CX New business class (coffin class) design feedback
 

I flew back in business class Sydney to HK on CX100 yesterday - Captain Tong at the helm.

Here's some feedback for those interested, I also submitted similar comments on the CX form but not sure whether it will actually ever be delivered or feedback noted.

Cabin Crew: 10/10 Professional, attentive, assertive, smiling. They really did a great job.

Food: Ran out of my choice (Indian). Replacement vegetarian (which looked the best on the trolley) really was mediocre. Not the cabin staff fault. These tickets are V expensive - running out of selections is just not on. Yes I understand the logistics but the problem has a solution - pre ordering at check in. Starter was good, wine selection ok but the cheese that was served was too cold. Overall catering quality 4/10

IFE: fantastic 10/10. Really superb system.

Seat design: Very comfortable 7/10.

Business Class Design: 3/10.
I traveled with a business colleague. We couldn't talk to each other. Both agreed that it felt like sitting in a coffin. The area wasn't wide enough to open up a newspaper unlike the old traditional fore/aft seating design.I noticed that the seatbelt buckle is of the "car type" connector and that there is an airbag built into the strap. Seems like a "kluge" to me especially in a prang in brace position. Overall it felt very claustrophobic compounded by the usual roasting hot cabin air temp despite requests to reduce it. It must have been around 25 deg in there.

Overall not bad but personally I prefer the old configuration. Looking forward to comparing Qatar Business.


BTW Kingsford Smith really is a rip off. AUD$4 for a baggage trolley ! Please. Travelex wanted to charge AUD$9 as a fee to transfer AUD back to HKD. I changed it back in HK for a much cheaper fee for the same rate. It really felt that the airport was taking the pi$$ out of the passengers.

How do you rate Captain Tong's performance? PA's, use of seat belt sign, landing, taxing, etc.?

Mr Tyler/Mr Pratt,

incoming report from the adoring customer, please put on the rose-tinted blinkers that we provided before reading.

With our syconohantic love - as always,

Marketing/Product

(kluge, yours is one amongst hundreds, possibly thousands, of similar reports on this. Note that the senior management have been made aware of these reports - and having considered the cost of actually rectifying the issues, thought about the bottom line profit first. As an aside, when CX introduced the Magellan seat, the 'not so flat' biz class seat, hosties had actually taken photos of several pax who had slipped down during sleep and were being gently 'garrotted' by the lap belt. These were also passed to senior management out of concern for pax safety/comfort - and ignored, sorry reviewed and then ingored, in the same manner. A small glimmer of hope - the lady in charge of selecting all of these seats - Ms Bloefeld (apologies to James Bond) has discreetly 'left the company'. Our sincere apologies - the real people in the airline know how you feel)

Regards,

N1 Vibes

Morning

My experience is that my feet always stick out into the aisle and every time someone walks by I get bumped. Now I'm not that tall but it is really becoming a problem when I'm trying to sleep. I commute and I try to have a good sleep before coming up for work the next day.

Image what it's like for the average Australian/American/Canadian person who is 6ft or taller?

I do like the flat bed but I can't talk to the Missus - nicely done planning :)
but the dangling feet into the aisles is annoying.

Even when sitting up and putting my feet on the little foot rest, they still hang over. A very little footrest I may add.

That's my biggest concern.

When I have to pay full-fare to get back up for work I usually sent a suggestion form to the Company. But as of today I still have not received a reply from them taking note of my concern.

I hope that through this forum the powers that be can take my concerns and fix them.

It could be a good product, if they only listened to the public and crew concerns before they launched the product.

CZ

Zero

Straight from the Horses gob.... It wasn't designed for people to talk to each other. It was designed for business travellers who want privacy... Yeahhhhhhhhh. I find it comfortable because I'm short and anti social.
If your choice of meal is not available......... READ THE BOTTOM OF THE MENU............ ass covered.

It's not exactly a restaurant, sir. . . . Or do you fly for food? :{

If you are going to charge someone north of 20,000HKD for a seat on an 8 hour flight, how friggin' hard is it to have some food for them ?????
He was'nt on staff travel :ugh:

Can't talk to the misses?

Can I get this configuration at home?

Rumour is that TT is very supportive of the business seats and that it will take a small nuclear device to change his mind and to lose face.

The Virgin ones work. They are wider, angled more so you don't get you feet knocked by people walking past and are made of superior materials. Ditto the Air New Zealand ones, altogether a better product with more solid construction. CXs are like a Ford America interior, the other airlines' are much more Mercedes.

The privacy/ sociability aspect is the biggie. A bunch of responders to inflight surveys said they wanted privacy so the airlines went that way, ignoring the 49% who wanted to converse.

Why not a dagger board system like on the old First Class? Too complicated, too expensive (huh?) and too heavy were the answers given.

One day we will have seats designed by people who can afford to fly in them.

This is the key. Can't see it happening though, can you?

I was asked to be involved in the early testing of the new generation of First seats - spent a day up at Cathay City (got paid a fair sum for my troubles). Gave hugely detailed feedback, as did the other person there that day and I am sure many others.

The differences between what we tested then and what appeared over 18 months later? None at all as far as I can tell. Somebody was going through the motions because the bosses wanted them to be able to tick the box that said "have you tested this on customers". Apparently there wasn't a box labelled "have you done anything as a result of the feedback from the customers".

How about these - Air Canada similar concept but not so closed in:

Photos: Boeing 767-333/ER Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net

Is it reasonable to criticize our own product in public ?

( I guess this was my first company-defending post on pprune, unbelievable:})

I think that poster was asked as a customer not a pilot to give his opinion.

I opened this month's Business Traveller magazine and the letter of the month? A huge spray against CX's J class seats entitled 'seat or cell'. The letter states what has been said here and the usual response from CX.

AC version
 

The AC conversion is crap. At 6' 5" (with a wife @ 6') and now at the stage in my life that we travel for pleasure; we are in the front of the bus so we can enjoy the flight and each others company. Mrs A does some travel presentations and photography is impossible from these seats. On the South America legs the AC aircraft are in various stages of conversion so seat choice is a crap shoot. We now avoid the airline on this route.

As I understand it there is a Mark 2 J class seat ready to be implemented that cures some of the criticisms.:ok:

Seriously though, CX are dingbats. You don't have to be Einstein to have seen the potential problems the seat would have upon roll out.

It's all about the money guys.

CX sings like a bird....Cheap Cheap....

just a safety question, where do you guys watch the safety demo when seated in the new c class?

On the personal videos.

I have no idea how a manual demo could be done except to each passenger individually (or in pairs across the aisle I guess).

At 6'3" I can see from most seats when the crew indicate the nearest available exit, but it is obvious that people of smaller stature would not be able to see at all.