cwhitt

Anyone want to report on their TPAC experiences?

I'm looking to book a miniRTW in the next month or so, and keenly interested in the TPAC options...

ORDnHKG

Can you be more specific ? Like what route ?

All of them have different seats on different planes, like NH 77W vs 777, BR 744 vs 77W, OZ 380 vs 772, AC 77W vs 763.

LAX/HKG

Which of the following itinerary would you choose in J:

AC: HKG-YVR-LAX or
NH: HKG-HND-LAX (NH 106)?

In the past I would go with NH without a second thought. However, I have read posts here that mentioned NH's experience has been deteriorating due to cost-cutting measures, especially on the midnight flights. Has NH come down enough now AC is on par with them?

IluvSQ

For the HKG-YVR flight, AC is using the High density 777 ( AKA slaveship).
These do not have the regular pods in J class, but some other ones exclusive to
this aircraft. The consensus is that these are very unsatisfactory. I flew them
once and swore never again. If you are under 5' 8", you may be happy with them, otherwise avoid.

nanyang

I'm always surprised to see people praise the food on NH.

For example, on the above HND-HKG route I have asked for an Y meal. With few exceptions, I have been very unimpressed by food on NH.

I know of people who had to travel transpac from the US to Japan on NH in J every few weeks, and they would bring their own food instead.

Of course all this might be a different story if one is a big fan of the Japanese seafood option. Otherwise the selection is very limited.

IluvSQ

I have flown NH only in F longhaul, and have nothing but praise for their food.
I have also flown them in J shorthaul, and have never had any problems with their offerings.

LAX/HKG

Thanks for the insight. I will try to avoid the "slaveship". Not having a decent meal on NH is more tolerable than not having a comfortable seat on AC.

dvs7310

I'm in the same boat as you, I don't like seafood or Japanese style meat dishes either, so I'm nearly always quite disappointed by the food on NH. NH's new C seats are quite nice, but the AVOD is also disappointing if wanting a wide range of western blockbusters. English from the cabin attendants is hit or miss. Since the (new) OP is flying in C, I don't see a reason to shy away from AC, they are not being thrown into the back of the plane.

Additionally, last time I took that NH HND-LAX flight, they were still angle flat seats. I don't know if they have updated it to the new pods yet or not. I also very much dislike the short flight time of Japan to West Coast because you don't get enough time to sleep. NH (and JL) are notorious for waking everyone up a full 2 hours before landing for the pre-arrival meal service. I'd much rather have it timed to allow longer sleep and to where they were cleaning up 15 or 20 mins before beginning descent.

ORDnHKG

Howabout BR HKG-TPE-LAX or even OZ HKG-ICN-LAX ?

There is no way in a hundred years that any N.American carriers would equal on par with any Asian carriers no matter how much Asian carriers deteriorate !

The redeye flights had been serving snack then full breakfast for arrival since the beginning, not a downgrade due to cost-cutting measures, as it is something NH do to let pax get maximum of rest without being disturbed by noise, lights, foot traffic.

If you want 2 full meals departing late night, you have to fly CX, BR, or OZ.



Do you really necessary to bash NH like that ? And if you would rather get a Y meal in C for HND-HKG, so what airline you think is better ? CX ? (tons of HKers are complaining how dismal CX had been cutting cost on intra-asia flights !)

Well if you fly one airline every few weeks repeatedly, of course you will be tired of what is being served and rather bring your own food, no difference than the same situation apply to JL, CX, KE, OZ, etc. SQ, TG, and BR are the only 3 that offered pre-ordered meals, while TG doesn't serve US anymore, and BR's pre-ordered menus is somewhat limited unlike SQ and TG, so basically SQ is the only winner here.


Well AC is using the high density 77W for YVR-HKG, that is already something to avoid, not to mention you can just take a look at some of the meal pics in C on AC TPAC, that doesn't look too appetizing to me. There are other Asian carriers to consider before one take a look on AC.


NH HND-LAX had switched to 77W since Oct 25, which means business staggered, not ClubANA on the 772ER anymore

dvs7310

That's a very positive development. The C seats that used to be on that route on the 772 were quite poor, especially for a night flight where many people are going to want to sleep.

Agree with your other point though, that BR or OZ may be equally as good of an option. I'd actually say I'd personally prefer BR or OZ to NH because I'm one of those passengers who does want 2 full meals (I'm not much of a breakfast eater, so those 4:00pm "breakfasts" that NH and JL serve on the redeyes don't do much for me). I'm not at all a fan of NH and JL's way of not offering a dinner after takeoff for those who want it.

LAX/HKG

Yes, I am aware of those options and did fly those routes in the past. This time though the AC and NH pricing is lower than the other carriers. It matters because I am paying with my own dime.

FlyinHawaiian

This looks to be the most recent thread about TPAC US to Asia options; apologies if it is not.

I'd like to use MileagePlus points to book a saver business award from NYC to TYO later this year.

At present, options would be:

NH JFK-NRT/HND
OZ JFK-ICN-TYO
AC LGA-YYZ-HND

Having flown UA J EWR-NRT, I'm keen to try new routes/seats (I've not flown any of the above TPAC). I'd appreciate other members' opinions of the best routes and seats. I'm not totally opposed to connecting via an Asian hub.

Thanks!

cheltzel

If I have to choose one those three I would take NH. Solid product and service plus nonstop.

If you are interested in a connection. I would also consider BR JFK-TPE-TYO with the TPE-TYO leg on either BR or NH. The BR Royal Laurel seat and service are excellent as well and personally I prefer that seat to the NH IOJ seat (wider and longer).

I'm sure others may have different opinions.

s0ssos

Easy, NH. AC doesn't come close, OZ isn't that great for an Asian airline. And you didn't list BR or SQ so those aren't options presumably.
I can tell you you miss nothing by not going through ICN (lounge even in first isn't that good), and AC you have a horrible connection.

FlyinHawaiian

Thank you for the responses; they've been helpful. At present, only AC LGA-YYZ-HND and OZ JFK-ICN-NRT are available for booking and while the thought of flying on an A380 for the first time is somewhat appealing, arriving mid-afternoon into HND has greater merit. AC Business doesn't look that bad and I've done an International transit through YYZ before and didn't think it was too bad. I'll keep this thread in mind in case other routings open up.