Cathay Pacific To Upgrade Reg’l Business Class Seats In 2013

Manila Bulletin
September 30, 2012

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Asia's largest international carrier, will introduce new business-class seats in its regional fleet next year as the region's growing economies spur corporate travel.

The new reclining seats will have more leg room than the carrier's current units, according to a statement today. They will also have connectors that will let passengers watch content from Apple Inc. devices on the inflight entertainment system.

Cathay will install the new seats across the Boeing Co. 777s and Airbus SAS A330s it uses on regional routes by the end of 2014.

The airline has also begun rolling out new long-haul business-class cabins and added premium-economy cabins as it competes with Singapore Airlines Ltd. and China Southern Airlines Co. for lucrative corporate travelers.

"We are doing all these because it's a competitive market," Chief Executive Officer John Slosar told reporters in Hong Kong. "I need to give my customers a reason to come back and choose Cathay Pacific."

New regional business-class seats will start appearing in Boeing 777s in January and in Airbus 330s in the fourth quarter, the company said.

Cathay Pacific fell 0.6 percent to HK$12.92 in Hong Kong trading today. The benchmark Hang Seng Index dropped 0.2 percent. The carrier has declined 3 percent this year.