Review of Cathay Pacific’s New “Aria Suite” Business Class (Sydney – Hong Kong – London)

A year ago, Oneworld member Cathay Pacific unveiled its new Business Class. This “Aria Suite” can now be found on more and more aircraft.

On my way back from Sydney to London, I had a total of 23 hours to get familiar with the new product. In this review, you’ll read what the new seat offers, where there’s still room for improvement, and whether the other aspects justify Skytrax’s 5-star rating.

To keep things somewhat chronological, the focus of the review is on the daytime flight from Sydney to Hong Kong. I’ll occasionally add impressions from the overnight flight from Hong Kong to London.

• Flight 1: CX 162 Sydney SYD – Hong Kong HKG
  • Time: 11:10 – 17:15
  • Block time: 9h 40m
  • Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER B-KPO (delivered January 2010)
  • Seat: 14A
• Flight 2: CX 255 Hong Kong HKG – London LHR
  • Time: 23:15 – 06:20 (+1)
  • Block time: 14h 05m
  • Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER B-KPF (delivered January 2008)
  • Seat: 19K
• Travel period: October 2025

Booking

Originally, I had planned a three-week trip across Australia: flying into Perth (Vietnam Airlines Business Class booked with Delta SkyMiles), visiting Rottnest Island, then heading over to the East Coast and travelling from Port Douglas (Cairns) down to Sydney by bus and train. The first half of the trip ended up falling through because I “had to” fly around the world with Turkish Airlines instead. But luckily, the return flight remained unaffected.

I had booked a mileage ticket from Sydney to London through Cathay AsiaMiles. Sydney and London were among the first two routes on which Cathay operated the new Business Class, so I was expecting to have plenty of time to test the new product thoroughly. Seat selection was free of charge.

The one-way ticket cost 110,000 AsiaMiles and €249 in surcharges (as of March 2025). €89 of that was actual taxes and €160 were airline-imposed fuel surcharges.

I already had most of the miles in my account because I would occasionally transfer Amex points to Cathay during promotions. Otherwise, at the time of booking, it would have required 137,500 Membership Rewards points.

By now, the same booking would unfortunately be more expensive. The mileage price only increased moderately from 110,000 to 115,000 miles. But since August, the transfer ratio has changed from 5:4 to just 2 AsiaMiles for every 3 MR points. That means you’d now need a hefty 172,500 MR points for the same booking. Given that, if paying with MR points, a Qatar Airways flight would now generally be the better choice (from 90,000 Avios + approx. €300).

Check-in

Business Class passengers can reserve seats free of charge at any time, even before (online) check-in opens. In Sydney, I arrived at the check-in desk around two and a half hours before departure. There are separate lines for Economy, Business, and First Class, even if no First Class is offered on the flight. The First Class lane is then used for Emerald status holders. Ruby, Sapphire, and the rest can use the Business lane.

Both counters were quiet, and even the Economy line was fairly short. Within just a few minutes, my two checked bags were gone and I had my boarding passes in hand.

For London, I had booked a separate onward ticket to Berlin with British Airways. The Cathay staff were able to tag my bags through to Berlin and also issued a boarding pass for the BA flight. According to Cathay’s website, this should be possible, and indeed it was. Thumbs up to Cathay, because even within Oneworld, this is far from guaranteed.

I found Sydney’s security and passport control to be very efficient. There is a dedicated fast track for status holders and Business passengers. The longest part was simply the walk from the check-in counters to the entrance of the checkpoint. Then it was just quickly placing the hand luggage on the belt (nothing needs to be taken out), walking through the body scanner, and heading to the eGate for passport control. Altogether, the process took only two minutes. Even the regular queue would have taken no more than five minutes.

Lounge in Sydney (Qantas First Lounge)

Next stop: the lounge. Thanks to my Oneworld Emerald status, I had access to the Qantas First Class Lounge in Sydney. It’s considered one of the best lounges in the world, and I finally had the chance to visit it. Without status, my ticket would only have granted me access to the Qantas Business Lounge.

The lounge impresses with unique design and lots of space. A nice retro touch is the split-flap display showing upcoming departures. From almost everywhere, you get a fantastic view of the airport apron. During my visit, not only were several Qantas Airbus A380s parked outside, but an Asiana A380 also taxied past. If you like, you can even get a complimentary massage (subject to availability).

There are only a few dedicated workstations, but a large area for à la carte dining. Many of the tables there have power outlets, so you can work while being served. The food is the main reason to visit this lounge. I was familiar with the Qantas First Lounge in Los Angeles, but the selection in Sydney is even larger. Even at breakfast time, there’s a wide range of dishes that go far beyond typical breakfast items:

I opted for the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon (= Eggs Royale) and the corn fritters with bacon. Both dishes were excellent and could easily be served in a restaurant. The only shame was that I arrived too early to try the famous Salt and Pepper Squid.

There are certainly lounges around the world that feel more exclusive (due to stricter entry rules). But there’s no doubt that this is one of the very best Oneworld Emerald lounges anywhere. Since the lounge is operated by Qantas and not Cathay, it does not count toward the overall rating.

Boarding

Boarding was scheduled to begin 40 minutes before departure. Wanting to take good photos of the cabin, I was at the gate right on time, only to notice that even the crew hadn’t boarded yet. Shortly afterwards, I received an email informing me of a 30-minute delay. The aircraft had arrived late in Sydney due to some holding patterns. Still, once the aircraft reached the gate (about an hour before boarding), they could have informed passengers earlier. Communication definitely has room for improvement.

The gate in Sydney is designed so that the entrance for Economy passengers is far away from the priority lanes for Business, Premium Economy, and status customers. This helps disperse the crowd a bit.

Being a rule-abiding German, I naturally lined up first, long before anyone called for boarding. Boarding eventually started about 40 minutes late. First, around 30 passengers with strollers, wheelchairs, crutches, etc., boarded with their companions. Then came First Class (which doesn’t exist on this flight, so only Oneworld Emerald), followed by Business passengers and other status holders.

Overall, boarding was very efficient. In under 30 minutes, a full Boeing 777 was ready to depart, while other airlines start an hour earlier. And there was still enough time for a hot towel and welcome drink.

With the 30-minute delay, we still could have arrived in Hong Kong roughly on time. But we ended up waiting almost another half hour on the tarmac because an aircraft ahead of us had technical issues. Fortunately, I had plenty of buffer time for my connection in Hong Kong.

Cabin

The Boeing 777 in this configuration has a total of 361 seats: 45 in Business Class, 48 in Premium Economy, and 268 in Economy Class. The Business Class seats are split into two cabins, with the rear cabin being slightly smaller. The front cabin has the advantage that not all Economy passengers walk past (especially since boarding in Sydney was done through a single jet bridge).

What looks quite monotonous on the seat map is much more impressive in real life. Despite the heavy use of grey tones, the cabin feels visually inviting. And you would never guess that the aircraft is more than 15 years old.

When boarding, the sense of space is somewhat limited by the open overhead bins, but this allows plenty of room for all kinds of carry-on luggage. Unlike some airlines, Cathay only allows one carry-on bag plus one personal item in Business Class. All Business seats face forward and offer direct aisle access without needing to climb over a neighbour.

Best Seat?

The seats are almost identical across the cabin. There aren’t really “good” or “bad” ones. The exact opposite of Lufthansa’s Allegris Class. The manufacturer describes it like this:

Bringing greater consistency to the passenger experience also guided the design of the suite geometry. The team focused on standardizing the layout so passengers enjoy the same setting, no matter where in the cabin they are seated. Gone is the need for passengers to research which seats in the cabin are best to reserve (sorry, SeatGuru). 

Elements Premier Class Seating | Collins Aerospace

Cathay doesn’t even offer extra foot space at the bulkhead seats anymore, so it really doesn’t matter much where you sit. The center seats in rows 11 and 19 do have one small advantage: there are additional storage areas in front of the seat where you can place things like a laptop or pillow. The same applies to the window seats (11A, 11K, 19A, 19K), but the space there is noticeably smaller.

If you’re traveling as a couple, you’ll likely prefer the seats in the middle section. However, even there it’s not very easy to talk to each other because your heads are quite far apart. For solo travelers, the window seats are the best choice, as they offer a bit more privacy. But even there, you can’t look out very well. The window is quite far away.

Seat

The Cathay Aria Suite is based on a new generation of business-class seats from Collins. It follows the reverse herringbone layout again and is the direct successor to the Super Diamond seat, which is used by Air Canada, British Airways (Club Suite), and many others.

This seat platform is called Collins Aerospace Elements. It’s highly customizable, meaning it can look completely different depending on the airline. Starlux Airlines from Taiwan also uses this seat but utilizes the extra space in the first row to offer a first-class product. Another customer is Etihad, with their new business class on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

So much for the basics. You can find your assigned seat via the labeling on the seat shell, the overhead bin, or by checking the screen. The only thing missing would be a little projector displaying the seat number on the floor, like with Iberia.

Passengers are greeted at their seat as follows:

At first glance, it’s a typical reverse herringbone seat: angled slightly away from the aisle, difficult (but not impossible) to look out the window, and a large table on the window side (in faux marble).

The first wow moment comes once you’re seated. The monitor measures a massive 24 inches and is truly huge. Because you sit quite close to the screen (unlike in, say, the Allegris Suite), it looks even bigger.

Under the monitor, you can see the table, which slides smoothly forward and backward. You can pull it close to you, and it’s generously sized. Even a 17-inch laptop would fit comfortably. There’s also a small holder for a tablet or smartphone. However, on my flight, the table was already pretty worn out. It was so slanted that my mouse kept sliding off by itself.

In the photo above, you can see that the gap on the right is larger than the one on the left (i.e., the table is crooked). That shouldn’t happen after just one year in service. It also wobbled with every bit of turbulence, and even slightly when the person in front of me moved.

Looking left, there’s a large sliding shelf that reveals a small storage compartment for items like a phone. Sounds practical, but isn’t very convincing. On my first flight, the mechanism was already broken and wouldn’t close fully, even though there was a clear “Close immediately when not in use” label. On the second flight, it did close, but the button required a lot of force to press. Apparently that’s normal.

Next is the typical storage compartment containing headphones and a water bottle. There isn’t much space, but you can at least fit the amenity kit and maybe a charger. Next to it is a touchscreen remote (detachable), and in the door, a small mirror. A subtle marking in the faux marble indicates wireless charging, but it’s barely noticeable.

Toward the aisle, there’s an armrest with an interesting adjustment mechanism. Height adjustment isn’t new, but here the armrest also slides forward, increasing the bed surface and closing the gap to the door.

Speaking of the door: every seat has a lightly adjustable sliding door. At the bulkhead seats, it closes perfectly with the wall, offering a high degree of privacy thanks to the tall partitions. At the other seats, rounded edges leave a small gap, but this didn’t bother me.

Finally, there’s the footwell and the area around it. The footwell itself is rather compact, but it doesn’t restrict your feet. There’s plenty of space in all directions.

Nearby is a triangular storage compartment meant to maximize the space. Unfortunately, it’s almost useless. It’s too small for laptops larger than 12 inches, and shoes don’t fit at all. So my laptop stayed on the table, and my shoes ended up somewhere between the seat and the aisle. The charging situation is better: two USB-C ports (up to 60W), one USB-A port, and an international 110V outlet for power-hungry devices.

Seat Comfort & Adjustability

Sooner or later, you’ll want to adjust the seat. In this regard, there are two pieces of good news. First: yes, the seat is adjustable (insert your Finnair joke here). Even better: there are four ways to do it. You can control it via the 24” screen, the small touchscreen remote, a secondary screen under the side table that displays flight time and seat controls, and finally, three buttons accessible only from the lie-flat position: two for adjustments, one for turning the lights on and off. You don’t have to twist yourself once you’re comfortable. Great! And you only need to tap the button once, not hold it. I’ll generously overlook the visible wear and tear.

The headrest is not adjustable, but I actually prefer it this way. Every seat manufacturer has to make compromises: either the headrest is fixed to create a flat bed, or it’s adjustable but can be uncomfortable when lying down, like on Iberia. I prefer Cathay’s solution and use a pillow if needed. Though a second, smaller pillow would help.

Overall, I can give the seat comfort excellent marks. Even after many hours in lounge mode (writing this trip report), it remained comfortable and I never felt the need to get up. And when I did, it was only to (unsuccessfully) search for snacks in the galley, not because the seat was uncomfortable. Even fully upright for takeoff and landing, it’s comfortable despite the three-point belt. The only odd thing was that the belt strap was twisted once. Was it installed incorrectly?

Sleeping Comfort

The seat converts into a 198 cm long bed at the push of a button. Although I nearly max it out at 197 cm, the length isn’t the most important factor in my opinion. Much more important is having enough space to bend your legs, since as a side sleeper, that’s how I sleep at home too. Reverse herringbone seats usually perform well here, and the Cathay Aria Suite does not disappoint. I had plenty of space around my knees (visible in the photo between the screen and the window):

This only works in one direction. Toward the aisle there’s less knee room. But I don’t really need to toss and turn if I’m lying comfortably. And thankfully, I was. I slept very well, and with a 14-hour flight, there was plenty of time for it.

If you’re looking for negatives, you’ll find them:

• The shoulder area is relatively narrow, but not too narrow.
• Even with a mattress topper, the bed is still fairly firm. No aircraft seat can fully match a good hotel bed.
• The head lies slightly higher than the legs. It’s more 179° than 180°.
• Cathay unfortunately doesn’t provide pajamas. Just a pair of slippers.

Food & Drinks

The service began (as mentioned above) with a welcome drink and hot towel.

Shortly afterward, meal and drink orders were taken. I had already made up my mind in advance, since Cathay allows digital pre-ordering of your preferred meal on both flight segments. The selection departing Hong Kong was noticeably larger than departing Sydney. Below are the respective menus:

I actually found it quite difficult to choose between all the dishes, as many of them sounded very good. But first things first: the appetizer from Sydney:

They apparently forgot the nuts. Other passengers received them together with the salmon, but I only got them after asking. The next course consisted of three marinated prawns with some greens and bread.

On the flight from Sydney to Hong Kong, I continued with my pre-ordered duck confit. Visually rather mediocre, but taste-wise a solid 4.5/5:

Desserts are served from a trolley. Personally, I like that, since you can directly see what looks tempting. And you can pick exactly the fruits or cheese you want.

Four hours before landing in Hong Kong, I headed to the galley in search of some light snacks. What I found was… nothing. Upon request, the crew managed to locate some nuts, and five minutes later they came by with a box of chocolates. On a nearly 10-hour flight, I would’ve expected at least chips, crackers, small sandwiches, or something similar. Not every passenger has already had breakfast in the lounge. They also couldn’t offer me the signature mocktail “Cathay Delight” anymore, so I had to settle for a Coke.

As for food, I had to wait until two hours before landing when regular service resumed. The burger was okay (4/5), and the panna cotta was excellent.

If you follow social media closely, you’ve probably heard about the trend of eating pudding with a fork. Not only did it get its own Wikipedia article, it also made its way onto Cathay Pacific flights. So instead of a spoon, I was served a fork with the panna cotta (despite the deep bowl). At least I like this explanation more than a catering mishap.

On the connecting flight to London, the mid-flight snack situation was better, and you could order small bites at any time.

However, the catering on this flight was disappointing. I had pre-ordered the dumpling noodle soup; a dish that has never disappointed me in the Cathay lounge. Since the departure was around midnight (3 a.m. Sydney time), I needed to catch up on sleep and requested it be served mid-flight.

What I received didn’t look very appetizing. More importantly, it tasted more like an instant cup noodle than something worthy of 5 Skytrax stars:

I’m not sure whether this was the noodle soup from the snack menu and the dinner version should have looked different. The pre-order photo at least showed some pak choi. But that doesn’t change much about the disappointing taste. So I ordered an apple crumble and a Häagen-Dazs ice cream to make up for it.

Breakfast didn’t go much better. I requested my breakfast choice three hours before landing (the “Wellness Breakfast”, after all those calories). When it was served, I was told that only Chinese or English breakfast options were left. So I went with the Chinese breakfast, since I can still have a British breakfast in the lounge later. The chicken congee was at least much better than the noodle soup.

Now on to the drinks. Aside from the “Cloud Nine” cocktail and the “Cathay Delight” mocktail (with kiwi juice and coconut milk), there are plenty of other options. The champagne choice was a Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve, retailing for about €50 a bottle:

Service

The service was friendly but not particularly warm. It’s hard to tell whether the smiles were genuine or just part of the routine. But procedures were carried out efficiently and there wasn’t much to criticize, apart from the forgotten nuts.

Overall, the service concept felt a bit more restrained. Some airlines never let your drink run empty and show up immediately with a fresh glass of Coke. With some airlines, the crew takes the tray away the moment they notice you’re done. At Cathay, I had to wait so long that I eventually placed the tray on the bulkhead so I could continue working. That might just be company culture: doing the job by the book, not necessarily going the extra mile, but giving passengers their space.

Lufthansa’s service varies widely. With some flight attendants, you can instantly tell they’d rather be anywhere else. With others, I feel so well cared for that I don’t want to leave the plane. So service can range from 2 to 5+ stars. Every flight is a surprise bag.

With Cathay, I could barely tell the flight attendants apart. Not only because they look similar to a European eye, but because every interaction was carried out exactly the same way. No small talk, no jokes, not even a “Could I get you another…?”. But (almost) all my requests were fulfilled promptly.

One flight attendant on the connecting flight to London, however, showed that things can be different. I barely interacted with her because she was assigned to another aisle, but her smile during boarding already conveyed: I love my job. And that highlighted the contrast with the others.

In-Flight Entertainment

The huge 24″ 4K screen is definitely a highlight of the Aria Suite. On paper, it’s a bit smaller than the 27″ screens in Lufthansa’s Allegris Business Class suites. In practice, it feels noticeably larger because you sit quite close to it. Some Flyertalk users find the screen too big, but I love it. At home, I also sit happily in front of my 80″ screen and enjoy the cinema feeling.

Because the screen is so close to your hand, it can easily be operated by touch. Alternatively, you can remove the touchscreen remote from the side panel. The only odd thing is that the remote must be removed. If it stays in the panel, the screen won’t respond, even though that would be enough for adjusting the volume.

The selection is also impressive. I tried counting again but stopped after 1,000. If you want an overview beforehand, you can check the online catalog. Before starting a movie, there are two self-promo videos, but both can be skipped immediately.

There were also numerous complete seasons of full TV series (not just two or three episodes like on many other airlines) and 30 games including Angry Birds. Plus a comprehensive music selection, including enough jazz albums to keep me entertained for 20 hours. A glance at the flight map and good music, what more could you want?

You can zoom so far into airports and major cities that individual buildings can be identified thanks to OpenStreetMap. Even the gates at the airport. The only downside is that your exact location isn’t shown during taxiing on the ground, but that’s nitpicking at a very high level. Just like the lack of an HDMI input to connect your laptop; so far, I’ve only seen that in the Qatar QSuite.

The provided headphones look pretty cheap, but offer decent sound quality and active noise cancellation. Alternatively, you can pair your own headphones via Bluetooth.

Wi-Fi

Business Class passengers can use the Wi-Fi for the entire flight free of charge. All that’s required is entering your name and seat number. No frequent flyer account needed.

The internet becomes available after takeoff at around 10,000 feet and works until a few minutes before landing. I didn’t notice any significant outages, except for a single three-minute interruption over China.

Speeds were around 15 to 20 Mbit/s downstream. Not quite as fast as some aircraft equipped with Starlink, but more than sufficient for work, and video streaming is also possible. Unlike mainland Chinese airlines, Cathay does not route internet access through the Great Firewall.

Normally, access for the whole flight would have cost around US$20 (~€17) on Sydney–Hong Kong and US$22 (~€19) on Hong Kong–London. Still acceptable prices, even if some airlines now offer free Wi-Fi for everyone.

Extras / Miscellaneous

This section covers everything that didn’t fit into the other categories. First, there’s the amenity kit. The eye mask feels slightly more premium than usual, and it also includes a toothbrush, earplugs, mouthwash, and various cosmetics from Bamford. The bag itself can easily be reused as a cable pouch or toiletry bag (if you don’t already have a hundred of them at home).

Unfortunately, individual air vents are missing. The cabin tended to be on the cooler side. Wearing only a T-shirt, I was quite cold; under the blanket it was comfortable.

For a maximum of 45 Business Class passengers, three lavatories are available. An average ratio. There were no significant queues. The lavatories have also been refurbished and now feature touchless flushing and a foot pedal for the trash bin. Each one had a grey washcloth placed on the floor, apparently on purpose. Why, I couldn’t tell you. A nice detail: you can check on your screen at any time which lavatories are currently free:

Another detail is the artwork in the galley area, which makes the space look much more inviting than on many other airlines.

Cathay did not fly through Russian airspace on either of my flights. However, they don’t avoid it entirely. Flights from New York to Hong Kong, for example, still cross Siberia.

Transfer & Lounge in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, every transfer apparently requires going through security again, no matter where you arrive from. After a long walk and some brief confusion caused by a misleading arrow, I was through in just a few minutes.

Afterward, I made a quick stop at the Qantas Lounge and then continued to the excellent First Class Lounge The Pier. I reviewed it last year. Little has changed:

A Paradise for Oneworld Emeralds: Review of Cathay Pacific’s First Lounge “The Pier” in Hong Kong

Beyond the food and general atmosphere, the showers are also superb. No boarding pass check, no putting your name on a list, no buzzer with a two-hour wait like at Turkish. Just a warm, “Of course, please come with me.”

Conclusion

First, a brief summary of the pros and cons from my two flights:

* The rating refers to The Pier First Class Lounge in Hong Kong for Emerald status guests. The Business Lounge next door (included with a Business Class ticket) would only earn four stars.

Translated by Ditmar