Cathay Pacific looks to food revamp to help boost flagging fortunes
Mar 23, 2018, 8:14 am
#16
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Hong Kong, France
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Good to see that CX has admitted its food needs improvement. With award winning lounges around the world, especially in HKG they should capitalise on that.
For the late night European/USA/Aus and regional departures, I would like to see a much reduced meal service for F/J passengers. With lounge access and superior meal options at all the CX lounges, wouldn’t it be better to eat a decent meal waiting for the flight and then maximise sleep/watch movies etc onboard? Especially on Aus (even worse on regional) flights when the first 2 hours is meal service with lights on max, 4 hours sleep then lights on again for the last 2 hours for bfast! For these flights I would have thought the priority is rest and sleep for most people, so after take off hot towels, water bottles and amenity kits then lights out!
Understand that it may not work for everyone, and of course CX should have some one tray meals available for a quick feed if people do want to eat.
For the long hauls just stock up more snack items like the wanton noodles and burgers, and then of course serve the full meal before arrival.
Day flights are a different story, although the same principle can apply; eat better food in the lounge.
I remember reading somewhere that BA did this sort of sleeper service eastbound to London, perhaps CX could try it too. Just my two cents.
For the late night European/USA/Aus and regional departures, I would like to see a much reduced meal service for F/J passengers. With lounge access and superior meal options at all the CX lounges, wouldn’t it be better to eat a decent meal waiting for the flight and then maximise sleep/watch movies etc onboard? Especially on Aus (even worse on regional) flights when the first 2 hours is meal service with lights on max, 4 hours sleep then lights on again for the last 2 hours for bfast! For these flights I would have thought the priority is rest and sleep for most people, so after take off hot towels, water bottles and amenity kits then lights out!
Understand that it may not work for everyone, and of course CX should have some one tray meals available for a quick feed if people do want to eat.
For the long hauls just stock up more snack items like the wanton noodles and burgers, and then of course serve the full meal before arrival.
Day flights are a different story, although the same principle can apply; eat better food in the lounge.
I remember reading somewhere that BA did this sort of sleeper service eastbound to London, perhaps CX could try it too. Just my two cents.
When you depart at midnight HK time, it is only say 5pm European time. A 12 hours flight lands around 6am EU time.
Personally, I like to adapt to EU time by staying up late and waking up as late as possible. A full F dinner service is good, if served reasonably quickly.
But CX F food is totally unappealing.
Old-style food, mediocre wines except Krug (and I am not a big Champagne fan).. Even BA F food is much more original with better wines.
BA does offer the option of sleeper service from JFK (an a few other US ports), but these flights are very short (6 hours) and the time difference works in the other direction (if 7pm in JFK, it is around midnight UK time). Note that sleeper service is compulsory in J but optional in F (you can always have full F dinner service)
Mar 23, 2018, 10:51 am
#18
Join Date: Jun 2016
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Food is a problem for long-haul flights, especially upon landing. Landing with a satisfied meal and a disgusting meal can mean the difference of a great experience vs. a so-so experience. Better food can also be a plus for mid- short-routes. People are right when decisions are made with other variables that are more important, however, good food will make subtle differences that leaves great impressions with Cathay.
Of course finally admitting there's a problem is one thing. Doing the right thing to it is another....
Of course finally admitting there's a problem is one thing. Doing the right thing to it is another....
Mar 23, 2018, 11:57 am
#19
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Personally its ok to hv whatever food if i get fed w decent food before or after flight.
but say if id rather eat at jade crystal or jal curry rather than plane food, it would eventually add up to its toll and at one point it would be a “bad airline”
but say if id rather eat at jade crystal or jal curry rather than plane food, it would eventually add up to its toll and at one point it would be a “bad airline”
Mar 23, 2018, 4:24 pm
#20
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,421
Food is the problem? Really? A significant number of travelers will weigh their options and in the end make their decision based on the food?
Food might factor into the decision of whether premium is worth paying, but I think the magnitude and amount of the premium is a much more significant driver.
I was looking at RT MNL-HKG last week. Compared biz class of PAL and CX. It was a 25%+ premium and several hundred dollars more to fly CX... for a 2 hour flight.
I was willing to pay a premium to fly CX, but not that much.
Food never factored into my decision.
Food might factor into the decision of whether premium is worth paying, but I think the magnitude and amount of the premium is a much more significant driver.
I was looking at RT MNL-HKG last week. Compared biz class of PAL and CX. It was a 25%+ premium and several hundred dollars more to fly CX... for a 2 hour flight.
I was willing to pay a premium to fly CX, but not that much.
Food never factored into my decision.
people keep complaining about this premium pricing
CX has reduced ticket prices and still has some of the highest load factors
people are willing to pay for CX
Food is CX's only weak point- if they sort it out it will catapult them back to being the best.
Don't like CX- fly HX, and pray they are still around by the time you fly and that their engineers actually perform regular maintenance...
Mar 23, 2018, 4:41 pm
#21
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: YVR, KUL
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To each his own, food may not be the biggest factor for me, but having subpar food on F and J long haul flights is a major problem. I had 4 TPAC F and 4 regional J in one week in January. The main course on F was not attractive at all and have been all the same for as far as I remember. I had main course on the first F flight, on the second F I skipped the main course and went for the snack instead. Starting from the 3rd F, the FA fetched the J menu to see if there was anything that would interest me at all, again I went for the snack on the J menu. On my last F flight, I asked for the cup noodles from Y. Now you know how bad the food is on F and J!
I'm well aware that CX catering is far from cutting edge from F to Y, but if I'm flying TPAC F literally every other day, even the most elaborate of menus wouldn't excite me.
Mar 23, 2018, 4:51 pm
#22
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I flew longhaul CX F this month, and wasn’t impressed with the food at all. Seemed like J fare, at best. Compared to previous F meals, it was fairly boring. Service, at least, was still quite good.
Mar 24, 2018, 12:03 am
#25
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The point is not the selection, it is the quality of the food.
Last edited by APeverell; Mar 25, 2018 at 12:57 am
Mar 24, 2018, 8:39 am
#26
Join Date: Jun 2016
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True. It isn't who's the catering company, it's what is the price Cathay is offering to buy. I remember when F Wing first re-launched the food was amazing. It really felt like fine dining. Then it went downhill and the quality is chain-restaurant at best. I talked to a long-time food catering manager there that I have gotten to know, and he told me it's because Cathay has reduced the price given to them, so the food reflected what Cathay is paying.
Mar 24, 2018, 8:43 am
#27
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Food is CX's only weak point- if they sort it out it will catapult them back to being the best.
Don't like CX- fly HX, and pray they are still around by the time you fly and that their engineers actually perform regular maintenance...
Mar 24, 2018, 12:03 pm
#28
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,723
Perhaps I wasn't being clear, the F menu has been almost the same for a year, or maybe longer, that's one of the problems, but not the main one. The main problem is that with all the main courses selection, there is nothing that is appealing enough that I would like to have it again! Same goes as J menu. That's how bad the catering is now!
The point is not the selection, it is the quality of the food.
The point is not the selection, it is the quality of the food.
Mar 24, 2018, 12:30 pm
#29
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BA does offer the option of sleeper service from JFK (an a few other US ports), but these flights are very short (6 hours) and the time difference works in the other direction (if 7pm in JFK, it is around midnight UK time). Note that sleeper service is compulsory in J but optional in F (you can always have full F dinner service)
The abbreviated service in CW was ditched awhile ago - it was limited to a panini, salad an/or warm cookie - and for anyone who didn't have time to eat in the lounge, to get on a TATL business class flight and get basically nada was unacceptable so BA now gives all the evening flights the same dinner service in CW as best I understand it.
Mar 24, 2018, 1:06 pm
#30
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,421
So what you really are saying is people are *only* willing to pay for Cathay at a *reduced* price. People are no longer willing to pay premium prices for Cathay, neither should they. I was just on the Cathay website and the first thing that flashes on the page was "Fly to USA at only $3000 HKD round-trip", wow, Cathay has really sunken to a new low (both in price and in desperation).
Food is by far not Cathay's only weak point, but it doesn't hurt for Cathay to fix it.
Don't like what people are discussing about Cathay here, go to another forum. Yes, sounds rude doesn't it?
Food is by far not Cathay's only weak point, but it doesn't hurt for Cathay to fix it.
Don't like what people are discussing about Cathay here, go to another forum. Yes, sounds rude doesn't it?
either yields are down or load factors are down
and all the data shows that yields are down and load factors higher than competitors- that indicates competitive enough pricing
I never told anyone to go to another forum so it is not an equivalent
but there are reasons why HX is cheaper and it has nothing to do with being a more efficiently run organisation....