Tks both

Agreed. Change can be refreshing

Jane's:

Putting the money aside,

*Seat. If it's b788 or a359, QR wins hands down. The seat is a jazzed up version of CX J. The biggest intelligent improvement is that the TV doesn't swing out, and the area above your feet is enclosed. So you "lose" a little bit of vertical space for your feet, BUT this is really dead space in CX J anyway. The upside is the forward passenger gets that space as a massive storage / credenza space. It is a huge improvement IMO. Blanket and pillow slightly inferior to CX but not a deal breaker. Plus the seat is a bit newer, feels a bit more elegant. I sleep similarly to CX J, but the credenza space is a huge plus IMO. Practically speaking if you sit in a window, this means your two windows are closer to your eyes. The window that would be near your feet in CX is now the forward passenger's. I recently flew the QR a350 and the cabin is stunning. Unfortunately I haven't flown qR enough to say if the a380, b787 or a350 seats have minor variations. In my few flights, I *think* they're the same.

*777 for me in qR is a deal breaker. It's flat but pretty old school and lacking privacy. A few QR planes have the American transcontinental J class which I like, but is cramped as your feet.

Catering: qR obliterates CX. A la carte dining and superb food at least relatively speaking. Far, far more choices. And wine list isn't even close. Here the comparison isn't even close at all. Not a fair fight.the one minor downside is perhaps if you're a whisky drinker I don't recall qR having JW Gold, which is a win for CX. I think QR has Chivas 12 instead. But wine and food....ha not even close.

The amenity kit is also fancier on QR if you're into that thing, and you get PJs and slippers.

Personally I am no fan of the AL Mourjan lounge in Doha, and since as a DM I'm comparing against Wing F / Pier F, CX wins here hands down in my opinion. Al Mourjan is massive and has "wow!" Factors (the massive lake / dancing fountains thing comes to mind), but it's just massive and kinda lacks any soul in my opinion. I don't think the spaces are very thoughtfully designed. It has plenty of food and drink, but you might wait a while for a shower and the restaurant (which is really a big buffet) can get crowded. It is a fancy good J lounge but I'm not a huge fan due to just the enormity of it and kinda lack of personality. This is obviously subjective.

Hope it helps. If you need more PM me. In general I am willing g to entertain qR if it's convenient and I'm in a380, b787 or now a350, which I recently tried for the first time. Those planes in J are great. But I still pretty much hands down choose the convenience and comfort of CX if I'm faced with QRs 777s.

One caveat on the 777s is if you have a family, I could see the privacy being a much less important issue if you're next to your kids or wife versus some stranger. But if you have an aisle seat it feels like you're sleeping with the aisle traffic, and in the window you gotta maneuver out.

But if travelling with someone it's perfect. Only ever so slightly drooping on the leg rest.

Where are you flying QR to in the U.S. for that price? I couldn't replicate it. I'm starting in BKK and might prefer to position to SGN instead of CMB.

SGN - PHL / JFK - SGN
About 5400 all in (for 2 pax)

etihad looks like $2200 for SGN-JFK round trip in june and july

If you are flying into or out of PHL, I believe that QATRR uses the 350 on that route.

they were, but not anymore. Presumably temporary but not sure. For all of May they swapped it out A350 and replaced it with B772. I'm not sure why they did it, and whether they intend to revert back to A350. Probably best to ask over in the QR boards.

Looks like 777 on my dates

many tks

I think (hope) the 777 will be tolerable for husband and wife, given the cost differential.

I believe QR's morning departure from JFK uses the A359.
If traveling as a couple, the B777 is perfectly ok as you sit side by side.

If the transit is over 8 hours and there's no shorter connection available, you may qualify for STPC with complimentary hotel stay. No harm asking your local QR office. Alternatively, there is a transit hotel in the airport. Bookings recommended.

I am siiting in the CX lounge as I have just flown my first CX J flight and to be honest , QR is a lot better , better food , better service , better cabin QR even give you a thin mattress on the seat in J .

To make things worse I have just been told on my next J flight to LHR I wont even get pajamas so I will have to sleep in my day clothes , If i had known I would have brought my QR PJs ......

I agree with a lot of points criticizing CX. Food is front and center.

But come on now. First, i don't think qR gives mattress pads for all J class products. And honestly, if you want to talk about the seat, even though Cirrus J on CX is older than QRs a350/787/a380 J, the CX "aisle guard" thing is far more practical than QRs water/headphones holder. I have been banged on a few occasions by people just walking down the aisle on QR. The CX/AA version of the seat doesn't permit that because the aisle guard is raisable even in sleeping mode, whereas QRs isn't (this is also an annoyance of mine in the JL J product, which is otherwise fantastic).

Second, PJs are definitely not common across J classes, period. Not to mention, the ones QR offers in J class aren't anything special. Nice gesture and "wow" factor? Yes. Deal breaker to LHR in J? Um, no, not in my opinion. Not to mention, you are welcome to bring your own (far more comfortable) things to wear onboard. I just stepped off a QR flight in J, but that didn't prevent me from bringing my own lightweight sweats and sleeping shirt, which are made from far comfier materials than what QR is giving you for free.

I'm just saying, if you want to find small quibbles, it goes both ways. The BIG quibble is CX catering IMO, which is quite atrocious and really not much argument can be made there in defence.

Flown QR on both the 777 and the A350, both times as a couple, really enjoyed both for different reasons. 777 was on the way to our honeymoon, the seat is wide and long, yes it's a little lacking in privacy, but when you're seated next to your other half, it's actually really pleasant. You can actually talk to each other, no need to raise your voice.
On the A350 I chose window seats, as I assumed the middle seat would be similar to other reverse herringbone seats in that I find it hard to talk to the other person. You usually have to lean right forward and it's a little awkward. This turned out to not be the case with QR A350. From looking at the middle seats it was easy to see that, in part due to the open nature of the seat, you could easily be seated, not lean forward, not raise your voice and still talk comfortably with your partner. One positive of the more open seat in J.
I was worried that not having a privacy shield, like on CX/AA, would bother me. It didn't, at all. In general the new J seat on QR is lovely, well thought out and feels spacious, it works as part of the whole cabin making it feel more open.
The one thing I think QR really needs to improve is the IFE, it's pretty terrible.