Experience Cathay Pacific Airways’ New Business ‘Aria Suite’: How Does Its First Door-Equipped Seat Perform? [Report]

Cathay Pacific Airways announced its new business class ‘Aria Suite’ and premium economy class in October 2024. A total of 30 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft are slated for refurbishment, with gradual deployment primarily on long-haul routes.

Until mid-January, the Tokyo/Narita to Hong Kong route offers one round trip per day. Afterward, it is deployed on the Hong Kong to London/Heathrow route, indicated by ’77J’ on the availability and flight status screens.

The aircraft features a total of 361 seats, with 45 in business class, 48 in premium economy, and 268 in economy class, showing an increase in business and premium economy seats.

Personally, I felt that the previous business class was a relatively well-completed area with seats accessible to everyone, and premium economy was comfortable enough for the Japan to Hong Kong route, making it one of my favorite seats, so I was curious about the evolution. This time, I flew one way in business class ‘Aria Suite’ and returned in premium economy on the Tokyo/Narita to Hong Kong route. (Report cooperation: Cathay Pacific Airways)

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Cathay Pacific Airways operates from Terminal 2 at Narita International Airport. The business class check-in counter is conveniently located near the center and labeled as ‘I’. The security check and immigration areas are also nearby, heightening anticipation once check-in is completed, and a boarding pass and lounge invitation are received.

At Narita International Airport, the ‘Cathay Pacific Lounge’ reopened in February 2023. It took over the former American Airlines lounge that ceased operations pre-COVID, increasing its size by 2.4 times compared to its predecessor.

Cathay Pacific operates six daily flights between Tokyo/Narita and Hong Kong, five direct and one via Taipei, catering to a large number of passengers. The lounge accommodates 235 seats, offering a calming space depending on the time of day.

Meals are served buffet-style, with a varying menu offered for breakfast and later times, always including at least one Chinese dish. On this day, lunch included ‘Arrabbiata’, ‘Smoked Salmon Roll Sushi’, and ‘Inari Sushi’. Many look forward to the famous noodle bar offered by Cathay Pacific. Although not available currently, they plan to introduce it.

Although I was on an evening flight, I arrived at the airport early in the afternoon, too eager to wait. I perhaps overindulged, but there’s always room for in-flight meals.

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As boarding time approached, I headed to Gate 65 where many passengers, mostly visiting foreigners, were waiting to board, carrying numerous souvenirs. The first refurbished Boeing 777-300ER (registration: B-KPO) was nearly full, highlighting the power of the Japan visit boom.

Upon boarding, the familiar brushwing logo welcomed passengers.

At the business class entrance, an art gallery featuring works by Hong Kong-related artists creates a soothing space.

The ‘Aria Suite’ in business class maintains the symmetrical reverse herringbone 1-2-1 layout. The color scheme shifts from the previous green base to a softer gray and brown theme with rounded designs that create a calm and relaxed ambiance. The seats are based on Collins Aerospace’s ‘Elements’ and designed by JPA Design.

While the seat layout remains the same compared to previous models, the monitor has transitioned from retractable to fixed, increased in size, seatbelts upgraded from 2-point to 3-point, and privacy doors have been added. Center seats have movable dividers for flexibility.

My seat this time was 17K, located by the window from the first row to the 7th row. When seated, the cushion felt comfortable, and the large monitor was impressive. Without the door fully closed, privacy felt maintained as the presence of those next to and diagonally in front was not visible even with an open door.

Beside the table, there is storage for a water bottle and headphones, and next to the seat, deep enough storage for a laptop, as before. Additionally, a sliding table and space for storing a smartphone or passport have been introduced. Wireless charging is also provided.

Seat control has been upgraded from physical buttons to a touch panel, retaining precise movement options which leave a favorable impression.

Likewise, the aisle-side armrest offers three options: raising, lowering, and sliding down, expanding the horizontal area when fully flat—a subtle but appreciated feature.

The table folds up and down and slides out from beneath the monitor. It’s spacious enough for a 13-inch laptop, allowing you to stand comfortably during meals.

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A choice of champagne ‘Piper-Heidsieck Essentiel’, orange juice, or water is offered as a welcome drink. I opted for the champagne and we departed.

Food and drink menus are pre-set. The drink menu features the previously mentioned champagne, plus red, white, and dessert wines, beers, whiskeys, and a selection of soft drinks. Coffee is provided by Italian brand Illy and tea by British brand JING TEA, with five and seven varieties, respectively. Hong Kong-style milk tea is also an option.

Shortly after takeoff, the drink service commenced. I enjoyed a kiwi-based non-alcoholic cocktail ‘Cathay Delight’ and snacks while awaiting the in-flight meal.

I started with appetizers featuring soft stewed octopus, eel, and cha-soba, capturing the essence of Japan. Main courses included three choices: Hong Kong-flavored ‘Chicken Braised with Scallions and Ginger in Shaoxing Wine’, ‘Beef Stew with Red Wine and Roasted Mushrooms’, or ‘Miso-marinated Halibut with Mixed Vegetables and Rice’.

Hong Kong flavors included a variety of dishes such as dim sum, clay pot rice, fish ball noodles, and egg tarts, offering a taste of Hong Kong with at least one main choice available.

According to Cathay Pacific Airways, onboard meals highlight delicious and affordable seasonal items that reflect the routes flown. For Japanese routes, they incorporate flavors like teriyaki and sukiyaki, which are popular with foreigners, always including cha-soba.

For dessert, I enjoyed fruit. If you’re not too full, ice cream and cheese options are also worth trying.

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The monitor is enlarged to 24 inches and upgraded to 4K, with newly added Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to connect your Bluetooth headphones and enjoy in-flight entertainment.

For those who, like me, are not fond of the provided headphones, this feature is a welcome addition. However, I forgot how to connect and had to look it up via in-flight Wi-Fi. You can still use the wired Bose headphones provided as always.

Movies include popular titles that trended in Japan, like ‘Kingdom’ and ‘Fly Me to the Saitama’. Cathay Pacific Airways and Singapore Airlines, Asian airlines, are noted for having a broad selection of Japanese content, making in-flight entertainment user-friendly.

A unique feature shows the availability of lavatories. It indicates available locations for each cabin class—three for business class and two for premium economy. When checking bathroom availability, movies or music pause, ensuring you can safely leave your seat mid-viewing.

Additionally, complex actions like watching external camera footage while listening to a music album and skipping a song can be handled simultaneously on the screen. Whether such functionality is necessary is uncertain, but it covers all bases.

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Since November 2024, Wi-Fi has been available free of charge for passengers in Business Class and higher as well as Cathay Diamond members. Plans to equip all aircraft by 2025 are underway.

Normally, a ‘Message Pass’ for messaging only costs $3.95 USD, a 1-hour pass is $9.95 USD, and a flight pass is $12.95 USD. T-Mobile HotSpot provides the service. Login is simple with a seat number and name. Logging in on another device will log out the current device.

Browsing websites, sending/receiving emails, and watching YouTube videos were possible. Music streaming is also supported, with speed showing no signs of lag.

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I checked space availability on the monitor and headed to the restroom. It is stocked with hand soap, body lotion, and face mist from the UK organic brand Bamford. On long-haul routes, an amenity kit with Bamford products is also distributed.

Non-contact features such as touchless buttons and foot-operated trash bins were also incorporated.

Closing the door and relaxing fully flat, I quickly arrived in Hong Kong. A report on the return trip lounge at Hong Kong International Airport and the premium economy class is set for the next article.