brushwing

Just arrived in MEL ex-HKG on CX135 (dep HKG 19:10 arr MEL 07:30+1) in J class. Thought I'd share a few observations about the service delivery on this flight - which I guess should apply equally to other ex-HKG red eyes to AUS (i.e. 111/161/101 to SYD, etc.).

By the time the dinner service was done and cabin lights dimmed, there were under 6 hours of the flight remaining (out of a total flight time of ~9 hrs). So go figure - drinks, starter, main course, cheese/fruit and dessert service somehow took about 3 hours. I'd have thought that there would be demand from customers for an abbreviated, 'supper' kind of service in order to maximise rest time, given the length of the flight.

This wasn't too much of a problem and I figured I could get at least four hours sleep. Alas no: the sounds of breakfast being served woke me up well over two hours before landing (i.e. before 5am local). So, in effect, I hardly got more than 3 hours sleep, despite going to bed straight after dinner and not waiting up until breakfast service started.

Does anyone one else see my problem with having two full-on meals on these relatively short Australian overnight sectors? I get that some people want the whole J-class experience but frankly there comes a point when sleep time is more important, especially for those with work/meetings the next day.

Contrast this with QF, which departs at similar times. QF runs a proper dinner service in J (with their typically better catering) and ask you to write your breakfast order down on a card. Breakfast in then delivered to you on a tray no more than 1 hour before landing. No messing around with pushing trolleys and rounds of service. Apart from this, QF now have the flat beds on the A330s (no more sliding slopers), and offer a mattress, duvet, turndown and pyjama service.

What does everyone think? I get that mattress/turndown/pyjama service could be seen by CX management as too much of an encroachment on F, but what's with the overly long meals? Surely it would be a cost saving to make the meals more abbreviated, and would make the crew's life easier to serve breakfast on a single tray.

QRC3288

I agree with your sentiments. It's an even greater issue for ex-ME flights, which are ~2+ hours shorter yet also have a double meal service. I come down strongly in your corner - I value sleep more than anything. IMO it would be lovely if CX could speed up the first service and/or have an a la carte optional second offering with the lights off.

Yet, IIRC this is not a sentiment shared by all. It is somewhat regular that folks appear here disappointed in the lack of a "full" service meal to begin - admittedly this is usually for midnight departures beginning a North America or Europe segment. Or take MLE, for example, which is a single service (on departure) only - some folks I recall wish there was a breakfast served as well prior to arrival. As it stands now that flight is sleep until descent, and I'd very much like it to stay that way! On this front, I don't think CX can win either way*, although the blaring lights in J class and enforced double meal service is quite an annoyance IMO.

And all of this is ignoring a greater issue, which is CX's J meals are nothing to write home about anyway. It might be a slightly different argument if the meals themselves were lovely, but alas they are not...

*and caveat is if CX could introduce some a la carte meal service. Unfortunately I don't see it happening, but here's for wishing at least. JAL has that long-haul option where you basically have the first meal imposed on you but the second meal is up to you a la carte. Very lovely IMO.

sxc

I believe that the flights that depart closer to midnight to Australia have a supper menu as well as the option of an express meal.

My experience on Qantas has been that their dinner service takes a long time usually over three hours but cathay is able to get the meal service done faster than that.

frankyguy

I think the easiest solution would be for CX to offer an optional express dinner service on all red eye flights to Australia. It's never made any sense to me that they offer it on the midnight departures to SYD and MEL but not on the 7pm services.

Mind you and per QRC3288, there seems to be polarised opinions on this matter in this forum. I'd just prefer to have the option available to me because sometimes on the 7pm departures I feel like the full meal service and sometimes I'd prefer the express service.

JeCCo

Eat in the lounge, sleep from takeoff with eyeshades / earplugs until about 75mins before landing and that's always been enough time to eat breakfast when the FA's come around to ask.

Granted eating in the lounge is harder for the 7pm departures if you're rushing to the airport after work - takeaway on the airport express works for me...

Unfortunately if you want a full 7 or 8 hours sleep on these sectors you have to plan ahead and be deliberate in achieving it, but it's very possible.

percysmith

I think both airlines are acting appropriately - QF generally leaves around 8pm so I think pax will be expecting dinner. So should CX flights leaving around 7pm and 9pm. On the near midnight flights CX can get by with a supper menu - can presume passengers can find the lounge and want to maximise sleep (given you've 8 hours in the air you don't have time to lose)

lionelhutz

I try to avoid CX135 if possible because the departure time just makes it too hard to get a decent sleep, at least if you are on Hong Kong time. When I do take it (usually because I have to be in Melbourne early), I am up anyway for the first few hours so dinner is welcome. I ask the attendant not to wake me for breakfast and find that with earplugs and eyemask I can usually sleep through the lights on service entirely, and that makes for about 5 hours sleep, which is not enough considering you have a full day ahead in Melbourne. I have found they will serve breakfast up to an hour before landing if you do wake up. I guess an express supper option might work if you then take a sleeping tablet to fall asleep early, but I hate those things.

I much prefer CX105 which leaves around midnight. Then I have time to eat in the lounge and can skip dinner entirely and get straight to sleep. Then even if the breakfast service wakes you, you've had 6.5 hours sleep or more, and as it arrives at midday, you only have a short day before bedtime. And CX178 on the way back to Hong Kong is the same, except due to the time difference, you arrive first thing in the morning and can work a full day.

HKGglobaltrotter

OP, don't forget there are a lot of transit pax travelling on the same flight as you from elsewhere (Europe and Asia mostly). These pax have probably travelled the whole day/overnight to reach HK. They may have a tight transit that doesn't allow them to eat at lounge or airport outlets before flying out. Besides, not all pax have the leisure to lounge around. I hear and feel your concern but the timing of CX135 means a full dinner service is expected by most pax!

If you don't want to dine then you can simply tell the crew and skip. I found it ok to sleep with ear plugs and eye shades even they are doing meal service but your experience may differ.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

This is a different experience to mine - I have generally found CX meals to be delivered fairly quickly. With a half full cabin a year ago on this same flight the meal service was over in just under an hour. We woke 6+ hours later for breakfast. Other flights haven't been far off in terms of speed of meal delivery.

Appreciate meal times may take longer if more pax or different crew.

I think it's appropriate for two full meals on a flight of 9 hours. Pax can choose the express option or eat in the lounge if they want to skip the first meal.