Cambo

Might be personal, the first thing I do when I encounter these individual air vents is "turning them off".......

APeverell

My flight patterns put me mostly with 777 with F cabin. However, I did have four recent experience on 359. Overall, I still prefer 777.

First and foremost, no chance for F upgrade. Then the bathroom is tight and small, not comfy at all. New IFE was great, but with the new scroll system, it's harder to move to the specific moment mid-movie. And I have heard from more than 3 FAs that the layout and size of the galley make it more difficult to work. One ISM put it very well --- American vs French!

Cambo

Yeah, to me, an airbus does feel as if everything has shrunken to 80% of a Boeing equivalent. Except the A320, which feels a little less tight than the 737 equivalent.

clubeurope

I've booked over 6 J class flights on the 359, both on short notice and in advance... either way, they are always subbed for... CX really doesn't want me to experience J on the 359

mlin32

+1 I don't care for them. On short-haul flights that have them, I turn them off.

No one cares about the noise levels ? On the Boeings I found them to be a bit loud.

maat777

I've been on two 350 flights in the past week, HKG-BKK and BKK-SIN. Different C seats on both legs. I've noticed the same quality issues with the seat on these flights. The little narrow leg that flips up to create extra padding between the seat and aisle (which is a great idea) has a button and cover that is simply loose and pulls right off, revealing the underbelly of the seat. I've noticed this on almost all the seats and it seems awful quality control to have sent these out with this piece not properly fitted/installed. Second, the armrest on the aisle that can be raise and lowered is made of a very thin piece of strong plastic that goes down or up depending on how you raise it. This plastic is scratched towards the front and you can feel the resistance as you raise/lower. On my second flight the entire armrest jammed and three flight attendants banging the button with a bottle opener couldn't get it loose and make it come up. Again awful design and quality control for such a new plane.

That said, the bed when it's functioning is one of the bigger and best designed in C I've flown.

I am wondering though why you have to unplug from the electrical outlets for takeoff and landing? I unplugged my phone and the FA asked me to unplug the cord as well. She let me set it all loose on the side table so not sure what that does for safety?

clubeurope

I finally flew C on the 359 yesterday. There were definitely a lot of defects with the seats. My original seat had problems with the IFE (sound not working), and the remote was not working either. Thankfully, I was moved later on by the very friendly Senior Purser.

There was definitely a lot of wear and tear with the seat. One of the panels was coming off the seat in my original seat, and there was a lot of tape by the literature pocket. Subsequently, after being moved, I noticed that the plastic partition frame seemed to have been glued back, implying that it came off recently. Finally, I couldn't retract the raised armrest either, because of the bed extension being broken out of place rather annoyingly.

Such a pity for an otherwise beautiful cabin. I should though say, that I love the new IFE system, and the new storage nook under the side table which proved to be very useful and made the bed even more spacious. A lot better than the new AF J seat which felt surprisingly cramped despite having the same seat platform.

clubeurope

+1.

It still did that even when using my own headphones (which are not noise cancelling).

355F1

Just booked my first CX A350 J flight today--HKG-SFO.

I have only flown CX once, HKG-LAX in F.

I'm looking forward to the A350.

Cathay Dragon 666

it's one of those "in case emergency happened" safeties. By having the things plugged, it might tangle you in case of emergency. This is why during take-off and landing seats need to be upright (maximum escape space), floors need to be clear (first row pax has to put bags up in the cabin above), and no plugs are to be used (the theory is if you don't plug your phones you'll put it away).

maat777

synthkeys

Just got off a flight on a 77H to JFK. Before that I've done about 6 long hauls on the 359 in J class since October when EWR transitioned to the 359, It was good to be back on the 773, I think I prefer it better. The 359 J class is still a quality product but for me the only advantage to the 773 is IFE, reduced engine noise, higher pressurization. The seat quality feels the same but the 773 just feels bigger to me. The whole plane feels more spacious.

I suffer from a bit a claustrophobia, so having a sense of more space just makes me more comfortable. Not just in my seat but in the whole airplane, lavatories, galley area, etc. The 359 is definitely comfortable but I get a better feeling on the 773. Company won't pay J class for me, so I work hard to earn miles to get those J class upgrades to fight the claustrophobia. I can deal with PE if I have a seat open next to me and in the front row on the 77G but I've yet to fly PE on the 359. Will probably end up doing that sometime this year.

New IFE is much better although the main improvement seems to be resolution. I still find the interface a bit clunky. The new controller is nice, but sometimes it seems to stop for no reason and I can't get it to control the main screen until a shutdown/restart.

Being back on the 773 in J was like putting on that great leather jacket you've had for a long time that just seems to fit right.

mlin32

That's because the 777 is bigger. The comparable Airbus would be the A340.

The better size and comfort comparison for the A350 would be to the 787. The long range but slightly lower capacity yet higher cost efficiency of the A350 makes it appealing to airlines when they can't consistently fill a larger plane yet want to offer ultra long haul flights.

sxc

QRC3288

If we're really splitting hairs....not totally!

​​​​​​Cabin-width size, a350 is bigger than both a330/340 (this is why Airbus called it the "XWB"), and 787.

Then A350-800, which got cancelled, was the 787 "competitor." But it's not going to fly...

A350-900, aka the smallest A350 that is actually built is already bigger than the 787-9, let alone the 787-8. The closest real mission competitor to A359 isn't 787, but rather the B777-200ER or LR. The A359 of course kills it on per mile costs.

787-8 is truly a unique plane. Unfortunately for Boeing, they did such an awful job with deliveries and overpromises and production issues that version of the plane was a huge money loser. 787-9 also does a better job of opening up markets like you say, than the A359.

A350 is truly a home run plane but it is not quite the 787 counterpart. A358 would've been but it never got made.

They really diverge at the large size version. The A350-1000 is a true 77W competitor. Whereas B787-1000 is more a medium range plane. If there is aa criticis of it, Airbus made the A350 "too much airplane" for some missions. But that's nitpicking it is a killer program.