Disappointed aircraft changed from lie flat bed to angle seat!
Oct 3, 2018, 1:59 pm
#91
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 121
Sorry, but I disagree. The point isn’t whether or not I need a flat bed for a two hour flight. Nobody “needs” to travel in business class at all, let alone in a bed. The point is that CX loaded their schedule months in advance with multiple A350 flights advertising a certain standard of product (lie flat beds, brand new plane). Now, precisely zero of those flights will be with the advertised product. If they aren’t prepared to deliver on that promise, they should load their schedules with 777 and A330 regional business class instead. This seemingly goes way beyond a swap from time to time for operational reasons, there are six pages of comments on this thread!
the disappointment is that I had multiple options for this flight, and chose CX for the A350 business class product. Being based in North America, I’m pretty used to crap hard product, so this was supposed to be a rare treat. I’m not saying I won’t travel Cathay Pacific again, but I will only choose them if they win on price and schedule, because I won’t trust that the product I book is what I’ll get.
There are many reasons why they swap aircraft on a daily basis, and most likely it was needed for a long haul flight and so rather than cancel or delay your flight they swapped for a 777 or 330 for an ontime J experience. By the way there was a chance it could have been swapped for a flat bed version of 777/330 so would you still have been disappointed on missing out on the 350?
Still I hope you got to enjoy the lie flat bed on your A350 flight from North America, as from this thread you’ll know the only way to guarantee flatbed business or first class is to book a long haul flight.
Oct 3, 2018, 2:21 pm
#92
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,708
Sorry, but I disagree. The point isn’t whether or not I need a flat bed for a two hour flight. Nobody “needs” to travel in business class at all, let alone in a bed. The point is that CX loaded their schedule months in advance with multiple A350 flights advertising a certain standard of product (lie flat beds, brand new plane). Now, precisely zero of those flights will be with the advertised product. If they aren’t prepared to deliver on that promise, they should load their schedules with 777 and A330 regional business class instead. This seemingly goes way beyond a swap from time to time for operational reasons, there are six pages of comments on this thread!
the disappointment is that I had multiple options for this flight, and chose CX for the A350 business class product. Being based in North America, I’m pretty used to crap hard product, so this was supposed to be a rare treat. I’m not saying I won’t travel Cathay Pacific again, but I will only choose them if they win on price and schedule, because I won’t trust that the product I book is what I’ll get.
EF or having equipment "loaded" in the schedule is irrelevant. Occasionally the bloggers seem to imply you can predict it too (writing trip reviews and saying they picked this and that flight for the product) don't help either. The reality is CX has always, for the decade I've been flying swapped regionally except the flights to/from HND, and prior NRT.
Personally, the equipment swaps regionally drive me nuts. I've moved most my Singapore business to SQ as a result.
I still fly CX a lot. But I know they don't protect the product regionally and buy accordingly. It's a lot easier once you don't expect it. But they certainly don't owe anything to you since they loaded it months in advance. It's just live and learn. I think they are dumb to do it but they don't seem to share my view.
Search around here for threads about people not getting regional F. They are abundant. Same situation. We also have a wiki Google doc with info about which routes have guaranteed longhaul J. See the wiki.
Oct 3, 2018, 11:55 pm
#93
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX DM, JGC Sapphire, FWC Gold
Posts: 329
I was on KA HKG-NKG morning flight two weeks ago. It was originally shown as A330 with F, so they set aside a few rows of J as Y, and they let me and my two friends reserving those J seats. But the joy was gone as they switched to a two-class A330. Felt disappointed, but understood
Oct 4, 2018, 1:29 am
#94
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,765
Sorry, but I disagree. The point isn’t whether or not I need a flat bed for a two hour flight. Nobody “needs” to travel in business class at all, let alone in a bed. The point is that CX loaded their schedule months in advance with multiple A350 flights advertising a certain standard of product (lie flat beds, brand new plane). Now, precisely zero of those flights will be with the advertised product. If they aren’t prepared to deliver on that promise, they should load their schedules with 777 and A330 regional business class instead. This seemingly goes way beyond a swap from time to time for operational reasons, there are six pages of comments on this thread!
Oct 4, 2018, 1:41 am
#95
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Just because they do it all the time doesn't mean it's okay.
Oct 4, 2018, 2:02 am
#96
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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I'm not saying that buying CX regional business class is worth it. But CX isn't lying or misleading you if you end up in a regional business seat.
Oct 4, 2018, 8:34 pm
#97
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Oct 4, 2018, 8:38 pm
#98
Join Date: Aug 2005
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By this logic they should only have long-haul configured planes. But key is flexibility - disruptions happen daily with planes going tech, weather delays, crew going out of hours and what not. If they do not have the flexibility to swap around, would you rather they cancel flights? - It's as if they are swapping around just for fun or to annoy you... 
Jan 13, 2019, 7:50 am
#99
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SIN
Programs: KF, MPC, BAEC // Bonvoy, WoH, Honors
Posts: 1,462
We recently changed a ticket from paid Y to paid J (not a redemption) to ensure my pregnant wife could lie down on an upcoming flight, despite being a fairly short 3-3.5 hours. Just noticed now that CX have swapped the A350 for a regionally configured A330.
I've had numerous aircraft swaps on regional CX routes in the past and normally I don't really care. However this time we paid extra (for 2x tickets) to ensure we got lie-flat seats and I'm pretty disappointed to see they swapped the aircraft. Does anyone know our chances of being put on a different departure the same day (there's availability in the J cabin on every single flight at this stage), despite no availability in our booking class?
I've had numerous aircraft swaps on regional CX routes in the past and normally I don't really care. However this time we paid extra (for 2x tickets) to ensure we got lie-flat seats and I'm pretty disappointed to see they swapped the aircraft. Does anyone know our chances of being put on a different departure the same day (there's availability in the J cabin on every single flight at this stage), despite no availability in our booking class?
Jan 13, 2019, 9:39 am
#100
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By this logic they should only have long-haul configured planes. But key is flexibility - disruptions happen daily with planes going tech, weather delays, crew going out of hours and what not. If they do not have the flexibility to swap around, would you rather they cancel flights? - It's as if they are swapping around just for fun or to annoy you...
I've never understood the apologist mentality. There's a difference between understanding airline ops and blindly accepting unnecessarily passenger unfriendly policies.
Jan 13, 2019, 9:49 am
#101
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: トロント
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Posts: 4,818
Other carriers manage not to do this on a regular basis. You will see no similar thread in the SQ forum, for example. Similarly, all three US legacies have dedicated subfleets for their premium t-cons and swaps to non lie-flat aircraft are quite rare.
I've never understood the apologist mentality. There's a difference between understanding airline ops and blindly accepting unnecessarily passenger unfriendly policies.
I've never understood the apologist mentality. There's a difference between understanding airline ops and blindly accepting unnecessarily passenger unfriendly policies.
Similarly if I book a deluxe room at a hotel, I don't expect to be given a standard or lower quality room and be told to "get over it'.
Jan 13, 2019, 4:25 pm
#102
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
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We recently changed a ticket from paid Y to paid J (not a redemption) to ensure my pregnant wife could lie down on an upcoming flight, despite being a fairly short 3-3.5 hours. Just noticed now that CX have swapped the A350 for a regionally configured A330.
I've had numerous aircraft swaps on regional CX routes in the past and normally I don't really care. However this time we paid extra (for 2x tickets) to ensure we got lie-flat seats and I'm pretty disappointed to see they swapped the aircraft. Does anyone know our chances of being put on a different departure the same day (there's availability in the J cabin on every single flight at this stage), despite no availability in our booking class?
I've had numerous aircraft swaps on regional CX routes in the past and normally I don't really care. However this time we paid extra (for 2x tickets) to ensure we got lie-flat seats and I'm pretty disappointed to see they swapped the aircraft. Does anyone know our chances of being put on a different departure the same day (there's availability in the J cabin on every single flight at this stage), despite no availability in our booking class?
Jan 13, 2019, 4:48 pm
#103
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,708
We recently changed a ticket from paid Y to paid J (not a redemption) to ensure my pregnant wife could lie down on an upcoming flight, despite being a fairly short 3-3.5 hours. Just noticed now that CX have swapped the A350 for a regionally configured A330.
I've had numerous aircraft swaps on regional CX routes in the past and normally I don't really care. However this time we paid extra (for 2x tickets) to ensure we got lie-flat seats and I'm pretty disappointed to see they swapped the aircraft. Does anyone know our chances of being put on a different departure the same day (there's availability in the J cabin on every single flight at this stage), despite no availability in our booking class?
I've had numerous aircraft swaps on regional CX routes in the past and normally I don't really care. However this time we paid extra (for 2x tickets) to ensure we got lie-flat seats and I'm pretty disappointed to see they swapped the aircraft. Does anyone know our chances of being put on a different departure the same day (there's availability in the J cabin on every single flight at this stage), despite no availability in our booking class?
To be fair you knew the risk and rolled the dice, but I still sympathize because equipment swaps suck from the customer's perspective and personally I hate them (especially since CX regional J is so uncomfortable).
Except once or twice a year burning excess Asia Miles, I've switched all my Singapore business to SQ. You can get guaranteed longhaul J 4x daily and F suites or seats 3x daily. Japan is harder unless you fly Tokyo exclusively, where CX offers once daily guaranteed longhaul each way to HND. For every other flight except those once daily HND flights on the 77H/A, you're rolling the dice choosing CX .
(What's ironic about SIN is CX really has a superior product in J if CX sends a longhaul bird, IMO. CX lounges in HKG and SIN in my opinion are superior to what SQ J offers at both ends, as much as it pains me to endorse T4. And CX wifi, on about half the longhaul fleet and very rapidly being rolled out on the rest, beats SQ. Finally, I enjoy SQ J seat because I rarely recline on short flights, but if you want to lounge it isn't the best.
In F, however I think SQ crushes CX on short haul. Mostly because the CX regional F catering is very limited, especially for breakfast)
Jan 13, 2019, 6:58 pm
#104
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: BA SL, CX GR, IHG Plat Amb
Posts: 575
Certainly understood the frustration here. However based on the logic of CX, the long haul J would be a “suite room” ie a bonus upgrade, whereby the regional J is the “deluxe room”. One cannot expect a guaranteed upgrade to “suite room” on a regional route.
Jan 13, 2019, 7:14 pm
#105
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SIN
Programs: KF, MPC, BAEC // Bonvoy, WoH, Honors
Posts: 1,462
Originally Posted by QRC3288
What is the route? Demand a refund and switch carriers, is my recommendation.
I'm fully (and painfully) aware that I know what I was 'getting myself into' by booking CX on a route that sees frequent aircraft swaps. That being said, while I normally don't mind equipment swaps, this particular swap is sort of a 'big deal' for us and I'm hoping CX will be helpful on this one. Will give them a call today and report back.