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Old Nov 28, 2010, 2:44 pm
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Top of climb
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,495
6. Economy Class

The exact Economy Class product will depend on the type and configuration of aircraft. Generally there are three main types of product: New Cradle, Olympus Hard Shell and Regional (although in the case of Regional there are some product variations).

New Cradle seat
Installed on: 33G, 77G, 77H

Olympus Hard Shell seat
Installed on: 33B, 34B, 77D, 77Z, 74A, 74K

Regional seat
Installed on: 330, 772, 773


6.1 What is the seat pitch in CX Economy Class?
A standard 32" across the entire fleet.

6.2 Do Economy Class seats differ according to aircraft?
Yes. Even ignoring the Long Haul retrofit, Cathay have a number of different Economy Class seats depending on which type of aircraft you are flying on. To further complicate matters, the seats may be different within each aircraft type as well (and in the extreme case of the 773 B-HNN, different within the same aircraft!) However all Economy Class seats, no matter which variant, are fitted with seatback PTV.

These are the different variants we have identified on non-Olympus aircraft (please refer to the table in section 1 above to determine what type of Economy Class seat your aircraft will carry):

Standard Y seat features:
  • Standard-sized 6.4" seatback PTV with fixed control panel on armrest
  • Non-adjustable headrest
  • Non-slimline design

Slimline Y seat features:
  • Standard-sized 6.4" seatback PTV with fixed control panel on armrest
  • Adjustable 'winged' headrest
  • Slimline design


6.3 What are the notable features about the Olympus YCL seat?
The main feature of the new Olympus YCL product is the hard shell surround around each seat, similar to a mini-Business Class seat. The intention of the hard shell surround is that the seat now reclines within the shell and not on to the lap of the person behind you, thus creating a fixed living space for each passenger. The risk of having someone recline on you while you are eating your meal is eliminated with the Olympus design. Additionally, the slimline design of the shell and the seat means that while the seats remain the same distance apart as on non-Olympus aircraft, your legroom is effectively increased.

The drawback is that the recline becomes less comfortable, because the seat is essentially sliding inside its own shell. The main criticism is of the padded headrest, which remains perpendicular to the base of the seat. This creates a rather uncomfortable position for the neck and head when the seat pan is tilted upwards in reclined position.

All Olympus YCL seats feature a widescreen PTV located on the back of the seat in front, and is AVOD-enabled. The removable remote control is located under the PTV on the back of the seat in front.

When all retrofitting is complete, the Olympus YCL seat will feature long haul on the A340 and B747 fleet. It will also replace the gradually aging (and shabby) seats installed on Cathay's Regional fleet; the thinking being that the loss of recline on regional flights will cause less of an impact than on long haul flights.


5.4 Where are the dreaded underseat IFE boxes located and do they significantly restrict legroom?
IFE boxes are all located specific seats, so if you are unlucky enough to be assigned to that seat letter, you may find your legroom to be considerably less than your neighbour's.

On 744 aircraft, the seats are located under the middle window seats (B and J), and possibly under the two middle seats in the middle section (E and F), although the latter is to be confirmed.

It has been confirmed that on 333 aircraft B-HLW, the IFE boxes are located under seats A, D, G, K. (We think this is the same for the other Airbus aircraft).


6.5 How do I get an emergency exit row seat?
Most emergency exit row seats are now marked as "Extra Legroom Seats", which can be secured free of charge by elite Marco Polo club members on a first come, first served basis. Other passengers may secure an Extra Legroom Seat by paying a prescribed fee at the time of booking.

Be warned that since the tray table and PTVs come out of the armrest in such seats, they are fixed into position (i.e. they cannot tip up unlike in other seats) and wider than in other seats, thereby making the seats a bit 'snug'. On the B747-400 series, the inflatable slide compartment in the door also eats up quite a bit of legroom in the A/K seats. Please consult the Cathay Pacific website for further information.

Current emergency exit seats found on the following aircrafts are:
A333 330, 33B, 33G - 54ACHK
A343 34B - 54ACHK
B747 74A - 44BCHJ; 74K - 48BCHJ
B773 773, 77Z - 44BCHJ
B77W 77D - 31ABCHJK and 54BCHJ; 77G - 43ABCHJK and 59ABCHJKJ, 77H - 59ABCHJK
B772 777 - 54BCHJ

Certain bulkhead seats are also marked as Extra Legroom Seats. Please consult Cathay Pacific's seat maps for further information. Extra Legroom Seats are marked with a + sign on Cathay's seat maps.


6.6 Do Economy Class seats have in-seat power and data ports?
The Olympus product was designed to feature in-built power. The plug is located at the head of each armrest. However, a design flaw has led to power interruptions. While a temporary fix has been enabled for FCL and JCL, Olympus YCL cabins currently remain without plug-in power. We understand Cathay’s systems engineers are working to remedy this problem.

Last edited by Top of climb; Jan 13, 2013 at 9:24 am
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