Finnair vs Cathay Pacific
Feb 4, 2026 | 7:43 am
#16
Join Date: Jul 2022
Location: Madrid
Programs: IB Platino / OWE. Mucci (de Barajas)
Posts: 3,170
Not for NonEU - EU transit - NonEU itinerary though...
Feb 4, 2026 | 8:15 am
#17
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Finland
Programs: AY+ Plat
Posts: 230
Feb 4, 2026 | 12:17 pm
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,588
Seems to apply based on the website Air passenger rights - Your Europe
Do you have a reference?
Do you have a reference?
EU air passenger rights apply:
- If your flight is within the EU and is operated either by an EU or a non-EU airline
- If your flight arrives in the EU from outside the EU and is operated by an EU airline
- If your flight departs from the EU to a non-EU country operated by an EU or a non-EU airline
- If you have not already received benefits (compensation, re-routing, assistance from the airline) for flight related problems for this journey under the relevant law of a non-EU country.
Feb 4, 2026 | 12:47 pm
#22
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Finland
Programs: AY+ Plat
Posts: 230
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-cont...EX:62020CJ0451
Regulation (EEC) No 295/91 must be interpreted as meaning that that regulation is not applicable to a flight with a connecting flight, booked under a single booking but consisting of two flights, both of which are operated by a Community air carrier, if both the departure airport of the first flight and the arrival airport of the second flight are in the territory of a third country and only the airport where the stopover takes place is in the territory of a Member State.
Feb 5, 2026 | 12:01 am
#23
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: London
Programs: Hilton Honors Gold, CX Asia Miles
Posts: 34
Definitely go for Cathay Pacific. Their soft and hard products are much better than Finnair. I am not sure but Cathay might be using their new Aria configured aircraft for the JFK route.
Feb 5, 2026 | 3:37 am
#24
Join Date: Sep 2024
Programs: TK *G, AF STE+ (Plat), MH OWE
Posts: 153
Caveat, based on only one rt trip on CX A351, a few with AY:
CX:
CX:
- Narrower seat (slim-bodied, so no problem, but still), a lot less cosiness/privacy in the narrower body of an A351 (seat angle)
- IFE, somewhat limited selection IMO, plus points though for being able to see Talking Heads' old Stop Making Sense for the first time (and second, on the flight back...)
- Food, OK. I made the mistake of ordering the(ir) oriental breakfast for the return, now I know...
- Service, my greatest gripe (and surprise). A bit on/off in general, occasionally even edgy.
- I returned the meal tray myself after waking up in the middle of the night and the attendant (in a
pick-uptalking situation with a guy) brusquely taking my order of juice and sending me back to my seat like a badly behaving nipper.
- The above-mentioned breakfast took very long to be served to the back row (in fact not a lot before the seatbelt sign) and when I commented about that the CC came to see me, but the interaction was more of a castigation for complaining than merely dealing with it with an apology (however insincere). Reminded me somehow of BA. Now, there's a comparison.
- Battle of the Asiatics: Definitely not the seamlessly immaculate service on JL J (sample size: two long-haul flights).
- I returned the meal tray myself after waking up in the middle of the night and the attendant (in a
- I love the seat, probably the only seat I've flown, along with the JL A351, where I can just as readily fly in the cabin midline seats. Great privacy and possibility to sit/slouch/sleep in many positions. No danger of an inoperable seat.
- IFE, OK.
- Food, OK.
- Service, good to very good so far.
Feb 5, 2026 | 4:21 am
#25
Join Date: Nov 2020
Programs: AY+
Posts: 296
No danger of an inoperable seat.
Cheers,
Tseta
Feb 5, 2026 | 9:32 am
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,588
Feb 9, 2026 | 1:55 am
#27
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 576
Living in HKG, I fly both extensively. Personally, I prefer AY.
Where AY is better:
Seat & general upkeep of the cabin. CX can be quite worn in places. AY seat is much better for sleeping.
F&B tends to be better (mostly the F part).
In flight service tends to be better (or at least is more to my liking).
Where CX is better:
Inflight entertainment (unless you end up on one of the A350s where you cannot charge your phone without some feedback noise appearing on the IFE headphones).
Irrops handling - AY is terrible on this front.
Lounges in HKG, although HEL lounges are okay too.
CX has much more frequencies on the routes should things go wrong.
Where AY is better:
Seat & general upkeep of the cabin. CX can be quite worn in places. AY seat is much better for sleeping.
F&B tends to be better (mostly the F part).
In flight service tends to be better (or at least is more to my liking).
Where CX is better:
Inflight entertainment (unless you end up on one of the A350s where you cannot charge your phone without some feedback noise appearing on the IFE headphones).
Irrops handling - AY is terrible on this front.
Lounges in HKG, although HEL lounges are okay too.
CX has much more frequencies on the routes should things go wrong.
Feb 9, 2026 | 8:06 am
#28
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 297
On my last L/H`s AY served me expensive long cooked meat like Pig Cheek and Lamb Shoulder.
While CX served me a very nice Beef Tenderloin even on a regional flight intra Asia.
Also AY starters and desserts are very small.
Last edited by JoWa; Feb 9, 2026 at 8:07 am Reason: Error
Feb 9, 2026 | 8:43 am
#29
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 576
Originally Posted by JoWa;[url=tel:37587150
37587150[/url]]I`m very surprised to read this.
On my last L/H`s AY served me expensive long cooked meat like Pig Cheek and Lamb Shoulder.
While CX served me a very nice Beef Tenderloin even on a regional flight intra Asia.
Also AY starters and desserts are very small.
On my last L/H`s AY served me expensive long cooked meat like Pig Cheek and Lamb Shoulder.
While CX served me a very nice Beef Tenderloin even on a regional flight intra Asia.
Also AY starters and desserts are very small.
Fwiw AY catering ex HKG isnt that great either, but it easily beats CX.
Feb 9, 2026 | 9:10 am
#30
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Keskell mets
Programs: Onko teill S-etukorttia?
Posts: 1,395
I mean AY offers you 3 choices for 6 months and then 3 choices for next 6. Thats it. Its exactly the same menu for 6 months straight, every day.
Hardly a premium service on a single plastic tray.
Even table cloths are cut from second service, which by the way is single choice meal.
There is no "all day dining" options between services.
Hardly a premium service on a single plastic tray.
Even table cloths are cut from second service, which by the way is single choice meal.
There is no "all day dining" options between services.