Wayfarer review: Cathay Pacific firmly elevates Business Class with the new Aria Suite
The United States is the next country to receive the fantastic new Business Class experience, found on the retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, following on from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and more.
From 1 January 2026, selected flights from Hong Kong to San Francisco on six days per week will have the new Aria Suites, which many have called a game-changer for Cathay Pacific, which already featured one of our favourite Business Class cabins in the sky.
Travellers on the services to and from San Francisco – and those on other flights across the network – are in for a real treat because the new Aria Suite experience is nothing short of spectacular.
According to Cathay Regional General Manager, Southwest Pacific, Frosti Lau, the “cutting-edge Aria Suite delivers a reimagined cabin experience showcasing comfort, style and functionality”.
He said artistry and craftsmanship have gone into every design detail and the suite “offers a more personalised and immersive travel experience, featuring a spacious cabin, intuitive seat designs and refined finishes that reflect Cathay Pacific’s dedication to quality”.
The new product retains a number of key features regular flyers in Business Class on Cathay Pacific have enjoyed over the years, such as the reverse herringbone arrangement which ensures passengers angled away from the aisle, alongside a number of storage spaces, charging ports and of course, seats that convert into 75-inch fully flat beds.
Cathay Pacific has amplified the experience with soft LED lighting, privacy doors and wireless charging and huge 24-inch 4K TV screens, the largest ever offered by the airline.
The new Business class cabin contains 45 suites configured in a 1-2-1 layout and in keeping with the theme of ʻWhere Artistry Takes Flightʼ and paying homage to Cathay Pacificʼs home city, each Aria Suite cabin on the 777-300ER features unique pieces of artwork created by artists who share a deep connection with Hong Kong through its ‘Gallery in the Skies’.
Impressively, you’ll find refreshed bathrooms and an interior design where you could be mistaken for thinking you are inside one of Cathay Pacific’s stylish lounges at Hong Kong International Airport.
Wi-Fi connectivity is also available across Cathay Pacific’s entire fleet, with the service currently complimentary for Business class customers and that’s something that also elevates the experience.
Lau said the new cabin design and high-end fit-out are “key elements of Cathay Pacificʼs long-term vision to become one of the worldʼs greatest service brands by enhancing its global offering and providing customers with exceptional inflight comfort”.
He said the new Aria Suite inflight experience is part of the HK$100 billion being invested by Cathay Pacific into its fleet, cabin products, airport lounges, and advancing digital innovation.
“We understand that customers are not just looking for a comfortable seat, but rather a space where they can enjoy, relax and immerse themselves in the experience,” Lau said.
“Our intuitive design paired with our unparallelled service, brings an incredibly elevated Business class experience to our customers ‒ this is what we set out to achieve with our new Aria Suite.
“Every aspect has been carefully considered to give our customers the best premium long-haul experience in the sky, because we know it’s this attention to detail that makes the biggest difference and sets Cathay Pacific apart.”
Something that hasn’t changed onboard is Cathay Pacific’s dedication to high-quality dining in the air, where you can expect western and Chinese dishes alongside fine wines from across the globe.
When flying in Business Class, you can order from Cathay’s ‘Choose My Meal’ service, which lets you choose your main meal from up to 10 days before the flight and until 24 hours before departure.
Signature dishes to choose from include steamed halibut with chorizo sauce, baked crab shell with crab meat and onions, lamb shoulder confit with spiced jus, wok fried seafood in lobster broth, claypot and more delights.
Expect a glass of Champagne before departure and enjoy Cathay’s always impressive list of wines from Australia, France, New Zealand and more, including more often a selection of fantastic Chinese wines try and the firmly impress.
When it comes to sleeping, Cathay Pacific has also retained a strong focus on luxury touches, thanks to the airline’s partnership with Bamford.
Passengers can expect large pillows and mattresses – featuring 400 thread-count cotton pillowcases and duvet covers, all sustainably sourced – for a comfortable sleep in the air, alongside amenity kits, that feature Bamford skincare products including a cooling gel, multi-purpose balm and the brand’s popular pillow mist
Also find premium dental products from Waken packaged in sustainable materials, as well as an eco-friendly bamboo toothbrush, ear plugs wrapped in paper packaging and an adjustable eye mask.
When you combine those offerings with the new Aria Suite product that offers extra privacy, elevated entertainment and technology, it adds-up to one of the most enjoyable experiences in the sky. Bravo, Cathay Pacific, you have elevated a product that was already world class and we can’t wait to hop onboard another flight soon.
In addition to its innovative Aria Suite, Cathay Pacific’s retrofitted Boeing 777-300ERs also feature the brand-new Premium Economy cabin, which we thoroughly enjoyed experiencing recently.
Like the Business class cabin, Premium Economy has been meticulously crafted, from the generous seats to the intelligent lighting design and modern fixtures.
The state-of-the-art cabin features extra privacy, 15.6-inch 4K widescreen TVs with Bluetooth audio pairing and exclusive Premium Economy lavatories.
It’s the closest to a Business-like experience you can expect from an airline and is another example of how far Cathay Pacific is elevating travel for all passengers.