Cathay Pacific 777 Aria Suite Business Class: Great Seat, Stellar Tech!

Hello from Hong Kong, as I’m now well into my review trip, and completed the highlight of this journey. I just flew Cathay Pacific’s brand new Boeing 777-300ER Aria Suite business class, on the 11hr50min flight from London (LHR) to Hong Kong (HKG).

I was obviously looking forward to this flight, given that this represents Cathay Pacific’s next generation business class, which only recently debuted on long haul flights. I had heard mixed things about the product — the new seat’s tech is almost universally praised, while I’ve also heard some people mention that the footwells are quite tight.

In light of that, I must admit that the experience exceeded my expectations, and I think this is a phenomenal product. Quite honestly, I hadn’t flown Cathay Pacific on a long haul flight in a long time, and I think this ranks as one of the best out there. I was also reminded of what a world class brand Cathay Pacific is. I kind of forgot that during the pandemic, but my gosh, Cathay Pacific nails so many aspects of the passenger experience.

I found the suite to be very comfortable, and when you combine that with elegant design, excellent amenities, tasty food, and friendly service, Aria Suite is a winner. In this post I want to share some initial thoughts, and then soon I’ll have a full trip report.

Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite seats are gorgeous & comfortable

Cathay Pacific’s new Aria Suite is a reverse herringbone seat, in a 1-2-1 configuration. It’s a heavily customized version of the Collins Aerospace Elements seat, which is almost unarguably the best reverse herringbone seat out there.

Before we even talk about functionality, though, I have to comment on how gorgeous the cabin is, and how high-end the finishes feel. The cabin just feels so luxurious and stylish, in terms of the colors, the materials used, etc. Cathay Pacific is a brand with such a focus on design (as is evident based on the carrier’s lounges), and Aria Suite really captures that.

Aesthetics aside, what stood out to me about this reverse herringbone seat compared to others? There are some thoughtful design elements, from the lamp at the side of the seat, to multiple storage compartments (including the “counter” opening up).

The Aria Suite has a door, though it is one of those doors that doesn’t quite close all the way. There’s a small gap — personally that doesn’t bother me much, since it’s not like a door actually gives you full privacy, but rather it contributes to feeling like you’re in a cocoon. I appreciated how easily the door could slide open and closed.

Now let me address the common complaint I’ve seen people mention when it comes to Aria Suite — the footwell is quite small! Yes, that’s absolutely true, the little ottoman inside the footwell isn’t as big as one would hope. Ordinarily that would drive me bonkers, and I’d view it as a major oversight for a new product, since it limits the ability to get comfortable, and not feel too restricted.

I was worried about this when I first boarded. But here’s the thing — once I made my bed and reclined my seat, I actually didn’t notice this issue at all. I think there’s an important distinction here that has to be made.

A small ottoman bothers me if the entire footwell feels tight, and limits my ability to sleep comfortably. But I didn’t find that to be the case in the slightest. I’m a side sleeper with big feet, and I was positively surprised by how spacious the area felt around my knees. I had zero issues getting comfortable, and I could easily turn around over and over again without bumping anything.

I found this to be among the most comfortable business class seats that I’ve slept in. I got nearly six hours of nonstop sleep, which for me, is basically unheard of.

Personally, I give the seat nearly perfect marks, and I’d say it’s comparable to Starlux’s A350 business class (which uses the same seating platform).

Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite tech is next-level

Another area where Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite shines is with the tech. Each seat has a 24″ 4K entertainment monitor, which just couldn’t be better. The screen almost feels too large, given how close you’re seated to it.

This screen is so crisp, and the entertainment system is also highly responsive, so tech really doesn’t better than this. The map feature is excellent as well.

Of course there’s bluetooth audio, but even beyond that, I love some of the innovative features Cathay Pacific has introduced, like a screen that will show you which lavatories are unoccupied, and where they are in relation to your seat.

Beyond that, you have all the charging ports you’d expect, including AC power outlets, and USB-A and USB-C outlets.

Another simple but thoughtful feature I like is how there’s a small monitor next to your seat that shows how much time is remaining inflight.

I know this might sound silly, but I think this is brilliant. For example, when I’m sleeping and want to see how much time is left inflight, I don’t want to turn on the entire entertainment screen, because I’ll then struggle to go back to sleep, given that the brightness will wake me up.

So to be able to glance at a small and relatively dark screen and see how much time is left is awesome.

Cathay Pacific’s business class amenities are excellent

One thing that made the Aria Suite experience even more comfortable was the incredible bedding. Cathay Pacific partners with Bamford for bedding, and has what I’d argue is the best duvet on any airline. It’s almost like what you’d expect in a bed at home. On top of that, there’s a mattress pad, plus a huge, plush pillow.

The Bamford partnership continues with amenity kits, and you can even pick your preferred color.

I like the contents of the kit, like Bamford products, plus a very comfortable mask.

Cathay Pacific also offers slippers in business class, which are useful for when you want to get up during the flight.

Cathay Pacific’s business class food & service are very good

My overnight flight was departing at around 6PM and arriving around 2PM. Dinner was served after takeoff, and I thought the food was very good. Service began with both mixed nuts and a smoked salmon canapé. I had a negroni to drink — yum!

For the starter, I chose the poached prawns with spiced horseradish and tomato sauce, which packed quite the punch in terms of flavor. I loved this dish, and thought it was one of the more creative starters I’ve been served on an airline.

For the main course, I ordered the roasted cauliflower with chickpea stew and mint raita. Once again, this was excellent, and I thought it was nicely plated. Cathay Pacific is currently featuring some Chinese wines, and I couldn’t help but try one, as that was a first for me.

Lastly, I had some green tea tiramisu and a cheese plate, both of which were super tasty.

The creative food options (by airplane standards) continued with breakfast, where I had a smoothie bowl of sorts.

Not only was the food great, but so was the crew. This flight had a mix of London and Hong Kong based flight attendants, and they were awesome. Admittedly Cathay Pacific has a significantly different service style than other Asian carriers, but I wouldn’t consider that to be a bad thing.

Service feels pretty personalized, as there’s basically one flight attendant assigned to each section. Gary was taking care of me, and he was awesome. Cabin service manager Paul was very professional as well.

Bottom line

I had an excellent flight in Cathay Pacific’s new Aria Suite business class, and I can’t wait to see this product rolled out on a widespread basis. In some ways, I felt like I was falling in love with Cathay Pacific all over again on this flight.

I hadn’t flown Cathay Pacific long haul in many years, and while I’ve continued to use the carrier’s lounges frequently, I hadn’t put much thought into the onboard product. If you ask me, the Aria Suite experience ranks among the best business class experiences out there.

I have some of my rankings I need to update, like about the airlines with the best bedding, the best entertainment, and the all-around best business class. Very well done, Cathay Pacific!

What do you make of Cathay Pacific’s 777 Aria Suite business class?