[HKFella]

Would appreciate it if someone with recent first-hand experience could let me know what kind of seats CX have in business class on that route. Do they recline fully and, if so, is it horizontal or with a bit of an incline?

[Air Canada have so-called flat seats with the slight incline (13 degrees?) and I'm not the only one who feels while trying to sleep that one's slowly but steadily slipping downwards. Even more so if one's of a certain height and the footrest needs to be got out of the way.]

Also, is the Anchorage halt ex-HK badly timed w.r.t. the sleep cycle, or not too bothersome? And lastly, on arrival at Toronto airport, can you walk on to Immigration or must they bus you a long distance (as is the case with AC even after more than 2 years)?

Thanks in advance.

[imanereg]

Sorry buy if you want to lay flat on a route HKG YVR or HKG YYZ then you are going to have to buy 1st class because there is no lay flat seting in J Class nor C Class on those routes..... The only carrier that can offer it to you even in first is CX as AC doesn't have a First Class..... The other problem is that CX does not fly it non-stop they do a tech stop in Anchorage for fuel.... so you are adding an hour to two hours with CX as opposed to the only non-stop being AC which does not offer lay flat seats. Yes speaking from a lot of experience on those two routes you do have to put your foot against a foot rest to make suer you aren't sitting on the floor by flights end.

[HKFella]

Thanks, so it seems the seats are basically similar. May have to 'craft' my own footrest with carryons (though AC prefer you stow them all away).

It figures - a few years ago when they launched their first fully reclined seats in J/C, CX were touting the virtues of 13-degree incline to the effect scientific studies had shown it to be optimum angle for sleep. Surprise surprise - that we didn't see a rush of household bed or mattress makers following suit!

So, imanereg, arriving by CX in YYZ do you walk to immigration and baggage terminal or have to bus it? And is the Anchorage stop (going out of HK) a big drag on trying to get sleep or alright - at least to you?

[imanereg]

Never did ex. HKG-YYZ only the reverse.
Never did Anchorange either but I cannot imagine aything good about landing and taking off while sleeping. Also 15 to 16 hours in an aircraft in those seats are not a cakewalk. The seats are identical CX, AC J/C just different colors.

[z754103]

Among the airlines I've flown with, only British Airways and Virgin do completely horizontal 180 degree flat beds in business class. Not sure if any of the middle east airlines do.

[canuckinhk]

ok, we've travelled on both many times. the last couple of years we've chosen AC, purely because of the non-stop. yes, landing in anchorage is a royal pain. you're just in the middle of your snooze (if you manage to get to sleep) and you really realize just how upright those seats go when you're that pooped! as mentioned before, both seats are pretty much the same, so we've found it better to put up with AC's inferior service and entertainment and get there faster.
i'd highly recommend getting the bulkhead on either airline... that way your feet won't be cramped up into the 'seat pocket' in front of you.
as for landing in t.o... they've only been doing that bus stuff since we started flying ac only, so i'm not sure if cx does it. sometimes we have to take it, sometimes not. i'd imagine its similar situation for cx since they both arrive in international terminal. maybe the airline could tell you. no doubt its a real pain after that long flight.

[canuckinhk]

oh one more thing... when you stop in anchorage you must stay on the plane, so its not like you get a break from it. used to kill me sitting there for an extra hour not getting anywhere!
i'm really surprised that cx has not started a non-stop to t.o. with the amount of chinese-canadians in hk, it would surely do well.

[imanereg]

Well, I promise you there isn't a lot of people that understand why CX doesn't fly non-stop into YYZ, me included..... Actualy I should have said something in an earlier post.... I found that the service on CX was heads and tails way above that of AC. They just do it right. Not that I can say that the service on AC is bad, becausde it isn't, on that route anyway, just that CX they just do something different, nothing that is obvious or glaring, just something.... In the end they are CX and you know it from the time you board to the time that you leave the aircraft.... It just feels different.

[PDLM]

The reason CX doesn't fly non-stop is because they only have 3 aircraft with the range to do that, and they are committed to the HKG-JFK non-stops.

HKG-YYZ will probably go non-stop late in 2007 when CX starts getting new 777-300ERs into the fleet (it may also get first class back when that happens).

[animalmom]

does cathy have lie flat bus class beds london - HK?

I just paid a bit more for virgin uppr because I heard they did not