Any comments on AA vs CX coach? I'm flying from LAX to HKG. I could go AA to NRT on AA and then NRT to HKG on CX, or LAX to HKG on AA. I'm 6'3 and like my leg room. I'm PLT on AA, but I understand that does not help me upgrade on CX...

You're right on the 'upgrade' part. You won't be considered for upgrade unless economy is oversold, and only after Cathay's own elite members, and then followed by other airlines' Emerald members have been considered for upgrades.

If you're worried about leg room, then take AA via NRT. FYI- AA does not fly direct LAX-HKG. It is a codeshare operated by CX. CX is very tight in coach with the exception at the Emergency Exit rows. You may request to be seated there by calling CX. But these seats have very tight widths due to the meal tray table is folded inside one armrest, and the other bearing the IFE controls.

I've seen a somewhat large passenger looking very uncomfortably snug in his aisle Emergency Exit seat. He had legroom, but he looked pathetically stuck in his seat.

I'm 6'3" or so myself - AA wins this for tall people by a long shot. Seriously. I flew SFO-HKG in CX Y several years ago and I think I can still see the scars in my shins from the "footrest" that you will not be able to use. Between that ill conceived footrest and the *huge* IFE box in front of me I spent the entire 14 hours trying to figure out what CX expected me to do with my legs. It was the most miserable flying experience I've ever had. The crew was, of course, awesome. But that doesn't help ease the pain much. Contrast that with a recent AA flight in a random outside aisle seat in the back (SJC-NRT) on which time seemed to fly. The extra 3-4" makes a huge difference on this flight. Enough so to ignore the surly AA service and $5 cocktail charge.

Note that AA also has IFE boxes but they manage to keep them to about 1/3 of the underseat storage space. Also, they aren't an issue if you take an outside aisle seat.

I fly from JFK to HKG every 6 weeks. I used to go only with CX, connecting through YVR. One day, I found a better fare going from JFK to NRT via AA and switching to CX when going NRT to HKG.

Let me say that I will almost never fly CX if I have a choice in Y. I much rather pay a couple hundred more to stick with AA on that long haul - and I'm only 5' 9".

CX's Y seats (other than the forementioned bulkheads) are pitifully cramped. If you have your seat almost upright and the person in front of you is reclined, be ready to watch your LCD screen at about 6 inches away from your face. If you have a laptop, forget about using it as you can never get the angle to be greater than 90 degrees - there is just not enough room unless there is no one seating in front of you.

These days, CX sell rate is pretty good which means there is a good chance someone is seating next to or in front of you.

AA is SO much more comfortable - but as they mention, the service doesn't compare to CX.