I love writing about long-haul premium economy. Mainly because the criteria are simple: Does the product feel like economy with a few extras, or more like business class lite? First class seats are more than adequate to mitigate the lack of space in economy. To be fair, that’s what premium economy was designed to do. But second class seats are pleasant enough in their own right to make you go out of your way to take them.
We tested Cathay Pacific’s long-haul economy cabin on two flights on the airline’s fleet of Airbus A350s. These aircraft are capable of handling some very long routes. In our case, we flew from New York to Hong Kong and then connected to Sydney, spending more than 25 hours on board.
After so much time testing the seats and service, what do we think? Read on to find out. We also have a bunch of videos, including a nose and tail camera at the end.
The Cathay Pacific premium economy experience started to become special as soon as we arrived at the airport, thanks to a dedicated check-in lane.
Cathay Pacific operates out of Terminal 8 at New York JFK International Airport, which is home to flights from American Airlines and its Oneworld partners.
The terminal features a collection of American Airlines logos from past and present. Do you have a favorite?
We spent some time walking around and taking in the views of the tarmac. In the background of the picture below you can see the Cathay Pacific A350-1000 operating our flight.
This is a close-up view.
seat
Cathay Pacific We are pleased to begin receiving A350-1000 aircraft in 2018and the airline is clearly still enthusiastic about the aircraft. Some specific design features give the -1000 capabilities beyond those of the airline’s A350-900.
Cathay Pacific has also ordered some 777-9s, but they will not join its fleet for another year or two.
Premium Economy seats 32 passengers in four rows of 2-4-2 seats. In the A350-900 Premium Economy, passengers have to walk back to the Economy Class toilets. But on the -1000, the cabin has its own dedicated toilets.
There’s one less passenger per row here than in regular economy class, and the extra space is split among the remaining eight seats. That’s enough to provide noticeably more elbow room, and the armrests between the seats are wider, too.
The A350-1000 only started joining the fleet five years ago, so the cabin decor still looks new.
The seats are equipped with 12-inch screens, several inches larger than those on the 777 fleet. The seatbacks also feature tablet holders, coat hooks and large literature pockets.
The cabin crew served welcome drinks in real glassware – a stripped-down version of the service in business class.
During the fight back, we saw some American Airlines planes.
Watch the video below for highlights of taxi and takeoff, including a bird’s-eye view of Concorde’s favorite runway (31L/13R), panoramic views of JFK from above, the Manhattan skyline, and a few minutes skimming the tops of the clouds on the way to cruising altitude.
It’s time to eat
After takeoff, the crew served a round of drinks before lunch service began. The food tasted good and the real cutlery was a plus, though the simplicity of the paper cups and the food itself made it feel closer to regular economy class.
The cabin lighting creates a comfortable atmosphere during the flight.
It may be a coincidence, but the ceiling color here matches the color outside.
kill time
In addition to those big, bright, high-resolution screens I mentioned earlier, each premium economy passenger is provided with a pair of noise-canceling headphones. The in-flight entertainment library has plenty of options to while away the time.
Next to the seat there is a remote control (although the screen is also a touchscreen) and a few buttons to control different parts of the seat.
Which brings me to the best part of Cathay Pacific’s long-haul premium economy seat: the recline. Compared to most other airlines’ premium economy seats, this one reclines significantly further back, advertised as 9 inches, compared to the average of 6-8 inches on most other airlines. For added sleeping comfort, the seat comes with a swing-up leg and footrest underneath.
I envy people who can sleep sitting up all night. I’m not one of them. But the recline was enough to allow me to sleep comfortably and undisturbed for half the night on a 14-hour flight. I woke up feeling great. The A350’s quiet cabin and stability over the wing also helped.
To be fair, leaning back like this is a double-edged sword. If the person in front of you leans back all the way, then you lose a lot of personal space. I’m personally happy to accept this trade-off, as you can always recline your own seat to regain the lost space.
The amenity pack includes a toothbrush and toothpaste, a sleep mask and a pair of socks.
While I liked the seat overall, there were a few minor issues. One of the USB sockets didn’t work, and the tablet holder under the screen (a cool idea) didn’t work either – surprising for a seat on a relatively new aircraft.
There is a second meal service during the flight.
There is also an on-demand menu between the main meal services. Cup noodles really hit the spot at the end of a long flight.
I was excited to try a can of Betsy, Cathay Pacific’s custom brew. The beer tastes best at 35,000 feet and is named after the first aircraft in the Cathay Pacific fleet, the Douglas DC-3.
End of flight
On the way back to the ground, we saw the beautiful mountains near Hong Kong International Airport. Cathay Pacific’s A350 aircraft is equipped with nose and tail cameras, which we made full use of during the approach and landing:
judgment
The flight between New York and Hong Kong is long, but the time really went by quickly in Cathay Pacific’s A350 Premium Economy. The service earned me some Business Class Lite points, with real china cutlery and sparkling wine in real glassware on board. The food itself was closer to Economy Class quality, but still tasted great, and there were bonus points BeckyThe entertainment system was excellent with lots of great content on the big screen. The sleeping experience was excellent, about as good as you can get for a recliner.
The flight from New York to Sydney via Hong Kong takes 25 hours. I could have chosen a shorter route, but in the end I decided that the extra time spent flying Cathay Pacific’s premium economy was totally worth it.
Cathay Pacific Introducing the next generation of premium economy class seats It will soon join its 777-300ER fleet, so there’s more to look forward to.
Have you flown Cathay Pacific’s long haul Premium Economy before? If so, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
