Disappointing first time Experience on CX
 

Travelled recently on CX from SFO to HKG in Premium Economy (CX 893/892.) Perhaps I was naive, but I was expecting service levels to be significantly higher (even in Y) than the US carriers who have diluted their product so much that I avoid them even though I have a many miles with them. In some ways (especially the check-in protocols etc.) were more efficient than on US carriers. It was the "soft" in flight product that seemed to miss the mark and was not much better than on UA or other US carriers. The cabin attendants seemed to be on a rote script and there was little or no personalization to the service. They seemed to go through the drill of meal service and then hunker down in the galley. They didn't even make water passes through the cabin (at least UA does that.) The attendants seemed young and not particularly well trained (they didn't even know the food choices on their menu.) The food was good from SFO; but lousy out of HKG. Baggage handling on the return in SFO took longer than any international flight I had taken in the last ten years. Maybe the F/J product is much better than US carriers, but certainly not in Y or PE. Maybe I caught them on a bad day(s). Just curious if my experience is out of the norm.

Disappointing First Experience on CX
 

The premium economy experience is certainly nicer than any thing a U.S. Carrier offers. Just based on the seat alone, that's apparent.

Regarding service, CX expects you to ring the call light for service. CX's customs are not the American style "never ring the call light"...the exact opposite. They expect you to use it and will come immediately. It seems to throws first time American travelers off. This holds true in J and F, BTW. Flight attendants trucking through the cabin with water in plastic cups is not my idea of good service, but it is what Americans expect so I guess there is just some cultural misunderstanding.

In general, the placement of the PEY cabin does indeed make FAs less inclined to go up there unless the call light is rung. I can see how this is an annoyance although I'm not sure what CX can do about it given they assign Y flight attendants - not J - to work the PEY cabin. From a plane geography standpoint, the J FAs (and even galley) is closer. They do make a minor attempt during boarding by having J FAs help out. But during meal service, indeed it's the Y FAs.

As comparing it to US carriers, that's just insane given the hard product difference. I understand the soft product service concerns, but you can't be serious about taking UA "economy plus" over CX PEY. UA, DL and AAs "economy plus" is nonsense - the seat is identical. You get a few extra inches of legroom but an identical, crappy economy seat. AA is flying 10 across in their 77Ws in Y class, including "economy comfort" or whatever they call it. UA is rumored to be configging their new 77Ws the same. These are not PEY products but more like getting a priority seat like a bulkhead or exit row or something. It is not PEY. By contrast, CX PEY is 8 across and a totally different seat.

I wonder if those travel bloggers make for impossible expectations. CX is all around a very good airline, and they offer a genuine PEY product, something none of the big 3 US carriers can claim. You get a bottle of water at your seat, J class first meal, improved headphones over economy, don't have to fight your neighbor for his armrest, and a significantly enhanced seat over what is in Y class, in terms of material, pitch and width. The product is not competing with J but rather "enhancing" Y, and if sedn in that light I think it does a decent job.

Sorry to hear about your disappointment in the experience. It sounds like there was no "wow" factor on your trip. IME, I have found CX PE to be a solid product overall, a step-up in terms of seat over Y but the other differentiators are not very significant to me. I am unable to speak for United, but I would always choose long-haul CX Y or PE over AA Y.

precisely. no "wow" factor is what it sounds like.

Definitely no "wow" factor based on what I saw; but clearly my expectations were too high. Yes, the seat is head and shoulders above the US carriers Economy Plus. Beyond that, the product wasn't much better than what I've seen on the US carriers. Just my .02 cents...I respect where everyone who has more experience with CX is coming from.

I almost fly CX873/CX872 exclusively. I do not know much about the other flights. FAs do make water (and sometimes OJ) passes from time-to-time. I may be wrong, but I think they do pass bottled water to PEY passengers too. There are snacks and fruit in the Y gallery. They are usually there until 2-3 hours before landing. So you can ring the call button or just walk to the gallery to get snacks (or cup noodles). I am surprised your experience is very different.

Since I exclusively fly PEY now let me make some injections, exclusively on "soft service" differences:

1) They hand you a warm towel and serve you a drink at first. I doubt US3 has that.

2) The food is much better than any US3 Y-meal. The service may be "methodical" and lack "personal touch", I guess that means she didn't smile at you or flirt with you?

3) They DO make water runs, perhaps you were asleep? They don't make it that often, but when I stay awake full flight I count at least 2-3 times per flight they make such a run.

4) They hand each pax a bottle of Evian Water.

5) The galley is fully stock with decent snacks and self-serve water/orange juice.

6) Use the call button, they come up pretty quick (usually)

7) Cup-of-Noodles made to order. Very wide selection of drink offerings (last time I flew US3 international it's either Coke, Sprite or Diet Coke, is that still the case?)

To compare CX to US3 is ridiculous, even on soft product alone and discount the superior hard product CX PEY offers

Personally, I found the comment on the "flirting" part to be totally unnecessary to your post. Sounds a bit derogatory, if you ask me....

Bad food from Hkg seems like a pretty consistent finding.

actually i was pleasantly surprised with a beef pot pie option 2 weeks ago when i flew back from hkg. it was actually pretty good .. a nice change from the normal chicken or beef entrees i usually see on the menu. hoping cx does start to seriously revamp their dining menu.

Cathay crews are overworked, stripped off of benefits, suffer from one of the lowest payscale across the industry disproportionate to the cost of living in HK. They definitely don't (and should not, anyway) have the 'I'm your humble servant' Singapore style service and I don't mind since as long as you are pleasant and polite to the crew they will treat you in the same way in reverse. As always, they are here 'mainly for your safety'.

This is EXACTLY the issue for Americans flying CX. I still cannot get used to it.

It's not that we are water fanatics... it's that culturally the service in America is expected to be proactive rather than reactive.

Some Chinese friends were commenting once about the service in an American restaurant. "It was SO annoying!", they said. "The waitress kept bothering us, asking if everything was OK, asking if we wanted more drinks or food. She just kept selling, selling, selling."

They completely misunderstood that in America, the waitress is not trying to sell more food. By American standards, they probably had GREAT service.

It's culturally different in China, where you scream out "fúwù yuán" when you want something in a restaurant. Otherwise you starve.

I still cannot get used to it on CX. But I've learned to NOT get frustrated or disappointed by it. Just need to accept that culturally that's the way it is.

Just last week I flew HKG-ORD in F. It drove them nuts that I'd walk into the galley to ask for something rather than push the call button. But I just can't bring myself to use that button. In American culture, it is viewed by many as being too pushy and demanding. (Not ALL Americans are pushy and demanding, anyway!)

For me, CX is not about service. Quite frankly, I find the service to be medicore at best. (And the food/wine selection is downright blah!) For me it's all about the hard product, and as others have commented CX's hard product is head and shoulders above any of the legacy domestics.

Thanks QRC3288 for the heads up ^.

I'm not American (but rather from across the pond) and in all my years of flying (30+) I have maybe used the call button once or twice but then again I have always flown European carriers. Come to think of it, It's actually very seldom I have heard or noticed the "pling" being used so will for sure use it rather than feeling ignored by the cabin crew when flying CX later this year...

I actually prefer to get up of my seat and on my two old legs seek out the cabin crew and ask whatever it is I'm looking for; this said nothing wrong in calling for service at ones seat ^

My main complaint about Cathay Premium Economy is it seems to have been put in as an after thought. I don't like that there are only one set of toilets on one side of the aircraft so I have to essentially tiptoe over the front row of the middle seats, which I feel horribly about or just use the Economy section toilets. Neither are idea.

In terms of service, Cathay is top notch and my go-to airlines. I mean, I'm flying a longer route NY to Melbourne just so I can fly Cathay :D Sorry you didn't find their service appealing but I think they are the best. I personally find it annoying to have flight attendants walk around up and down yelling out "water? water?" If I want something, I will ask for it. I especially enjoy Cathay's cup noodles on demand :D

All that aside, the main reason I fly Cathay is I typically need to make connections as I'm flying to places with no direct flights. On more than one occasion when my it looked like I would have trouble making my connection, Cathay had grounds staff ready to escort everyone to the front of the security line and we were able to make it on board. Luggage made it on too. Never in a million years would this happen on a US-based airline. Luggage transfers seem like it's optional for those guys.