A380 is a mega gas-guzzler that, if it isn't fully loaded, isn't going to make you money, especially if the airline fuel costs are going up at its current pace. Especially with its horrific cargo space.

748i, with its nice cargo space as well as pax ability, seems to be the strategy that CX prefers - pax plane that can also carry cargo.

Frequency please - smaller the better!

Not to mention that the A380 looks so ugly...

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Just returned on the KE A388 from Seoul (not my final destination).

Pretty new plane, seats were in what can be called long haul config in CX terms, pretty happy.

But wonder how can this bird be profitable? Read this bird only carries something like 400 pax, and the entire upper deck is J. I didn't get to see how filled it is, but doubt from the check-in queue they'd fill much of it!

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Estimating about 50 bags with priority tags...

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With Cathay we have couple dozens if not a hundred of bags with priority already..... with a380 it that will go very very long I think

unless I missed some announcement we don't know CX strategy yet. So far they ordered freight version of 748 only and combine cargo and pax on the 773ERs.

Yes, you do missed a lot of info, probably you're busy saving the world. Everyone else that works hard realized CX relies heavily on cargo revenue, as posted many times in here and spoken of many times by Slosar that CX relies on cargo revenue, especially during those deadly SARS years, the cargo revenue helped them survived. Now CX won't consider any other strategy that also benefits cargo volume.

I know CX carries cargo and pax. Just stating that we don't know if they'll order either 748 or 380 until they actually do. Perhaps you tried to say that it is more likely they'll order 748s..

Or perhaps order neither? The increased fuel burn (vs a 77W) doesn't really translate to the same increase in payload, and it would only make sense if the planes can be filled up almost completely consistently.

There was a rumour last month that a VLA was supposed to be ordered at the same time as when our financial results came out whether it be the A380 or 748. Airbus is currently pushing heavily discounted frames that were supposed to be taken up by Hong Kong Airlines. Whatever we go for remains to be seen. I guess when our financial results came up, we decided to put the money aside for a rainy day.

Unfortunately, I fear that your post is prescient. I would love to have 748s on CX, but I don't think that it's in the cards.

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Well if CX builds their jets with the Y:J ratio like KE then it'll be redemptions galore...guaranteed 4 day availability any time of the year.

I don't suppose they'll discount the cirrus seats enough to get Guang Zhilv interested.

Since CX has such a stranglehold on landing spots (HKG at least), wouldn't it be more financially desirable to fly two 33Gs to places to peak season destinations rather than a A388? And park the extra 33G when demand doesn't support it?

I think what may made CX hesistant on B748 is the decrease in cargo revenue. CX has significant drop in cargo traffic due to China being more open and more cargo are shipped directly into China, and HK by itself simply doesn't sustain enough demand for CX to count on cargo revenue increasing year after year. If CX can't count on cargo traffic to go up, there's little reason to go after the B748s as B773ERs are the best fuel-efficient planes for long-haul traffic.

That means twice the landing fees but it also means more choice and convenience for pax.
HKG charges parking for spare a/c, no?