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Friday, December 30, 2011

Cathay Pacific to revamp economy class

HONG KONG-Cathay Pacific Airways has released details of its new premium economy class product, and announced plans to introduce a brand new economy class seat on most long-haul aircraft.

The premium economy product, which will be progressively introduced on its long-haul flights from March 2012, will soon be available for booking for flights departing from April 2012 onwards. The roll-out of the new economy class seat will also start in March.

Cathay Pacific Chief Executive John Slosar said; “We are really excited about these latest innovations. As always, the comfort of our customers was front and centre of our design process and we believe the results represent a very significant upgrade in the product we offer.

“Premium economy will be a real upgrade over economy, and passengers will get great value for a great product. The seat will have a generous recline and plenty of legroom, and passengers will also enjoy improved service and many other extras.

“Our new long-haul economy class seat will also provide more space and comfort, particularly in the enhanced recline position. And with lots of extras - including the latest in inflight touch-screen personal televisions and mobile device connectivity - those long flights will be even more interesting and enjoyable.”

The economy cabin revamp follows the roll-out of new business class products last year.

The new premium economy product will be positioned in a separate cabin to standard economy class, featuring between 26 and 34 seats. The seat pitch will be 38 inches – six inches more than economy class – and the seat itself will be wider and will recline further. It will also feature a large meal table, cocktail table, foot-rest, a 10.6-inch personal television, an in-seat power outlet, a multi-port connector for personal devices, and extra personal storage space.

On the ground, passengers will receive priority check-in at dedicated counters and priority boarding before economy class passengers. There will also be an increase in baggage allowance to 25kg. Once in flight, passengers will receive an amenity kit, larger pillows and noise-cancelling headsets, as well as a welcome glass of champagne, a bottle of water and additional snack choices.

The new premium economy cabin will be installed on all Cathay Pacific’s long-haul aircraft including Boeing 777-300ERs, Boeing 747-400s, Airbus A330-300s and Airbus A340-300s. The first B777 and A330 featuring Premium Economy Class will enter into service in March 2012.

The airline plans to have 87 aircraft fitted with the product by the end of 2013. Premium economy will initially be featured on the Sydney, Toronto and Vancouver and New York routes, followed by London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, continental Europe and other long-haul routes.

The new long-haul economy class seat will feature a cradle mechanism designed to enhance the level of comfort in the recline position, as well as the high-resolution touch-screen personal televisions, a USB outlet and an iPod/iPhone outlet.

The new seats will be fitted on all Cathay's long-haul B777-300ERs and A330-300s, the first of which will enter service in March flying to Sydney and Toronto. A total of 36 B777s and 26 A330s will be fitted with the seats by December 2013.

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