Cathay Pacific first introduced their current first class product a decade ago, in 2007. Cathay Pacific’s first class hard product continues to be on of my favorite in the world. The cabin has just six seats and is in a 1-1-1 layout, making it quite intimate. While the cabin doesn’t have fully enclosed suites, it’s something I quite like in this instance, as there’s no sense of claustrophobia when you’re trying to sleep. It’s one of the things that makes Cathay Pacific’s first class bed so comfortable.
While Cathay Pacific’s first class seat has had the same “bones” for a decade, Cathay Pacific did start a slight first class refresh program in 2013. Here’s Cathay Pacific’s first class product through 2013:
Here’s the product after they refreshed it:
If it looks very similar to you, that’s because it is. The seat has the same “bones,” they just reupholstered it and made some mild cosmetic changes.
For example, with the original seat, there were buttons with which you could control seat functions.
With the refreshed product, there’s a touch monitor where you can control the seat functions.
Well, if you’re flying Cathay Pacific first class in the future, you may find yourself on a plane with a slightly different first class product yet again.
AusBT reports that Cathay Pacific is refreshing their first class product yet again, and four planes should have the refreshed seats by the end of the year. What changes can we expect?
- An 18.5 inch HD screen replacing the current 17 inch screen (I’ve long thought that while Cathay Pacific has an extensive entertainment selection, the video quality is horrible)
- The entertainment screen will have a new deployment mechanism to make it less wobbly, and so it can be moved around with only one hand (this is also overdue)
- There will be a new handset similar to what Cathay Pacific has in their A350 business class
- There will be buttons to indicate whether you don’t want to be disturbed or want to be woken up (this seems unnecessary, since Cathay Pacific offers a dine on demand service, so this is something that’s better to discuss with the crew)
- There will be new high-power USB ports (finally, I hate how slow so many USB ports charge)
These are minor but positive changes, and I look forward to seeing the new product flying. Cathay Pacific expects to introduced a reimagined first class product on their 777-9s, of which they have 21 on order. However, it’ll be several more years before those are in service.
Just use the seat plugs to keep your device alive, and charge at your destination.
@evan @ lucky It's also helpful to have a faster charge when you're actually using your phone. If it's a slow charge, like in some cars, you are sometimes still draining the battery faster than the USB is charging it. So, if you forget or procrastinate charging your phone on the flight, it could be the different between a charged phone and living the 3% life on arrival.
What's the point of a bigger screen if the IFE source material is garbage quality in the first place?
@anon
I agree, I should have specified usb onboard for long flights, worked for me on a 11 hr jal flight a few days ago, took about 3 hrs to charge.
best thing I have found is a clone phone that can swap out batteries, ( and 2 sim cards too)
@mike murphy, USB is too slow for charging power packs , especially if you are in public and presumably on the go. After trying a USB-only charging power pack, now I only buy power packs with built-in AC plugs
use public usb charge ports to charge your power pack, not your phone
That is the best way of travel. I'm always VIP.
I second anon's advice.
Don't use a public USB port if you value your privacy.
A rogue USB port can compromise your device's security.
I've only flew CX F once from HKG-BOS. That IFE screen is long overdue for a replacement. Also, CX's 77W doesn't have wifi (not when I flew it) so putting my phone and tablet on airplane mode without any radios turned on fully charged them for the nearly 16 hour flight.
Not trying to troll here, I promise... but is there really a big deal with "slow charging" for a transpacific flight (obviously on a <3 hour flight this is a bigger concern)?
I can't imagine my experience using a device would change one bit on a 9+ hour flight whether it took 45 minutes or an hour and 45 minutes to get a full charge.
@ Evan -- It's a fair point, though keep in mind that CX also operates these planes on some shorter routes, including HKG-BKK. Regardless of how long the flight, is though, it's nice to have something charge efficiently. Sometimes I only remember to charge my phone towards the end of the flight, and it's nice when you can still get a full charge at that point. It's not a huge deal or game changer, but anything that improves performance is a positive, in my opinion.
Hmmm...I have a CX F flight coming up in late January HKG-LAX. I imagine they'll start rolling these out on the LHR and JFK flights, but LAX seems like a possible third city for the refreshed product.
@ Ben L. -- I don't suspect they'll intentionally put the product on any routes. Since the configuration is identical, it'll likely just be filtered through the system as efficiently as possible. At least that was the case when the last refresh happened, if I recall correctly.
" I hate how slow so many USB ports charge" i never use USB port for charging, always bring your own AC charger to guarantee fast charging.
Amazing credit to CX design that this seat is a decade old and still is competitive. It's only the tech parts that age it, so a new screen and handset seems like a smart move.