What will the next first class behold?
 

I love the current CX First. I think its the best product in the air, from my smallish amount of F flying and my reading, but curiosity always approaches me when I fly the product and I always wonder what the next generation seat will look like?

Since it is my opinion that some of the most informed CX flyers frequent this site, what do you believe the next Cathay Pacific first class will behold?

I have thought of some concepts but I wonder as to whether it will be a fully enclosed suite product (SQ 380, EK, EY) or will it be more open as it is now? Will it have the new Panasonic EX3? Will the size of the cabin be increased or decreased (imagine a single aisle in the 77W with no more middle F seats!)?

I honestly believe CX is the epitome of luxury today in their First, and I highly doubt they will change for a while. I personally prefer CX F to SQ including suites, EK suites, EY Etc.
I think they opted clearly to have a First class product that was open, spacious and airy, yet extremely private. When you are in your "cocoon" you can hardly see another passenger.

There is clearly enough distinction between First and Biz products (something fellow oneworld airline BA failed to maintain when they updated Club and let First call behind).

To answer your question, I don't see them need to touch a very well received product for a while, as long as they continue good up keep which they are known to do.

Agree with above. CX has a top 3 F product that doesn't need a major overhaul. Some F/Suite cabins have doors but there is enough privacy not to need an actual door, which some may find claustraphobic. They may update the IFE or redo the seats with leather or another material down the line as they show more wear but I don't think a complete redesign is going to be needed for the next 5-7 years.

I'm hoping for a bigger screen. But maybe some minor tweaks for the meantime such as an ipod and video connector added to First Class. It would not really be fair if only J class would get the connectivity on the new J class seats. Cheers

The CX F seat, service and IFE are fine in my view.

There are two areas for improvement:

• The catering needs an upgrade -- CX First menus really lack the "wow" factor -- I find the meals and presentation significantly better on J class in some of the middle eastern airlines (e.g. Etihad and Emirates) than F on CX.
• F could do with a much better snack bar -- I know one can press the button and order from the rather limited snack menu -- but I like grazing and the CX basket of snacks in the galley is sad, the same as CX J class, and could do with a major upgrade.

OT slightly but CX J food is also terribly below par I found.:td:

I agree with all above - better IFE screen, better tech connectivity - a soft refresh when needed.

The one thing CX does better than SQ even is to always serve Caviar on longhaul flights for 1 meal (even supper with a 1am departure from JFK has a full caviar service).

I do agree their catering can be hit or miss depending on the base - at JFK for example they use DO & CO and it is excellent. But they could definitely look at a more "first class" dining experience - in keeping with their service and seat.

Also would be nice if they could plate 1 of the main meal services on J like SQ does rather than the premium economy casserole to put in front of you.

Well, since there's always room for improvement, I wouldn't mind seeing:

Menu:
Let's face it, you're not going to get a Michelin 3-star experience on a commercial airline. You can tweak the menu all you want but it will always come down to what's reasonable (given the limitations of being on an airplane) and what will satisfy most traveller's tastes. That being said, I can see:

- Better selection of snacks (not that you need *more* food in F). And please replace the Hagen-Dazs with some decent gelatto or sorbet or whatever.
- Add a nicer single malt whiskey to the menu. Say a 16yo Lagavulin (only about US$70 a bottle) or, if you want to go ape-sh*t, a 30yo Laphroaig ("only" about US$500 a bottle).
- From comments made on FT, maybe work on insuring better consistency in food prep/presentation. There will always be regional differences. HK/US/CA/EU based food prep really should differ from each other due to the availability of fresh local foods. That can also backfire, I suppose.
- Maybe a BTC option akin to what's available on SQ? Personally, I've never been all that impressed with BTC, but whatever.

IFE
- Noise cancelling headphones would be nice.
- I've occasionally had finicky IFE controllers. Not anything to really complain about but they could be better. The screen size is fine with me, especially compared to the small 10" or 14" armrest screens on some other carriers.


What I'd really like to see (MAYBE) is for CX to add 3 more F class seats (and, of course, one more FA) to their current TPAC fleet as it can be really difficult to find two F award seats on a single TPAC flight. Then again, too many F pax on a single aircraft can be a bad thing as it would increase foot traffic, affect food service and perhaps negatively impact overall comfort. Maybe when they get A380's (or the mythical 787's) they can add more seats, lavs, galleys and, most importantly, FAs.

Also, it would be very nice if CX had more planes with F class cabins on short hop routes (say, HKG-BKK).

I could be going out on a limb here, but I don't see CX adding more F seats to accommodate award redemptions.

Adding F seats doesn't just benefit award flyers. For example, CX doesn't bump award flyers if a "paying" pax wants an F seat (subject to capacity controls it's first come first served), so added seats would allow CX to accomodate more "paying" pax. And don't forget that CX still gets paid for award tix issued by another carrier (eg, AA, BA).

But, yeah, I don't see them adding seats to existing aircraft. Too expensive.

Same goes for Y as well.

I havn't flown CX Y for at least 4 years, but did just recently (was a redemption booking).

I opened the meal, took one look at it, and put it to one side.

Fortunately I had already eaten very well at the QF First lounge in MEL :-)