CX J vs BA J
 

WOW! I was stuck in Europe as many were. In order to come home and wanting to stick with oneworld, I flew BA J back. I think Virgin actually was quite free and easy to tickets from LHR to HKG.

What a difference. I wont giv you a blow by blow, but a couple of very noticeable differences:

Seats not comfortable. Flat bed it was but somehow despite it not being "coffin" style (I was aisle side) the seat felt hard and narrow.

AVOD - no contest. tiny selection of older content

Cabin Staff - need i say more. Gone from pleasant helpful smiling ladies to grumpy old men

Food - It was right after flight ban. Apparently only Y meals throughout the flight. It was truly disgusting and the WORST food i ever ate. It does not compare to CX Y meals at all. I could not eat it. I had pot noodle instead.

Coffee - served lukewarm. nasty. This might be one off. I got apology unprompted.

There is no convenient space in the seat to put your little things like magazines, phone, wallet or even the bottled water. They have a drawer, which you have to get out of your seat, put your seat back upright to access.

This is not a good product. I had a peak at the F seats. feels like a newer version of the old CX F seats.

Thank god for CX. We are truly spoilt in Asia!

I flew BA J HKG-LHR-HKG recently and I have some mixed feelings about your comments:

Seats - Disagree - I think the BA J seats are comfortable for sitting and sleeping, though I had upper deck window seats both ways so perhaps this made a difference. I don't think I'd like an aisle seat as there is not much privacy and generally for J you'd expect some more privacy.

AVOD - Partially agree - The selection was acceptable, but not as good as CX, but I didn't like the touchscreen thing which didn't work reliably on either sector.

Cabin staff - Mostly agree - CX cabin staff definitely better though I don't think I'd call the BA cabin staff grumpy

Food - Disagree - I enjoyed food both ways, generally better than CX J. Maybe your catering services were screwed up due to the ash problem.

Coffee - Agree - I didn't have any coffee, but I did get served a lukewarm "hot" chocolate.

Storage space - Partially agree - Aisle seats don't have good storage space. Upper deck window seats have TONS of storage space in little bins (many per pax) on the window side. The drawer, which I presume is for shoes, is not very user-friendly.

In general, BA J is not a bad product, though it does feel kind of old. Combined with the excellent Arrivals Lounges at Heathrow, definitely a good experience and I'd certainly choose BA J over CX J if I was travelling with my wife due to the seat layout. If I was travelling alone, I'd probably go with CX.

BA J lounge is better than CX J lounge in both HKG and LHR, also (yes I know, it's debatable). But as a OW Sapphire I can use either anyway, at least in HKG.

I have flown both products many, many times in the past two years and disagree with Justinlau88. Comparing your food/service experience in this extraordinary days (even CX is serving Y food in F as shown in other posts) is unfair. Cabin staff have also been going through an awful time, so your experience is not representative.
I agree with Middlevels that there two different BA experiences whether you fly on the main deck or the UD. The UD has a F-class atmosphere. Tons of space. Just bring a Pyjama and you feel you are in F class. Windows seats have large storage compartments along the windows; some rows have even extra front space. To summarize my experience (maybe 20 segments) on each airline:

Seats: BA much better on the UD. Wider, good seated and lying down. And a no-brainer if you travel as a couple. Main deck, I still prefer BA J seat. The only J seat that beats it is SQ.

AVOD: CX much better than BA. Large screen, great selection.

Food and wine: Both airlines have gone down. But decent in both. No discernable advantage. Slightly better (less mediocre) wines on CX depending on the day selection.

Service: BA service is excellent. Less smiles and name-calling (“make the pax feel important”) than on CX, but consistent and efficient. Staff is well trained. BA & CX equal.

Lounges: Definite BA advantage. BA lounges in T5 are much better than CX at T3, so is the terminal. QF/BA lounge at HKG is (slightly) nicer than Wing or Pier. But as OW emerald, I can use the great BA F lounge at T5 (not CCR but still great) while CX F section at T3 is just the same as the J section. Can also use the CX F lounge at HKG even on BA.

All in all, an advantage for BA J , especially if you have status and grab an UD seat or travel with companion. On BA, I see no reason to fly F as their hard product is not very superior to their J UD product, and quite inferior to CX F suite. Dont take me wrong, I enjoy flying in J on the CX UD (they have 22 seats compared to BA 20), but prefer BA.