We'll be flying from the US to Hong Kong and then back to the US from Singapore. We'll be flying either Business or First. Who do you recommend between AA, JAL, and Cathay for Business and First? They all look great in First. I'm not so sure about AA in Business. Thank you...

In a word, very different. AA's seats are inclined/flat, have lots of adjustment possibilities, and IMO are pretty comfortable. IFE is decent, but the seats and video setups are showing premature wear and tear, with frequent re-boots and wonky seats being commonplace.

Cathay Pacific uses the "herringbone" layout in which each seat faces the aisle, with one's back to the windows. The seats have high divider walls between each other, making conversation virtually impossible while seated. You also can't look out the window unless your head swivels 360 degrees, in which case no doubt CX will call for an Exorcist to provide assistance. The seats are also quite narrow, which many people (me included) find quite constraining when trying to sleep. "Coffin" is the word that comes to mind. Cathay's IFE is fab.

JAL is so inconsistent that one can't generalize. On transpacific routes they have (I believe) 3 different seating configurations in use - flat bed pods, newer flat beds, and ancient la-z-boys. Which one you get depends on route and aircraft type. On NRT-SIN they're all the la-z-boy types, also with pretty mediocre IFE.

In terms of service, JAL is generally excellent. CX has IMO slipped lately, but it was so high to begin with that it's just gone down to first-rate. AA is variable - it can be okay, or it can be spectacular. Depends on the crew I guess. If you take AA, I would strongly recommend the Japanese meals on the transpac sectors - outstanding.

At Tokyo, both the JAL and AA lounges are very nice; the CX lounge at Narita is so-so IMO. In Hong Kong, the CX lounges are among the nicest in the world. In Singapore the CX lounge is okay, not more.

For First Class, I'd have to go with CX, but the new JL F product is getting pretty rave reviews. I love the AA suites, so I'd probably go with AA, but ideally I'd use one airline one way, another coming back.

Hope this helps

Re-reading it, that last bit is confusing. I really like the AA suites, but would be tempted to go with either CX or JL on one leg, just to see how they stack up.

Thanks Gardyloo.

Your suggestion is a great one, and one that I'd like to see work out. I'd like to fly AA/CX to HKG and then JAL/AA back from SIN in F.

Any other comments from recent experience are welcome.

I don't believe JL offers first class on SIN-NRT, and I know CX is cutting back on first class on intra-Asia flights also.

Is this a mileage redemption trip? If so, and if they're AA miles being used, then AA's new one-way award scheme is good, but be aware of limitations on stopovers, or else you might find yourself needing to book two separate awards for intra-Asia segments. Depending on where you're starting from, a Oneworld award might work better for you if you want to stop over in both HKG going and NRT coming.

I just got back from a trip using CX and JAL. We flew in business, SFO-HKG-DPS on CX and returned SIN-NRT-SFO on JL. Each had its advantages and disadvantages. Can't comment on First, but the suites on CX looked good.

The CX equipment was a 747 with the herringbone seats. I found them comfortable for sleeping, but the inability to talk to your companion made it a lonely 14 hours. I thought the inflight entertainment was amongst the best ever-big clear screen and lots of choices. The food ok, and service pretty good to HKG. The flight to DPS was the same equipment and IFE, but a big step down in food and service. In both cases, ground service was quite good.

On JL we flew a 777 on both legs. Both planes seemed to have newer pod type seats, although they looked different and no online seat map matched the plane we flew from SIN to NRT which had no first class. I thought it seemed that the NRT-SFO seats went a bit flatter, but they were still angled. They were ok for sleeping, but not as good as CX, and the IFE was not nearly as good (smaller screen, fewer English language choices). The food wasn't all that good and CX's service was better. I actually think that Northwest had better service and food in biz between SFO and NRT.

Having said all that, in my opinion schedule is often as important and I'd fly the most convenient routing, not going out of the way to fly one of these airlines unless in first class. None of these flights were bad, and either airline would be fine. I didn't think either airline was the best I've ever flown (Qantas wins-never flown Singapore).

Haven't flown AA in first or business in a long time, so I can't compare.

mjz_kc
If you are planning to use CX, you should have booked yesterday (very difficult to come by). We are flying business on CX SFO - SIN and I could only get my second choice of days (330 days out) and could not get my first choice ever since (I am flying early Dec). As we leave just after midnight and plan on sleeping mostly to HKG, the herringbone seats are OK.
Flying back JL from MNL to SFO (daytime, thus we wanted seats where we can talk)- a lot easier to get than CX.
Good luck.

Geez, work has been nuts and I'm just checking back in. I had no problems booking J on CX. I got my exact travel dates and the specific flights I wanted. First was available as well, but I think I'll conserve the miles for a quick trip to Costa Rica this winter.

I've had amazing luck using my AA miles to book international travel in J and F over the years. Much more so than DL. I'm looking forward to the CX experience on this long flight.

Happy it worked out for you; you have better luck than me. I am still trying for my first choice on CX for one day later than what I have (maybe closer to time it will open up).
Have a great trip!

You as well! Maybe it was easier for me since it's just myself. My partner is flying UAL in J using miles. I hope you secure your award seats.

Gardyloo, or anyone else with experience....

What's your CX preference in J - a 747 or 777? If I went with the 747, I'd go for the upper deck. Thanks, Matt

I've only been in CX J on the upper deck (744.) I was thoroughly underwhelmed. See my comments and <b>traveler318's</b> comments on the seats and service above. On the upper deck the seats are 1-1; on the main deck 1-2-1.

I didn't find the CX herringbone seats to be that bad and since you're traveling by yourself companion issues won't apply. They're very private if you're solo and I found sleeping to be much more comfortable than on an angled lie-flat. I've only been on the 744 upper deck too.