Cathay Pacific will debut a new “Aria Suite” business class on Boeing 777-300ER aircraft during the second quarter of 2024.
I didn’t expect to see an all-new business class on Cathay Pacific until they took delivery of Boeing 777-9 aircraft, but that plane type has been delayed and the new seat will be on retrofits. There’s no word of a retrofit first class however. Here are some of their new first class concepts that have been teased for new variant Boeing aircraft.
Not a lot of details are shared about the new product, beyond what’s in this video. But it looks like an Adient Ascent seat to me? It’s highly customizable, so doesn’t mean it’ll be akin to the version that American Airlines has selected as its new business suite, or to the seat that Hawaiian has for its 787. It could also be a Collins Aerospace seat.
The video doesn’t give us a lot to go on, but it appears that the doors are fairly short, suggesting that the business class cabin will be dense – beautiful suites but a small footprint, not a lot of space per passenger. In this way it may be similar to the British Airways Club Suite.
In the past I’ve redeemed a lot of my American Airlines AAdvantage miles for Cathay Pacific first class, and for business class on a number of intra-Asia routes. Their product has long been solid. The airline’s route network isn’t fully recovered from the pandemic, and award seats have been difficult to come by for long haul flights. Furthermore, the airline is devaluing its own Asia Miles program October 1. These facts combine to make me a bit less interested in the new product, along with Cathay’s and Hong Kong’s turn inward towards mainland China. Still, they’ve long been a quality airline and I look forward to seeing what this looks like upon launch.
Meh. Unless they have amazing award availability, there are better ways to get to Asia that avoid supporting the CCP.
Quick, someone tell Lufthansa that a new cabin need not take 8 years.
CX’s Business Class product (and its overall branding) are overdue for a refresh. Understandably, the pandemic took a toll on Cathay Pacific, and it is now recovering. The current branding and premium cabin look screams 1996, when it was last refreshed. The HKG lounges CX operates on the other hand are gorgeous.
I’m hoping for a 1996 look, or anything pre-Mainland China, during the Golden Age of Travel. My dream is to fly Cathay Pacific some day. Do I really have to fly through Hong Kong to do so? I do have OW status, and Qatar Airways gets me where I want to go, in top style; nonetheless, I may give Cathay Pacific the old college try, sooner or later.
Somebody should tell @Adam L that Cathay Pacific is controlled by Swire Pacific, which in turn is controlled by John Swire & Sons, a UK company . . . not the “CPC.” If you have bought a Coca Cola product in the western USA (distributed by Swire Bottling) or have shopped in any of the new developments in Brickell Center in Miami (owned by Swire Properties), you have similarly done business with Swire.