Cathay Pacific’s new Business Class is all about quiet luxury – BNN Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) — On Emirates, business class passengers have a bartender who mixes a cocktail mid-flight. Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. offers the Loft Lounge, a towering salon where travelers can relax on red leather couches. Now Cathay introduces Pacific Airways Ltd. an art gallery in the sky.

Hong Kong’s national carrier unveiled its redesigned business class cabin on Wednesday evening, part of a multi-year HK$100 billion ($12.9 billion) spend on new aircraft and upgraded lounges.

One differentiator: the ‘Gallery in the skies’, a curated art selection of 30 works featuring artists with unique connections to Hong Kong. Each piece offers a different perspective on nature, with “a calming energy that draws you into the artist’s world.”

It’s part of Cathay’s quest to introduce a sense of quiet luxury, this much-hyped aesthetic that exudes confident affluence without being ostentatious. Not a gold fixture or faux wood paneling in sight. Instead, Cathay has refined the gray and green color palette common in older business class cabins, with a silver marble hue as the mainstay of the seat.

“Everyone has been given a door, a big TV, but it’s really the execution that makes the difference,” says Vivian Lo, who led the overhaul of Cathay’s new business suite.

The new chair, called The Aria Suite, has been six years in the making. It’s the first time Cathay has made the move to business class suites, expanding the ranks of airlines worldwide with privacy doors as the gold standard. Qatar Airways has them in their QSuite, and both Japan Airlines Co. as Air France have followed suit.

As for the seat itself, Cathay won’t reveal how wide and long the berth is. It’s not exactly a state secret, but they don’t let on.

“Bring a measuring tape,” said one of the airline representatives at the unveiling.

The seat is comfortable all around, both sitting and lying down. One of the unique features is that the TV screen allows the traveler to determine which type of lying position he wants at the touch of a button.

There are wireless charging options and plenty of storage space for laptops and amenity kits. Another of the most visible changes is the super-sized 24-inch touchscreen TV.

On the Boeing Co. 777, the new configuration will allow 45 seats in business class, split into two zones, 48 ​​seats in premium economy and 268 passengers in coaches. Cathay will eventually have 30 of its 777 jets converted with the new look. The cabins in existing Airbus SE A330s will get a facelift from 2026, with the A350 jets later this decade.

The first commercial flight for the first refurbished aircraft will be from Hong Kong to Beijing on October 18, so flight attendants can become familiar with their new environment. As more 777 jets come through the maintenance shop in a refit that will last until 2027, they will be deployed to longer distances such as New York, London, Sydney and Dubai.

For Cathay, the overhaul is already long overdue. It’s been a decade since the airline was ranked as the best airline in the world by Skytrax, an industry organization that sets consumer expectations. Qatar Airways regained that title earlier this year after losing to Singapore Airlines Ltd last year.

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