Received a surprise email from an anonymous friend this early afternoon regarding a 787 Dreamliner landing at YVR this morning. Owned by ANA (All Nippon Airways) and registered as JA813A, the plane touched down at 10:05 AM and departed at 12:03 PM.
So what was it doing here? Upon more research through FlightAware, the flight was assigned as NH1078, NRT-SEA (Narita, Tokyo to Seattle), a scheduled commercial flight. Scheduled to touch down at 09:50 on the stripe of SEA, the flight was diverted to YVR (reason unknown yet). The flight took off and was scheduled to continue on to the initial origin SEA by 12:33, a 31 minutes flight.
Though I've seen many 787s at Paine Field, I'm excited to know that it stopped by YVR. Despite the fact that I missed it, knowing that it came already made my day, especially on a sunny Sunday. Thanks again to my "Anonymous" friend for forwarding the info and some photos! Hope some scheduled 787 flights to YVR will happen soon. A potential carrier is JAL, which could replace its current 767 fleet for the NRT-YVR route. Of course, Air Canada will receive its 787 orders in 2013 or 2014, and I'm sure a few will be scheduled to and from YVR.
** Photo Credit:Anonymous Friend's Friend **
NH 1078 (ANA 787) parked by the YVR De-icing Apron (Again, Photo credit to Anonymous friend's friend)
As part of my recent long weekend Portland road trip, I've secretly planned a quick swing-by at Paine Field (KPAE) to check out what's new in Boeing's flightline. It was a secret plan as it would have probably been decline by my friends, who will question, "what is there to see? It's just a plane!". Well, I can go for on a billion page essay proving that a plane is not just a plane, but an amazing innovation that connected the world ...
Anyways, and so I exited Hwy 5 and by the time they were awake, I was already driving by the Boeing hangars, specifically right when I was passing the last hangar - the 787 assembly line. You know, a point of no return ;) I mean, how can I not at least stop by when it is part of the route down to Portland, diverted just a few minutes off Hwy 5?
It was cloudy, windy and chill. For their courtesy, I tried my best to spotand grab a few shots as quickly as possible. Compared to my last visit in April and even the several visits within this past year, there was definitely a significant change to the flightline. It used to be full of JAL and ANA 787s, and CX 748Fs, and currently, as many of the Japanese aircraft were delivered, there are now more carrier mixtures to be seen.
787 Flightline by the Far Apron From Left to Right: Altas Air 748F, ANA 787, Unpainted, ANA, Air India, Unpainted, Air India
Apron by 16R - Outside of Paint Hangar Dreamlifter and Polar (DHL) 748F
Flightline Parallel to 16R-34L United 787, CX 748F
Flight line Parallel to 16R-34L Ethiopian 787
Flightline Parallel to 16R-34L Qatar 787, Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) 748F, United 787
Flightline Parallel to 16R-34L Lufthansa 748i (unpainted)
Apron by 16R - Outside of Paint HangarLAN Airlines 787
I can't wait till Air Can's 787s are parked along the flightline; even seeing them in the assembly line would make me excited! The next time I'll actually stay and catch some movements would probably be the first flight of Air Can's first Dreamliner! Another reason why I love Vancouver so much as a Canadian city is the fact that it's so close by one of the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world! (And I'll say the same if it was Airbus or Bombardier - I love them all!) Amazing heh!
Can't believe I missed the live broadcast of the A350 XWB Final Assembly Line Inauguration Ceremony! In Recent years, we were extremely lucky to witness the birth of several major new aircraft, nurturing innovative changes and improvements. The A380 marked one of the first milestones, taking off its first flight test in April 2005, followed by the first flight of Boeing's Dreamliner 787s in December 2009. Though encountered major delays and technical "resolutions", I believe that these manufacturers and production members should be well recognized for the innovative changes that make flying better for the future! Regardless of who invented the first jetliners, or who has a longer history in aircraft manufacturing, I believe all manufactures have tried their best, putting outstanding efforts, research and development, manpower, spirit and enthusiasm in aviation!
Here are some highlights of the A350's Assembly Line ceremony! Especially note the shot starting at 02:36 if you wish the see the partially assembled A350 fuselage, or MSN001 test aircraft!
Assembly of the first A350 XWB - Test Aircraft MSN001 (Photo from Airbus.com)
Ahead of us are the first fligths of Bombardier's new Cseres and Airbus' A350 XWB (Xtra Wide Body). What will be next?
A year ago during the 2011
Aviation Leadership Forum in Vancouver, the topic on "how to attract
passengers pay attention to inflight safety demonstrations" was brought
up at my discussion table. In my opinion, abnormal demonstration is
the key to catching attention, even if it takes away a slight bit of
aboslute professionalism. Why do inflight safety demonstration always
have to be a standard, straightforward, "talk" and "show"? There are
lots of great ones out there, mind you, and Air New Zealand (NZ) always
oustands among the greatest ones. To me, this version is so far, the
most perfect, most attention grabbing version, even if you have
absolutely no idea what the Hobbit or The Lord of the Ring is about.
NZ's 773ER Safety Demonstration - Lord of the Ring Version
Espeically like starting 02:33, when it starts to lose attention half way through, the sudden lightening and black-out grabs it back! Good signal for more attention!
Has it taken away
professionalism? Yes, but does it makes want to you watch and gives you
clear and concise messages ... yes, indeed! Isn't that the whole
purpose of inflight safety demonstrations? I mean, what is the point of
making it so professional, so perfectly ironed and tailored uniforms,
well groomed and postured, plus a warm smile and mind-releasing
background music throughout the whole video? Do passengers care? Would
they rather look at the inflight magazines or out the window, or chat?
Yes! The whole point is to send the right "safety message" to all
passengers so that if an emergency happens, they will have a general
idea of what to do. Of course, no one can memorize all the procedures;
it is more to create a photographic memory of the overall big picture.
Another
airline that has really brought the attention of the passengers is Cebu
Pacific. Though there had been debates over its' "hot/sexy dancing
safety demonstration" being overly distracting male or female
passengers, I believe that it has at least got the passengers to all "look up".
Have you ever seen so many passengers around you look up for a safety
demonstration? I mean, ususally, regardless if the video is attractive,
I am alwanys one of the very few who would actually have the safety
instruction card in front of me, follow through the demonstration, and
look at where the flight attendants are pointing to the emergency exits.
Cebu Pacific Air's Safety Demonstration - Female Dancer Version
Regardless if the passengers are truly paying attention to the safety procedures, at least they are looking up. I'm sure there will be some sort of picture memory left in their mind.
Cebu Pacific Air's Safety Demonstration - All Male Dancer Version
Pretty sure this little girl is looking, and even if it is an all guy crew, all passengers were looking! The debate about passengers being attracted by "hot girls dancing" may not be sostrong afterall ...
Of course, the "effectiveness" of these dancing videos is still debatable. The details of the safety procedures are definitely not
delivered clearly and concisely. The life jacket, for example, I'm
pretty sure most passengers would have missed how to function the life
jacket; the dance movement and shaky body made it hard to pay attention
to where to blow and pull.
I
did mention about getting the big picture, but these are some details
that make it so important for the big picture. The video below of Air
Tran's evacuation training drill is an excellent example of why you
should know "the drill" before it really happens ...
Air Tran Cabin Fire & Water Ditching Drill
Please especially start looking from time frame 02:55. Do you think this would be a good time to "start" figuring outwhere to go and how to get your life jacket working? Better prepare yourself is the way to go ...
Overall,
I think that many air carriers have tried to make it more attention
cataching, but I believe NZ has been developing great ones, in fact,
extremely effective ones. While some carriers continue to use the
traditional "professional" style, I believe it would definitely serve as
proactive actions under SMS (Safety Management System) to find ways to
attract passengers to pay attention to inflight safety demonstrations
... in the case of an emergency!
And so it left us with triumph as a few plane spotters witnessed the end of Cathay's 744s service to YVR. The farewell flight was operated by B-HOS, the third oldest Cathay 744 fleet with 22.5 years of age.
According to Routes Online's record, the first Cathay transatlantic HKG-YVR route dated back on 01 May 1983. Initially started as a twice daily service by the 742 fleet, Cathay boosted operation to daily by the late 80s. The 80s also marked the immigration trend in Hong Kong as the British annouced the return of Hong Kong back to China as the 100 years "land lease agreement" concludes, making Hong Kong no longer a British Colony by 1997. Hong Kong became a British Colony due to political and "war" reasons as China signed a 100 years lease agreement to give Hong Kong away to the British government. With a well-established economy and political structure, Hong Kong was in panic and fright of China's "communist" government. A large number of Hong Kong residence tried to "escape" and immigrated all around the world, and Vancouver was one of the popular destinations.
Cathay currently operates twice daily flights from HKG-YVR, with CX837/838 as a pure HKG-YVR direct route while CX888/889 operates as a stopover connection to JFK (HKG-YVR-JFK). The CX838/837 operation will be replaced by 773ERs (unless fleet replacement is required for operational or emergency purposes of course). This will make a full 773ER operation for the twice daily operations to YVR. On the other side, the Cathay cargo stopovers at YVR still alters between the 744Fs and 748Fs. But yes, looks like we won't be seeing Cathay's passenger 744s for a while.
Pictures carry a million words like an eternal hard drive that retains memorable moments ... please enjoy:
CX 838 Approaching 08L - Foggy Low Vis
CX 838 Almost Touching Down on 08L
CX 838 Almost Touching Down on 08L
CX 838 Final Touch Down on 08L
CX 838 Final Touch Down on 08L Iconic YVR ATC & Fairmont Hotel Backdrop
Last CX 744 at Gate accompanied by KLM 772 Asia Livery
CX 837 Take Off @ 08R Marks the last Cathay 744 at YVR
CX 837 Take Off @ 08R Marks the last Cathay 744 at YVR
CX 837 Take Off @ 08R Immediately disappearing in the fog ... Marks the last Cathay 744 at YVR
Follow this live update for the final CX B747-400 operations to YVR, and Virgin's final flight to YVR for 2012. This will be updated continuously between 1220hr - 1652hr.
-- @ 1652 End of Live Updates--
Actual Photo to be posted by tomorrow night - please stay tune! -- @1650 --
Temp photo of CX 744 last take off from YVR
-- @ 1545 --
CX 837 departed a few mins ago
-- @ 1537 -- CX 837 taxing to 08L (although YvR website indicated departed 1525 - that is obviously incorrect, it could mean it was pushed back)
-- @ 1532 -- VS 95 just landed on 08L, last landing at YVR this year, didn't catch a shot as I m still waiting for CX by 08R
-- @ 1518 -- CX 837 displayed as delay to 1510, but still no sign of taxing
-- @ 1425 --
CX 837 displayed as pn schedule for departure at 1500. Current main departing rwy, 08R, low ceiling & visibility
Looks like according to Routes Online, Lufthansa (LH) is launching the Munich-Vancouver route next Summer. Flying daily, LH plans to operate with its A333 fleet.
As far as I recall, there is currently no MUC-YVR direct flight by other carriers, making this a competitive advantage for LH. With LH's current FRA-YVR schedule, LH 476/477 will not get the chance to give a warm "family salute" to the existing FRA-YVR flight, LH 492/493 (unless either one's schedule alters next year, or, if LH492/493 delays for over 3 hrs).
It is pretty rare for a foreign carrier to have more than one fleet member appearing at the same time in YVR. These occasions ususally happen during the summer such as BA's duol 744s, and Thomas Cook's summer operation. And of course, rare emergencies when a fleet has to be brought in in replacement of a damaged plane. As of now, we won't be seeing two Lufthansa planes at the same time in YVR.
LH492 A346 Approaching 26R - Aug 2012 No longer to be lonley next summer ;) Backdrop of the new Canada Post site
Last week's announcement of WestJet Encore has once again impressed me! With an artistic trait, I should have known! Derived from a French word meaning "again", "and more", encore is to invite the artist back on stage. Whether it was planned, or improvised, artists would appear and performance once again as the audiences appluad and "yell" for more. It would be quite obvious that the selected name through a WestJet owners (a.k.a. all employees) vote is to mark another great success of its operation, an operation that brought surprises, cheers and true quality services to Canadians and foreign travellers. You know, cheer and surprise us "again". It may also imply that passengers are asking for more, and so WestJet Encore was established for "more" services, reaching regional destinations. Following the WestJet Owner vote, a FaceBook posting on WestJet's wall asked for the general public's suggeston for a new name without exposing the choices of their vote (couldn't find the posting now but pretty sure it was a FB posting cause I commented it). What I commented was to retain the name WestJet, regardless if another name is attached to it. I believe that it is very important to present the well-recognized name "WestJet", a name that was well-built over the past 16 years of success. I'm glad that the name was kept, and I'm impressed with the attachment of "Encore"! What I'm really looking forward to now, is the livery on the Q400s. Despite the purpose of the extension to the regional market, the destination part of this whole thing ain't really of my greatest interest. To continue on in preserving the great name of WestJet, the WestJet logo shall not be forgotten and still be presented as the main dish. Or, at least if Encore is to be printed on the left and right of the fuseluge, a large WestJet logo should still be printed at the rear end, along with the original WestJet tail livery. If a new tail livery is to be presented, which makes sense too, then the WestJet logo should be presented no smaller than the Encore print. My preferred prime colour of the fuseluge remains white, or polished silver. Yes, I know, polished silver increases weight, leading to higher fuel cost, and so on ..., but artistically, in terms of being a hot looking plane, I think that the traditional polished silver is just HOT! White is a good replacement now as it looks pure and simple. If there is a new tail logo, the original colours of blue, green and white should be retained; adding an extra colour to diversify the tone can be artistically right, as long as it doesn't take away too much attention of the "WestJet colours". I also quite like the Care-antee livery (or, in French, la garantie qui tient), so one of the Q400 fleets can wear that paint to make it a little special. Oh, and finally, last but not least, the Canadian Flag will make the best finishing touch!
Screenshot of WestJet's FB annoucement The Q400 photo is just a render sample from Bombardier; I'm pretty sure the actual livery will at least contain an "Encore" print.
** Updated on 15 October 2012 - Last flight is changed to 27 October 2012 **
Almost forgot about AirlineRoute's posting regarding CX's alteration to full 773ERs for HKG-YVR starting this Fall! CX has officially annouced the final 744 flight for the HKG-YVR route. Please mark your calendar for this upsetting, yet honourable event: === 27 October 2012 === CX 838 HKG-YVR Dep. 1635hr - Arr. 1320hr 744A (No Premium Econ)* CX 837 YVR-HKG Dep. 1500hr - Arr. 1900hr 744A (No Premium Econ)*
Booking screenshot from cathaypacific.com
* Aircraft fleet/configuration may alter upon operational needs ** Note: The CX 888/889 HKG-YVR-JFK route remains in operation with the 773ERs ==================== The 744s retirement plan for CX extends until 2017. Two were annouced to have phased out last month in September, while one more is expected to receive a great "salute" this month. Doing some "math" here, the 21 fleet of 744s will be down to 19 by end of 2012, 15 by end of 2013, 13 by end of 2014, 7 by end of 2015 and 2016, and a complete phase out by end of 2017. The current 773ERs plus the newly ordered A350s will replace the used-to-be the greatest Jumbo in aviation history. There are currently 48 firm orders of the A350s, 26 of the -900 series and 22 of the -1000 series, while configurations have yet to be annouced. What about the 748i and A380? Looking briefly at the inventory, CX's upcoming A350s are expected to also replace the soon-to-retire A340s and B772s, which totals to 28. With the 48 A350 orders, the remainings should make it out to balance the 21 soon-to-retire 744s, plus a few extras. Of course, this is no straight accounting; the seating configuration and future route plan will make a difference. As a general conclusion, and yes, I mean very brief and general, the chance of the 748i and A380 is not as high as expected. In fact, when the A350 orders were initially annouced, my hope for the CX A380 and B748i had smudged up like rain dropping on a Mona Lisa. Yes, how can you compare the A350s to the A380s and 748is? Well, true, all of them target different passenger capacity, and of course the range as well, but ordering 48 A350s and specifically replacing the 744s and the others is absolutely in no favour of greater capacity aircraft. The current 3-class 773ERs, installed with 340 seats (at least for 838/837's 3-class configuration), in replacement of the 379 seater 744s, shows an intension to decrease capacity per flight. The estimated capacity for the A350s ranges from 314 to 350 in a 3-class configuration (of course, this varies depending on the air carrier's cabin setup). It is not surprising that CX will put aside the larger capacity aircraft for the time being. Meanwhile, looking on the bright side, there is a potential to see the newest Airbus generation, A350XWB (Extra Wide Body), at YVR (and of course, wearing one of my favourite liveries representing Hong Kong, ever!). All ya YVR Plane Spotters out there, grab the best "runway" seats on 27 October 2012! This is one less 744 Jumbo at YVR I'm talking about!
Thougght I'll release a friendly reminder that Virgin's last flight to/off YVR (at least within 2012) is on 27 October 2012. Mark your calendar, pick a spot, and grab some great farewell pictures!
(**Of course, fleet and time may alter according to Virgin's operational needs. Should there be any alterations, I'll try my best to provide updates as early as possible) As ususal, 26R-08L is generally used for landings, while 26L-08R is mainly for take-offs. Don't forget to check the wind direction and potential runway closure (yes, the BIG "X" sign). In the case of crosswind, 12-30 may be used; I've seen LH's A343 landed there before. If crosswind did strike, take a seat at the Public Observation Area in the domestic terminal as it will give you the best 12-30 view ;)
Have you mark your calendar yet? (iPhone shot, effects via Instagram)
The Labour Day long weekend closed beautifully with biking along Ferguson Road by 26R-08L, and, bumping into Mr. EVA 744 on approach to 26R!
Shortly after, as we stopped by Starbucks, Ms. China Airlines A343 waved at me as it approached 26R above River Rock. I have to repeat this point many times, that China Airlines (CI) should really be called Taiwan Airlines because it has nothing to do with China; it is the national carrier of the country of Taiwan. EVA Air in Chinese has a pleasant sound and tone, meaning "everlasting luxury". Why EVA? Well, could be because it was founded by Evergreen Marine Corporation.
As someone who places safety at the top of the value list, I would definitely go for EVA if I have to fly direct from YVR to TPE. However, despite its extremely poor safety record prior to the current millennium (E.g. 90s), in particular the well-known(s) Kai Tak (old HKG) "tail-dipped-in-water-landing" and the "landing-on-the-highly-populated-roadway-by-accident" in Taiwan, CI did perform its operations safety over the past few years (at least to my memory over the past 5 years).
Upon some research on EVA, its Premium Economy cabin was launched in 1992, just a year after it first began operations in 1991. It's Premium Econ was initially offered on 744s in Transpacific flights, one of the first few innovative carriers to target such market segment. As I've emphasized before, Premium Econ is not new, though in recently years, several *big* carriers launched their first ever Prem Econ cabins (E.g. CX, ANA).
EVA currently has a fleet size of 59, mainly operating twin-aisle Airbuses and Boeing's. Soon to phase out all 744s by the newer generation 773ERs, it currently has 3 regular 744s (plus another 4 744Ms), which one of them flies the TPE-YVR route (at least usually during the summer - 773ERs have been assigned before too). I still enjoy spotting EVA Air as it has a fresh green livery and a meaningful name (in Chinese), and most importantly, one of the rare 744s that still lands on the stripes of YVR!
EVA Air - BR10 - B744 - Approaching 26R - 3 September 2012 (iPhone shot, edited using Instagram)
EVA Air - BR10 - B744 - Right Above My Head :) - 3 September 2012 (iPhone shot, edited using Instagram)
Looks like
Bombardier's all new Cseries has officially started the final phases of
ground testing on Aircraft 0 (Zero), a vitual test! Well, definitely an extremely
good news that our proudly Canadian made brand new single aisle aircraft
is very to close to its scheduled first flight in December 2012 - yes,
indeed, on time! Compared to other newly designed aircraft in recent
years by **other** manufacturers, which had 2 to 3 years of delays,
Bombardier is hitting its target fairly well. I mean, unless all the
delays and chaos are hidden, I doubt that the company will withhold
information regarding such long-term delays until now. It is a company
on the stock market after all, and they should know better to be more
transparent if something had been going wrong.
The
recent Farnborough Airshow had increased another 35 orders for the
Cseries, 15 by an unidentified customer, and 20 by airBaltic. There has
also been news about Air Asia's intent for order if Bombardier can
alter the aircraft up to 160 seats. The current CS100s and CS300s have
an "ER" (Extended Range) variant (E.g. CS100 vs CS100ER). Both the
regular CS100 and CS300 have a range of 4,074 km, while their ER
variants have a range of 5,463 km. With Extended Range, both series
have more than enough range to fly direct from YVR to HNL, and a tight
direct flight from YUL to LHR. This means, a CS300ER with up to 145
seats in a single class cabin can potentially replace WJ's 738s from YVR
to HNL (though yes, the 738s can do approximately 160 PAX). Perhaps,
during less busy seasons for this route?
All
I can say now is that I am very proud and excited for the Cseries!
Can't wait to be there for First Flight! Are you going?
A rendered photo of a CS300 (Photo from Bombardier.com)
Commencing testing on Aircraft 0 How I wish I can be part of the Cseries Team! (Photo from bombardier.com)
Following Air Berlin's A332 that made my day yesterday, spotting EVA Air Cargo 744F apporaching 26R above my head as I drove across Arthur Laing really made myself another great day today!
I'm really glad that I live only 10 mins away from 26L, 12 mins from 08R, 15 mins away from 26R, and 17 mins from 08R and the main terminal building! Engine noise? Common, they're a beauty, a musical and magical sound that will waken and bring hope to my life. For me, seeing an aircraft is like seeing an idol, an admirable hero! Aviation is an amazing innovation that connected the entire world, and this is what brings hope to people of all nations ... Each
one of us has something, perhaps things that we value, that will brighten our lives up, and Aviation seems to be the "thing" that'll always make my days whenever I see it.
Do you feel the same way?
Special surprise from plane spotting on 10 August 2012 United special retro livery, N475UA, A320
CX 888, 6 July 2012, HKG-YVR, B773ER (4-Classes Configuration), Premium Economy 34C - a general review followed by suggestions for improvement.
What I really want to express, is that all economy seats should be like premium economy to make everyone love flying on planes! The slight extra inch or two in seat width, the bonus 8 inches of recline, and the five to six inches of extra leg room, really make a difference in travelling experience. Think about it, if all economy seats are of the quality of premium economy and the cost remain as they are, I bet over 80% of economy passengers walk off the plane with great satisfaction, happily ever after! Of course, the economy part (e.g. cost of airfare) and seat supply is another matter.
Still massive spacing in front - can definitely fit another foot of my size in front of each shoe. As a reference, I am approx. 5 ft 7 in tall.
Extra large and cotton-packed pillow with a blanket that is at
least twice as warm as the regular economy ones
Premium Economy personal care kit - includes socks, eyeshade,
toothbrush, and earplugs. Haven't seen these inflight kits for ages!
Didn't even get one of these on the YVR-JFK Business Class
ride last time ...
Without further research and consultation, I believe that the spacious A380 can make it happen; it's just a matter of redesigning the cabin, reconsidering load factors, cost, etc, etc, etc. I mean, if an A380 that is replacing a B747 or 777ER route, and won't be filled up entirely anyways (500+ Seats versus 300+/400+ seats), why not give the economy passengers an enhanced experience - good competitive advantage!
The meals and utensils are of better quality, just like what it has been promoted. One of the main difference compared to economy, other than the taste, is the better presentation of the food. Dinner was great, and Brunch was fair.
A picture means a million words, so here we go ...
Dinner - Presentable Entree
Appetizer: Creamy Vegetable Salad w/ Ham
Entree: Grilled Beef Tenderloin w/ Madeira wine sauce, potato mash w/
Italian parsley, sauteed spinach and carrots
Dessert: Haagen Dazs Ice Cream
Closer look at the entree: Grilled Beef Tenderlion w/ Madeira wine sauce,
potato mash w/ Italian parsley, sauteed spinach and carrots
Stainless Steel Utensils
Brunch - Nicely presented eggs
Appetizer: Fresh Seasonal Fruit
Entree: Onion and Bacon Frittata w/ hash brown, Cumberland
sausage, mushroom and grilled tomato
Dessert: Yogurt
Famous Bonne Maisan Jam in glass jar - Very presentable!
Extra spacing for drinks is a plus! However, the space for the beer cup is shared with the seat beside.
Menu just like all other classes
The overall service of the Flight Attendants is good. Nothing that really "Wow" me, but definitely slightly better than the Economy class. This could also be contributed by the priority meal services; the Flight Attendants haven't asked the same question to 50 other passengers before reaching us. Drinks and snacks were offered throughout the flight in person like all other cabin classes. There were no "personal welcome" at your seat like the Business/First classes (E.g. Mr. Tang, welcome on-board), neither were they referring to your name when serving meals, which is totally fine for me because I find it a bit unnecessary for the Flight Attendants to me "Mr. Tang" a million times throughout the flight.
Curtains were closed after the first meal, making the Premium Economy area a private cabin. The B773ER's 4-classes configuration has a private washroom within the cabin, making it even better! Please note that there is noprivate washroom on all other CX aircraft with Premium Economy - this includes the 3-Classes only B773ER, 4-Classes B744, and 3-Classes A333.
The exclusive private washroom within the Premium Economy cabin
is only available on the 4-Classes configured B777-300ER.
Rooms for Improvement ...
As a recommendation for improvement, I would hope that the services offered for Premium Economy PAX are aligned with what is advertised on promotion materials. The following discrepancies were identified for my particular flight:
1) Priority Boarding
As promoted on CX's website (http://www.cathaypacific.aero/premiumeconomyclass/index.html?lang=en), Premium Economy PAX gets priority boarding. Although the pre-recorded annoucement by the boarding gate said, not exactly the same statement but with the same meaning, "for First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy, Marco Polo Members, and One World Alliance Members, we now welcome you to board first ...", ground personnel directed non-Marco Polo Premium Economy PAX to the regular economy line-up. I was lucky as I am a Marco Polo member, otherwise I would have to wait by the regular line.
2) Welcome Drink
As stated on the Premium Economy webpage (http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_CA/whatonboard/premiumeconomyclass), it states that "you will be greeted with a welcome drink of champagne and juice and a hot towel ...". However, no champagne was offered. If you look at CX's Premium Economy Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/cathaypacific/app_307611065967150), a comment was also made (by the name of Neil Roberts), that there were no welcome drinks and that the Flight Attendants did not seem to be aware of it.
Aside from the discrepancies, a leg-rest would be much preferrable for all Premium Economy seats. Currently, only the very first row offers leg-rest, while all other rows are installed with a three-positioned foot-rest. A leg-rest supports your entire leg as shown below on the image to the right. A foot-rest is like a pedal in front of the seat where you step on and rest your foot, shown below on image to the left. CX offers a "three-positioned" foot-rest, which is slightly more advanced than a traditional economy foot-rest and just as it is named, you can lock the pedal to three different positiosn to fit your comfort. Mind you, the three-positioned foot-rest is comfortable especially with the extra legroom; however, I would recommend that all seats are aligned to make things fair.
First Row: Leg-rest All Other Rows: Foot-rest
Overall Experience
iPhone shot from 34C - CX888
As you've read, there are obviously more compliments than recommendations. My overall experience was extremely pleasant! The seat was extremely comfortable, though I have to say that I am bias in a sense that I prefer the traditional Business Class layout (similar to CX's Premium Economy) because I feel more like riding a plane! Flat-bedded seats are great and have their own unique comfort level, but it doesn't feel like a plane ride. Not sure if you get what I mean, but just my feeling. Pricing wise, it is doubled of a regular economy fare (YVR-HKG Economy from CAD1,170 and Premium Economyfrom CAD2,344, tax and fuel surcharge included). If you can afford some spare money, but not as much as a Business fare fromCAD 4,487 (YVR-HKG), then I would highly recommend Premium Economy.
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