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As an outsider to CX I have to agree the cabin service has gone downhill quite rapidly in the last 5 years or so. It seems that gone are the days when 'westerners' would comment positively and attribute the excellent service to the lovely Far East approach to service industries. Doubtless those same lovely ladies who, in the past, provided such good service are now as cheesed off and jaded by the same penny-pinching and continued degradation of their terms and conditions as the rest of us are. Unfortunately, as the front-line of Cathay's customer service, they are now damaging the brand and it is having an a detrimental effect. By way of only a teeny-tiny example, my wife recently travelled from Oz to the UK and back with CX. She was in J and the price was very competitive. Not the cheapest but we thought it was worth paying the extra for the imagined improved cabin service over the other, cheaper, players. Well, that was a decision we regret and Cathay have lost another customer. I know, I know, don't let the door etc. The thing is, my wife is one of the least demanding people you will ever meet and yet she could not muster one good word to say about the Cathay experience. Several of the comments already made here were included in her description of the flights, including the lacklustre meal services, the amazing ability of the cabin crew to disappear, the sighing and tutting when she had the temerity to ask for more water (what on earth was she thinking) and the distinct impression that she was being done a HUGE favour when the crew deigned to do their job. It's something you'd expect of an American airline and certainly not one based in the Far East. Anyway, yesterday we were talking about an upcoming trip and I'd researched the various prices again. Cathay was immediately crossed off the list, with the only comment being, "I'm not travelling with them again".

As for the PAs, well I find myself in the Curtain Rod boat with this one. I'm very aware of the necessity of having to do certain announcements regarding seat belts, codesharing etc but, really, do we need all the bolleaux that's been spouted since the Sunderlands cut across the skies? Once upon a time the pax had no idea of what time they might be landing, the proposed route, the weather at the destination etc. Nowadays it's ALL on the IFE. It bugs the hell out of me when my movie gets interrupted by a top-of-climb lecture about all the things I can see on my screen. It REALLY bugs me when I then have to hear it all again in another one or two languages. I won't rant about my over-riding hatred of "fasten your seat belts" X 3 languages when the sign goes on and then the "keep them fastened when seated" X 3 EVERY time it goes off again To then rub salt into the wounds and have to listen to the ETA (again), the weather (again) because it's now up-to-date and all the other blurb in three languages, when I'm trying to see the end of the movie that's been interrupted so many times already, really gets my goat. The ETA is on the TV and, as Curtain Rod said, what difference does it make? You can't influence it, you can't re-plan, you can't do anything different given the information, so why repeat what's been on the screen for the last XX hours? Likewise the weather. Oh, it's 30 degrees and sunny. In that case I'll change my clothes for arriving in the air conditioned terminal. 15 degrees and raining; I'll change my clothes for arriving in the covered, dry, terminal. It makes not one iota of difference in the modern world and is complete nonsense left over from days of old when that information wasn't available to all and sundry. Clearly this is NOT aimed solely at CX and I only dragged out my soapbox because the subject was in this thread. I travel with Qantas a lot and exactly the same comments apply to them. Everybody, shut up on PA unless it's mandated and/or safety information. I have to add I do practise what I preach and refuse to do anything more than the required talking.

And now the sun looks low enough that it's time for a beer. Cheers fellow aviators .

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