FlyPointyEnd

I rarely fly long haul, so most of my flight would be HKG Based Crew, perhaps a few times with SIN and BKK Based Crew. Never had any issues with them but I always come across questions regarding long haul flights and if they are HKG or outport crew...

Is it really important?

QRC3288

i'm sure everyone will have a different answer....but here are my thoughts.

SFO base.
*To/from SFO, I far prefer the crew on CX873/872, simply because I've flown those flights so many times I know half if not most the FAs on each flight these days. I know a few well enough to give them a heads up I'm flying on (x) date. I've read other people here with mixed reviews of them, including my partner who complained about service in J last month on CX873. But selfishly, because there is a virtually nil chance I don't know half the FAs, my service is exemplary.

As an fyi, the other two SFO flights are HKG base, although you can get an SFO FA here and there due to irregular scheduling, standby, etc.

JFK base.
*They are regularly rostered on CX830 and CX845. Except in extraordinary circumstances they don't do the other flights. I've now had multiple flights in F on CX830 and CX845 since the JFK crew base was launched, and I am not impressed in comparison to my many other anecdotes on CX. Small things like forgetting the Chinese side dishes, serving me a dirty table cloth upside down (they put the clean side facing up, while the other side was soiled, either mine or or another pax from earlier in the flight!...and when I pointed it out, a shrug and "I'll get another one"), forgetting dishes ordered in advance before going to bed and then running out, generally seeming overwhelmed, and so forth.

It probably doesn't help that, with one exception 5/6, the last few CX830/845 I've flown have been a full house 6/6 in F, which always presents a challenge for the FAs except for the best crews IME. To be fair, it's very difficult IMO to have a "bad" flight in F on CX when you have 4/6 or fewer. I'm seeing a concurrent thread about JAL and will just chime in that when CX has just a few pax, it's hard to beat CX F IMO despite the less-robust catering and unbalanced drink list. This is a personal style thing but I really like the CX approach to service when it's on the ball (ring the light, not robotic, relaxed but prompt). But anyway, 6/6 just is one too many people in my opinion given just 2 FAs and only 1 is on duty for ~2/3 the flight, so that could be coloring my experience with the JFK base in F. Perhaps YMMV.

And I'll add, in J class I don't seem to notice a difference.

LAX base.
*They are rostered on CX882 and one of the LAX night flights. I don't have a regular LAX pattern - I pretty liberally use all four daily flights - and as a result I don't really have many thoughts here. Occasionally I recognize a LAX crewmember here or there, but overall they seem fine to me. I don't have a preference either way. I've had my worst few flights on CX with a HKG based crew to LAX. I know years ago there were some senior ISMs who swapped almost exclusively for LAX, and were notorious internally for being terrible. I had the luxury of experiencing their services a few times and concur. CX actually made an effort to clean out some of these "famous" ISMs, and succeeded in forcing retirement and in at least 2 cases I know about, finding cause to fire them. I haven't had those types of ISMs in a while.

I don't fly LHR or YVR enough to have an opinion about those bases.

FlyPointyEnd

I did CX873 two years ago and I recall that our ISM was Filipino who was HK based before moving to the US. I think the FP was also Filipino but raised in the US. I do recall that F was more relaxed, although they were pretty embarrassed when they saw me fixing the mattress prior to landing. (Full house, a few passengers woke up rather late so things got a little busy)

Although it's still in November my LHR flight seems to be outport base.

HKGglobaltrotter

I have been told that most of JFK based cabin crew are very junior even FP they have just been promoted not too long ago. CX 830/845 is mixed based operated. If you're in F you should be served by HK based crew FP + SP since JFK based crew aren't trained to serve in F yet. The most recent JFK flight I had was last month (I only take 830 to JFK) and service was excellent; served by HK based.

QRC3288

No, I am 100pct certain the FPs on my 3 most recent 845/830 segments in F (CX845 1x, CX830 2x) were JFK based FPs. This was between April and now, so roughly last 10 months. I'm not sure if my few anecdotes mean anything, but they were indeed based out of JFK and serving F. Not sure about the SP though. But FP in each case, 100pct.

They are, however quite young like you mention. That's the same with SFO - also some young FPs, SPs and ISMs.

BA6501

What about YVR (and the JFK-YVR shuttle)?

G-CIVC

1) Based crew differences, I feel like, are most felt when in PEY/EY. It's because in PEY/EY the purser may make an effort to take good care of elites, but outport based FPs seemingly do not bother that much.

In J class (i'm not DM, so YMMV), I feel that service can only go not as far much so it doesn't really make that much of a difference (especially on these based flights like 880/872/255 etc the service is so abbreviated anyway)

2) We tend to like those bend-back-over style service on CX, but reality is HK-based crew are also getting further and further away from that style and getting more aligned with their outport based colleagues. Not like there's anything wrong with that, but it's simply the trend. And it's reasonable because FAs of the modern day are really here for your safety first and this mentality is over across most airlines, not just CX. Well, I'm fine/okay with that but maybe it's not for everyone. Stepping on a borderline racist note here but those bend-back-over style service come more often from HK-based crews of non-HK ethnicity, but nowadays the overwhelming majority of BCs and FPs are HK natives and I'm fine with accepting that they are more perfunctory than the other ones. It's okay. It's not an easy job being an FA anyway. And if you treat them nice they still treat you nice too. But now perhaps you need to initiate rather than wait for them to.

based crew are on CX 880 and 881 (sadly two rotations with great timings but ruined by crewing; at least normally HK-based SP/IMs can make it up)

potluck between YVR-based and HKG-based

jsfrSE

I've always had excellent service from the crew of CX 829 at YYZ .
It's a regular route for me, so I became to know the ISM and flight pursers on this route and I can not complain at all.

FlyPointyEnd

Do they have YYZ base apart for YVR?

QRC3288

oh yea, i forgot about that. There's a YYZ base as well.

jkuok

Personal experience and from what i've heard YVR crews seems to be less service oriented sub par

Last flight I was on, the crews in Y were a bit chatty and loud (personal issues) to the point that I can hear them. Comments on their ISM, no red pocket/lai see (1 day after CNY). Previous flights were fine

My friend flew PEY and fell asleep missing his meal. When he woke up there was none (it was not full in PEY), so end up eating cup noodles. My friend request another cup noodles and was told that he already have one in a voice that people around him turn to take a look. He didnt press things any further.

neofung

If you fly HKG-LHR, LON based crew provide far better service then HKG based crew.

In a very particular occasion, I felt so unwell and vomit a few times soon after meal.
One of a female crew was so caring to offer me extra blanket, pillow and warm water.
She turned up every 30 min to 60 min to see if I need some more water.

After few hours (I believed was her turn to rest), she told another colleague to come
and look after me. I was so impressed by the excellent service provided by the crew.

PS: Not MPC members, sit in EY.

kaka

id agree w this london flight. I had some very friendly crew in Y instead of MK Pacific. Not so much service oriented, but makes one feel comfortable.

gobears293

Do you want to put a good word in for me? Flying CX F for the first time on 873 in two weeks.

flubber

Reviving this old thread. Does anyone have any sub-par experience with the JFK-based crew in CX 845 (JFK to HKG)? I took J a few days ago.. and I have to say it just wasn't the same as ex-HKG flights.

Following this, does anyone know which JFK - HKG flights have HKG-based crew?