old first class - again!
 

Last week, HKG-LHR, a last minute mechanical brought out the "spare" A340-300 with Old First Class/ Old Business Class. On HKG-LHR of all routes! Luckily CX switched me to the CX flight leaving 30 minutes earlier with New First/New Business.

Not so lucky today,11 Mar, 880 HKG-LAX. The new A340-600 went mechanical 5 hours before flight time and CX rolled out the spare A340-300 with Old First Class/Old Business Class.

I am disappointed that CX does nothing for us passengers other than say "sorry". Sure they offered to put me on SQ First Class to compensate but then it is a connection via SFO.

Quite disappointed that 3 years after New First Class was introduced we still see old First Class.

CX is installing as fast as they can. The few remaining A340-300 with old seats will be the last to be retrofitted. If CX pulled all the aircraft to be retrofitted at the same time, there won't be any aircraft left to fly.

At least they advised you. I was also notified at the 11th hour for a YVR-HKG that my flight was to be an old airbus with old seats. I appreciated their honesty and courtesy that they called.

Basically airline fares are the same. It's to deliver you to the final destination. Everything else is extra and complimentary.

CX will retrofit all airbus A340-300 aircrafts with new First and Business Class seats by the end of the year, and all except one 747-400 by Jan 2004. The last one is due to be retrofitted with the new Business and Economy class seats by Feb 2004.

We're talking about transportation from A to B here, and secondary, but equally important to FTers, is how comfortable it is going to be. Making a big fuss over Betsy or non-Betsy is certainly understandable (I wouldn't be too happy either, and I do have that experience too).

But, many of us would consider that CX is indeed going the extra mile every time they try to accomodate us on SQ on a last minute non-Betsy equipment change. For a 11PM departure flight, there aren't many alternative CX equivalent quality F products out there, and the SQ HKG-SFO is probably the best available alternative. And meanwhile, the striking fact is that, albeit on spare equipment, CX is indeed flying the original flight, and they are still willing to sacrifice the $4K(o/w) you're paying just because they're "deeply sorry" that they couldn't offer their flagship product! Well I'm very sorry that SQ doesn't fly HKG-LAX late night as to accomodate your royal schedule, but if you can't accept that fact and am still raging that CX hasn't appologized to you enough, I am very sorry for you. Get a life...

Look who is pontificating !!! The guy was
just expressing his dissappointment..what
is wrong with that ?
Hey , if it's too harsh to your liking...
go read somewhere else .
We are here so share experiences , good or
bad . NOT TO CRITICIZE EACH OTHERS !!!
OK...I just slapped my hand 3 times for
breaking my own cardinal rule about board
etiquette !!!

I really don't give a **** if I get a new or old seat, really, so long as it's CX.

Oh Chiangi San : you are too Zen like...
You've been doing too much onsen to stay
cool n calm like that !!! (:

What a suprise... The 346 broke down again... So it must be true that CX is not too happy with the aircraft.

I don't have a good sense of how problematic a new equipment sub-type typically is, but this does seem like more problems than usual.

As disappointed as I was by my recent HKG-LAX with non-functional (no on-demand) Studio CX (see trip report at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003549.html ), it would be much worse if the flight had become OBC. I wonder what I would have done... Might actually have asked CX to put me up in HKG for the night and let me take a different flight the next day! Wonder what they would have said to that; they might have considered this preferable to losing the revenue to SQ.

What would happen if you ask CX to put you on "tomorrow's" flight? (if you have the time to wait around)

I must say that I get really frustrated with this nonsense about the fact that all you pay for is getting from point A to point B – if that were true then a downgrade from F to Y would not be worth anything or a Ferrari and a Chevy would be the same price – after all, they are just transportation.

Of course, schedule issues happen and the risk of getting downgraded to old F can happen, is most unfortunate, etc. etc. -- Yes it is VERY aggravating, but it is part of life. Do I think that people should sue the airline for compensation? No, just because I am an American does not mean that I think all disputes are best handled in court. Also, I do think the offer of the SQ accommodation noted above is really FANTASTIC service from CX – what more can one ask.

Having said that, when an airline promotes a type of service or amenity, we have an absolute right to expect that we will receive that service unless there are serious extenuating circumstances. We were induced to purchase our ticket based upon representations that were made in conjunction with the sale – if they fail to delivery on those representations, every possible option should be explored, which is of course the CX approach to this. For those who REALLY feel that as long as you get there, the airline has done all it needs to do, perhaps they just MIGHT be hiring at UA http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Just got off CX880/11Mar HKG-LAX on the dread spare A340-300.

No one was notified until just before boarding as the aircraft (A346) went out of service just 5 hours before departure. ( The A346 has been out of service 3 of the first 11 days in March. Sounds like more teething problems than normal even for a new aircraft).

The cabin crew faced very hostile passengers ( in F & J) who were surprised at this last minute switch. Remember that New First Class has been advertised for 3 years and New Business Class for over a year.

I was offered to stay at the Peninsula/Kln and travel the next day ( didn't want to wait) or be put on SQ First Class ( but didn't want to connect via SFO).

This just was not CX tonight. In First:
- no duvets. Just blankets. ( I have had duvets on the A343 before).
- footrest not working. I had to prop my suitcase to use as a footrest.
- business class ( Biotherm) amenity kits given to First Class, not the Decléor that have been advertised.

Anyone who travels CX expects the best ( and usually receive it). We also pay more to travel CX because of the great service. Good to know that even the best airlines fail sometimes.

This is sadly fairly normal for a new aircraft... The 777 had even worse problems in some cases, in some areas less problems.

I'm trying to find out through a mole I know at Airbus if these are known issues....

BTW: Anyone who flies Virgin know if they are having such dispatch issues with the A340-600

When I was last on a 340 with the old First Class I did ask about the duvets. The attendants told me that they did not have enough room to store them thats why they dont distribute them on aircraft with the old configuration.

paisan96, what compensation was offered? (No doubt different in each class. F pax should arguably get more no matter what. And that's all the more the case here because New First Class is so well-established while savvy fliers know that NBC is a considerably riskier prospect.

I would think CX has a particular problem here since its First long-haul advertising is reasonably specific as to what services will be avialable. http://www.cathaypacific.com/popup/0,,36037,00.html : "The mood is enhanced by space - with fewer seats, comprising eight singles and two doubles" is simply a false statement as to the 340-300 old-first cabin. That's the sort of shortfall that can get a company in trouble with a credit card issuer or BBB, in my experience, though I've never submitted such a complaint as against an airline.

An interesting question -- what do we expect CX to do?
They offered:
- night in the Peninsula; the finest hotel in Hong Kong, one of the 10 best in the world and costing USD 500 per night (they could have used the Regal Airport hotel instead!).
or
- fly with their biggest competitor, costing them a bundle (btw, in the same situation SQ does NOT offer to reroute from SQ onto CX, at least at SFO).

Maybe its just me, but this seems like very fine service by CX, trying to make things right. So what more do we want?