A new premium experience is set to fly for Cathay Pacific as the Aria Suite for its 777-300ER fleet was unveiled this week in Hong Kong. Boasting increased privacy and comfort, the new layout will soon be crossing the globe for the airline.
The revised layout offers 45 business class seats and 48 in premium economy, up from 40 and 32 on the existing 3-class layout. The economy class cabin shrinks by 28 seats (and a closet is removed) to make space for the increased premium seating on board, without dropping too many seats overall.
Simplicity and comfort with Aria Suites
The Aria Suite was custom developed for Cathay in partnership with JPA Design. It retains the reverse herringbone layout and lie-flat beds Cathay’s passengers enjoy today, while adding increased privacy with a sliding door.
The design was then developed on the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond platform, though Cathay Pacific notes “virtually every surface that a customer can touch on this seat is bespoke or has been customized” by the carrier in the process. Among those customizations, the main body of the seat is covered in wool designed for comfort and breathability, while the headrest and ottoman are covered in a soft premium leather.
Additional storage features heavily in the seats, as does the digital experience. Travelers will have a 24″ screen with Bluetooth pairing, tablet holder in the tray table, wired and wireless charging, and a “second screen” remote with limited entertainment features available.
Seat controls shift to a digital console, continuing a trend in the industry. It trades the “convenience” of customization and preset layouts for the accessibility of distinct physical buttons that passengers can easily discern and control.
Pushing Premium
The premium economy cabin also sees an update on board, with a customized version of the Recaro R5 seats being installed.
The updated seats feature 15.6″ 4K screens with Bluetooth integration, winged headrests, and updated tray tables, among other features.
Minor tweaks for Economy
The economy class cabin is not being ignored, though its refresh is slightly less significant than those for the premium cabins.
The existing Recaro seats will remain on board, with new dress covers installed. USB and AC power remain, as does a personal entertainment screen, now with Bluetooth pairing.
Upgrades to the IFE system come thanks to a new generation of hardware from Panasonic Avionics on board. For inflight connectivity Cathay will continue to offer free service for business class passengers. Diamond tier members of the carrier’s loyalty program will also have free access in all cabins from November 2024.
The first refreshed Cathay 777 will enter service on 18 October serving Beijing. Additional regional routes will be added as 30 aircraft are converted to the new layout over the years ahead. Long-haul destinations in Europe, the Southwest Pacific, and North America are expected to see the aircraft progressively from early 2025.
Of note, the retrofits will not only update the existing 3-class planes, but also some of the 4-class aircraft. First class service is not disappearing completely, however. Cathay promises a “world-leading” first class experience on its 777-9 fleet, assuming Boeing can deliver the planes. The manufacturer’s latest troubles pushed initial airline deliveries to 2026 at the earliest.
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