NWplatinum

Triniflyer868

I was in this predicament a while ago. While I wanted to experience ke for me didn't want to take the chance in economy baoni stuck to SQ .Can't speak for other classes.

Kacee

SQ is considerably better, especially the service. Really no comparison.

Also, the ICN transfer in the new T2 is not particularly pleasant. And the KE F lounge is sub-par.

NWplatinum

th14

Have to agree completely with this statement. It's not close. For the record, I enjoy KE. Especially the 747-8 which is a great seat with plenty of room. Fortunately the lights are out most of the time so you don't have to see the green color scheme (ugh). The A380 F is a step down privacy wise but also not bad (to be avoided in J however).

I also mainly fly to China so KE is relatively convenient from the US and their regional F is often lie-flat (they appear to use their older long haul equipment on some regional routes). Compared to US carriers, I'd absolutely take KE and would be happy about it. But compared to SQ, its miles apart in terms of service, experience, seat quality, IFE, food, language abilities. KE is also behind JL and NH. I would put them ahead of the Chinese carriers. I will say the KE flight attendants have always been super nice which is a saving grace. They just don't always know what they're doing.

Again, if the route is convenient, its perfectly fine. But if you have the option to fly SQ or CX, just do that. Now, if you were saying you wanted to try out JL or NH an the routing was better, I'd say go for it.

I did see that you're only seeing 777 availability on SQ. That's still going to be miles better. If it were suites, I'd tell you you're nuts to even consider KE.

Kacee

Which KE F product? If Kosmo 2.0 suite, that's a nice hard product. Whether SQ would be worth an extra overnight at SFO is really a personal call.

Agreed. Well meaning, but much less polished and professional.

NWplatinum

I was really shocked at the terrible feedback I got about KE F. Since it’s virtually always available to redeem, KE J apex suites are probably on par with their F, and SQ F awards are harder to come by, I decided to go with SQ. This SQ flight also has the new F on the 777. So I decided to go with SQ. Now I just need some advice on BTC out of HKG.

alanslegal

KE 380 F ... it's a lovely product, almost identical to TG A380 F ... I like the light, airy ambience with a touch of light blue but you will forgo the privacy of SQ's A380 suites. KE's korean option is good (though I do like SQ's japanese option as well). KE has their sky bar / lounge where you can chat/mingle with other people whilst the crew makes you a nice cocktail.

But if you haven't tried it, then why not? You can give it a go and make your own assessment. Personally, where possible, I will fly F on any A380 before any other non-A380 type - even if its a top tier airline like SQ

NWplatinum

TravelwhileyouEat

If I could book the 747 Kosmo Suite 2.0 on KE then I would like my inner plane geek choose it given how rare it is to fly this type of aircraft (this would involve flying ICN-SFO instead of straight to SEA). Though I generally agree with SQ having better service and food in F vs. KE (personal preference).

NWplatinum

A blogger told me booking to Seattle was better than LA because I had a chance at the Kosmo 2.0 suite since Seattle is serviced by a 777-300 and they put the Kosmo 2.0 on a lot of those planes. Whereas with the A380 you’re guaranteed to get the regular Kosmo suite without a door.

In fact the reservation I had was a Kosmo 2.0. But in the end I figure I can book KE anytime I want, whereas SQ F awards are so hard to come by I might as well just take the SQ flight. Especially with the new first class on the HKG-SFO route on their 777, so that is what I ended up doing.

th14

I have not looked at the routes to the west coast that carefully so can't confirm. But the blogger is right on the equipment. The 747-8 definitely has the new Kosmo 2 and I thought most of the 777's have the Kosmo 2 suite. Both are better than the A380 seat.

Tbf to the other commentator, he may have been referring to the A380 being a better plane overall. But the A380 has last generation hard product.

I do not mean to malign the KE product at all so apologies if I sounded overly negative. I would say its good. Just imo, SQ is that much better. The 6 seats in the nose of the 747-8 is a lot of fun. But I would still (and do) pick SQ whenever I have the choice.

Have a good trip and let us know what you think of the new F in the 777.

jd20

Just curious, how do you know which SQ 777 flights are the new F? I've had a hard time finding that info online, but am also comparing SQ F to KE F from HKG or ICN back to west coast (final destination SFO).

umbrellakid

Does the flight out of ORD have the Kosmo 2.0?

TravelwhileyouEat

- If there are only 4 F seats then it is definitely the new product
- If there are 8 F seats and J is 1-2-1 and has a mini-cabin of 2 rows, then the F is definitely the new product
- If there are 8 F seats and J is 2-2-2 then you have the last generation of F

The best way to check is to make a dummy booking in J and just reach the seat selection portion to see the configuration. A shortcut would also to look at which 777 flights offer premium economy since those definitely have the latest generation F. Also, SQ 2 HKG - SFO and SQ 8 ICN - LAX are 100% the latest F product of SQ.