Cathay Pacific unveils swanky new Aria Suite business class

Cathay Pacific took the wraps off its newest business-class seat today, showing off its new “Aria Suite” at a preview event in a hangar at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG).

The airline first revealed plans for the new Aria Suite back in March 2024, though the carrier has been relatively quiet about it until now, only saying that the new suites would appear later this year aboard Cathay’s Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Well, it looks like the first plane with the new suites aboard is just about ready to take flight later this week and TPG got a sneak peek at the airline’s event.

Here’s what we saw at the Cathay Pacific event and what you need to know about the airline’s new business class.

What is the Cathay Pacific Aria Suite

Cathay Pacific has been flying a consistent version of its current business class (with some updates as newer aircraft like the Airbus A350 have gone into service) for over a decade now, so the introduction of the Aria Suite represents a big step into the future for the airline.

That said, they are more of a significant evolution than a complete departure for the airline. Like Cathay’s current business class, Aria Suites are laid out in a reverse herringbone-style 1-2-1 configuration, so each seat has direct aisle access.

Those on the sides of the cabin are angled outward toward the window and are great for solo travelers, while those in the center section are angled toward one another, so they might be preferable for passengers traveling with a companion.

Each Aria Suite still has plenty of privacy, though, thanks to high seatback shells, adjustable dividers between the center seats and closing doors shielding them from the aisle. Doors are an increasingly popular feature of next-generation business-class seats, though this is the first time Cathay Pacific has offered them.

Unlike some other airlines like Virgin Atlantic and Starlux, which have turned some seats in the first rows of their latest business-class cabins into a superior, roomier product, Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suites will be uniform throughout.

Aria Suites are decorated with a more neutral color palette of taupe, cream, sand and brown tones rather than the airline’s signature green, creating a calming environment on board.

They also incorporate a variety of surface and stowage areas including a wide, woodgrain and marbleized armrest to one side of the seat with a top panel that slides open to reveal a shallow cubby, designed for storing valuables; and another convenient cubby (whose interior lining does provide a flash of that signature green) tucked into the seatback shell under a stylish seat-mounted reading light.

Among the technological advancements Aria Suites will offer are new 24-inch 4K high-definition entertainment screens, which are among the largest offered in business class by any airline, and they have Bluetooth audio connectivity, so passengers can use their own headphones. The airline promises that passengers will soon even be able to sync up their entertainment choices with travel companions thanks to new system functionality.

One particularly interesting new feature is the “activity modes” of the seat. Passengers can select from movie, work, relax, dine and sleep modes and at the touch of a button, the suite with adjust the seat position and lighting to suit that activity. In addition, a guide on the IFE screen will advise passengers which lavatories are occupied and which are free for use.

The seats also feature universal power plugs and both USB-A and USB-C charging ports for personal devices as well as wireless charging pads so you won’t have to detangle a Gordian Knot of cords when you board or deplane. Passengers can also take advantage of free Wi-Fi.

The seat’s bifold tray table slides out from under the entertainment system and has a device holder for tablets integrated into its design.

The tray table also has a unique feature allowing it to be positioned easily at any height in its range by pulling or pushing it into place.

As you might expect, each seat reclines to a fully lie-flat bed and passengers can expect the same soft amenities currently available in Cathay Pacific business class including premium bedding, Bamford amenity kits and menus created in partnership with well-known Hong Kong restaurants.

Don’t forget to cast your eye toward the very front of the cabin, where each plane outfitted with Aria Suites will display a unique piece of art inspired by Hong Kong’s cityscapes and natural surroundings, and created by artists with a connection to the destination as part of the airline’s so-called “gallery in the skies.”

Which planes will have Cathay Pacific Aria Suites?

Cathay Pacific will install Aria Suites aboard its fleet of 30 Boeing 777-300ERs at a rate of about one plane per month, meaning the entire retrofit should be complete by the end of 2027.

The airline is removing first class from these jets, though it has disclosed plans to install an all-new first-class product on its forthcoming fleet of Boeing 777-9s, of which the airline has ordered 21, and which it expects to take delivery of starting sometime in 2026 (pending any delays from the jet manufacturer). The Boeing 777-9s will also have Aria Suite business-class cabins on board.

Want to tell if a specific flight has the new Aria Suites aboard? Your first clue will be if the 777 has a first-class cabin or not. If it does, it has not yet been retrofitted.

If your flight is on a three-cabin (business, premium economy and economy) Cathay Pacific 777, the next thing you have to look at is seat count. The airline’s current three-class 777s have 368 seats: 40 business-class seats, 32 in premium economy and 296 in economy.

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NICKY KELVIN/THE POINTS GUY

Boeing 777-300ERs with the new Aria Suite will have 45 business-class seats, 48 premium economy seats and 268 economy seats. So they are gaining 5 seats in business class and 16 seats in premium economy (which will also be an updated product previewed for us in April), but losing 28 economy seats. The economy seats are also a refreshed version of the existing product.

The business-class cabin on reconfigured planes will be split into two sections. The first, at the front of the plane, will have six rows of four seats each plus a single side seat in the last row. The smaller section, which will be behind an area with the galley and a lavatory, will have five rows of four seats each. The whole business-class cabin will have a total of three lavatories; two at the front near the cockpit and one in between the two sections of business class.

If in doubt, check your flight’s seat map against the seat configuration displayed on Cathay Pacific’s website of Boeing 777-300ERs with Aria Suites aboard — they will be denoted at 77J.

Which routes will feature Cathay Pacific Aria Suites?

We do not yet know exactly which routes will feature Aria Suites long-term, but it is expected that once the airline has taken delivery of 3 retrofitted jets by January, they will begin flying long-haul routes.

For now the first Cathay Pacific jet to sport them will be operating daily flights between Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) from Oct. 18-31. Specifically, the jet will fly the following frequencies:

• Cathay Pacific flight CX 332 departing Hong Kong at 12:00 p.m. and arriving in Beijing at 3:30 p.m. local time.
• Cathay Pacific flight CX 331 departing Beijing at 4:50 p.m. and arriving in Hong Kong at 8:35 p.m. local time.

These flights are subject to change, though, so always double-check your seat configuration ahead of departure in case there are any last-minute equipment swaps.

At the time of publication, business-class seats appeared to be sold out in both directions on most days, but that could be for a number of reasons. If you do intend to be in the region and can take one of these flights (remember to check visa requirements!), you might have better luck booking close in.

How to book Cathay Pacific Aria Suites business class

Due to the limited number of planes likely to have Aria Suites in the near future and the single-jet-per-month rollout time frame, it’s unlikely that we will see Cathay Pacific 777-300ERs with the new suites on board flying to the U.S. on a regular basis anytime soon. That might not matter too much, though, since Cathay Pacific business-class awards have been nearly impossible to book using American Airlines AAdvantage or Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles in recent years.

Hopefully that will change and if it does at current mileage prices, you’ll need 110,000 American miles or 75,000-85,000 Alaska miles from the airline’s destinations in the U.S. including Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) starting in April 2025, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

In the meantime, however, your best bet might be trying to redeem miles from Cathay Pacific’s own Asia Miles program in order to book award flights on the carrier. The program is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles and Citi ThankYou Rewards. Tickets between Hong Kong and the airline’s various U.S. gateways will range from 84,000-110,000 Asia Miles one-way in business class.