That's interesting, I always prefer it to be within reach when I'm sitting or reclining - when I lie down, I'm sleeping. (Love learning about other people's different preferences and perspectives.)

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Yes, surely it's equally (if not more) important to have your bottle of water within reach while sitting, but the original bottle holder under the armrest does that as well, while also allowing access to the bottle while lie down.
I remember when A350 revamped business class seat debut in 2016, CX specifically introduced the bottle holder as one of its selling points and they mentioned that it was added after hearing frequent flyers' suggestions.

Together with the smaller footwell, smaller storage, I think that too many well-loved features were gone in exchange for a sliding door, which tbh is just some marketing gimmick (in the past, if your neighbour across the aisle wanna spy on you, he needa lean forward, now he needa stand up).
But I'm not blaming CX for this. I know a door is a must-have for business class now, it's the trend. I just found it a bit sad.

And don't take me wrong - I definitely don't think Aria is a bad seat. My biggest problem/disappointment(?) with Aria is that with the current A350 business class seat and all its customized curated details by CX, it is the best reverse herringbone seat out there, and I can proudly say that it's my favorite business class seat in the world, even better than those media hyped seats like the Room or QSuite. When people say "oh I hate reverse herringbone, they have horrible footroom", I can reply "not for Cathay's seats!".

However, with Aria, we once again face with the major shortcoming of reverse herringbone. It is a standard 2020s era business class product. CX goes with the tide so Aria is as good as, but also no better than, its competitors.

I agree with everything you said above, especially the parts about the a350 Cirrus - CX did some super clever modifications and the sleeping space is incredible. Personally I wish they had just added new tech and a door to that. The reality is most people inside CX and Swire, and the ones I know are top notch people, but....at least some of us on their forum are far more frequent fliers than they are, especially with the details in J and F and what really matter. And some of us are far better acclimated with competitors. The bloggers have a way of skewing opinion, I often agree with their views but sometimes I think they're way off. I don't fly these products aspirationally (although I love it) they're a way to get to and from meetings and serve a practical purpose to some degree, so what I care about sometimes doesn't align with what I read (although for most part I think those bloggers are useful). But I guess what I'm saying is I know those websites and bloggers etc have a way of shaping corporate decision-making, truth be told.

Most importantly, I think just a lot of us on here are better acclimated with value since we have to pay for it as transportation for meetings. And that has a way of shaping different impressions. Sleeping comfort is super important and CX absolutely nailed it in Cirrus J A350. With all the extra padding on cabinet top, toe-rest area, etc. the most beautiful on the surface or in the blog pics, is not always most practical.

(The silly pseudo sophisticated name speaks to some lack of understanding in my view..."Aria"....cringe.)

​​​​​​Cynicism aside, I'm glad for change too. first I have really come to like doors (unless I'm in CX F, which I still love. Brilliant design.) I know not everyone agrees but for me, once I have a door I don't like not having one. Now it's true a lot of J doors are gimmicky compared to F class, but just saying. Also, I appreciate companies are under immense pressure to keep "innovating", if nothing else to install better tech etc. Bluetooth connectivity is really nice since we all use Bluetooth headphones these days anyway. I don't bother with IFE in J unless I can use my own for the most part. So I get it CX needs to roll something out. Maybe most important though, I also think CX middles J suck for long-haul. I have avoided them like plague and actually can't remember last time I did long-haul, but my points stands. The two twin middles are a bummer for solo travelers long-haul. This hopefully alleviates that. Most people don't like that level of seatmate intimacy given how great J class has gotten in last 5-10 years

However, I still agree with the heart of your point that they're now just a standard product in the market, despite the funny name.

I'll still be excited to fly it.

What I'm really looking forward to is the new CX F.

Well you never know.
they might upgrade aria and fix the leg issue with the A350 or even 777-9 fit
I remember CX making it quite clear that they themselves slept for 12 hours etc in the old CX J cirrus seats while theg were experimenting with the designs.
i dont think Vivian Lo has, not to be honest does she have the height to understand tall customers.

CX A350 J is by far the best J seat on the market.
idk what the blogs say or surveys , how SQs back destroying awkward J gets rated above CX I have no idea.

A few factual points for those asking questions:
- Yes, it's Elements.
- The special amenity kit is for Aria flights only
- Cathay are working on a tweaked livery with slightly new titling on the fuselage (I believe this is a tiny, tiny change and not a new font etc)

In terms of my view...I think it retains a lot / all of what people like about the Cirrus seat but obviously make it much more technologically advanced. There are a lot of changes here that you won't necessarily understand until you see it in person. The infinitely adjustable tray table and aisle-side armrest are some of them. The lavatory availability indicator. The seat and lighting presets/customisability. The sliding (rather than vertically opening) console storage.

Taken all together I think it's a good upgrade to what they currently fly, but hard to communicate these small details effectively unless you are particularly knowledgable and experienced about airplane seats. I think even other journalists didn't quite understand what was so good about it.

One thing not mentioned by many people are the classy travertine-effect business class lavs. They look very good (photo below). The front galley is also very stylish - not so much the 'Gallery in the Sky' but various separators/finishes that make it feel much more like a hotel / lounge.

As a side note, the seat also felt very solid/well built, which also helps. Some J seats feel like they're about to fall apart. Although some of the upholstery fastening didn't seem as flush as it should have been (but not sure if this is just because the seat covers are quite stiff from not being sat on yet).

London is almost certainly going to be the first long haul destination based on what Vivian and Ronald told me, and from what some birdies tell me. Expect it in January.

If you want to read my full piece with photos and quotes you can do so here: https://www.headforpoints.com/2024/1...usiness-class/

Happy to try and answer any follow up questions...


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f0133a5534.jpg

I'd be excited to fly Aria too! Like other posters said, at least the technological advancement is exciting.

There might be some negative sentiment in my previous replies, but I did see CX try their best to improve the seat in small details. For example, although the pocket inside the small cabinet is axe, they add a new sliding cabinet in the side table for your passport/BP/phone.

When the Cirrus business class seat was introduced in the early 2010s, it wasn't perfect either. Upgrades were made in 2016 which resulted in the A350 seats that we love. Hopefully CX will absorb passengers' feedback on the new seats and would work on an even better Aria that maybe we could find in A350 in several years' time :)

Yes the toilet looks really nice now! The pedal-opening-trashbin should have been installed long ago. I remember some other airlines have done that during Covid, doesn't really need to wait for a major cabin product launch, but better late than never!

Up this arvo: 10 things you’ll love about Cathay’s Aria Suites business class

this is why I think the door should be replaced with a curtain, just like AF. I think with that design the A350s huge space can still hold. not to mention its lighter as well, and isn't that expensive to install surely, and should remain equally as private, with the same high tech.

I believe trends don't always have to be followed. like the room, its much wider than a usual business class seat.

Thank you David and Rhys for the articles and the detailed analysis. I think many of us here are excited to try out the new product.

The sleeping experience does vary depending on your size. We won't know how comfortable it will be until we spend tens (maybe hundreds) of hours sleeping in it. ATM, it seems we're trading a bit of sleep comfortability for tech advancement.

Just an observation - Is it just me or does the footwell design look very different to the Starlux implementation of the same seats (see pictures below for the Starlux seats from ThePointsGuy)

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4f033fed8.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8e40e8a72.jpeg

and more from FrugalFlyer

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...aff977340.jpeg


Not sure why they removed the storage space under the footwell as well as the tiny ledge on the side.

Couple of thoughts. Could be slightly different A350 vs 777 variant. Could it also be window seat vs middle pair being slightly different?

Good point, the starlux ones have the exact same design (i.e storage space underneath footwell + side ledge) for window vs middle pairs though. Though with 777 being wider you would think it’s easier to retain the storage space assuming that was part of the original design.