CX Premium Economy Experiences and Thoughts [consolidated]
Feb 20, 2014, 6:55 pm
#76
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,377
Some outport use Y in one line, and PEY/J/MPO/OCLI all together in another line.
Feb 23, 2014, 4:59 am
#77
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 1,589
Yvr-Jfk.
Shared counter for PE and bag drop too. We went to Business Class check in as Sapphire and were welcomed. Lounge in YVR is small and basic but fine, nice staff, OK food.
31 A and B, good seats but no storage. Hostess asked us to bring seat backs up for meal which is ludicrous, we wanted to sleep on this short redeye and the annoying entitled passengers in row 32 had enough space. Refused and will complain as my companion was awaken. Food pretty good and service otherwise OK. Dedicated PE bathroom much appreciated.
Shared counter for PE and bag drop too. We went to Business Class check in as Sapphire and were welcomed. Lounge in YVR is small and basic but fine, nice staff, OK food.
31 A and B, good seats but no storage. Hostess asked us to bring seat backs up for meal which is ludicrous, we wanted to sleep on this short redeye and the annoying entitled passengers in row 32 had enough space. Refused and will complain as my companion was awaken. Food pretty good and service otherwise OK. Dedicated PE bathroom much appreciated.
Feb 23, 2014, 11:09 pm
#78
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Jakarta
Programs: SQ Gold, BA Bronze,GA Silver
Posts: 49
I just flew CGK-HKG-LHR with the longhaul in PEY fo CX 257- just thought I added my thoughts on here. My main comparison is actually SQ Y on this route so the comparisons are against SQ Y rather than CX Y - apologies.
CGK-HKG was in Y, a red-eye flight on their refurbished regional Y planes with the old longhaul shell seats which was a painful experience for the 4hrs + flight to HKG.
Boarding in HKG had PEY passengers on another queue from Y but I boarded last (was still trying to stretch and sort out all the aches in my back and next from the previous flight). Was seated in 31D on a 77G - full load on PEY. On getting on the plane, they had to find me space on the overhead bins for my carry-on as the overhead bin over me was filled the boxes carrying the PEY headsets
- not really sure why they had to store it there and take up space.
They already offered drinks to the other passengers and no one came back to offer me anything - i just asked them for water and they were happy to oblige.
Seat was significantly more comfortable than the old shell economy seat that I had just come on and managed to fall asleep until the drink service after take-off (a rarity for me). The earphones were a step-up from economy - not full noise cancelling, but covered your ears, made for a good way to just kill the noise from the rest of the cabin as well. Meal service was good and efficient - served PEY first and so you always managed to get your meal choice. They cleared the tray pretty quickly after the meal service.
The amenity kit they gave was interesting - not much extra in it from the ones I normally get on SQ Y but the pouch is more interesting. Had to go into Economy to use the toilets, but weird thing on the 77G is that there is only 1 toilet midway on the left corridor
and there's always a huge queue of people but 2 on the right, so probably better to sit on the right side of the plane. I always ended up just walking to the rear of the plane to use the toilets which was annoying. They had closed the curtains by the time I got back to the PEY cabin and actually buttoned it so ducked down underneath the button to get back - PEY cabin was just quieter in general.
Slept a few more hours after that, the additional recline and space on the seat made it alot easier, although one passenger in the cabin kept his window open the whole flight making the cabin pretty bright - never really sure what I should i just call a FA to complain about it and tell him to shut the blind. Second meal service was done about 4 hrs after the 1st. Only 2 options instead of the 3 for the first meal. With another 4 hours left of the flight, had a slight problem with this arrangement as by the time I got off the flight at the end, I was actually pretty hungry again.
Final thoughts:
It is an upgrade on travelling in Y - although I am mainly comparing to Y on SQ which i normally fly on the same route. Makes it easier to sleep and you're never behind the engines. The bigger seat, additional space, covering earphones and smaller cabin make a big difference - I caught about 5 hrs of sleep on a day flight vs. about 3-4hrs on SQ Y on a red-eye so definitely worth the small premium I pay to go onto CX.
The config of the plane with the toilets placement and the crew storing the headsets in the overhead bins of the PEY cabin made for small annoyances - made me wonder what they were thinking when the configured the planes.
I'm flying back on PEY all the way in about a week so (barring a last minute change in equipment) will endeavour to come back here to post of the Longhaul vs. Regional PEY experience.
CGK-HKG was in Y, a red-eye flight on their refurbished regional Y planes with the old longhaul shell seats which was a painful experience for the 4hrs + flight to HKG.
Boarding in HKG had PEY passengers on another queue from Y but I boarded last (was still trying to stretch and sort out all the aches in my back and next from the previous flight). Was seated in 31D on a 77G - full load on PEY. On getting on the plane, they had to find me space on the overhead bins for my carry-on as the overhead bin over me was filled the boxes carrying the PEY headsets
- not really sure why they had to store it there and take up space.They already offered drinks to the other passengers and no one came back to offer me anything - i just asked them for water and they were happy to oblige.
Seat was significantly more comfortable than the old shell economy seat that I had just come on and managed to fall asleep until the drink service after take-off (a rarity for me). The earphones were a step-up from economy - not full noise cancelling, but covered your ears, made for a good way to just kill the noise from the rest of the cabin as well. Meal service was good and efficient - served PEY first and so you always managed to get your meal choice. They cleared the tray pretty quickly after the meal service.
The amenity kit they gave was interesting - not much extra in it from the ones I normally get on SQ Y but the pouch is more interesting. Had to go into Economy to use the toilets, but weird thing on the 77G is that there is only 1 toilet midway on the left corridor
and there's always a huge queue of people but 2 on the right, so probably better to sit on the right side of the plane. I always ended up just walking to the rear of the plane to use the toilets which was annoying. They had closed the curtains by the time I got back to the PEY cabin and actually buttoned it so ducked down underneath the button to get back - PEY cabin was just quieter in general. Slept a few more hours after that, the additional recline and space on the seat made it alot easier, although one passenger in the cabin kept his window open the whole flight making the cabin pretty bright - never really sure what I should i just call a FA to complain about it and tell him to shut the blind. Second meal service was done about 4 hrs after the 1st. Only 2 options instead of the 3 for the first meal. With another 4 hours left of the flight, had a slight problem with this arrangement as by the time I got off the flight at the end, I was actually pretty hungry again.
Final thoughts:
It is an upgrade on travelling in Y - although I am mainly comparing to Y on SQ which i normally fly on the same route. Makes it easier to sleep and you're never behind the engines. The bigger seat, additional space, covering earphones and smaller cabin make a big difference - I caught about 5 hrs of sleep on a day flight vs. about 3-4hrs on SQ Y on a red-eye so definitely worth the small premium I pay to go onto CX.
The config of the plane with the toilets placement and the crew storing the headsets in the overhead bins of the PEY cabin made for small annoyances - made me wonder what they were thinking when the configured the planes.
I'm flying back on PEY all the way in about a week so (barring a last minute change in equipment) will endeavour to come back here to post of the Longhaul vs. Regional PEY experience.
Feb 25, 2014, 6:51 am
#79
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,156
..... On getting on the plane, they had to find me space on the overhead bins for my carry-on as the overhead bin over me was filled the boxes carrying the PEY headsets - not really sure why they had to store it there and take up space. ............
The config of the plane with the toilets placement and the crew storing the headsets in the overhead bins of the PEY cabin made for small annoyances - made me wonder what they were thinking when the configured the planes. ........
- not really sure why they had to store it there and take up space. ............The config of the plane with the toilets placement and the crew storing the headsets in the overhead bins of the PEY cabin made for small annoyances - made me wonder what they were thinking when the configured the planes. ........
The lack of a dedicated toilet for PEY is another annoyance on a long flight.
Lastly, the mid flight snack inventory is shared with regular Y and they run out very fast. There should be a dedicated supply for PEY. Did you ask for any mid flight snack? YYZ-HKG is >15 hours and one invariably wants some snack between meals.
Thanks for sharing your flight experience!
Feb 26, 2014, 8:26 am
#81
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 431
I just booked Premium Economy for the first time with Cathay, could use some advice on the seat locations as they aren't appearing on SeatGuru for some reason.
JFK-HKG CX831 Seat 34A
HKG-JFK CX830 Seat 34K
Both trips I appear to have the last row in PE but can't tell if that's an issue or a good thing. Any advice appreciated.
TIA
BJ
JFK-HKG CX831 Seat 34A
HKG-JFK CX830 Seat 34K
Both trips I appear to have the last row in PE but can't tell if that's an issue or a good thing. Any advice appreciated.
TIA
BJ
Feb 26, 2014, 11:34 am
#83
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 431
It's the seat recline that has me the most concerned, was worried that my seatback might abut a bulkhead or something to prevent full recline travel.
BJ
Feb 26, 2014, 2:37 pm
#84
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Independent! But mostly BKK, BCN, SFO, PDX, SEA...
Programs: Lawl COVID
Posts: 1,060
I just flew SFO-HKG on the 77H. First time experience. I was pleasantly surprised. I can tell you that 34A is a great seat. Recline goes wayyyy back. Bulkhead not an issue. Even when the guy in 33A threw his seat back, I still had room for my legs.
I set up camp after the first meal service and slept for nearly 10 hours, nonstop for nearly 6 in one block.
My gripes: the seat itself needs more padding. And PE needs one more lav. And they might as well go on and serve the J meal in the second service.
But otherwise, a fine 14 hours. I'm 6' 4"/193 cm tall, 209 lb/95 kg.
Last edited by FiveMileFinal; Feb 26, 2014 at 2:42 pm
Feb 26, 2014, 2:51 pm
#85
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 431
Nope.
I just flew SFO-HKG on the 77H. First time experience. I was pleasantly surprised. I can tell you that 34A is a great seat. Recline goes wayyyy back. Bulkhead not an issue. Even when the guy in 33A threw his seat back, I still had room for my legs.
I set up camp after the first meal service and slept for nearly 10 hours, nonstop for nearly 6 in one block.
My gripes: the seat itself needs more padding. And PE needs one more lav. And they might as well go on and serve the J meal in the second service.
But otherwise, a fine 14 hours. I'm 6' 4"/193 cm tall, 209 lb/95 kg.
I just flew SFO-HKG on the 77H. First time experience. I was pleasantly surprised. I can tell you that 34A is a great seat. Recline goes wayyyy back. Bulkhead not an issue. Even when the guy in 33A threw his seat back, I still had room for my legs.
I set up camp after the first meal service and slept for nearly 10 hours, nonstop for nearly 6 in one block.
My gripes: the seat itself needs more padding. And PE needs one more lav. And they might as well go on and serve the J meal in the second service.
But otherwise, a fine 14 hours. I'm 6' 4"/193 cm tall, 209 lb/95 kg.
1. Is it somewhat accurate to say that CX Premium Economy seats are akin to the old-school Business Class seats found in 747's circa 2005? Before the lie-flat-private-cabin craze, business class seating meant a wider seat with more recline and a legrest. Some had pneumatic lumbar support, but from a topline perspective, is a comparison to those older business class seats about right from a size/recline/comfort perspective?
2. The old business class seats had legrests and footrests that supported the lower body enough so that you could sleep somewhat comfortably on your side. In what you just experienced on CX Premium Economy was the footrest enough to do the trick or is side sleeping out of the question? Must one only sleep on one's back in these seats due to the lack of a legrest between the knees and feet? I actually don't care about legroom. What I care about is recline and support that is sufficient to sleep comfortably on my side during flight.
Thanks again.
BJ
Feb 27, 2014, 12:22 am
#86
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Jakarta
Programs: SQ Gold, BA Bronze,GA Silver
Posts: 49
I didn't ask for anything on the flight, but others in the cabin did get snacks after the descent had started and they got it quite promptly.
Mar 2, 2014, 6:28 pm
#88
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: Thai
Posts: 397
Awesome, thanks so much. A few more questions if you don't mind:
1. Is it somewhat accurate to say that CX Premium Economy seats are akin to the old-school Business Class seats found in 747's circa 2005? Before the lie-flat-private-cabin craze, business class seating meant a wider seat with more recline and a legrest. Some had pneumatic lumbar support, but from a topline perspective, is a comparison to those older business class seats about right from a size/recline/comfort perspective?
2. The old business class seats had legrests and footrests that supported the lower body enough so that you could sleep somewhat comfortably on your side. In what you just experienced on CX Premium Economy was the footrest enough to do the trick or is side sleeping out of the question? Must one only sleep on one's back in these seats due to the lack of a legrest between the knees and feet? I actually don't care about legroom. What I care about is recline and support that is sufficient to sleep comfortably on my side during flight.
Thanks again.
BJ
1. Is it somewhat accurate to say that CX Premium Economy seats are akin to the old-school Business Class seats found in 747's circa 2005? Before the lie-flat-private-cabin craze, business class seating meant a wider seat with more recline and a legrest. Some had pneumatic lumbar support, but from a topline perspective, is a comparison to those older business class seats about right from a size/recline/comfort perspective?
2. The old business class seats had legrests and footrests that supported the lower body enough so that you could sleep somewhat comfortably on your side. In what you just experienced on CX Premium Economy was the footrest enough to do the trick or is side sleeping out of the question? Must one only sleep on one's back in these seats due to the lack of a legrest between the knees and feet? I actually don't care about legroom. What I care about is recline and support that is sufficient to sleep comfortably on my side during flight.
Thanks again.
BJ
Mar 2, 2014, 6:32 pm
#89
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,513
Awesome, thanks so much. A few more questions if you don't mind:
1. Is it somewhat accurate to say that CX Premium Economy seats are akin to the old-school Business Class seats found in 747's circa 2005? Before the lie-flat-private-cabin craze, business class seating meant a wider seat with more recline and a legrest. Some had pneumatic lumbar support, but from a topline perspective, is a comparison to those older business class seats about right from a size/recline/comfort perspective?
2. The old business class seats had legrests and footrests that supported the lower body enough so that you could sleep somewhat comfortably on your side. In what you just experienced on CX Premium Economy was the footrest enough to do the trick or is side sleeping out of the question? Must one only sleep on one's back in these seats due to the lack of a legrest between the knees and feet? I actually don't care about legroom. What I care about is recline and support that is sufficient to sleep comfortably on my side during flight.
Thanks again.
BJ
1. Is it somewhat accurate to say that CX Premium Economy seats are akin to the old-school Business Class seats found in 747's circa 2005? Before the lie-flat-private-cabin craze, business class seating meant a wider seat with more recline and a legrest. Some had pneumatic lumbar support, but from a topline perspective, is a comparison to those older business class seats about right from a size/recline/comfort perspective?
2. The old business class seats had legrests and footrests that supported the lower body enough so that you could sleep somewhat comfortably on your side. In what you just experienced on CX Premium Economy was the footrest enough to do the trick or is side sleeping out of the question? Must one only sleep on one's back in these seats due to the lack of a legrest between the knees and feet? I actually don't care about legroom. What I care about is recline and support that is sufficient to sleep comfortably on my side during flight.
Thanks again.
BJ
The 2005 j class on the 744 are angle flat and are much different to PEY. In fact even 2 generations before - the Marco Polo business class is bigger than the PEY. It was 2/3/2 on the lower deck. I think your comparisons are quite inaccurate