Skift Take
The Aria Suite is arguably the year’s most anticipated new business class product. Those hoping for pushing-the-envelope innovation may be disappointed, but this solid product hits all the right notes.
“I’ve been pregnant for a very long time, but my baby is finally born,” said Vivian Lo, Cathay Pacific's head of customer experience and design.
Lo was presenting the airline's new business class cabin Wednesday evening in a glitzed-up hangar on the fringes of Hong Kong International Airport. The event sought to shake off the final specter of the pandemic, one that haunted the company until relatively recently.
Executives claim that Cathay was hit harder than almost any other major airline during Covid-19 due to an extended period with strict quarantine rules. In the darkest hours, some industry watchers questioned Cathay’s ability to survive in its present form.
The new ‘Aria Suite’ is helping the carrier regain a sense of confidence missing for more than a decade.
Cathay's Long-Haul ArrivalThe Aria has been in development internally since 2018 and was first teased publicly in August 2023. There was plenty of excitement, but little detail on what it meant for passengers. After Wednesday's launch, we now know everything.
Aria-equipped 777s have a total of 361 seats, comprising 45 in business class, 48 in premium economy, and 268 in econo