Dine on Demand?
 

I read that Cathay tried dine-on demand and ditched it - does this mean Cathay no longer allows dine on demand?

For the JFK-HKG departing past midnight (CX845), is dine on demand available in F/J/PY? It would be nice to sleep as much as you can and have two meals when you wake up.

There is only dine on demand in F.

This service works to DM too regardless class....

To OP, after boarding, please ask cabin crew about the meal service time.
You cant dine on demand in J but you are free to skip any meals as long as it is arranged in advance..

Why would you need to arrange in advance to NOT have a meal?

in order to get more sleep....

Can't you just write a note that says 'Don't wake me up for meal service' and place it on the side of the seat?

Seems fair. JL has always left me a handwritten note saying my main meal remains available when I wake, even in PE (usually my second long haul sector in a day).

With my first CX J flight being a 0125 departure from BOS I'd like to have some of the food if I decide to sleep soon after departure.

Under new J services flow, you will be asked your dinner options after you onboard. You can told them you would sleep until breakfast time, cabin crew will not wake you up at first meal time.
You can ask them whether can consume dinner + breakfast at the same time, no guarantee can.

Currently on a midnight departure in J, for some reason the ISM is offering dine on demand proactively to all passengers. I'm not enthused about this as I want the cabin dark and quiet as quickly as possible for as long as possible, we'll see how this goes before I decide whether or not to complain. Not sure if this is an ISM gone rogue (doubtful as dine on demand is a lot more work) or some kind of trial?

And your perceived right to darkness and quiet overrides other passengers' preference for, for example, trying to get onto HK time as soon as possible, which would mean dining maybe 4 hours into the flight and sleeping maybe 6 hours in?

I'm sure the ISM could provide you with an eyeshade and earplugs.

I was always under the impression that J and F are both dine on demand... I've asked on multiple flights to have my meal at times other than right after take off or at other prescribed times, and it has always been accommodated.

In F always, for everyone, but in J being a DM helps.

CX has muddied the waters. The SOPs in J aren't actually dine on demand. But, they've expanded the hot snacks over the last decade and made hot snacks and meal overlap on the dinner menu.

Everyone has their preferences. Many of us, or at least myself, like that CX has fixed meal times because it really shuts down the cabin in J. Dine on demand is both a blessing and curse. Some of most annoying flights in CX F is when people are doing buddy dining mid flight, the clanging of silverware and plates and chatter can wake me up (I bring my own, better earplugs than what CX provides, yet they cannot stop everything). Daytime flights like CX830 are more debatable. But ex-LAX, old ex SFO JFK etc midnight flights in F, it would drive me nuts to have the buddy dining going loud and strong 6 hours in. But I've also had many nice experiences with my wife and some friends, dining together in F, on numerous occasions. I will say I generally do not do mid flight dining on midnight flights out of a courtesy to other pax, mainly because it's my own preference. But to each their own it's a public space I get it. But in J class, historically CX really maintained a very quiet and tranquil cabin because the truth is, if there is no dine on demand, there is just less noise and motion in the cabin. This is a fact.

Personally, I avoid QR because I just find the endless eating at all hours and generally inexpensive J tickets enlists a more "maximize" crowd or at least a fairly entitled one. The hard product is lovely for J but I've had too many annoying experiences and just switched that to EK F. It's just not really for me if I can avoid it. While no F class is perfect, at least in EK F you have a bit more space and higher suite barriers and doors in the cabin to do a better job blocking the dine on demand noise. (Plus we don't have buddy dining in EK F, although the middle suites can kinda eat at the same time with the barrier open.)

I prize sleep above all else and I do find the machinery of CX J, although the f&b is definitely behind top competitors on absolute basis, is very good for what I want.

I am primarily loyal to CX, but also do fly a lot of other carriers. CX is really a sleeping machine overnight. I've done a few flights on Starlux in J and F now, and meant to write this somewhere else - their "nicer but less polished" service was slow and they just didn't get the cabin dark and quiet like CX does quickly. (They also don't have infant seatbelts, or bother checking my shoulder harness a few times, all of which struck me as "a little less well oiled"). I recognize these are my preferences but just saying the blind "dine on demand in J is better / everyone should just suck it up and wear eye masks and ear plugs (I do!!!!)" is not necessarily my view. Respectfully!

So it's almost breakfast time and I'vd managed to speak to the (very nice) ISM - she said no it's not a trial but she was trying to be accomodating given the post midnight departure and the longer than usual flight time and the supper service items being one tray not a big difference in service flow compared to snack items. My worry was that the supper service would be drawn out for hours but that was not the case and lights were off the usual time and I managed to sleep a majority of the flight so no complaints! I wish they would offer this on say a daytime flight from Australia but alas that's never the case.

Honestly CX supper service is literally a two-course meal service with main course and then dessert/cheese. They can be quietly served. Plus passengers can order snacks at anytime anyway.

On CX 872/880/888, I ate the supper and then will sleep only four to five hours, and force myself to stay up until landing, so I can sleep at least a few hours overnight in the US/Canada. Yes I ordered mid-flight snacks. Honesty I did not see it bothering anyone. Most seasoned travellers got their noise-cancelling headsets and eyeshades anyway. The loudest noise is perhaps snoring, which you really have no control over. Ultimately an airplane is still a semi-public space with many noises from various passengers' movements and F/As working in the galley. I am honestly more annoyed with F/As beginning the pre-arrival meal service two and half hours prior to arrival. CX has cut the service to one tray, which is supposed to allow the service to be more efficient, so not sure why they need to start super early.

Carfield