Seat selection for CX216
 

Hi All, With my flights from Man to BKK Via HK on the 10th Jan , I thought that i would check the seat selection to give me an idea of how full the flight is.
According to CP seat plan for CX216, There are 40 seats left, Approx. 50/50 split between preferred and standard , So will this be correct as per expert flyer and will it also be the case of making sure that i check in on line once the online check in opens to get a good choice of seat.
Another question, In order to get a choice of meal, Would you advise not to sit at the rear of the plane or do cathey carry more meals than needed and passengers still get a choice sitting at the rear ?

I also note on my booking to changes of aircraft, From HK to BKK CX 216 was suppose to be the Airbus 330 and now its the A350 1000 which i guess is a good thing and on my return on CX 702 was supposed to be the A330 and its replaced with the B777, So least i will get to experience the beoing and the 777 is my least favorite plane

If possible , Could someone do a check on expert flyer to see if it matches what CX has on their seat plans.

Thank you for any help and replies
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...38e2e5d991.png

Re: Seat Selection:
I've seen flights fill up fast (e.g. Christmas flights to CTS), usually ending with little to no 2 or more adjacent seats left. However, considering you're flying on semi-peak days, I'd say you're fine if you don't want to pay the fee for seat selection. Just keep in mind you may end up without a window seat and be in the middle. My suggestion would be to pay for the long-haul sector as I think comfort is more important on a 13 hour flight.

For your flight to Bangkok, you get to check-in before anyone else (ex HKG) assuming you check in near T-48, so I wouldn't pay for a seat there. Also, I would not mind much without a window seat for a 2.5hr flight.

Re: Meal Choice:
Well with CX status, I usually get to sit in the preferred seats towards the back (i.e. Around rows 44). CX meal service (usually) works like this: 1st Meal - Front to Back (PEY First, then EY) ; 2nd Meal - Back to Front (EY First, then PEY). Personally, I've never had a problem with meal choice since I sit towards the middle of the cabin. BUT, I've heard some flights running out of options towards the end of meal service, with only the vegetarian options left. A safer option imo would be to sit towards the middle of the cabin, so you should preferrably get your preferred meal choice for both. However, this is not guaranteed.

Re: EF Seat plans
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e0eb4a6664.png
(EF Seat Maps are free if you want to monitor this. Flight Loads are also free in 2 days if you'd like to view them ahead of time)

Honestly I think Rows 65-70 are just blocked at the moment, and they might show up again during OLCI(No guarantees).

Hope this information helps.

Thank you for your reply and yes, its most helpful , With been such a long flight, We are going to avoid the window seat since your always disturbing the person who will be sitting in the aisle seat if you need to go to the Toilet , So my wife and i will opt for 2 seats next to the aisle ( B & C or D & E)

I am looking forward to the experience of flying with Cathey, I will just have to remember to change the loyalty Card scheme from Cathey to BA in order to get the Avios points after checking in

As a slight reminder: CX recently changed their policies in regards to changing loyalty programs.

You can only change FFPs during check-in. You cannot change it (supposedly) at the lounge, or at the gate.

Hope you enjoy your flight and stay in Bangkok!

Is that Change just recent because Their customer services told me once i check in, Then go into the app and change from the Cathey loyalty programs to BA in order to get the avios Points ( From Cathey Customer service ) If you booking is linked to your British Airways membership number, online check-in will only be available within 24 hours before departure.

Alternatively, you may link your Cathay membership number to the booking, which will allow you to check in online up to 48 hours before departure.
After completing online check-in, you can then remove your Cathay membership number from the booking and add your British Airways membership number to ensure your points are credited correctly.

Thank you, regards returning back to the UK, is it possible once arrived in Bangkok, if we then link back to Cathy, will we then be able to check in on line for the return and then link back to BA ? If I don't link back to Cathy, then the online check in will be 24 hours.


Yes, , your understanding is absolutely correct.
If you don't link back to Cathy in Bangkok, then the online check in will be available within 24 hours only.

Just a update regarding seat selection, i asked CP if this was correct and they sent me this reply

Thank you for messaging Cathay and for being a valued Cathay Green member. Advance check-in 48 hours before departure is an exclusive benefit for Cathay members. If you have changed your frequent flyer program from Cathay membership to British Airways Club, you will no longer enjoy this benefit. Please note that any frequent flyer program modification must be completed before check-in, as changes cannot be made once you have checked in.

If you wish your miles to be credited to your British Airways Club account, we recommend removing your Cathay membership before check-in and linking your British Airways Club membership to your booking via Manage Booking or by requesting assistance from our airport staff at the check-in counter. Thank you for your understanding.

If the agent is nice to you, they can only change the FFP for part of the itinerary - which you might be able to do so too on the app, allowing you to do OLCI at T-48 instead of T-24. If the app doesn't work, go to the counter to check in (i'm not sure if there's manual assistance counters at BKK for Economy / CX GR - someone more experienced with BKK could answer this quesiton) and they can help you.

Hi Natbread , Thank you for the reply, I don't know how much this subject has been covered on the forums and maybe its worth its own thread since i have moved away from my original topic , But i have been chatting with CP Customer services about changing of the frequent flyer programs and she has instructed me to check in online 48 hours before the flight and then at the airport asked the staff to change the frequent flyer program to BA which in your comment you suggest . Here was the customer service reply
Regarding your booking, your Cathay membership number has now been added. This means you can proceed with online check-in for your outbound flight within 48 hours before departure and assign your seat online.

If you would like to change the Frequent Flyer Number to your British Airways membership number, please inform the airport staff, and they will assist you in updating it. In this case, your Cathay membership will be removed from the booking and replaced with your BA membership number.

Furthermore, once your BA membership number is added for the return flight, you will only be able to complete online check-in within 24 hours before departure.

So Basically it still can be done. But must be completed by the staff with the only downside , I wont be able to check in until 24 hours on the return , But with it been a night flight , It doesn't matter that much. My only issue, Most check in staff are agency staff and don't work for the airline, So will they be able to change the FFP ?

Hi malct, you could reference this forum, where more travellers talk about the experience of changing FFP.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cath...fp-2025-a.html

I believe you could only change FFPs for certain legs if you either do it in the app yourself (deselect "I want to modify this for the entire booking"), or by asking the check-in agent to only modify the 2 legs you're checking in for. Of course, there is no guarantee since you're flying from an outport (MAN / BKK), but when approaching the counter, I'd highly suggest informing the staff about how you intend to change your FFP for only the legs you're flying.

That should work, but if not, you could give the other thread a read and ask some more experienced travellers (especially at MAN) on their practices.

Thank you and i will have a good read of that Thread .