Cathay can draw inspiration for new first class from iconic productRunway Girl

Cathay Pacific is one of the few airlines looking to retain an international first class cabin and service in its next-generation of aircraft, with new seats coming to its forthcoming Boeing 777-9s.

But on a recent 777-300ER flight from London to Hong Kong — full disclosure, as a guest of the airline — it was fascinating to return to Cathay’s older yet still superb first class product to consider what the airline should retain in its new first class, and what it could well look to change.

In terms of look and feel, the much-loved and much-vaunted seat still feels luxuriously wide and remains very comfortable. It’s notable that other airlines are now following Cathay’s lead and installing just three first class seats per row across their front cabins.

The very classical and understated styling has lent itself to longevity, although some of the interface elements — the seat control touchscreen in particular — are an object lesson in the need to design upgradeability into seats to enable new technologies to be adopted swiftly.

The inflight entertainment screen, which now feels very small, is another similar lesson. Although both the main screen and the side controller have been visibly updated since my last flight in Cathay first in 2017, including with a higher-definition screen, the size still felt quite small, and the ongoing industry issue about low-definition content on high-definition screens was present here too.

On to the soft product and service. Here, even my expectations based on Cathay’s high reputation were exceeded by what was on board.

The caviar service was simply delectable.

The sheer oenological joy of sampling a bottle of the 2006 Rare Champagne — if my memory serves the last vintage to still mention parent house Piper-Heidsieck on the label — was a true delight.

It’s fair enough that Cathay only loads one bottle of the very rare Rare Champagne, since also on board were many bottles of the freely flowing vintage 2004 Krug.

The airline’s general manager for customer experience and design, Vivian Lo, who I spoke with in Hong Kong, is a true wine lover, and the rest of the wine list is a masterclass — a super Chassagne Montrachet, the wonderful Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc, the Château Montrose St Estephe from Bordeaux, the Luce della Vite supertuscan, the Wooing Tree Pinot Noir, and the 1995 tawny port are all superlative choices for the air, for the food on board, and for Cathay’s clientèle.

Excellent glassware — something certainly to maintain — made the most of all of these bottles.

Departing from London the food was very good, though none of the airline’s Hong Kong culinary partnerships were identified.

I plumped for the Chinese Favourites selection, but was very tempted by several of the International Favourites also on offer.

The number of imaginative plant-forward choices was also impressive. Even I as an omnivore would have been tempted by the option to add the rosemary spiked lamb cutlets to the tasty-sounding roasted carrot hummus with toasted pearl barley, pistachio and feta. This plant-forwardness is certainly something to continue developing.

Cathay’s all-day menu was relatively small, and is perhaps something to look into further — while it was comfort-food-y, the choice of a cheese toastie, noodle soup, burger or Häagen-Dazs was missing first class flair. I noted on my return flight in business class that the airline is now cross-offering quite a few dishes between the main meal and all-day dining option, which is very smart.

I certainly enjoyed the coconut and chia seed pudding and the tropical açai bowl at breakfast, while the wonderful Cathay Delight mocktail was a refreshing way to wake up. I do wonder, though, how this might be presented differently in first class to business class — something like edible flower decorations, perhaps?

The soft product presented at your seat consists of a large soft burgundy blanket and a grey-and-burgundy amenity kit, both branded with Bamford, with a set of lovely burgundy pyjamas presented later in a helpful reusable cotton bag.

While judging branded tie-ins is always subjective, this doesn’t feel as premium as the Aesop partnership it replaced in 2019. Moreover, the sustainability questions around a one-size-fits-all kit across two genders — rather than a customisable take-what-you’d-like option, including the choice to skip what is not an especially exciting kit bag — are clear.

In bed mode, the lovely duvet and large soft pillow were a pleasure, although I missed a proper mattress. I found the cocooning design of the pod to offer plenty of space and privacy, although the next generation of first will almost certainly offer doors. (Cathay’s new business class suite for the 777-300ERs will feature a door.)

The London-based cabin crew on board were a delight, although it was noticeable that they are still operating one crewmember down since the Covid shutdown, especially at peak service mealtimes, when service was slow.

Beyond the aircraft, Cathay could very usefully look into what might be available around extending the first class element of the airport journey. Its London lounge is superlative in business but the first section doesn’t feel different enough, while at Hong Kong there are no fast track security, immigration or emigration queues, and for non-residents these are usually long and time-consuming.

The hike to passport control can also be a sizeable one for much of the terminal (as it is in London), while the lack of arrivals lounge is also notable, especially for this flight arriving at 0740, before hotels are likely to welcome guests.

All in all, Cathay has a wealth of first class equity to draw from. Top of my list to keep and expand would be the seat width, the wine, the duvet, and the overall service. Areas ready for some changes with a new seat are the seat technology’s upgradeability, the amenity concept, the sleeping offering, the all-day menu, and the ground experience.Cathay Pacific provided flights to enable this review, as well as interviews in Hong Kong.