[bombayteddy]

What a pity the new seat is said to be “claustrophobic”! I was seriously considering trying it out BOM-HKG-DPS. Wish they would re-introduce their First Class on these routes….

[MartynSinclair]

Rather ironic really when comparing to the new Cathay First offering which i rate as being one of the best. Superb seats, space and nice individual touches.

I would lay “pound to a penny” that the Virgin Upper relaunch will see a change from teh current cubicals to something more open.

Funny how products seem to go full circle.

have a great and smiling day everyone – life is wonderfull

Martyn

[continentalclub]

Martyn, what makes you think that the new Virgin Upper Class product will be more ‘open’?

I’d assumed (perhaps unwisely!) that the ‘new’ product would be analagous to the Air New Zealand upgrade of the herringbone seat – ie longer, softer etc., but otherwise the same basic concept.

Anecdotally, there do seem to be a lot of passengers who very much like the privacy of the VS/NZ/CX etc set-up, and of course the Cathay seat additionally suits ‘slumpers’ without the need for them to get up and flip the seat over to convert it into a bed. Inherently, it therefore also offers more seat recline.

[BradCarle]

Thanks for the welcome fellow travellers! I’m not a prodigious poster but an avid reader of opinions on this excellent site. I look forward to contributing.

[ivornomates]

Christopher Woodward claims to have spent 18 hrs flying from Canada to Hong Kong ?? may I ask can planes fly that long without stopping

[ivornomates]

I also have to add that I always fly BA where possible between HKG and LHR as their biz class is just the best – no question, however I keep getting upgraded to F on CX and that is pure heaven when it comes to flying. Since BA overpaid crew decided to spit the dummy out of the pram I have slipped back to CX to be safe, VIA AMS which saves me about 300 pounds in rip off taxes for flying biz class.

[continentalclub]

It certainly is possible for certain aircraft to fly for that duration, proliteboss.

The block time for Cathay’s non-stop Toronto to Hong Kong flight is 15h 30m, but headwinds can lengthen this.

It’s probably also fair for Christopher Woodward to report 18h in terms of the amount of time spent in his seat, particularly if there were any ground delays at either end, as well as a slightly extended flight time.

The aircraft used, for reference, is the Boeing 777-300ER and the route is one of few regularly referred to as ‘ultra longhaul’.

They are the same aircraft that V Australia have mooted using on a non-stop Perth to London service, which could block at about 16h in normal operations.

[SimonRowberry]

Hi all,

I looked at CX as an option to Shanghai recently. The ‘cell’ immediately put me off. Their website is very good and clearly shows the problems with the product that people have referred to……

Regards,

Simon

[MartynSinclair]

CC

I feel that the cell concept with the Virgin slant and flip over is stale. It seems an unatural way to travel, esepcially as to face the window you have to twist your neck – and i know its only on landing and take off, but to me it seems so unatural.

I believe that VS were the first to fit business class in this slanted and cell format so it would follow that they would perhaps be the first to depart from this concept. Cubicles seem to have spread through to First Class and whilst the thought if having your own “room” for 12 to 15 hours the reality is that airlines need to balance seat numbers with pax comforts according to class.

Lets se which way VS goes, but it wouldnt suprise me if dapper Dickie, came out with a totally fresh concept as only he can and let the others follow, as they undoubtadly will.

I wait to hear………….!

[bombayteddy]

All this talk about the new CX Biz-class seat being like a “cell” has made me wonder about our own Jet Airways, which is similarly configured. Anybody here has flown their long-haul Business Class? Is it better/worse than Cathay?

[oldchinahand]

To answer the query from ‘proliteboss’. The 18 hour flight was taken in early 2008 when the CX flight ex YTO then stopped at ANC to refuel. The total flying time was +16.30 and the layover in ANC almost 2 hours. The policy of the US for this transit seemed to change frequently with passengers some times forced to disembark and at other times forced to stay on board. On this flight we were not allowed off the plane hence 18 hours plus in the seat.
With the longer range 777s being used the flight is now non stop and 15.30 hours
My views on the CX business class seat have not changed much after many flights and the only reason that I continue to fly with Cathay much of the time is that they continue to do everything else better than any other airline that I have used.
This seat and the ‘sliding’ economy seat have definitely lost the airline business ex HK with previously loyal customers switching to other OneWorld carriers particularly QF and BA to Australia and London who both offer a more conventional but excellent business class flat bed (and now premium economy) product.
Interestingly 90% of the negative views expressed re CX in the Skytrax and other forums are related to the Cathay seats and is probably the only reason why Cathay is not a present being rated as number 1 or 2 in the airline satisfaction polls…. but perhaps the salvation of a new CX long haul business class (and premium economy ?) seat is not too far away !

[ivornomates]

Totally agree BA biz class bed is way ahead of CX, so much more room and space and comfort.

[travelbyleo]

I agree with most of the negative stuff written about this configuration.

My wife and I flew Cathay CX134 Melbourne to HK. After nearly 6 years of marriage and a few kids…it may seem strange but we still quite like each other. So we decided to take a trip sans enfants business class during the day and we were all ready to spend 8.5 hours of mutual talking, drinking and respectable canoodling on a sort of second honeymoon. We are the type that press the movie button at the same time so we can watch in synchronisation and look at each other in the funny parts…you know …1,2,3 PRESS! They say getting there is part of the fun!

We were shocked and speechless to be seated in a sardine coffin configuration where you cant see, hear or touch each other when sitting up or lying down. I’m talking solitary confinement – cell block 9!!! (would be perfect to have the theme song to prisoner in the background while reading this)
I can just see the top of her head when we are both sitting up and trying to make contact. Sometimes during the flight she stretches to put her hand over the great dividing wall into my cell so we can touch. A small reminder that we are not alone.
This seating configuration is reminiscent of that scene on Aliens 2 when they all have to go into stasis on the way to Mars, after all its probably best when intergalactic travelling in a coma for 18 months that you have your own space. So you kind of understand where James Cameron was going here.

If your flying with 2 or more people this is a completely unacceptable scenario – unless of course you are:
a group of blind monks with a social disorder who have been sworn to a lifetime of silence
likely to travel with a periscope and walkie talky)
going through a bitter divorce and have restraining order
transferring prisoners
vampires
sardines
suffering from multiple personality disorder
dead

Imagine the Cathay product team and designers agreeing on this configuration. Picture them all sitting around and discussing this.

“guys we are about to spend 8 billion dollars on this new business seat and we only get one go at it so lets get this right !

Lots of seats – pack em’ in sardine configuration – TICK
No visibility of windows TICK
Claustrophobic coffin feel over many hours of long haul flying – TICK

This meetings going well.

Hey wait a minute do we ever get more than 1 person travelling together? Do you think our customers may want to communicate visually or via the spoken word. What are those people called that travel together……married people, business people, families. No lets get them to pay heaps of money and not let them communicate. Lets use the prison system of solitary confinement as the basis and inspiration for our new concept.
Yes that’s a great idea! Lets sign off on this design and roll this out throughout our network ASAP!”

All our lives my wife and I have dedicated ourselves to enjoying the getting there: we drink, we laugh, we love we are hedonists. Hedonists generally travel in groups.

By the way we moved ourselves to some spare seats in economy and enjoyed the rest of the flight together.

LH – Australia

[BusinessTraveller]

Here’s our news piece on the launch of Cathay’s new business class seat, which we’ll be updating with further details and images as they become available.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/asia-pacific/news/no-premium-economy-for-cathay-a-yet

And for those who wish to view it on our sister Asia-Pacific site:

http://asia.businesstraveller.com/asia-pacific/news/no-premium-economy-for-cathay-a-yet

We’ve created a new topic thread for discussion of this latest seat at:

http://www.businesstraveller.com/discussion/topic/Cathay-Pacific-unveils-new-business-class-seat

[Author]

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