4) Those unlucky few who are too tall for CX's economy seats ;)

UPDATE!! I got upgraded into PEY, J was very full apparently. Oh well, I’m happy because its my birthday and I avoid the herd of cattle, time to get some good sleep and party all day in HKG. I still haven’t been to the arrival, I’ve heard its underwhelming to say the least?

Did they tell you that you would have been upgraded to J if it wasn't so full?

Probably not. Although I did get a double-class upgrade to J once in EWR, but it was only because a plane went tech a day earlier and they had to fly in a 77W to take us, and of course with much fewer Y seats.

The reason I would like to know the answer to this is that s/he mentioned that "J was very full apparently" and I want to know if a birthday upgrade will bypass PE.

you're a GO member? i've never been able to block off the seat next to me ... most they'll do is request it but i always find someone sitting next to me. only success i've had is when moving my seat to somewhere in the back of the bus at the airport in hopes that it isn't a full flight

I don't think they block seats anymore on CX, so if you get an empty seat next to you, I think it's just luck (or the airport was holding the seat for another elite, but they missed the flight). I often get to the airport and then there are some good seats left but seem to be unavailable to most people, but once I ask they call someone, "Please release XX seat for DM." Anyways that's as far as I've seen in the new system.

I haven't requested block for a while, but I am not surprised they are not doing it anymore. However, I think they still try to leave my adjacent seat open.

Yes, the good old days of automatic block when you're a DM are over. It's the luck of the draw now. However, the check-in agent told me that you can still "ask" and they will "try their best"...

Hum...I was a GO, and up to Dec 2013 I always get the seat next to me blocked. (Bulkhead)

The problem is that empty seat will attract some very annoying passenger...and cabin crew doesn't care at all.

It is quieter in PEY cabin, and Cabin crew would actually care if someone from Y try to get a PEY seat. In fact I don't think I will fly CX Y again, some passengers are just intolerable...

I personally find cheaper PEY on ex-LHR quite reasonable (Normally £10xx-11xx), as I would be paying £8xx for V-Class anyway. But if they sell it at the normal £1800+, why don't I just fly JL via FRA/CDG/HEL...an indirect J + direct PEY mix would cost the same...

Irrelevant... Even as DM when I request seat blocking they block the seat by putting someone there (so it's blocked from letting me to have extra space...)

Anyway as many said I gave up on requesting seat blocking for quite some time already...

My numerous experience in PEY is Crew care as much as they bother to check, which they don't. Usually after meal time what they do is put out the tray table as a marker that this seat is open and unoccupied, but when they go back to rest they rare come back up. Then some people in Y would gladly move up and unfold the table and sit. Once a person just came and sat next to me which I politely told him to leave, but people are doing it.

There are even some Y that just went ahead to J if the last few rows were fairly empty, again, the crew doesn't seem to come around and check. Usually the get away with it till second meal time.

right....so you and i both have failed but i'm curious to how wrldtrav2013 has been able to do so :confused: or is it just plain dumb luck??

I think "blocking" is a discretional thing. It has never been a policy. Blocking is up to the check-in agent/flight control manager. If a flight is super empty, they will gladly let you block. If it is 90% above they are unlikely to block it for you as they need the seat. Sometimes, they can block but it is never guaranteed until aircraft has literally pushed back.

Over the years I have had CX block me a seat in Y on HKG-YYZ, HKG-LHR, and HKG-KUL.

I have found though, that outport staff are far less likely to be able to honour a blocking of a seat. I think this is because flights are still managed from HKG, and so they cannot liaise with a flight control manager as easily and ultimately have less control over the flight. In HKG, if the check-in agent is committed to trying to help me block a seat, they always call a flight controller.