Aus106080

Don't need to be too pessimistic for CX future. Nowadays, even EK and EY need restructuring and staff layoff.

gpia

Cathay Pacific - An investment idea?!

KrazyTrain18

I think the supposed "fall' of Cathay is greatly over exaggerated. CX definitely need to make changes to the way it conducts business and in certain aspects to the product it provides to its customers but across the board these "once great" airlines have been struggling. Now fuel hedging aside Cathay are still making money and would be making a lot more without said decisions, which I suspect will be altered going forward. I guess my point is that YES Cathay need to make changes, but by no means in my view have they slipped from the top tier of carriers and for some to go as far as to say train wrecks such as AA are better than them is blowing air for the sake of proving your point of dissatisfaction. Do other airlines routinely beat CX in some aspects ? Yes all the time, but does CX routinely beat those carriers in most aspects ? I would say yes.

I understand this is a touchy subject on here and by no means am I trying to start an argument or devalue others opinions, just remind some that the sky isn't falling.

Herostratus

Cathay hasn't so much fallen as other airlines have caught up and surpassed. Cathay has been resting on its laurels for far too long.

The sad fact is that AA is now better than CX. Compare AA and CX HKG-LAG

Seat - exactly the same
Food - much better on AA
entertainment - much better English selection on AA - non English speakers may lose out
AA provide PJ's and mattress
AA has Wifi
AA is usually a quarter to half the price of CX

While the service may be slightly better on CX, I have never had an issue with surliness/rudeness from AA staff -everyone has always been very friendly and I'm not paying HKD20-30k extra for a smile

The tablecloths and hot towels are better quality on CX though but on board that's about the only place they exceed AA

KrazyTrain18

Fair points made, I have yet to try the new A350 J seat (will in a few months once YVR starts getting it) but from what I've seen would put it ahead of the AA seat which is basically the same thing as current Cirrus product on the A333s and 77Ws.

- WIFI is a moot point as it will eventually be rolled out fleet wide on CX

- I don't think the PJs are necessary but in terms of the mattress, this is something CX could improve on. Personally I find the current seat comfortable enough to negate the need for a mattress but a premium airline should offer a mattress in J

- Of course AA will have a focus on western content, its a western airline! CX have an excellent mix of content on the IFE, could do with a few more TV shows though.

- I have a feeling once CX restructure their fuel hedging strategy going forward we might see more competitive fares, but as of right now I can't argue that.

- I think the food is great on CX, hit & miss at times but then again so is your favorite restaurant.

1010101

And what about the other 6,698 AA flights? Or the 99% of the AA fleet that doesn't have the Cirrus seat?

It's all well and good that AA has brought its flagship aircraft up to standard, and I would happily choose them over CX on the one route they compete on, but there is still a looooong way to go before you can say they are close to CX overall.

I still struggle to think of any airline that consistently matches the levels that CX sets. Probably the only one is their age old competitor SQ.

KACommuter

Well said. But unfortunately for CX the price vs. value equation is tilting to the point where many of us are prepared to switch. I too would do HKG/LAX in AA over CX.

G-CIVC

After I flew LAX-HKG-LAX in AA J, I can't imagine going back to CX. And that's from someone doing TPAC roundtrips in (previously exclusively) CX J. The only reason I continue to fly CX J is probably because of non-stop convenience and also I get to fly with my friends together.

For AA elites, you can also use SWU to F. I didn't do it myself but granted one to my dad. He said it was his best flight ever. Even exceeded JL J.

I've never had nasty crew (apathetic, yes, but so are CX crew...) and I would say the spectrum is wider for AA crew than CX crew (meaning, you sometimes get AA crew that are miles beyond CX crew in terms of professionalism and friendliness.)

Meal-wise, CX has 1.75 meals for their LAX-HKG while AA has 2.5. And all those goodies that CX don't provide, yep.

KACommuter

I use JL J via NRT whenever I can for HKG JFK if timing works as the price differential is too large to ignore - it's often half the price. That's an example of price vs. value where I think CX has become too greedy.

Herostratus

I fly HKG-NYC through DFW pretty regularly

I prefer AA domestic first seats over CX regional business seats - more comfy. Food is also better. If I go through LAX I get a flatbed fro the domestic leg.

I usually pay HKD20-25k for a trip compared to CX's HKD80k for direct. I saw a ticket late last year for HKD16k on this route

CX doesn't exceed AA in any respect except price.

As someone who has flown CX premium cabins for 35 years I find it disappointing that CX standards have slipped but love that there is some real competition that will hopefully snap CX out of this rut they are currently in. If not I'll continue fly other airlines more often

sxc

More commentary:

http://www.chinaaviationdaily.com/news/60/60215.html

FlyPointyEnd

this sums it up perfectly.

KrazyTrain18

Agreed, couldn't have been said better. I think the reality is that Cathay will adapt and "return" to its premium legacy but slower than we would like.

KACommuter

Not a great option for non-US citizens given the need to transit from an international to a domestic flight clearing US immigration. Immigration at DFW took 1.75 hours to clear on my last trip so I am wary of using this route. Nevertheless it's the same direction for many of us i.e. we hunt for 1 stop options that are much cheaper on airlines that until recently were considered vastly inferior, but are no longer so.

HKGglobaltrotter

Flew A350 shorthaul a few times (SIN and TPE)...

Bits and pieces of the seat falling apart; pax in front of me had issue with seat recline and crew literally spent 20+ mins trying to fix it, etc. Crew mentioned that there are a lot of hardware problems with A350 despite it s the newest to join the fleet.

And re: food is great on CX, have you read the other thread about others complaining about J class catering here? So much complaints about the deteriorating quality. Even in F, quality went downhill a lot as I just flew HKG-LAX roundtrip last week. YMMV but I can say CX is the worst airline for catering of all the top tiered airlines that I have flown in the past 2 years (JL, QF, QR, SQ, BR).