I was lucky to have done a trip to Sydney in the past week on the new 33B, one sector in Y and the other in J. Here are some impressions

Y Class:

1. If I travel in Y, I sit in the emergency exit area as I am 6'3 so I can't say whether the leg room with the new seats has improved, though looking to my side, it looked like it had and passengers were nowhere near as cramped as they are on the old CX configurations.

2. The new seat is very comfortable. The slide forwaqrd mechanism is strange at first but works well enough. The new plastic wing-head rests were excellent, very soft, comfortable and adjustable. One of the best things about the new seats is that having a fixed shell that is not in the lap of the person behind, you don't have someone grabbing the back of your seat, waking you up as they go to the toilet.

3. The new AV system in Y is excellent and is now it would seem the same as J class. Large screens, a new inflight map system and excellent AVOD similar to that of Virgin. A huge plus here.

4. Yes, there are new trays and food containers. The amenities pack has also changed colour.

5. One gripe is that there aren't many toilets on the 33B in Y. Thus they get a bit dirty during the flight.

Overall, a much better Y product from CX

J Class:

1. When you first enter the cabin it looks good, but when you sit down, its very claustraphobic. The new seats are VERY comfortable, have a massage function, and completely lie flat. Strangely, there are lots of spaces to put eye glasses etc, more so than you think you would otherwise need.

2. The screen is wide, though was in a cheap looking black swivel-frame that was already broken! The screen is a good size but really also needs to swivel up and down as well.

3. The colour scheme is nothing fantastic, they have also replaced that awful ceramic bamboo light thing that used to be at the front of the cabin.

4. The new seats make it almost impossible to communicate with the person next to you, difficult if you were travelling with someone.

5. FA's found serving dinner to be awkward, especially if the tv screen was in operation. Meal serving seems to take much longer than it used to. I did not think that the FA's found the new plane to be AT ALL easy to use in serving passengers in J class.

6. It was nice having the windown behind you, however, the angle of the seat, with your face facing the aisle lacked any sort of privacy.

7. The first meal was great, the secong, very poor. One choice was the bagged sandwiches you see on the Cairns and Taipei routes!

Verdict: Comfortable seat, poor layout that is not very passenger friendly. Service that has lost many of the CX edges that it used to have, ie, it did not feel the same, it felt more strained.

I'd pick the new Y over J for value, especially given the AV system is now pretty much the same in Y.

Sorry to say but one of my FA friend told me that it' s just like feeding the cattle and many of them prefer the old layout.

I has holding an F reservation that turned into 21A, J class on the 33B on HKG-MEL last Weds might due to last minute aircraft sub.

My comments are:
1. Is it me of are CX's coffins actually narrower than VS and AC?

2. The crew haven't received propper training on the new product. Meal service is like a learning experience and there seemed some dispute over whether the seat should be fully upright or in the preset take-off / landing position for take-off and landing

21A was noisy on account of being next to the galley... I will fly back QF to avoid the heightened risk of being asked to join the proletariate at check-in.

What sort of compensation did you receive?

HK$8k in cash. HK$5k for the fare diff and HK$3k in 'goodwill'.

That pretty much sums up the experience.

as a comparison, I experienced a HKG-TPE F to J downgrade before (equipment change), and I got ~HKD$ 1k in cash, ~HKD 500 for fare diff and HKD 500 for goodwill.

Are they basing these "fare differences on what you actually pay or on a published fare? For example does a forced downgrade on an AONEx on a confirmed booking in A get the same compensation?

Personally for me the downgrade from long-haul J to regional J is at least as bad (on a lkong haul flight such as SYD) as an F to J downgrade (you lose a flat-ish bed, and the AVOD), but just a few AsiaMiles for that, and only if you moan.

I booked a J seat from SYD to HKG and found 17D was already assigned for me. After checking the seat map, 17D is in the middle ailse section without windows. Is this seat OK? Or I am better to call to change the assignment.

many thanks.

If you prefer a seat that's on the aisle, keep your D reservation just in case there is an equipment change. If you are in A or K, then changing equipment to a non-refitted plane will mean you are stuck in the window seat.

However if you are certain you will get a 33B, probably the window is better as you will have a chance to look out the window albeit uncomfortably.