My first "first experience" with CX
 

I've just finished my grand Europe trip with CX 289 and CX288. Now I am sitting in the arrival lounge to reflect on the flight experience. Thanks to flyertalk and these miles experts, I was able to get this first experience with miles.

Both flights were nearly full in ecnomomy and business and the six first suites were competely occupied on both legs. I noticed almost all other first passengers were traveling on business (of course).

Meal Service: Had Caviar services on both legs. Really enjoy the soup in the sky. But I have to say, with one six-course dinner, one breakfast and one snack service during a 12 hour flight, it was more than enough. But so is first class.

Amenities: The Pye pajamas sets were quite nice and I will definitely keep them for furture use at home. It seems to me the AESOP amenity kit design is a bit too ordinary for first class.

The first class service staff were all very friendly. They are willing to communicate with you in Cantonese, English or Mandarin to accommodate any requests you may have. I had a 5 hour good sleep on the outbound leg, it helped tremendously for me to deal with the jet leg. Actually, I did not get the feeling that I had crossed 6 time zones when arrive in Frankfurt.

Apart from the above, I think the Cathay long leg business class seats are already providing everything that a long trip needs to have: the full flet bed, good meal services as well as personalized services. So in conclusion, for my future long leg trip biz class is probably the best choice if I have to pay myself.

For me the reason F is without doubt worth the extra money is the much smaller, quieter cabin. A 77H J cabin is 53 seats and F is six seats. You simply can't get the same level of personal space, quietness and relaxation in the more crowded cabin - all of which means that after an F flight I arrive at my destination much more refreshed and much more ready for work.

having done both ORD to Hong Kong round trip, I agree the F cabin is by far one of the best I have been in.. too much food, just enough attention when needed, and a wonderful cabin crew

I've done the ORD-HKG trip a number of times in F and twice in J. Yes, I would agree the F cabin/seat is one of the best. But that's just relatively speaking when compared to other airplane seats. You are still stuck in a tube for 15 hours! :-)

Quite frankly, I don't notice much of a difference in the noise levels. And much of the time I'm without earphones, reading or working.

I also don't see much of a difference in the service. Others will consider this blasphemy, but I've spent my share of hours in F and J, and I don't really see much more than a superficial difference. Of course, F has a drastically smaller FA:PAX ratio, so they get things to you quicker. But they both rely on the ignore-you-till-you-push-the-button service model. What's the difference if you are in F or J and still need to push the button? Yes, in F there are fewer steps for them to get to you. In J, there might be more PAX needing attention, but the FA will still get to you. So unless you are a "Well, I almost had to wait" kinda PAX, the service level is comparable.

Yes, in F you have better booze, and marginally better food. And of course, a much larger seat. But in my book it's not worth the enormous premium.

The "ignore-you-till-you-push-the-button" service model works well most of the time in F. The FAs try not to create unnecessary traffic in that cabin. as most F passengers do not like seeing somebody walking once every five minutes in the middle of a flight. They do come by, but if you need anything, it is better to push the button instead of waiting for a FA to show up.

My mother-in-law didn't know that. On her way to SFO, she felt asleep when taking off, woke up when the cabin was dimmed out and slept again, and didn't get anything until late in the flight. I told her she could eat anytime, but forgot to tell her to call the FA :(. She knew to do that on her way back to HKG :).

Hmm, in terms of smaller and quieter cabin, I think J is pretty quiet and small if you're in the mini cabin?

Thanks for this. Wife and I have SIN-HKG-SFO return trip coming up and was toying with upgrading to First mainly for the larger seat (I've put on quite a lot recently :|)

My OH really likes the J mini cabin. Personally I don't. I still find it to be far busier than F. Of course CX J is a great product and I fly it to Australia a fair bit as well as on regional hops but for me if I have the choice I just wouldn't want to spend 10 hrs plus sharing the same space and perhaps more importantly loos with 52 other people! Business class travel tends to stress me out whereas with F I tend to be more relaxed and rested when I arrive - for me (and for my company) that is worth the premium in price.

I am all for the "push-the-button" model. It is the very essence of providing service on demand rather than when the carrier thinks that it is best. Necessarily in Y, everything has to be done according to a set cadence or it doesn't get done. In F, each passenger can have what he wants when he wants it and the form he wants it.

In an ideal situation, if no F passenger wants anything, there ought not to be any crew moving in the F cabin (once soiled dishes are cleared). Conversely, there is always crew available to meet a passenger's need and that can be attended to without fanfare.

Of course, there are two sides to that, and in some cases it might viewed differently by different cultures. In a fine restaurant (an American restaurant), for example, they don't have call buttons. A good waiter or waitress is unobtrusively nearby, watching to see if your drink is getting empty, or if you need your plate cleared, or look like you are ready for dessert. In my book, that is the quintessential "great service". If I had to pound on the table every time I wanted something, it would be reflected in a poor tip.

Not all F product is "on demand". Many airlines have F service in which the FA's unobtrusively keep an eye on things. They don't stomp through the cabin. They don't interrupt you. But they just seem to always be there, ready to serve.

For some -- like me -- pushing the call button just feels obnoxious. I have flown F many times in CX, and I don't even know where the call button is located.

I'm not trying to deride anyone who likes it... just saying it's not for everyone.

For passengers flying CX and SQ, that should be the first to locate in any cabin, not just F ;). For BA and AA - never mind...

My OH is the other way. She likes to stay away from the WC. She was in the mini-cabin twice. She is now always asking for row 19 and beyond.