CX vs BA F Class
 

I have to fly to HK at the end of the month for a day

I can get a deal on CX F Class for £2,800 - is it as good as BA?

Anyone got any experiences comparing it with BA or QF?

Unfortunately, reports recently say that at least some of the LHR flights are of variable quality in F these days. To be safer (on service quality, although in a cabin that most people regard as inferior, albeit with the same seat) try to go for a CX flight served by A340s (although if it really is a day trip then you'll have a problem in that the A340s do the daytime HKG-LHRs and the 744s do the late evening departures).

But personally all other things being equal on a paid F ticket at the moment I would be tempted to try BA and QF again (I've flown BA F recently on other routes and it was OK, but I haven't flown QF F for 3 or 4 years). Maybe I'm just getting bored with CX?

Maybe you are getting bored... I do not fly too often on BA and CX those days, but I find CX seats vastly superior to BA's (remember BA fits 14 seats in the nose of the 747), and the seats are very narrow at the feet. The only pleasant seats on BA are the first row. Also AVOD on CX is great. I have not tried the new BA F, but I doubt that they use it on HKG. Also the wines are better than on BA.

What NEW BA F are you talking about? They only introduced new new club world. For F Class the only difference is the turndown service and the slippers and the catch of the day.

Despite service on CX can be variable, it is still the leading F Class airline in Oneworld - No question about that.

You forgot to mention the new (cheap) velvety BAg and the 3/4 matress. ;)

I like the CX F cabin feel but think BA has done a good job by toeing the suites inwards and overlapping them. As a result they feel more private than in any other F suite I have been in. Of course the price of that is the narrow foot area - but I don't need to sleep with my legs apart. :p

More crucially the CX bed has this metal bar than digs into my hip. Thanks to FT I now know to ask for another duvet and sleep on top of one. Same applied to BA due to hardness of seat, but maybe the abbreviated mattress will solve that.

At £2,800 even with the documented service problems on LHR I would chance it, especially if you are not a regular CX flyer.

Frankly....
CX F at it's best is miles ahead of BA F.
CX F on average is better than BA F.
CX F at it's worse is about the same as BA F on average, it's just that this is just so far from how it used to be (on LHR). That is the reason why we are "revolting" aganist CX.

See http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=656476

Had you been asking about BA on BKK-SYD and SYD-BKK, and if CX flew this route, the answer would be CX without any debate what-so-ever.

This is IMO the biggest problem with the LHR flights. I usually take the evening departures (which are always full). I have however found the service of LON-based crew to be better ex-HKG than that of ex-LHR.

You'd be hard-pressed to find an equivalent deal for F on BA. I'd go for CX. The added advantage is a car transfer to/from LHR.

Choice of a/c would also influence my decision: for some reason I always get a better night's sleep on a 747 rather than an Airbus.

How about CX against Qantas
 

I have seen past comparasins but what about feb 07?

Nothing has changed except on LHR, where BA is coming close to equal, thanks to the LHR base. QF is a non-factor due to their schedule.

I actually think QF is fantastic in F on this routing. I have taken CX and BA many times.... Frequently DOM is served in QF on this routing, the food selections are excellent and the new AVOD is quite good as well....

When it bloody works!:mad:

Also remember you have 14 pax compare to 12 pax in F Class.

If you fly QF, go for Row 4 window if you need extra work space. I find the other QF seats have no space to put a laptop, files, except the tray table.

I also like Row 1 on BA for that reason as I put down the bassinet table and use it as an extra work space.

On CX Row 1 also has more side shelf space, as does Row 4 window, although I find Row 4 on CX a bit crowded.

Lastly, as this is a quick trip and it sounds like work and sleep will be the most important things (as opposed to food, wines), Row 1 on BA and CX to me are the quietest areas of the cabin.

My vote goes to CX F. I now refuse to pay for BA F flights, whereas I will buy CX, SQ and LH F.

I will however quite happily buy BA's business class seat which beats the current CX J class.