Let's use SQ then as a closer comparison. Name me something where CX is better than SQ. Perhaps the #onedayoffline campaign because CX is the only major Asian carrier that doesn't have wifi?

However my main carrier of choice and allegiance is JL which is also in OW, does not receive state subsidized oil and was in bankruptcy turnaround, and yet they managed to thrive themselves without all the bells and whistles.

Being based in HKG and a native Hong Konger, I have seen all the price discrimination (plus other forms of favoritism to other pax not based on revenue or customer loyalty) on CX. In Chinese we call CX "Loud thunder, but little rain", meaning a lot of banging and thumping before the fight, but weak in the battle. The current CEO epitomizes this quote.

Cathay First is overrated
 

An area where CX is better than SQ...let me give more:
A) the CX first class seat vs the Suites seat
B) how CX deals with things, when things go turtle, or if you have a non-standard request
C) The Pier vs TPR (yes, even though the Pier isn't even close to as exclusive as TPR)
D) Service recovery when CX does bad

There's a long thread somewhere on the SQ board..KACommuter, myself and a few others had (from experience) posted points in favor of CX on there (while acknowledging things where SQ is superior- in some cases, far superior- regional biz seats, F&B etc).

CX IFE beats JL IFE any day!

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Is food more important than ife

Yes

On B) and D), I have had many experiences with both airlines over the last 15 years. CX still sorts things out (at least for me) so much more effectively that there is no comparison even when sitting in the back of the plane. When things go belly up, my no. 1 priority is to get from A to B safely as close to my original schedule as possible. And all the fabulous food and IFE won't compensate for failure to deliver that.

I grouse a lot about CX as I feel they are nickel-and-diming us regular customers, and have diversified my flying a lot. But I had another hiccup yesterday and it was a reminder as to why they still get the majority of my custom.

+1.

Though I dont understand WHY CX foods are so mediocre? A few months ago I made a mistake to order the Wonton or Shui Gau soup on the FRA-HKG flight - The quality of the dumpling was worse than the frozen stuff you could get in the Chinese grocers in either Europe or US. On a previous HKG-LAX flight, the ginger and scallion lobster was smelly.

It is a shame that sometimes the domestic AA F meals are better than the CX F meals without the caviar. :rolleyes:

The foods have never been as good as its competitors, but at least in the past they were edible and there was some good options such as the hot pot rice. Now the foods are really really bad.

Well, to each his own! For me I can sustain the flight without good food, but can't live w/o good content IFE:)

I flew the opposite of OP's flight about a week ago, CX 889. It was my first time flying to Asia. I found the first class experience good. From the check-in at JFK (probably the best check-in agent ever), to the hard product, food, lounge, etc. I did expect the food to be better. In CX's defense this was not the new Do & Co menu.

I will say is the crew from New York to Vancouver was much better than the Vancouver to HKG crew. The JFK crew anticipated what I wanted, and were always there. Almost like they were never out of site of me, but only came over when I wanted something. The Vancouver crew was nice, polite, and willing to satisfy any request, but required asking. As a native southerner asking people to wait on you isn't something we're taught, nor is it socially acceptable.

The stewardess on the Vancouver to Hong Kong leg was much more attentive than the steward. Had I been on her side of the plane perhaps my experience would've been different.

This is just one data point, but I felt compelled to share.

Most people sleep during the second leg of 889.

Flew ORD-HKG in early Feb with my parents - their first CX F experience.

The CX F seat has been as good as always. The food this time around was actually all-around excellent too, a big contrast from my previous CX F flights.

What dampened the experience was the crew, who were kind of reserved to begin with. They repeatedly forgot drink/meal orders, which I am typically pretty forgiving about. What was not acceptable however, was how many times the 2 crew members proceeded to spill/drop items during the flight to the point where it felt like a joke.

When serving a Cathay Delight after take-off, they managed to spill the entire glass all over my mother's lap. Then, during the meal service, another crew member tipped over a glass of champagne on my table, and then dropped a fork into my lap while laying out the cutlery. Then, they managed to drop the dessert off the tray during my meal service too. They then tipped over the glass of dessert wine that my Dad was enjoying in his seat as they were serving the cheese course.

And then finally, during my pre-landing meal, half the bowl of soup was spilt over my table as it was being served.

This sounds really strange. Having it happened once per flight is already unusual but understandable. Twice on a same flight, then you have to start to question the competence of the FAs. But 5 times? If I were you, I would begin to suspect whether it was done deliberately.

Agreed, they're usually incredibly apologetic if anything is slightly off. Most of the FAs that service the F cabin have 5+ years w/ CX and are generally top notch, otherwise, they'd be relegated to non-F duty. The ISM is usually MIA though, except for the initial greeting...:confused:

I don't remember the last "bad" experience I've had on CX in any cabin F/J/Y tbh unless you're on one of those "bus" routes where they're mainly looking to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible to enhance their OTP metrics. HKG-TPE and vice versa is one route where the FAs are somewhat indifferent, but even then, it still beats a lot of their competitors in hard/soft product.

Admittedly, I have a bit of a hometown airline bias (even though they're controlled by Swire), but there are very few airlines (i.e., SQ, JL, NH, etc.) that come close on an overall basis in the F/J cabin. Sure, there are the over-the-top ME3 carriers, but I'm not going to route myself through ME to get to North America/Europe when CX is available. I also enjoy speaking with the FAs in my native dialect. ^

That's unfortunate and really odd...were there any attempt at service recovery?

Side note...to OP...maybe this is what it takes to get another pair of PJs :D

Count me surprised too. The FAs were courteous and incredibly apologetic, and the 3 of us just smiled and forgave the FAs for their missteps. Since we didn't make a huge deal out of it on board, I didn't expect any particular service recovery. Nor do I think it was deliberate in any way - as they wouldn't have any incentive to make a mess of the cabin.

My suspicion is that they were relatively new. I hate to judge based on age, but they were definitely younger than any crew I had experienced on any previous CX F flight. One of the FAs didn't even seem to know how to pull the table out - which meant it was likely their first time serving the F cabin?

I would like to think that this was truly a bad day for CX and I'm willing to forgive that (I would be more angry if I did pay the $20,000/person for full fare F though.) I did have another egregious experience with CX a few days later - I checked into the lounge using my mobile boarding pass. The person at reception proceeded to drop my iPhone as they were scanning the barcode, which fortunately didn't sustain any additional noticeable damage (it was well-used already.)