Howard Eng, President & CEO of the GTAA, and Lavinia Lau, Cathay's V.P. for Canada
Jane Wallbridge, Aimia, tests out a seat with a Cathay flight attendant
Me in premium economy
The scene at the Liberty Grand
Waiting to try out the new business class seat
Lavinia Lau, Cathay’s Vice President for Canada, and Ross Cronin, General Manager of Sales for Eastern Canada, recently invited industry friends and partners to the unveiling of their new seating in Economy Class, Business Class and Premium Economy. The celebration took place in the Liberty Grand’s sleek Artifacts Room… kind of misnomer for its modern style. But, it was the new seats that were the focus of the evening – and the minimalist décor showed them off very nicely.
Passed food and drinks were abundant as we all wandered the large room to sample the new seats from all 3 classes on display. Cathay flight attendants were also on hand to assist with all the variations in recline and foot rests.
Brand new is Cathay’s Premium Economy Class – with more space, a little extra comfort, more personal attention and a foot rest! The seats are about 1 ½“ wider and provide 6” more legroom. Pax can also take advantage of dedicated check-in counters and priority boarding, as well as an increased baggage allowance (2 free checked bags each weighing up to 25kg). All for about an extra $1,000 round trip – well worth it. The new Premium Economy Class seating will progressively appear on 777-300ER, 747-400 and some A330-300s.
Their new Economy Class makes the back of the bus quite comfortable as well. Although the seating is still 3 abreast, the seats have been redesigned and provide more legroom and recline. They will appear on 777-300-ERs and some A330-300 aircraft.
But, the star of the show was Cathay’s new Business Class which provides a fully flat 82” bed and lots of gizmo’s to rearrange personal space to your specifications and preferred level of privacy.
Personally, I don’t find these new fangled pod-type seats especially comfy – but they certainly do provide the opportunity to sleep on a long haul flight and to work or rest in privacy. And, of course there are a host of entertainment choices and multiple ports to charge a broad assortment of mobile devices. The new Business Class seating is being introduced on 777-300ER and A330-300 aircraft fleetwide.
And, in case none of the foregoing choices provide enough comfort or pampering, there’s still First Class on some long haul routes!
