Cathay Pacific Talks About Their New First Class Seat

A year ago I wrote that Cathay Pacific planned a new first class product for their Boeing 777-9s on order. That’s worthwhile news because:

  • Many airlines are getting rid of first class, this shows a continued commitment to the cabin
  • It’s been many years since Cathay did more than change the carpet and seat upholstery in first


Current Cathay Pacific First Class

At the time Cathay indicated they weren’t sure whether the new first class will feature enclosed suites, because according to their research passengers like a ‘society’ element (see and be seen). And it wasn’t clear how many seats the cabin would feature. Current Boeing 777 first class has just six (2 rows of 3 seats each).

Since the planes are still at least 3 years off from delivery they have time on the product. However they aren’t just keeping the design a secret, they actually don’t know what the design will be.

“We are still in the process of working on our options,” explains Vivian Lo, Cathay Pacific’s Head of Customer Experience & Design

…“Ultimately we need to understand what our customers expect, and what they prefer most.”


Current Cathay Pacific First Class

Cathay hasn’t determined whether it will offer enclosed suites. They haven’t settled on a supplier for seats yet either. Once they do, based on the supplier’s current offerings, they’ll “co-create” the seat.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. I love everything about the current seat except the lack of an air nozzle. Hopefully they’ll include one in the next incarnation.

  2. If they want to understand what customers want it shouldn’t be too hard. It’s prob one of the most reviewed first class products in the world.

  3. Progressive management wants to know what the first class passenger wants. The customer is king. It’s a shame some domestic service in the U.S. is based on what the passenger must endure.

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