Review: Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class 777-300

Review: Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class 777-300


This Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class Review is part of a trip report including Qantas First Class, British Airways Business Class, Japan Airlines Business Class, and luxury hotels and dining in London, Dubai, and Hong Kong. 

For the previous posts, please see:

Review: British Airways Concorde Room Lounge NYC JFK Terminal 7

Review: British Airways Business Class on the 747-400 JFK-LHR

Best Seats in British Airways New First Class 747-400

Review: British Airways Arrivals Lounge in LHR and Heathrow Express to London

Launceston Place London Restaurant Review

Rosewood London Review

London Tips: British Museum with Kids

Review: Rivea at Bulgari London Hotel

Review: British Airways First Class Lounge London Heathrow Terminal 3

Qantas First Class A380 Review London to Dubai

Park Hyatt Dubai Review

Review: Atmosphere Lounge at the Burj Khalifa Dubai

Armani Hotel Dubai Photos and Virtuoso Client Review

Dubai Fountain by Burj Khalifa Photos and Video

Review: British Airways Galleries Lounge in Dubai (DXB)

Cathay Pacific Business Class Review A330-300

Review: Lung King Heen at Four Seasons Hong Kong

Review: The Upper House Hong Kong

Review: Cafe Gray Deluxe at The Upper House 

Amanpulo Review

Amanpulo Menus and Restaurant Review

Amanpulo Activities: Top 7 Things to Do

 
 
We were both pretty tired and groggy by the time we boarded our late night Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo. Fortunately we'd gotten a little nap in the Plaza Premium Lounge Sleeping Room I'd reserved, which is one of the few true sleep rooms in Hong Kong Airport. I knew that the flight would be Cathay's New Regional Business Class, which has angled seats, but I certainly wished we could have had instead Cathay Pacific New Business Class on the 777-300ER, which we'd flown from Dubai to Hong Kong, with its fully flat bed seats. It's even on the much shorter Hong Kong – Manila flight, but unfortunately not the twice as long Hong Kong-Tokyo route we were on.


Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class Seat Selection on the Boeing 777-300

The Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class cabin on the 777-300 has 42 seats in a 2 -3 -2 configuration. As a couple, you'll probably want window and aisle seats on either side of the aircraft, for example 15A / 15C or 15H / 15K. That said, if you both want direct aisle access, you'd need to take aisle seats across from each other, for example 14C and 14D. 

While the seats in the front of the cabin, 12A / 12C, 11D / 11E / 11G, and 12H / 12K do have more legroom, they are also close to the lavatory (directly in front of 12A / 12C) and the galley, so I'd personally avoid the first couple rows for that reason. We were in 16A and 16C, which suited us fine.

Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class Cabin 777-300

 

Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class Seat 

Unlike Singapore Airlines' Regional Business Class on the A330-300, with angle flat seats that offers seat pitch of 60 inches and 172 degrees of recline, Cathay Pacific's New Regional Business Class marginally improves on its older regional business class recliner seat, with seat pitch of 47 inches, up from 45 inches on the old product. Seat width is 21 inches vs. 20 inches on the old regional product, but still far short of Singapore's 24.5 inches on the A330-300.

While Cathay in its original 2012 press release touted the “ergonomically designed seat” with “passenger comfort…further enhanced by a six-way movement headrest and an extended legrest” I certainly would have preferred if we could have kept sleeping on the simple (but completely flat) beds in the Plaza Premium Lounge in Hong Kong Airport…although of course that wouldn't have gotten us to Tokyo. On day flights under 5 hours, these seats should be no problem. But in my view, any late night flight such as this one really ought to have Cathay's longhaul reverse herringbone business class with flat bed seats.

Seat Controls, Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class


Apart from the shortfalls of the recliner seat, limited width and lack of direct aisle access, storage above the seat in the overhead bins is fine, and during the flight there's space by your feet to keep a bag. There's also in-seat power to keep your devices charged. I personally didn't see anyone actually using the little storage space for mobile phone, but it is more prominent at least, so you're less likely to forget a device using that space, than other enclosed ones.

Review-Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class


Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class Menu and Food

Prior to take-off, we were offered a pre-flight drink choice of champagne, juice or water:

Review-Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class - Pre-Flight Drink

 

And also a hot towel:

Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class Review - Hot Towel

 

Since the seat just wasn't comfortable for sleeping, I figured I might as well have the meal, even though in my view Cathay Pacific doesn't have very good catering. If anything, Western options are usually better than the Chinese ones, although on this flight the dinner menu only offered Asian options for the main course: Chinese or Japanese.

Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class Dinner Menu

 

The salad was probably the best part of the meal, since the seared tuna, while cold, seemed nice and fresh:

Review-Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class-Salad

 

The wok fried prawns were a bit mushy, to be expected with reheated airplane food, but the kailan (a Chinese green vegetable) was cooked perfectly, and retained some nice crispness. 

Wok Fried Prawns with Kailan and Rice, Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class

 

As usual, the dessert of chocolate caramel mousse cake wasn't memorable, and until I looked at my photos I couldn't even remember what it was (whereas given my sweet tooth, I can easily remember memorable desserts from 20 years ago).

Chocolate Caramel Mousse Cake, Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class


Pralines were offered from a candy box, but I gave them a miss–it's not like these were Amedei chocolates, as were served on our Qantas First Class flight.

Pralines, Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class


Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class Angled Seat and Sleep Quality

As I've noted above, these cradle sleeps are really not good for sleeping, unless you're the type of person who can sleep anywhere (which is enviable). The fully reclined position is nowhere near the recline, of, say, the old Continental seats on the 767-400 EWR-HNL flight (now replaced by United First fully flat bed seats–see United First Class Review Hawaii to NYC).

I will say that my son managed to sleep on this flight in spite of the seats, but he was tired enough at that point to sleep pretty much anywhere.

Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class: Recliner Seat

 

The Verdict

Avoid Cathay Pacific New Regional Business Class (and even more so its old Regional Business Class) if you want to sleep. For daytime flights, it's fine, although not competitive with the space, food and service offered by Singapore Airlines' regional business class seats.

Related Posts

Cathay Pacific Business Class Review 777-300ER NYC to Hong Kong

Review: Cathay Pacific The Wing Business Class Lounge

Sleeping at Hong Kong Airport: Which Lounges?

Best Business Class Airline Seats for Couples

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