Unfortunately, the bulkheads absolutely do not have any extra space in the footwells.

Flew HKG - LHR on CX251 (seats 11D/G) and despite the sluggish IFE we slept better. The space is wider. I definitely wouldn't go out of my way to avoid the new suites - especially as they're going to become the standard - but all else being equal we'd pick a non-suite option.

251 is not an Aria flight. 255, or last minute sub?

That's the point made by adrianlondon.
CX251 is the old 77W with F. 11D/G are great seats. I also much prefer them to the Aria suite.

Yeah, sorry, I wasn't totally clear. We flew back on non-Aria seats and preferred them.

There are plusses and minuses (despite the TV being too close to my face, the Aria IFE is better and little sliding cubbyhole is nice) but overall we were more comfortable in the old style seats.

I agree - the display is too close to the face and its position is fixed. I also prefer the old-style seats, where I can move the display to one side. For me, the display is only for information and most of the time I keep it switch off during the flight.

I have booked two upcoming flights and would like to ask for some advice regarding seat selection.

I have attached two screenshots for comparison: the outbound flight is on the A350-1000, and the return flight is on the Boeing 777-300ER with the Aria Suite.

At the moment, I have selected row 15 on both flights.

For those who have flown these cabins before, would you recommend staying with row 15, or would you suggest choosing another row? I would be interested in your views, especially in terms of privacy, window alignment, noise, light from nearby seats, and overall comfort for sleeping.

Any practical advice or personal experience would be much appreciated.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f2e983e3ea.png
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c308afa136.png

77J - you've already picked the quietest seat location. Privacy and comfort and potential disturbance from adjacent seats all the same.

35K - also a good seat and not much between them but I personally like sitting near the back of the cabin, say 21A as most passengers use the forward lavatories and the galley is at the front, so slightly less food traffic.

Has anyone noticed that the seat padding in Aria is not as good compared to Cirrus, especially the middle of the seat at hip position when in flat position? There's some kind of hard metal protrution that felt like a metal rod between the seat cushions - I've also noticed this on other Collins Elements / Super Diamond products on other carriers, but this particular seat on my last flight was worse than others - luckily I was able to pick up an extra duvet, otherwise I would have woken up with a very sore back.

Also the armrest was broken (wouldn't come up) I think half of them are aready broken by now.

Yes, padding is definitely an issue although time will tell if it softens up a bit with use. But nowhere near as comfortable as Q Suites. I wish CX had given more attention to “the basics” such as this and having functioning arm rests..

And just a thought but a better (thicker) mattress topper like on JL or even AA would help.

Thank you for your suggestion.

Are 35K and 35J the same configuration? On AeroLOPA, I can only see 35J listed for Cathay Pacific.

In any case, I have changed my seat to 21A. The destination is HKG, with an arrival time of 06:10, and I have a connecting flight around seven hours later, so I am not in a rush to get off the plane.

For the return flight, I will keep 15K for now, as it is ex-HKG with a departure time of 23:55. I hope this will allow me to have my meal fairly quickly and then go to sleep.

Same thing, 35K is A350-1000, 35J is CX's configuration code of which there is only one at this time. No guarantees that 20A, 21D, and 22A won;t all have their reading light on and order snacks throughout the flight.

This is the Aria thread, not your personal trip thread. Always appreciated when these threads don't veer off topic and lose utility for the group. There are lots of other threads for other non-Aria J class questions.

Thank you for clarifying.I understand that there is no perfect seat and that the experience can always depend on the passengers nearby.