Flight review: Cathay Pacific launches luxe new Aria Business Suite
Part of a $21b upgrade of this international airline’s fleet, this new suite has a sliding door, a 60cm television and an on-screen map showing when toilets are free.
Part of a $21b upgrade of this international airline’s fleet, the suite has a sliding door, a 60cm television and an on-screen map showing when toilets are free.
Take a seat
Cathy Pacific’s next-generation Aria Business Suite is part of a $21bn upgrade of its fleet, cabins and lounges. The Hong Kong carrier has given its 777-300Rs a detailed makeover, retrofitting 45 flat-bed business, 48 premium economy and 268 economy seats. It’s only a fortnight since liftoff out of Sydney and I’m the second Australian journalist on board.
Business is configured 1-2-1 and I’m mid-cabin in the centre row, angling away from the aisle (reverse herringbone). In a cabin of neutral tones and suede walls, there’s a pillow waiting for me on a seat book-ended by a leather headrest and leather-padded footrest. Bamford, a British wellness brand, supplies an amenities kit including mouthwash and cooling gel presented in a burnt-orange, faux leather bag. The cubicle has a sliding door to shut out the world after takeoff, and an hour after we have been fed most are closed. This feature really nails the privacy aspect.
The seat measures 53.3cm wide with a 109.2cm pitch, extending to 190.5cm long, including the ottoman (with storage). It’s not a tight fit but stowing my backpack above was a good idea. It can be tricky toggling for the right seat position, but there are five settings.
Storage is a focus. A marble-style console has a cupboard (with mirror) holding headphones and water bottle. Pull back the counter to reveal a cavity for passport and wallet, as well as a padded area for spectacles and phones. The bi-fold meal table has a clever slot to hold a mobile phone or iPad.
That’s entertainment
The 24-inch 4K high-definition TV screen is the largest offered by the airline, and there’s literally 1000 movies to choose from. I go for Heretic, Hugh Grant’s toe dip into horror.
A standout feature is the Bluetooth option for BYO headphones but, as an old punk rocker who loves his sounds, the supplied Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones are excellent (as you’d expect for $499.95 retail). Cathay Pacific’s commitment to Hong Kong art, which I have just experienced touring the region’s Art Basel fair, populates the cabin.
On the menu
A non-vintage Tattinger Brut Reserve champagne is served on seating – and topped up. Cathay has partnered with Michelin-starred Hong Kong restaurants Louise and Duddell’s for its latest menus. Dinner starts with a prawn-and-cucumber taster, after which I opt for a steaming minted pea soup. For the main, I lap up the signature wonton soup loaded with egg noodles (a stewardess says it is a staff favourite).
Other options include zucchini and asparagus risotto, tempting braised pork ribs with hawthorn berry sauce, steamed halibut, and a chicken rendang dry curry. To follow is a strawberry-and-rhubarb crumble, tofu tart with red bean or rock-solid Haagen-Dazs ice cream (which I can’t resist). On waking from a five-hour uninterrupted sleep, I choose a light breakfast of fruit, pastries plus a soft wheat tortilla bursting with hot scrambled eggs and chorizo, topped with tomato chutney. Other options are bircher muesli; a Chinese offering of abalone, conpoy dried scallops and dim sims, and; omelette with bacon and pork sausage. Illy coffee is piping hot.
Tech talk
My seat has a built-in wireless charging console, but I settle on my trusty USB cord after having little luck connecting to the free wi-fi for business (and first-class) travellers. Other passengers can choose from three wi-fi packages: $32 for more than six hours, $21 for six hours or less, or $16 for an hour continuously. Soft LED lighting is housed in a little black oval lamp hanging from the side console. The on-screen lavatory feature is a winner; at the tap of a button a seat map of the cabin shows the toilets with a handy real-time green icon for vacant or red for engaged.
At your service
Three crew regularly check in. When I seek help with the wi-fi charging, we try together and the stewardess apologises, explaining it is “all new for me too”. I love honesty.
In the bag
Business class check-in allows 40kg across two bags and hand luggage of 10kg.
Make your points
Cathay Pacific favours its own Asia Miles program but is part of the Oneworld alliance.
On the ground
It’s a busy night at the revamped The Pier business lounge, but subtle lighting keeps everything chilled in Cathay’s largest venue at Hong Kong airport. Find a quiet space to set up your laptop, refresh with a shower, unwind at the teahouse, or settle in at the Western-style food hall or noodle bar, where dishes are cooked fresh. Locals recommend the dan dan noodles with a Cathay Delight mocktail of coconut milk, kiwifruit juice and fresh mint. The Pier is being used as the template for revamped lounges across Cathay’s network, with JFK in New York next in line. The neighbouring first-class lounge recently teamed up with Mott 32, one of the most awarded Chinese restaurants globally.
In the know
Aria business class is available only on three routes so far: five times a week on selected Sydney-Hong Kong flights; and daily into London and Beijing. Cathay Pacific aims to roll out about one retrofitted 777-300R a month.
The bottom line
A one-way business class fare from Hong Kong to Sydney is $HK24,537 ($4994), based on airline website search two months from publication.
The verdict
The new Aria suite is a slick, sophisticated offering that repositions Hong Kong again as an attractive layover option for travellers flying to Europe. More storage, better tech, and great food, service and comfort – what more could you want?
Garry Ferris was a guest of Cathay Pacific.
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