Cathay Pacific unveils luxe new business, premium economy and economy class cabins

Cathay Pacific has launched its bold new cabin designs, with Aussie travellers looking likely to be among the first to experience the new levels of luxury.

While Cathay Pacific’s newly re-designed cabins are now flying through the skies, there remains one undecided part of the airline’s bold new plans which could see Australia playing a pivotal role.

The newly refurbished Cathay cabins on the Boeing 777-300ERs  – the reimagined Aria Business Suite, all-new Premium and refurbished Economy – were launched in Hong Kong late last week, with the first voyage to Beijing taking off on Friday.

The airline announced local Asian destinations would be the first stops for the newly designed aircraft, but as for the first long-haul destinations, it appears the race is on to decide between Australia and Europe to send the newly outfitted aircraft from January.

The new multi-million dollar cabin designs are sure to impress

While Vivian Lo, Cathay Pacific’s general manager for customer experience and design, stated Europe and probably London would be first port of call, a senior Cathay exec later confided to Escape during a sneak peek walk-through of the aircraft that, “Australia will be the first for long-haul, into either Sydney or Melbourne.”

Either way, the new multi-million dollar cabin designs have impressively placed Cathay, which has been overshadowed by other carriers in recent years and also struggled with such issues as pilot shortage, firmly back in the main game.

There are 45 new flat-bed Aria suites

Gone is the first-class cabin, replaced by the 45 new flatbed Aria suites and the expanded and redesigned 48 Premium cabin, while Economy with its 268 economy seats has been given a stylish makeover.

The new flatbed Aria Suites.

The Aria suites have taken the existing Business class seat and turned it up a few notches with a range of new features, most notably a sliding door that make the space fully enclosed, adding a sense of privacy. For the centre section where seats are side-by-side, an additional middle privacy screen has been included.

An additional privacy screen has been installed.

Cathay’s traditional green colour scheme has been replaced in the Aria suite by warmer cream and caramel tones on the suede walls, with better padded cushioning making the seat more comfortable. Surface spaces are now topped in a marble finish, and a larger old out table. 

Other aesthetic additions are also evident, with the Gallery in the Skies featuring artworks from a range of local artists in the communal Business areas.

The cabin has been designed with cream and caramel tones.

The touchscreen Seat Customisation Centre control is where the fun is, where with the touch of a button, an array of presets for lighting and seat position transform the suite into the ideal modes for take-off, work, meals, reading, screen-watching or bedtime. The high-definition TV screen is also markedly bigger at 61cm.

There is new storage spaces for headphones, phones, passports and shoes. A wireless charger also streamlines the need for cables.

The wireless charging is a game-changer

See also: Online trick to booking yourself an excellent flight stopover

The biggest change with the new designs is in the all-new Premium cabin which has undergone a dramatic transformation to now sit competitively alongside other Premium offerings from Qantas and Singapore. 

As Vivian Lo stated, Cathay’s Premium can no longer be considered a case of ‘Economy Plus or ‘Business Lite’. “This is now very much its own  cabin,” she said.

The 48 Premium seats are in 2-4-2 configuration, featuring a better ergonomic design, stronger cushioning, leather headrest with adjustable privacy wings, swing-up leg rest, additional storage, more focussed reading light and an additional cocktail table. The new 4K ultra-high-definition TV screen is 40cm.

The touchscreen Seat Customisation control centre is a hoot, too

Premium has its own amenity kit and duvet, and two dedicated toilets. The seat space, the same as before at  53cm wide and a 101 cm pitch, is used more effectively. 

The Economy cabin has undergone cosmetic changes likes updated dress covers, expanded overhead bin space and some ergonomic upgrades. This cabin, Vivian Lo says, is next on the agenda for an overhaul, including a new approach to the toilet facilities, with more of the amenities to become hands-free and foot controlled.

The tablet holder is clever too

One thing passengers in each cabin will have access to, and is sure to make traffic throughout the aircraft easier, is the new ‘Lavatory monitor’ which will show on screen where each cabin’s toilets are and when they are free or occupied.

The Cathay plan now is for one refurbished 777-300 to be rolled out each month over the coming 18 months. 2026 will mark the next chapter, with the arrival of 22 new Boeing 777-9  including Cathay’s new first-class seat.

The writer travelled to Hong Kong to inspect the new cabins as guest of Cathay Pacific

Originally published as Cathay Pacific unveils luxe new business, premium economy and economy class cabins