Frankfurt to HKG, CX F or LH F?
 

Hey All,

I've got some miles to redeem (from diff programs) so I wanted to check which you guys thought was the better flight option - CX F or LH F from Frankfurt to Hong Kong. I've never flown either airlines except in economy - so I am not sure what each offers over the other.

I have tried EY and QR F, so I can compare to those airlines, but not these. Let me know what you guys think, as LH is the A380, CX is the 777-300ER.

Hard to say, both have great products. I guess in the end it comes down to your personal opinion / preference.

For both hard and soft product I believe CX might be slightly better.

Since you are flying from Frankfurt LH might be the Airline to choose though in terms of ground experience. FCT is obviously a bonus point for Lufthansa.

If you were flying HKG-FRA only without connection id definitely say CX because of above mentioned slight product superiority.

In any case its not like you've got to choose between say UA/AA F and LH/CX F where it would be quite an obvious choice.

LH, because FCT and A380.

For a simple FRA-HKG, I would do LH (especially if you have not done the FCT before - definitely something to tick off the list).

CX lounge at FRA is very, very mediocre, and personally I prefer an evening departure if possible. On CX's daytime departure, you will arrive in the morning so getting through the day can be a real drag, whereas flying LH you can eat well in the FCT and sleep onboard, and wake up early enough so that you are tired in time for the evening in HKG.

Great FCT give's a huge advantage. Considering using miles to book LH - is it really only possible 15 days in advance?

Like for instance if I have another flight flight from HKG on a OW airline - I can book that in advance but would need to time LH to match it, so how many seats to LH open in F per flight generally - especially this leg?

I would redeem my miles to fly CX F, since it is a bargain now before the devaluation of AA miles in March, 2016 @:-)

Use your balance miles with LH to fly the other way round since LH don't charge YQ anymore out of HKG ;)

For FRA-HKG I would do LH First if for no other reason than the FCT and FRA ground experience.
If you were flying the reverse HKG-FRA, I would do CX First for the better HKG lounge and inflight experience.

+ 1 ^

Not an easy choice. I did both airlines in F on that sector.

Flight time:
I like night flights. Arriving in the afternoon vs. in the morning makes jet lag less painful for me. And I can sleep better on night flights. + for LH

Lounge:
The FCT is a clear plus for LH. As mentioned the CX lounge is pretty bad. You can eat in the FCT and then sleep for most of the fliight.

Plane:
The 380 is more quiet and has a higher cabin pressure. Also much less traffic in the isle and nicer toilets. Clear + for LH

Seat:
The CX seat is much more comfortable than the LH seat. More space (3 seats across in the 777 which is wider than the 380 upper deck), also better sleeping surface. The LH seat is very good, but CX is significantly better

Food/Service:
It is more a question of personal preference. CX F food has deteriorated somewhat over the last few years. LH sometimes has pretty good appetizers and even main courses. But it is airplane food after all.

Cost:
Assuming you use AA miles vs. M+M: Less miles and much lower 'taxes' for CX (at least before April).

Compared to QR F both LH F and CX F are significantly better. No experience with EY F.

Great, I hope FCT still is applicable for those who transit into Frankfurt?

Yes. So if you're planning to get a return ticket in F and you have the option then go for outbound leg with LH and return leg with CX - you'll get the best of both worlds.

Yes - if you are flying onto FRA-HKG in F, then even if you are arriving from a different flight you can take the famous short stroll from the A zone of T1 to the FCT and use it.

I'm at the FCT now.
Changed from a CX DUS flight to a LH FRA flight on F.
So far just from the FCT I would already say its worth it.

This thread is highly informative as it pertains to recent feedback on CX F: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/catha...overrated.html

On the ground, LH F is lights years ahead of CX in every aspect. In the air, it's a little more subjective and it may come down to the crew in any given day. I favor LH F over CX F in the air because LH pays more attention to details whereas CX can be a little unrefined. Catering has been an often cited weakness on CX F, even some die hard CX fans described CX F meals as at times, atrocious and the food can be smelly. I have not experienced that kind of problem and think of some these criticisms may be a little exaggerated. Service wise, CX is more caring and respectful whereas LH is more relaxed and their presence in the cabin, a little less often. Part of it may be cultural, personally I liked the LH style better but can't find fault in the way CX crew serviced their flights. CX's style is not as contrived as the Japanese carriers, for example, it's not unusual for the CX inflight service manager to introduce herself by her first name - something you will never see on either JAL or ANA because it's considered impolite to introduce oneself by their given name.

LH F vs. QR F, good thing I had the chance to fly both back to back just two weeks ago. Once again, I have to give the overall nod to LH. Both are fairly comparable out of their home base, FRA vs. DOH. QR A380 has a real bar, LH has a tiny section they call a bar but it really isn't. I'd say that the lounge service in DOH is better than FRA, in terms of the diversity of their attendants but the catering in LH FCT and FCL are hard to beat out of FRA. QR doesn't have chauffeur service to your aircraft but if you fly F, they provide escort service in DOH. LH does the same but instead, when you land at your destination outside of Germany and when such service becomes a necessity if your destination has a zoo like arrival. In the air, QR's hardware is slightly better and the bathroom are nicer and bigger. But, QR F does have a major weakness that is seldom talked about and that is their main course is almost identical to their business class and the quality is significantly less than what you would expect for a First class product. Caviar is also not a given on QR F depending on the flight's departure time. LH's catering is significantly better than QR F overall in-flight. In terms of entertainment system, QR's is hard to beat and its screen is much larger. Crew service is once again very different in style. I found that QR F on A380 is very friendly and professional but to me, they are like slave labor, forgive me the expression. As it typically the case in the Gulf, they have a lot of foreign workers and those QR F attendants are well trained and genuinely friendly but they act more like servants and they are trained to make F pax to feel like VIP. For example, on my most recent QR F flight on an A380, the bar attendant happened to be the one who showed me to my seat when I boarded - she didn't actually work in the F cabin. But when I went to the bar later, there were a lot of J pax there too but, she singled me out and showered me with attention, which embarrassed me a little. Everyone around the bar knew I was flying F. Maybe the Arab people in the Gulf liked that and expected that from their servants, I found that very uncomfortable, so much that I left without finishing my drink. Even that caused a stir, because she clearly saw I didn't finish my drink, which was a Krug. Your overall satisfaction in QR vs. LH is going to come down to what's important to you.