Significant catering changes being test run in J class long-haul
 

For confidentiality reasons, I cannot post pictures or much specifics. A new test run will be happening on select flights begins ex-HKG to JFK next week.

Among changes:
*Candles (presumably electric) will be served on J class trays, and be collectable souveniers for pax.
*A soup bowl will be filled in the galley from a thermos and presented on the tray as an appetizer. This is not a supper meal service, but rather as part of a full dinner.
*Changes coming to the bread, butter and salad selections and plating.
*New menu cards and wine lists
*Other changes
*I have not seen details of any main course changes, and whether or not that will be affected.

From what I can tell, there are significant changes to this select service during the nuts, drinks, appetizer part of the meal, as well as general presentation changes and service flows. Also from what I can tell this is only a test run for now.

Whilst I cannot include more details, I am certain others who are close to CX will be seeing / have already seen some of these changes and can post in due course.

CX846 on Monday (Nov 9) will be the first AFAIK to have this.

Gimmicky candles??? This will grow tired quickly and makes me think of a bad 80s restaurant. Please put the 50c into better food.

*Also there will be some type of ordering option beginning in J class next year. Not totally sure on details but my impression was either a.) something like SQ's BTC, or b.) you can order from another cabin. I didn't get this detail entirely straight.

I wonder if it's book the cook with extra options or more like QF/BA just ensuring your choice. I've never had a problem with my choice on CX but maybe they will start reducing the number of meals loaded if this pre order comes in.

My overall impression from what everything I've seen so far is this is towards improvement in the J class cabin catering (notwithstanding sxc's excellent point above). I have personally seen details regarding my first post (mainly regarding presentation, drinks service, nuts service, appetizer service, etc.), but my second one about the main course I am less sure on how it will be implemented. I am not sure if on CX846 on Monday there will be any changes or not to the main course.

Regardless, frequent CX pax on CX846 Monday will be in for a fun flight, because the first meal service sounds pretty different than what you're used to. No matter what there will be noticeable changes from the usual J service flow.

It certainly looks positive to me (at least, up to the main course). Of course it hasn't been tried in reality yet with real live paying passengers. We will know soon enough in 2 days when pax reviews start coming in as to how the rubber meets the road.

IF this is an improvement, and doesn't get panned as cost cutting once actual passengers can see reality at 31,000 feet, it makes sense to me with all the changes CX is going through with. J class catering is an area they've fallen behind their peers and there's a lot of good J choices out there. If CX wants to insist on loyalty starting at J class they'll need to compete in J class with the ever-improving competition. This effort would seem to make sense to me. Anyway I'm really looking forward to someone actually being a passenger next week.

*Sauternes replacing J class port wine for a 3 month trial

sounds exciting and RIP to the extremely short lived menu used at the moment??

Will it be rolled out ex-US as well? Hopefully can get a try on this one on my flight home for christmas break!

If that's the case, let's hope reducing wastage = more $ per meal? I voted with my feet at the start of this year and have been flying multiple other airlines in OW and *A in J. So far AA, JL, NH, QR and SQ are all comfortably ahead of CX in the catering department, with QR leading the pack. BA is marginally ahead due to much better booze. No one is behind! I've booked MH for a trip early next year as the routing makes sense, but it could have been CX.

I am sure most customers do not pick an airline because of food. But the combination of appalling catering combined with the steady salami-like erosion of everything has tipped me over. I now treat CX's product as a commodity and shop at all other airlines.

And to illustrate the depths I am plumbing, I am likely to be on UA in a couple of weeks thanks to my recent pleasant experience with AA. This would be unthinkable just 3 years ago.

Mrs Percysmith will be most delighted.

But they have to be kidding about the candles...

For the menus, I did a double take myself given how recently this was changed. I've seen a picture of these new-new ones and they are indeed different than the regular "new" ones that started circulating a few months ago and are ubiquitous in J class now. The new new ones are more like menu cards than booklets.

While i am certain about it rolling out on CX846, I am not sure if there will be any change to CX845 (or any of the other ex-US flights). My GUESS is no, because there are a lot of catering and product changes to the entire meal service that presumably are only being tested and perhaps on a limited basis. So I think that would be CX Catering Services only. I also am not privvy to whether or not this is going to other USA destinations or just CX846 for the time being, and when it will be rolled out further.

Ha it's serious. Passengers will be asked during collection if they'd like to keep as a souvenir.

I'll withhold judgement until it starts flying in a few days, but my initial impression is certainly positive. It *appears* on the surface to be a genuine attempt at upgrading the J meal service. Candles are only one small detail, but there are changes to the whole service.

I believe TK also has these candles onboard, but they collect them.

I made an honest attempt to do so this year. Even tho I am restrained by being limited to OW airlines cos that's what my miles are and also by how much leave am I allowed to use.

QF BNE-HKG: paid US$120 x 2 to cancel and reissue a BNE-(QF)SYD-(CX)HKG into this. Got the business suite A330 so it was worth it. Everything good *except* the food. Was very anticipating the Neil Perry menu, but when the missus actually got the fish and I got my lamb, there were frowns all around. It ended up being the only black mark to a flight which QF either matched or exceeded CX's standards.

QR DOH-EZE: Took nights to book and another fortnight to rebook after QR snatched back my original seats. But after I was rebooked I ended up with an 18-hour daytime flight (technical stop GRU). First time and I think the only time I will be allowed to eat four meals on the same plane. Very good quality, plus the added luxury of dining on demand in J and having six wines to sample, tho I got some dishes served cold.

BA EZE-LHR: My disappointment with the food is just about as much as my disappointment with the yin-yang CW seat. Food was just on par with CX, and the wines were not that great (enjoyed QR's more). Is it something with my crew (EZE's not mixed fleet though right?), my plane (772) or my route (ex-EZE). The only massive saving grace for BA was T5 Arrivals Lounge, but other than that I really won't fly them again - definitely not when CX is an option.

CX 645 and 252: Food on CX645 is an absolute joke - I can't finish it even tho I'm hungry - everything said about the crappy service on this route is right. But OTOH the ex-LHR catering on CX252 is the best catering I've had on a CX plane flying J - lamb cooked like a fillet steak - left me wondering is CX spending extra on this route because it's lucrative and skimping on Doha cos it's a loser.

Unfortunately I go almost completely CX for next year's hols. I tried to add JL NRT-YVR but given they only have SS6 seats not SS8 I decided the missus's wrath from not being able to lie flat was not worth trying another airline's food. I ended up with seats on the blasted CX888/889.

that is great news if they can replicate across all flights (get rid of the port and replace with sauternes)
do people still drink port these days?

I have been told it will only be on trial for 6 weeks on the following flights:

CX846/831/253/731 (JFK/LHR/DXB)

I do but the missus won't join me. In fact on the 252 I had to ask for it. If Sauternes then we happily drink it together (provided there's enough to go around)! Might even have to give up 11D/G for it.

Yes!!!

I don't get how b) will work. I mean will they really allow us to order something from F? Presumably we wouldn't want something from Y or Y+ :D


Candles: hmm, is this CX attempt to replicate KLM's delft blue houses? If so then I'd say the effort is a tad short. If the intent is to present collectible souvenirs, things related to/associated with say chinese zodiacs (CX being an asian airline) are probably more exciting.

Soup: this should be interesting. Assuming it will be an addition (and not replacement for something else that they will remove), this should be a +


This reminds of something. The butter cover used in CX J - is it just me or does the CX logo printed on that cover resemble a reverse TK logo?

I'll be flying DXB-HKG on CX later this month and when I read DXB at first I thought I'll have a chance to try this new menu/presentation. I'm guessing for logistical reasons they only doing the trial on ex-HKG flights? Oh well. I guess I'm stuck with the current DXB-HKG J menu that people were 'raving' about in the other threads. :rolleyes:

They are doing it on CX831 which is ex-JFK :)

The old pepper and salt pebbles as collectable souvenirs would be better ;)

Very negative feedback from crew on CX secrets. I guess it might be pleasing for pax but then probably a lot of extra work for the crew...

I do but then I drink a lot more saeturn. Anyway the lbv they serve on board isnt any good anyway so I dont mind for something new.

Ugghhh

https://www.facebook.com/cxsecret/posts/926046514140256
https://www.facebook.com/cxsecret/posts/926046817473559

Hope they can work through the teething problems. Otherwise they need more staffing to make it work - not likely to happen.

LH has also done candle light dinner in the past.

https://m.facebook.com/cxsecret/posts/926046817473559

Reading between the lines on this it sounds like the service will be more like QF where every plate comes out individually like a restaurant. In theory sounds nice but in practice the QF service takes a LONG time. As much as I moan about the quality of CX food, their speedy service should be applauded.

SQ has always served each course individually in J as well. I know it's a lot more work for the crew, but other airlines seem to deal with it ok. I see all the crew moaning and groaning about it on CX Secrets, but that page has always felt a bit whiney to me. Not sure about the number of crew SQ/QF have vs CX, but I can't imagine it's all that much different.

I got to say when I first started taking CX J regularly maybe 7-8 years ago, I was a bit surprised at how Y-like the food was and how it was all served on a tray. This change looks like it will bring it up on par with its peers.

When I first started flying CX J they served the main course from the open topped trolley but plated your meal in front of you. So they would put the protein on, and then you chose the vegetable. This changed during SARS.

Fwiw, the Sauternes I saw which will be implemented in J is Chateau du Rayne Vigneau 1er Grand Cru Classe, 2009 vintage.

I haven't tried myself but looks quite decent. IMO kudos to CX for this. I never was a fan of their lbv port and I recall years ago when they did a Sauternes promotion, it was lovely. AFAIK this new plan is not a "promotion", but rather a 3 month trial run to gauge passengers' reaction.

I really hope that CX improves its food, wine and dinner service in longhaul J.
This has gone down so much that CX is now regarded at the low end in that department.
I still remember the period where they implemented serving the starter on the trolley with no wines, and the wine trolley coming some 15 minutes later. Unless you had known and stored a glass of wine from the early cocktail service, you were really unhappy and the crew did not wish to walk up and down the plane to make exceptions. Serving hot mains (of mediocre quality) on a trolley is also unappealing, while most airlines bring the mains individually.
I understand that this is less work for the crew, but they have to realize that their competitors walk more.

A lot has to be improved on CX J food/wine service. There is one item that is easy, just spend more on wines. Current wines are so cheap (in dollar terms and in mediocrity) that it is insulting.
In many other respects CX is my favorite airline and food/wine is not the major factor. But when you fly monthly from HKG to Europe and sometimes America, there is little doubt that CX ranks low on that score. And competitors have upped their games (or reduced their prices).

BTW: Where does CX stands on its Mandarin Oriental experiment in F class? I thought that it was great.

It is still going on, fortunately. I had it on CX831 in F a few weeks ago. I "am a fan"

And this is why they get away with it.

Do you guys know if this trial is deemed successful, will CX improve its regional flights offering too?

I always have a glass of port when I fly before sleeping. And QR's port beats CX's by such a margin as they have a 40 year old Kopke, so it's like comparing Krug with Lambrusco.

Chateau du Rayne Vigneau 2009 is a great Sauternes and expensive (in the HKD400 range). Although it is quite different from a Port, you will enjoy it a lot. Far better than the mediocre port CX was serving.

As long as the quality of the food is inferior, whether the course is served individually or not really doesn't matter. Both JL and NH serve everything on a tray at one go in J. Yet their meals are clearly superior to CX's.

All I see here is a bunch of whining from CX crew who don't want to offer the same service that is already standard on many other comparable airlines.

I know some airlines have better service, but I'm all about the food.

As with KACommuter I don't really care if it comes in one tray or dish by dish. In fact I will prefer it comes in one tray - with CX Studio I prefer a "TV dinner" format.

I've been a bit peeved when I couldn't adequately communicate to FAs I want the cheese course (or at least a cheese plate) after a patch of rough turbulence interrupted service in my last DPS-HKG.

And I had to eat at a pretty fast pace compared to other airlines - in my last NRT-HKG the FA kept coming back for my plate.

This!

The quality of the foods on CX J and F is shameful when comparing to other airlines that supposedly are "not" as good as CX. I once had a totally uncuttable pork chop on the HKG-DPS flight. I mean, the knife could not even make a dent on that big thick piece of meat. I used the call button (we were on 747 1A and 1K at the front) and just demonstrated it to the FA without saying anything when she came. She quickly brought me some fish which was smelly. :rolleyes:

I also had an inedible "shui gou" noodle soup on a FRA-HKG flight. It was worse than from a Chinese chop suey often found in European cities. Years ago I had reasonably good hot pot rice on the US-Asia route but not any more.

I really dont care how the foods are present. After all you eat the foods, not look at the foods to admire how they are plated.

Frankly the only thing CX still has it slightly better is their hard products, and the fact that it is much easier to get award seats than JL, not to mention SQ. for the routes we fly. (US-Asia, Europe-Asia).

Great news as I will be flying on CX731 from HKG-DXB in two weeks time and I will experience the "new J class service".

From the sounds of things, it sounds like a great idea - especially when the crew are complaining - this means, great experience for passengers.

All I can say is that CX crew need to pull their finger out and get on with what they are supposed to do. I see that on some flights, the duty free crew are way too free selling inflight duty free during boarding, after take off and during the flight - this really needs to stop. There is time and place for duty free sales and that is after the meal service and that too only once!

CX, I hope I have made myself heard about the duty free sales onboard your flights - it is rather ANNOYING!!!