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CX 744 Y SIN-HKG: An evolutionary dead end in Y seat design

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  • #16
    I recently had the opportunity (two actually) to sample CX's regional Y on their 777 and A330, which also use their fixed back Y seats.

    It was great to have the opportunity to sample once again the fixed shell Y seat design that was the subject of the original post in this thread. This is the seat that promised the best of both worlds: recline without affecting the passenger behind you, but didn't quite deliver the goods.

    This fixed shell Y seat, so notorious in longhaul Y, has apparently become (according to various online sources at least), CX's regional Y product.

    I flew SIN-HKG and HKG-SIN on a CX 777 and a CX A330 with this product installed. The subsequent posts, are about my flight CX715 HKG-SIN on a newly configured A330 with the fixed shell Y, the very same seat I disliked so much on the 744.

    Were my impressions any better this time round? Read on to find out...
    Last edited by yflyer; 18 January 2014, 09:56 PM.

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    • #17
      My flight was CX715 HKG-SIN...a 3.5 hour hop, operated by an A330. Not a long flight. Perhaps ideal to test out a regional Y product.

      Last edited by yflyer; 28 June 2020, 05:37 PM.

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      • #18
        I had flown the older CX A330's with the "antique" but extremely comfortable Y seats in the past, so it was initially a pleasant surprise to find myself on a CX A330 with the new config.

        This was still 2-4-2 in Y, but with the newer fixed shell Y.



        J was the new regional J but I wasn't able to snap any pictures of that.
        Last edited by yflyer; 28 June 2020, 05:37 PM.

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        • #19
          As a quick recap, these seats appear identical to the 744 Y seat reviewed in the earlier posts in this TR.

          When you "recline the seat" the back and seat slide forward, with the shell remaining fixed, so that the person behind you is unaffected by the recline.

          This is the CX A330 regional Y seat in upright position...



          And this is the maximum reclined position...



          All well and good as far as the seat base and back are concerned...

          But the flaw in this design is....THE HEADREST REMAINS UPRIGHT...

          This was an issue on my earlier 744 flight. On this evening service to Singapore, this was a major issue.

          I normally pride myself, as yflyer, as being able to contort myself into a comfortable sleeping position in any kind of Y seat, whether I am on an SQ bird, an Emirates 10-abreast 777 sardine can, a United bird, or an A320 or 737.

          However, I was not able to find a decent sleeping position in this fixed shell seat at all. Incredible! I can't imagine what kind of zombies walked off this plane after 12-14 hour sector like SFO-HKG.

          I found myself wishing I was in the old A330 Y seats, or the old 777 seats, even though the IFE on those was much more primitive. Heck, I would have been happy without ANY inflight entertainment if the seat had proper Y recline (however miniscule...).
          Last edited by yflyer; 28 June 2020, 05:38 PM.

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          • #20
            On a more positive note, cabin service was attentive and cheerful, and IFE on this plane was the top-notch Studio CX system, on sharp, vivid widescreen LCDs. If no-one could get any sleep, at least they kept you entertained, and well fed/watered...
            Last edited by yflyer; 18 January 2014, 09:15 PM.

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            • #21
              More on the seats...there were no ugly IFE boxes under the seats.





              The emergency row in the middle/wing section of the plane on this A330 were particularly spacious.



              This was also true of the first row Y bulkhead seat on the CX 777 on my earlier flight (no pics, unfortunately). Huge amount of legroom.
              Last edited by yflyer; 28 June 2020, 05:38 PM.

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              • #22
                IFE on this flight...



                Great system, with a reasonable selection of movies, TV and music, although the touchscreen was not as responsive as I would have liked.

                Last edited by yflyer; 28 June 2020, 05:38 PM.

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                • #23
                  And to round of this series of posts, here is some of the catering on board...

                  Gin & tonic (prepared with a lemon slice)...



                  A choice of either chicken with rice, or pasta, on this flight...



                  Beautiful cup design, in red on this flight, but I've also seen green ones...



                  And prior to this flight, I also visited The Bridge, CX's new J lounge in HKG. More on that here.
                  Last edited by yflyer; 28 June 2020, 05:39 PM.

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                  • #24
                    Overall, my flights on the 777 and A330 with the fixed shell Y seats didn't change my opinion on these seats. In fact, these flights reinforced my opinion that this was a flawed design that made these seats (whether on a 744, 777 or A330) less comfortable to sleep in than conventional Y seat designs.

                    In fact I would even question the wisdom of CX putting this seat on regional flights. On some regional flights, it is still desirable to catch a few minutes of sleep. It is almost impossible to do so with this seat design.

                    Thank goodness the latest CX longhaul Y design, for example, on the 77W, is conventional (and quite excellent). I wonder why they don't scrap this fixed back model altogether.

                    Thanks for reading!
                    Last edited by yflyer; 19 January 2014, 06:23 PM.

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                    • #25
                      Thanks for the great report, yflyer!

                      ANA use similar seat in their 787 Y cabin. That is painful for me to sit in the seat for a red-eye flight from SIN to HND.

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                      • #26
                        Great report! I probably wouldn't opt for CX at all in the future. I'd say these type of seats discriminate against tall people, just like how local public transport to charge kids by height instead of by age.

                        Originally posted by jbflyer View Post
                        ANA use similar seat in their 787 Y cabin. That is painful for me to sit in the seat for a red-eye flight from SIN to HND.
                        Even their 767s have similar design, just with the headrest connected to the seat. Very bad for long legged people like me, I need at least 2 seats to myself to recline fully and probably sleep. Have opted not to take ANA anymore after they have completed most of their refurbishment (on one hand you wish for refurbished aircraft for better IFE, yet the refurbished seats are bad, unless the flight is very empty).

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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by jbflyer View Post
                          Thanks for the great report, yflyer!

                          ANA use similar seat in their 787 Y cabin. That is painful for me to sit in the seat for a red-eye flight from SIN to HND.
                          Thanks for the info, jbflyer! I have never tried the ANA 787...maybe if the opportunity arises I should try it out on a daytime flight, and not a red-eye...

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                          • #28
                            Originally posted by fone View Post
                            Great report! I probably wouldn't opt for CX at all in the future. I'd say these type of seats discriminate against tall people, just like how local public transport to charge kids by height instead of by age..

                            [snip]
                            Thanks, fone! I am quite short, and I still don't like that seat! If I ever fly SFO-HKG on Cathay, I will go out of my way to be on their 77W, and not their 747...

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                            • #29
                              Great TR! I've sat in these fixed shell-backs in the past. Were these the same old seats from the 77Ws (which they replaced with a more 'conventional' seat)? Was this A330 you were on previously without AVOD because I noticed the contour of the windows and they resemble an Airbus aircraft built in the late 1990s or early 2000s.

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                              • #30
                                Originally posted by hybridace101 View Post
                                Great TR! I've sat in these fixed shell-backs in the past. Were these the same old seats from the 77Ws (which they replaced with a more 'conventional' seat)? Was this A330 you were on previously without AVOD because I noticed the contour of the windows and they resemble an Airbus aircraft built in the late 1990s or early 2000s.
                                Thanks, hybridace101!

                                I believe this fixed shell Y seat was supposed to become the longhaul Y product initially, and was fitted to 747 and 77W, but because of poor feedback, on the 77W this was changed to an even newer Y seat with conventional recline. My most recent Cathay 77W flight from SFO-HKG was on the new Y seat, and it was very good. The TR for that flight is here.

                                I believe CX now use the fixed shell Y seat mainly as the standard seat for regional flights, although others on this forum have pointed out that some longhaul CX 744 routes may still have this seat as well.

                                For the A330, the one in this TR uses the Y fixed shell seat, and has full AVOD. I had previously flown an older A330 with the old Y product and no AVOD (Covered here). The old seats were comfortable, though!

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