It’s been expected that Cathay Pacific will call its new first class on the Boeing 777-9 “Halo Suites.” We’ve only seen concepts they were playing with for it. It’s delayed, because the 777-9 is delayed now by at least six years, to 2026.

But the commitment Cathey has to the product is extreme, delaying retrofits of Boeing 777s to retain first class until the new product is available, and the airline’s chairman believes when they reveal what is next it will be unrivaled.

• Cathay’s plan has been to offer first class only on its 777-9 fleet
  
• And to retrofit its Boeing 777-300ERs, the only plane in the fleet that has first class today. That aircraft would lose first class (in favor of new Aria Suite business class)
  
• They’re putting off some of those retrofits to maintain a skeleton fleet with first class, pending delivery of these new planes.

Cathay promises that its new first class will be mind-blowing.

Patrick Healy, the Cathay Chairman, reinforced the airline’s commitment to first class. “If you aspire to be one of the best – or ultimately, hopefully, – the best premium airline in the world, then having a world-leading first class is part of that. I think it’s difficult to claim that you’re really up there without an outstanding first class product.”

…Chairman Patrick Healy said the new product is “mindblowing,” adding that it is “a really, really special product and very impressive.”

New first will be revealed in 2025 – or 2026 – depending on the schedule to finally receive 777-9 aircraft.

The truth is that even the aging first class product remains one of the best in the world. It is ‘open’ in that there are no doors, but with a spacious footprint, and fantastic soft product.

• There are just six seats in the cabin, in a 1-1-1 layout.
  
• Service and amenities are excellent. Food is good, I’m a sucker for their cooked on board rice, their made to order eggs, and their dim sum.
  
• It remains the seat that gives me probably the best sleep in the sky.

On the limited routes where it’s available there have been semi-frequent dumps of award availability, generally bookable only with Cathay’s own Asia Miles.

The current iteration of Cathay Pacific first class doesn’t compare to the new Emirates first class on the Boeing 777, and doesn’t offer onboard showers like the Emirates A380. It doesn’t have a seat and separate bed like Singapore and Etihad on their Airbus A380s. And the ground experience in Hong Kong isn’t on par with Air France in Paris or Lufthansa in Frankfurt. But it is still one of my top products and I’m glad to see them continue to invest even if Hong Kong as a destination is less significant than it was six years ago.