Good to see CX is finally reacting to the poor comments of their 'hard fixed shell seats'. They are perfectly OK for <2hrs, so its not a problem for short haul. I am glad that CX is sticking to their hard shell concept and replacing the product with a 'soft' fixed shell seats. All they have to do is add cushioning and fix the headrest(in reclined position), which is what they seem to do now.

As for premium economy, I don't think this is a good move. If they mess this up, it means downgrade in Y service (I can't imagine) and rise in J price. F might fade out in a few years time and CX would not be a top airline anymore. This is why most premium carriers don't have all four classes(SQ,EK etc)