Cathay Pacific features its innovative business-class Aria Suites on its retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Although the airline announced these suites in 2024, they only began flying between Hong Kong and the U.S. on December 31, 2025, and the airline has since rolled out additional flights and routes.
Aria Suites features intuitive detail, making the flying experience immersive and enjoyable. From the comfortable seat (decked out in ethically-sourced rohi wool) to easy-to-operate touchscreen seat controls and practical storage, here’s what you should know about flying these new(ish) and subtly elegant business class suites.
Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suites
We toured the Aria Suites on a retrofitted 777-300ER aircraft at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) during a Oneworld event marking the arrival of Alaska Airlines to the airport (14 Oneworld carriers now serve Heathrow!).
These retrofitted planes don’t feature first class, so Aria Suites are the top-tier seats on these aircraft.
After testing out the suites and speaking with Cathay Pacific flight attendants, we learned more about what the flying experience was like in these coveted business-class suites and how to make the most of the best features.
Stats
There are 45 Aria Suites in the business class cabin on each retrofitted 777-300ER. With a 1-2-1 configuration, each seat has direct aisle access.
Each seat also reclines into a fully lie-flat bed, and each suite is fully enclosed with a door you can open and close for privacy.
Vibe
The suites are anything but flashy, but that’s what makes them so coveted. In line with Cathay Pacific’s general design aesthetic and vibe, the suites feature a more understated luxury with muted beige, blue, and green tones.
The cabin even features unique artwork to elevate the experience. Amenity kits come with Bamford products in a soft leather bag.
Details and Tech
Yes, the suites are comfortable with plush wool seating and leather headrests. But what really makes flying them a memorable experience is the intuitive tech, starting with touchscreen controls for the seat and ambient lighting (via 6 different light sources), calling the FA, and preparing your suite for dining. The touchscreen controls also include preset options like relax, work, and sleep.
Additionally, there’s a small touch control that’s more accessible to use when the seat has been converted into a bed, so you don’t have to drag yourself up to adjust the bed back into a seat.
The suite also has a convenient wireless charging pad integrated into the table, so you can simply set your phone down to charge it (there’s also a USB and a traditional plug charger).
Entertainment and Storage
Each suite has a 24-inch, 4K screen with Bluetooth pairing packed with movies, music, television, games, and more, along with noise-canceling headphones.
It’s fully touchscreen (you also can operate it using the touchscreen remote), and its coolest feature may just be the lavatory view, which shows a layout of the plane, where your seat is, where the nearest bathroom is, and whether it’s available or someone is currently inside. This means you won’t have to get up and wait in the aisle for the lavatory.
You also can use the screen to set Do Not Disturb notifications or Wake-up service.
There’s a decent amount of storage within each suite, including a leather-lined personal compartment and sliding cubby, ideal for things like AirPods or personal items, and another down below for your shoes. When pulled out, the tray tables have a small space to hold your phone.
Premium Economy and Economy on Cathay’s Retrofitted 777-300ER
Cathay has also revamped its premium economy seats (48 in a 2-4-2 configuration) and its economy seats (268 in a 3-4-3 configuration) on its retrofitted 700-300ER aircraft.
Each premium economy seat has a leather headrest and small privacy dividers that lightly separate you from your seatmate(s). Each divider comes with a reading light. The seats feature a generous recline, foot rest, and a 5.6-inch widescreen 4K TV.
Each economy seat has been updated with new fabric covering, and the cabin has new lighting and revamped IFE screen features, such as Bluetooth connectivity and that coveted lavatory screen option, which might actually be handier in economy class, where many more passengers are sharing fewer bathrooms.
Speaking of bathrooms, these have also been updated to include some touch-free features.
Where and How To Fly Aria Suites
You can currently fly the Aria Suites on retrofitted 777-300ER aircraft between Hong Kong and several destinations.
Routes
Aircraft with Aria Suites fly to following destinations (with more on the way as the airline retrofits additional aircraft), including:
- Frankfurt (FRA)
- London (LHR)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Melbourne (MEL)
- Milan (MXP)
- Sapporo (CTS)
- San Francisco (SFO)
- Sydney (SYD)
- Tokyo Haneda (HND)
- Vancouver (YVR)
That said, the airline plans to retrofit all of its 777-300ERs by the end of 2027, so we hope to see new routes coming soon.
If you’re trying to book Aria Suites and want to ensure the flight/route you choose comes with the Aria Suites, you can see it by searching for business-class tickets in Google Flights. On the right side, if the aircraft is retrofitted and has Aria Suites, it will say “Individual Suite.” If it’s not retrofitted and features the older business class product, it’ll say “Lie-Flat Seat.”
When booking on Cathay’s website, make sure the aircraft is designated as “77J,” which refers to the retrofitted airplanes with Aria Suites.
Flight Pricing
Prices for flying the Aria Suites aren’t cheap, costing at least a few thousand dollars each way. However, you may be able to fly ultra-long-haul routes, such as San Francisco to Hong Kong, for a minimum of 91,000 Cathay Pacific “Cathay” miles one-way (the carrier recently increased its award rates on May 1, 2026).
Since Cathay is a Oneworld member, you could also use Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards points or American Airlines AAdvantage miles to fly Aria Suites.
Final Thoughts
We love the understated luxury of Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suites, and we can’t wait to test them out, sipping Champagne, tasting the food, and evaluating seat comfort on a long- or ultra-long-haul flight.
The practical, sleek design, tech features at each seat, and privacy door give this cabin a discreet, private feel for a premium flying experience.