Premium Economy - bit of a let down
Jul 11, 2018, 9:02 pm
#31
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,800
Mar 19, 2019, 6:42 pm
#32
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Taipei
Programs: Asiamiles, OZ Gold, Hilton Gold, SPG/Marriott Gold
Posts: 116
Well, after taking CX PEY to Paris CDG and coming back on BR PEY, I would have to say it's more than a bit of a let down for the CX PEY sector.
The seating is about even, with BR's PEY seat may be able to lean just a bit lower( I seated on the last row).
The catering part and the service, BR blows CX out of the water. Actually the CX ISM probably had the best attitude out of all the CX attendants I've encountered with on that flight. The two young FA's serving PEY couldn't be more sour and indifferent in their attitude, hell, I had better service on a domestic Air France flight from Lyon to Paris.
The seating is about even, with BR's PEY seat may be able to lean just a bit lower( I seated on the last row).
The catering part and the service, BR blows CX out of the water. Actually the CX ISM probably had the best attitude out of all the CX attendants I've encountered with on that flight. The two young FA's serving PEY couldn't be more sour and indifferent in their attitude, hell, I had better service on a domestic Air France flight from Lyon to Paris.
Mar 19, 2019, 10:09 pm
#33
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: BA SL, CX GR, IHG Plat Amb
Posts: 578
Well, after taking CX PEY to Paris CDG and coming back on BR PEY, I would have to say it's more than a bit of a let down for the CX PEY sector.
The seating is about even, with BR's PEY seat may be able to lean just a bit lower( I seated on the last row).
The catering part and the service, BR blows CX out of the water. Actually the CX ISM probably had the best attitude out of all the CX attendants I've encountered with on that flight. The two young FA's serving PEY couldn't be more sour and indifferent in their attitude, hell, I had better service on a domestic Air France flight from Lyon to Paris.
The seating is about even, with BR's PEY seat may be able to lean just a bit lower( I seated on the last row).
The catering part and the service, BR blows CX out of the water. Actually the CX ISM probably had the best attitude out of all the CX attendants I've encountered with on that flight. The two young FA's serving PEY couldn't be more sour and indifferent in their attitude, hell, I had better service on a domestic Air France flight from Lyon to Paris.
Mar 20, 2019, 6:08 pm
#34
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Taipei
Programs: Asiamiles, OZ Gold, Hilton Gold, SPG/Marriott Gold
Posts: 116
Indeed. In terms of IFE selection, CX is one of the best out there, perhaps even more movie selections than SQ. Food wise Eva is not the best, but CX catering has gone down hill for so long that any full service carrier from East Asia now offers better food than CX.
Mar 22, 2019, 7:00 am
#35
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: HKG
Programs: CX Gold, MB Titanium
Posts: 123
I recently did a RT HKG > YYZ > HKG on a 77K sitting in 30A then 30K on the return leg. Not my first time in PEY, however I've been predominantly flying in J for my quarterly trips to YYZ for the past 2 years. I have been pretty fortunate that most of the time I am flying in PEY, I'm usually able to get 30A/K and the seat beside me is usually empty where the rest of the cabin is full, so my opinion may be slightly skewed.
I'll agree that when you factor in that PEY is usualy 3-4x the cost of an Economy ticket it can easily be seen as a let down. Food is meh - small portions, bland taste, poor snack options. Overall comfort of the seat is passable. Service is usually good (being GO probably helps). IFE is more than sufficient in terms of quality and quantity. Also not having a dedicated restroom makes you wonder what you are paying that much more for.
Still, having said all that above, when I factor in that PEY is usually half the price of J (J, which is normally 7-8x the price of Economy), PEY is a sufficient, viable option for me. I don't travel for business so all of my tickets come out from my own pocket. I need to be realistic sometimes and acknolwedge that I can fly two times in PEY back to YYZ for the cost of 1 J ticket. I am still not at a point in my life where I can freely burn cash on J tickets every few months, but do well enough that I feel the cost can be justified, as spending 15 hours in Economy on the new 3-4-3 configs would deter me from travelling back to YYZ at all.
Bottom line for me: It's hard to not have high expectations given how expensive PEY tickets can be however don't expect much at all. Just appreciate that it will be better than Economy.
I'll agree that when you factor in that PEY is usualy 3-4x the cost of an Economy ticket it can easily be seen as a let down. Food is meh - small portions, bland taste, poor snack options. Overall comfort of the seat is passable. Service is usually good (being GO probably helps). IFE is more than sufficient in terms of quality and quantity. Also not having a dedicated restroom makes you wonder what you are paying that much more for.
Still, having said all that above, when I factor in that PEY is usually half the price of J (J, which is normally 7-8x the price of Economy), PEY is a sufficient, viable option for me. I don't travel for business so all of my tickets come out from my own pocket. I need to be realistic sometimes and acknolwedge that I can fly two times in PEY back to YYZ for the cost of 1 J ticket. I am still not at a point in my life where I can freely burn cash on J tickets every few months, but do well enough that I feel the cost can be justified, as spending 15 hours in Economy on the new 3-4-3 configs would deter me from travelling back to YYZ at all.
Bottom line for me: It's hard to not have high expectations given how expensive PEY tickets can be however don't expect much at all. Just appreciate that it will be better than Economy.