Could this be the new world’s best business class? A resounding yes

The airline: Cathay Pacific

• Route London Heathrow to Hong Kong, flight CX250
• Frequency Daily
• Aircraft Boeing 777-300ER
• Class The business class Aria Suite; 23D, centre left.
• Flight time 12 hours, 22 minutes (leaving on time and arriving 30 minutes early)

Cathay Pacific’s new Aria business class features on its Boeing 777-300ER planes out of Sydney and London.

Checking in

The Aria Suites causing such excited industry chatter are being gradually rolled out, and the airline’s entire fleet of 30 B777-300ER aircraft is to be refitted by 2027. Currently the landmark cabins are on flights CX161/162 Sydney-Hong Kong and CX250/CX251 Hong Kong-London Heathrow.

Dedicated to savouring every morsel of Cathay elegance (literally and figuratively), I’m five hours early, excited to use the airline’s Heathrow Terminal 3 Business Class Lounge as a workspace while devouring dumplings. Luckily, there’s one staff member at the empty counters this early to check me in.

Baggage

Two 32 kilogram bags, one 10-kilogram carry-on plus one small item.

Loyalty scheme

Cathay Pacific is a founding oneworld alliance member and Qantas partner (the latter’s frequent flyers earn 120 status credits and 7400 points on this leg). For regular Asia flyers, the airline’s Cathay loyalty program offers excellent benefits, like a business class lounge pass when reaching an achievable 200 status points.

The seat

Cathay’s new Aria Suites are causing much excitment in aviation circles.

Standing ovation, gold medal, this cloud-like flat bed with quilted topper and fluffy 400-thread-count duvet is a sky cocoon. There are 45 Aria Suites in a 1-2-1, herringbone pattern divided between a forward and rear cabin and three dedicated bathrooms.

The seats convert to lie-flat beds more than 190-centimetres long.

The seats themselves are 21 inches (53.3 centimetres) wide, with a pitch of 43 inches (109.2 centimetres), and 75 inches (190.5 centimetres) long when flat. Every whisker of space is working hard; an armrest flattens, widening the bed at the shoulder, the foot well accommodates knees-bent side sleepers, and a shoulder-high sliding door provides privacy. Leather-clad headrests and oyster hues add to the premium hotel feel.

Entertainment + tech

The entertainment screens are enormous.

Woah, now that’s a screen, 24 inches (60.96 centimetres) of 4K ultra-high-definition awesomeness. There’s even a dedicated 4K movie category and I go into a short-list frenzy, covering all bases with the realistic bloodbath of Gladiator II and more sedate Wilding with phenomenal macro nature images.

There’s Bluetooth for personal earphones, an in-table phone charger (the USB-A and USB-C charging ports are faster) and I develop a design crush on the innovative inbuilt control panel and screen app for checking lavatory status. Micro details like the light diffuser (but why no spot lamp for reading?) and the cubby’s non-slip pad for potentially sliding items whisper quiet luxury.

Service

Staff are still getting used to the new seats.

A passing staff member responds to a seat belt adjustment request with “I’ll be right back!” and disappears into the void. I press the call button to un-Japanese the TV language and end up waving at a crew member like I’m hailing a taxi. In the witching hours, I do a second call button test (for a hot chocolate) and a crew member appears within milliseconds – a more accurate depiction of the engaging and professional crew’s famous standards.

The full cabin of first-time Aria guests unfamiliar with the suites (it’s also most of the crew’s first Aria flight, one confides, making me immediately empathetic), means initially the five crew are simply run off their feet with questions. Cathay Pacific, do your exceptional staff a favour and add a sixth member until Aria-frenzy settles.

Food

The food is a highlight.

The food is spectacular. We have the full dining experience: amuse bouche, appetiser, main course and dessert. A prawn amuse bouche sets the tone, served in a glazed, jade-hued pot that wouldn’t be out of place in a Michelin restaurant. A silky zucchini soup with crunchy croutons follows before the braised chicken with mushrooms and bamboo shoots in oyster sauce with jasmine rice, dried pear and cordyceps flower (a type of Chinese mushroom) that’s both elevated and comforting. I atone for the passionfruit cheesecake and caramel popcorn snacks with a light breakfast of warm croissant, and yogurt with chia seeds, pepitas and dried cranberries with a delicious smoothie.

Sustainability

Cathay Pacific aims for zero carbon emissions by 2050 and has been a pioneer of sustainable aviation fuel, co-initiating the Hong Kong Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition.

One more thing

The business class galley features artwork, a mindscape by Hong Kong artist Victor Wong (of the Gallery in the Skies program), an unexpected cultural nod.

The price

Return business class tickets (all business cabins are priced the same, including those with Aria Suites) from London to Sydney via Hong Kong are from $9700.

The verdict

Could this be the best business class in the skies? A resounding yes. Famed for its design savvy legacy, Cathay has knocked the ball out of the stratosphere with thoughtful technology and style, deservedly the winner of best new business class at TheDesignAir Awards. The last airline to sport such innovation was the Finnair business seat, but the bonuses of privacy doors and exemplary staff in the air and in the stellar lounges make Cathay Pacific the one to beat.

Our rating out of five

★★★★½

The writer flew as a guest of Cathay Pacific.

*For more information about air travel and sustainability, see iata.org

**Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and subject to change.