CGK - YYZ - which airline to choose?

[andySYD]

I am planning for a trip (CGK - YYZ) in early March with a bunch of friends. One offer was with Emirates, but the flight would take 14 hours (CGK - DXB) and then 12 hours (DXB - YYZ). Plus I only earn Skywards points, which I would not be able to cash easily considering I don't fly it very much.

Another alternative is with CX. Pricewise it's almost the same with Emirates. Does anyone know what equipment (is it the new honeycomb design?) they fly on CX 826?

I am afraid SQ costs 1.8x Emirates plus they don't fly to YYZ without codesharing with Air Canada (right?) so it's out of the options for now.

Anyone have better idea?

[KeithMEL]

What class of travel? And are you looking to accumulate status miles?

You'd be able to accrue the CX flights on your QFF account of course. If flying in J or F I'm sure the huge chunk of SCs will go a long way in gaining QFF status (subject to the 4 QF segments rule). On the other hand all eligible Economy fare buckets earn at 0.5 point/mile, except for Y which earns 1point/mile. You do still earn SCs on most fare buckets.

You can earn UA award miles on EK flights, but not status miles.

FWIW unless you're looking to use QFF points on upgrades, I think the UA award miles are worth a lot more. On the other hand you might not want to end up orphaning miles on a new account - so all depends on whether the amount of miles you'd earn on the UA account is at a level that justifies starting a fresh FFP.

Service-wise I feel that EK has the edge over CX in Y, but CX has a nicer long haul J product (varies wildly by aircraft when it comes to EK). I've tried neither in F.

[milehighj]

Another alternative is with CX. Pricewise it's almost the same with Emirates. Does anyone know what equipment (is it the new honeycomb design?) they fly on CX 826?

With CX and EK being at the same price point, I would definitely go for CX. I've only flown EK on regional J, but didn't get the impression that it was in the same tier as SQ or CX.

Btw, the herringbone seating on CX has had bad enough reviews. Don't want to imagine what a honeycomb format would be like...

[SQflyergirl]

Don't want to imagine what a honeycomb format would be like...

6 pax sit facing each other in a hexagonal layout, toes facing each other and playing footsie. We'd get to know each other pretty well by the time the flight's over !

[KeithMEL]

6 pax sit facing each other in a hexagonal layout. We'd get to know each other pretty well by the time the flight's over !

Hehe that confused me for a bit. I was wondering what revolutionary product launch I'd missed.

In J it's a no brainer if you can't find SQ at an acceptable price point - go with CX for the better product and the QFF accrual.

[flyboy777]

Emirates have their new lie-flat business class on the DXB-YYZ which although angled, is only angled by a fraction & although I haven't flown it myself it's apparently very good. It looks narrow to me though.

http://emirates.com/uk/english/flyin...ess_class.aspx

Another point is, with such a small incline, EK fliers have said that it is flat anyway since aircraft cruise at a slight angle of attack.

http://pic.carnoc.com/pic/20060815/2...0856263774.jpg

Needless to say, if you don't fly very much then for the sake of your Qantas account(s) go Cathay. Either way you can't go too far wrong