CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 747-400

The seat is mediocre at best and questionable at worst for someone standing at 5 ft 11in. There was no elbow room at all and any attempt to stretch the arms in seating upright would result in my arms crashing into the side of the plane or the side of my seat. The armrest was practically non existent. In fact it was so flimsy that a slice of white bread looked firmer than those arm rests. Although the seat transforms into a flat bed, the narrowness of the seat created the impression that I was laying in a coffin and that impression was reinforced by my inability to makes any lateral arm movements.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 777

Beware the bait and switch. The new business class seats look great and that's how I was lured into buying a Cathay ticket. On the homeward flight I found the old fishbone seats. If you lie on your back, your elbows are pinned to your side for the whole flight. There's not a millimetre of stowage, business class food is uninspired. FA's try to make it up on service, but know that they can't.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 777-300ER

New business class seat a major improvement to the old herringbone layout. Spacious side table, shoe compartment, side pocket and compartment to store headphones etc. Seat cushion could be thicker but overall comfortable full-flat bed. Length of seat in flat position is generous. Side partition offers privacy from aisle traffic. They needs to offer better pillows in long-haul business class cabin.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 747-400

London Heathrow to Auckland via Hong Kong is an ordeal in itself but seat was comfortable with only a bit of space lacking in the width department. Other than that the seat was good. Amazing privacy with good food.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 777-300ER

LAX-HKG Business class seat is still the old herringbone type. The old business class seats are just too narrow. I dread going to the toilet because it is such an ordeal to move about in the horrible angular space. The meals have shrunk to the extent that many passengers have to ask for second helpings. The main (entree) is pretty much economy class meal served on semi-fancy plate. I find that unacceptable in a premium 5 star carrier.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   AIRBUS A330

Perhaps the worst experience ever imaginable has to be one where you are stuffed into one of these business class seats of the fishbone configuration. No elbow room, no storage, and no ventilation when the seats are fully extended. Try flying with a child - you are not going to be able to see him, talk to him, or eat with him. I have been a loyal Cathay customer for more than 20 years. But after three long haul round trips over the past six months traveling with a young child crammed into these awful seats, I will not fly Cathay again until these awful seats are replaced across the fleet. Hard to imagine how a great airline could blunder so blindly on its choice of seats.

HKG-SFO with my wife. 1A and 1K, perfect for a couple. the seat was so spacious that we could sit side by side. The food & drinks were all A+, comfortable seat, great selection of movies and entertainment and the service was top notch.

Perfect for travellers who want privacy, space to work, a place to sleep and great service. Not so good for looking out of the window but at the end of the day most of the time there is nothing to see so no great loss!

I was pleasantly surprised to see the new seating configuration in Business Class. What an improvement compared to the old seating arrangement to what I described as rows of horse stalls. The only view was the passenger's feet. The new seating allows privacy – and a window to look out from, instead of my back to it.

The main problem with this seat is also the main advantage, privacy. Nobody can see you and you can see nobody when you are seated (a good thing). However, it is almost impossible to talk to the person next to you. Seats are considerably narrower compared to traditional front facing Business Class seats. This has not been a problem for me and it seems a more than reasonable sacrifice to make because any average sized passenger doesn't actually need too much seat width.

Business class - new layout HKG MEL. After 3 flights in the awful herringbone single line layout, we at last experienced the new layout. 1x2x1 seating across the A330, squeezes the aisle size, but provides window seats that you can actually see out of, and 2 in the middle for couples who would like to talk to each other. To do this the central seats have horizontal movement so that in the sitting position you can move forward to chat with your neighbour, or keep it back if you want privacy. The bed works, the controls are good, and there is even a storage box for the headset, as well as a good shelf on which to place odd items during the flight. Two points of criticism remain. The tray table is in a fixed position and for anyone with some girth, it presses into the stomach. Pregnant ladies would find it very difficult and uncomfortable. In addition the footrest when you are in a normal sitting position does not extend far enough and as a result even people with short legs would find support ends at the angle.

The seats were narrow, the window was behind my head, the walls either side of the seat gave the impression of a prison cell. Why? I can only imagine it was to fit more seats in. I notice Cathay managed 22 upstairs when everybody else has 20. The service was excellent, the food likewise, but that won't win them customers. It was painful to watch a couple try to talk to one another over the partition!

New Business Class seats are wider and more spacious than previous, however, middle seats do not have enough privacy if travelling alone.

New Biz class seat is fantastic. Very comfortable, great to sleep in, private lighting keeps the cabin dim at night, great video screen and programming, etc. The seat has lots of storage.

For a single traveller the cabin is fine, no neighbours, but for any couple of family, there cannot be a worse arrangement. The pod is antisocial, cramped, no elbow room, ill conceived by blocking windows even for window seats, and in a non flat position the leg rest brings feet up under a "stool" on which you cannot sit. I hope that the new system recognizes that there are many who do not travel alone and would like some companionship. Two seats side by side can easily be separated by a screen when used by individuals rather than couples.

Cathay is widely promoting its new business class seat but it is appalling. The separate feet support does not align to the bed when in sleep position so there is no support under the calves. FA tried to correct alignment and admitted that lots of passengers complain.

New Business product. A lot more roomy feel to the cabin. Also the fact that your feet now faced in rather than out was also a good design improvement as this stops you getting bumped.

Negative points first - if you are by a window it is very difficult to see out without craning your neck around, lack of storage space (as I am used to the cavernous BA Club World drawer), but this outweighed by most comfortable seat and flat-bed I have encountered. Entertainment system also excellent - large screen and very extensive collection of new films, old films, TV programmes and CDs. Would agree with other reviewers that it is not really suitable for travelling as a couple or with families.

The new Business Class on CX, which has made its debut on the HKG/SYD route, is a vast improvement over the much-hyped herringbone version that it replaces. Now couples may feel they are sharing their trip, and those who wish to look out the window can do so without having to perform contortions. The layout of the seats and their surrounds has obviously been carefully thought through, with several little touches, such a knee room when sleeping on one's side and a shoe receptacle so no more searches for lost shoes. The only criticism I have, and it is a small one, is that the table, which swivels out, cannot slide forward or back.

The seats are very narrow and no view at all out of the window without craning your neck to an unpleasant angle. I couldn’t read a newspaper as I couldn’t get it open wide enough and still be comfortable. I did notice the upper deck seats are a good 6" longer than the main deck when in full lie- flat mode. There is an additional shoulder belt they make you click into your lap belt for takeoff and landing which seems superfluous, no other angled herring-bone seat arrangement on any other carrier I have been on requires this. I also noticed that the material used is fraying badly at the edges, most carriers use leather to maintain a high quality finish. AVOD system is good, though a little unresponsive at times. Good choice of music and good play-list option. In seat power didn’t seem to work for me but may have been faulty.

JFK-HKG, a 5-star flight. The seating configuration, in herringbone shape, is not so good if you want a view from the window and you are traveling with someone you want to chat with, but the seat is quite comfortable for reading, watching movies (great entertainment system and huge screen), eating and sleeping.

HKG-SFO in the upper deck, seat 81A. The seat is quite comfortable for reading, watching movies (great entertainment system and huge screen) and eating. I found sleeping okay, but not so comfortable, because the cabin temperature was too high and it's not possible to control ventilation. I disliked the herringbone configuration because it makes it very difficult to have a view from the window. Next time I will pick a seat from the second row to the back in order to have a view, even if it's partial, from the window next to the seat in front of mine.