Cathay Pacific unveils new regional business class

Cathay Pacific Airways recently unveiled its new regional business class product, coinciding with the airline’s 66th anniversary as Hong Kong’s home carrier.

Speaking at an unveiling event held at Cathay Pacific City, the airline’s headquarters, Chief Executive John Slosar said, “Our new regional business class seat was developed after listening to our customers’ feedback and it underlines our commitment to excellence in innovation and providing an exceptional travel experience.

Our continued investment in products and services is a key element of our ongoing commitment to the development of Hong Kong as one of the world’s leading international aviation hubs.”

The new inflight product is the result of an intensive passenger-led design process involving input from the airline’s Marco Polo Club members to refine comfort, versatility and function. Every aspect has been thoughtfully designed around passengers’ needs, providing a space in which to dine, work, read, watch TV or simply relax.

The principal feature of the new product is the seat, which offers an extensive recline, extended leg rest and innovative cradle motion that ensure passengers can rest in comfort. The seat pitch has been increased from 45” to 47”, providing extra legroom for passengers.

The in-seat width has also been increased from 20” to 21”, providing extra living space for passengers. The seat has also been sculpted to maximise passenger living space. Each seat is encased in a fixed shell ensuring that passengers’ living space is not encroached upon by the passenger in front.

The seat features independent electronic controls for recline and the leg rest, allowing passengers to adjust the seat into their ideal position at the touch of a button. The ergonomically designed seat articulates into a comfortable “lazy-Z” position that allows passengers to be cradled in the optimum position for relaxation. Passenger comfort is further enhanced by a six-way movement headrest and an extended leg rest. The design of the seat has ensured that ample storage space is available for passengers’ personal baggage and items. Each seat is equipped with a universal power supply outlet to keep electronic devices fully charged.

A multi-port connector includes an USB port that can be used to charge devices such as mobile phones and BlackBerry devices, and an iPhone/iPod/iPad connector that allows passengers to connect their own devices and watch video through the personal TV.

Other highlights of the product include the introduction of the StudioCX widescreen on-demand entertainment system, which is a new feature for Cathay Pacific’s regional fleet. Each seat is equipped with a new and enlarged 12.1 inch, touchscreen monitor, which is mounted into the back of the fixed seat, a large meal table that allows passengers ample space to spread out while they work or dine, and an extendable cocktail table.

The new regional business class product will be installed on all of Cathay Pacific’s regional Boeing 777-200/300 and A330-300 aircraft. The first Boeing 777 aircraft is due to enter service in January 2013, while the first A330-300 will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2013. All of the airline’s regional aircraft will be fitted with the new product by the end of 2014. This latest product development follows a number of other recent enhancements to Cathay Pacific’s inflight offering. In 2011, the airline introduced its new long-haul business class which was voted ‘World’s Best Business Class’ by over 18 million airline passengers in the recent Skytrax World Airline Awards.

Earlier this year it introduced its new premium economy class and a new long-haul economy class seat, both of which have been winning praise from customers.