feel like an LCC at all. Service has been typically uniform, and beats SilkAir, for one. The seats are great, and the cute FAs always acknowledged my lowly SL status, which has never been the case on CX SFO<->HKG. Some of my fellow Indian pax can be high maintenance but these young FAs are very patient, which is particularly impressive since KA152/153 is a night flight.

This has been the case until my last flight to PEK. I flew KA900 HKG-PEK last Saturday. Both lines were boarded at the same time.

I, too, have a soft spot for KA. The first time I flew them, I was flying HKG-TPE, where I was upgraded at the gate, even though I didn't pay full fare. On the way back, I flew KHH-HKG, where I just politely asked the FA if I could be upgraded - and to my surprise, I was! The FAs are all quite pretty, and very attentive. As someone used to service in the US, I was quite spoilt!

Before CX acquisition of KA, I flew more on CX to PEK and PVG. I do not like the timing. I had no status on KA, but I could get on any CX flight. In the last three years, I almost flew exclusively on KA on these routes mainly because of convenience. IMHO:
* KA has very frequent flights to PEK and PVG. I used to be able to change my flight easily for ex-USA tickets. This is important to me. However, starting this year, I cannot change flights without penalty anymore for nett fare.
* KA FAs are prettier. This is not important to me. I sleep most of the time on flights.
* KA meals are better, but I seldom eat on flights.
* I prefer CX's seats and entertainment to KA's. In particular, I don't like the 320/321 with 29" pitch at all.
* There is no J seat guarantee on KA flights.

i just wanted to say that i have become fond of KA as well due to the cost trimming over at CX, but in my experience they are not as easy to score an op-up with as is with CX. Although i had the odd experience of getting upgraded with a lowly SL and never while a GO.. odd huh? The meals to HKG are so much better than any other Mainland Chinese Carriers I've been on.

Not surprising (upgraded as SL but not as GO), it's all about timing. GO just means your chances are higher, not guarantee to have more op-ups.

About the timing... Do you recommend to take the flight like something like Sat 8:00 a.m. and a return flight on Sun 10:00 p.m. arrive that this is the typical pattern for tour group / people buying packages?

In principle you just have to identify the flights that are likely packed, which may be the times you listed. But yes, try to identity the typical packed flights and your chance of op-up will be significantly increased.

In my case I noticed the JFK-HKG 10:10 a.m. is the most likely to be packed daily, so I fly that flight exclusively now and I avoid the 3:00 p.m. flight like the plague because it's almost never packed.

If you're flying paid J or F I see nothing wrong with cutting the queue.

Not if it is the Business Class queue you are cutting into

Not only u can pay for F or J! Q up pls & that's a proper manner!:p

How about having decent manners (that everyone should have) and not cutting at all?

Let's get real here.

If you are flying in the front, then in most cases you have either priority boarding (ie. "we welcome all of our first and biz class passengers to board now or at any time of their choosing" - before announcing row numbers in Y) and/or their own business/first class queue which gets priority and is usually shorter than the regular Y line, though this is not always the case on CX with so many elites.

In other words, if the F/C line is too long or you're late to the party - too bad, bear it and wait patiently with everyone else. You'll be sitting on board soon enough in a nice comfy seat getting a welcome drink.