Cathay confirmed yesterday they are getting 2 777Xs next year

absolutely saw that coming. Lam's word.

Looks like no F scheduled or bookable fro LAX pot October 26, 2025 - All are Airbus 350's on/. Hopefully just a place holder. Looking to book F for December

First isn't being discontinued, but it is being removed from the 777-300ERs (replaced by Aria suites in the nose) and will eventually be found only on the 777-9s, as first reported here.

This was of course written a year back, and a few things to note:

* The plan was for the 777-300ERs with First to be last on the refurb list, so those would only start to be drawn down as the early 777-9s with First (Halo?) arrive, thus minimising the period of reduced First availability

* However, at least one of the refurb'd 777s (those who track tail numbers will be across this more than I) went into the hangar with First and came out with Aria at the pointy end - and since then, 777-9 deliveries continue to be pushed back. Boeing now says launch customer LH will get the first 777-9 in 2026 (without saying where in 2026, so that could be as far back as Q4), while Bloomberg reports deliveries to Emirates (second cabin off the rank) "are now expected to be delayed until at least the second quarter of 2027, and potentially later in 2028."

While it's not known where on the delivery list Cathay's orders sit, at this rate you've got to consider the impact of a narrowing window between the end of the 777-300ER refit program (which based on previous CX comments would see the end of 777-300 First) and the arrival of the 777-9s with the new 'Halo' First suites.

Could there possibly be a period when there's simply no CX First on offer because the last 777-300ER has been refurbished and its First suites removed, and the 777-9s are yet to arrive? Or might CX bring forward the debut of 'Halo' by fitting it to a number of 777-300ERs at the same time as Aria, new premium economy etc, so as to deal with this gap? No doubt CX is well aware of this and planning around it, and I have high faith in the capabilities of Alex McGowan and Lavinia Lau, among others.

(And of course, while the debutante 777-9 will be a Big Deal, the ability to ramp up new First flying if Halo is a purely 777-9 proposition depends on how quickly CX gets the second 777-9, and the third, and fourth and so on.)

I’ve been told that 10 77A will be kept to operate the 5 F routes.

what routes has F right now? PEK,LHR,LAX ??

lhr/lax/jfk/pek/hnd

I also thought CX would convert the 77K's first but I guess CX management did the math and figured that it makes more financial sense to provide additional capacity overall rather than offering more F class across the network.

Which is interesting if those are refitted with Aria, meaning the business class hard product will be markedly superior to that of first (although we know that for many first class flyers, First can be more about the 'exclusivity' of the cabin), or if those ten planes will remain untouched - not the worst thing, as the original 777 business class seat is still decent, it obviously just makes for reduced product consistency.

Politely, I would quite aggressively push back on this assumption. As someone who has flown too many CX F flights to count in "new" F (for those of us old enough to also remember "old" F), plus maybe 10x or more J flights in "new" F operated as J, plus 3x Aria flights (all regional of course, but still).

It is without question I would choose the CX F hard product over Aria 100/100 times. CX F seat is still among the most comfy and best in the sky. And it is deceptively private. Utterly brilliant design. And they have kept the fabrics nice and refreshed over the years.

​​​​​​This isn't at all the case of like BA F (which Ive also flown a few times, although I do my best to avoid since it's woefully uncompetitive). Where you have some mediocre to dogxxxt F seat against the new generation of smart biz suites. CX F seat is really in a class of its own for timelessness. I don't say this as a fan so much as someone who has maybe flown in this seat 50x+?! Maybe 100x? I don't know but it's a lot over the last 15 years! And I've also mixed up my business enough over the years to EK, JL, ANA, SQ and some others to really appreciate just how good the CX F design was back in 2006 or 2007 whenever. Aria is definitely not competitive with CX F hard product. It's not close. CX F hard product is like a hall of fame F product.

While I'm gushing, let me just say that once the wow factor wore off, I still prefer the comfort of CX F over the SQ Suite with the new room thing. I still can't quite maximize the space in there and am less comfortable sleeping in it than the CX F bed. CX F doesn't look too fancy on Instagram vs the bigger products out there today but don't let that deceive you. Yes it's old but seriously. It's just so well designed.

;) that was a lot!!! Gotta stand up for what I consider a possible GOAT seat design!

I agree that its a great seat. I'm going to enjoy the last (quite possibly forever) of what has been a great run of being upgraded into these seats in/out of Aus next weekend.

I guess David is just referring to the tech and ambience, because no matter how good the business class is, it's hard to rival CX F's space.

I was definitely referring more to as you say “the tech and ambience”, because I definitely agree that Cathay’s open suite design remains a delight. And as I mentioned, many people who fly F are less concerned with the hard product than they are with the sense of exclusivity in that smaller more private cabin space, and maybe service and F&B are part of that experience too.

I remember speaking with one of the design firms once about open versus closed suites in First - this was back before doors became a thing in business class - and he spoke of the clubby nature of First, the fact that many people who fly in first class on particular routes will often see their fellow travellers again and again, so even though the suites are not private a la Emirates and SQ (at the time, and maybe also Etihad), they can still provide privacy by design - which the CX ones do - without the passenger feeling hemmed in, and more importantly, they feel a sense of belonging in that cabin, it’s like it’s a little private club, so they don’t necessarily want to be shut off from everybody else, as long as they don’t have to mix it with the hoi polloi behind the curtain in business! I recall him saying that there was almost a sense of wanting to be seen in the first cabin, if only by others in that cabin, or at the very least not wanting to be hidden - so there was almost a sense of “theatre”. It’s a fascinating psychological take!

I am doubtful if that would happen. CX is said to retrofit Aria with no F first, which should already take years. By the time they finish, 777X should have arrived with the new F. I suppose CX to retrofit Aria alongside with new F by that time.

That was then plan, but with the 777-9 deliveries continuing to slip... well, CX CCO Lavinia Lau has previously told me (which I reported some time back) that the 30 Boeing 777-300ER jets would be upgraded at a rate of one per month, a process which will take through to mid-2027. Bloomberg has reported deliveries to Emirates (which is second delivery after Lufthansa, and has by largest order) "are now expected to be delayed until at least the second quarter of 2027, and potentially later in 2028."

CX is definitely behind EK in that queue, and I've heard (from a good source, albeit not verified) that even the number of 777-9s already build and which could be ready to deliver once all approvals are done, does not yet include any of the CX frames. Boeing could 'catch up' to the CX order depending on production rate but if Bloomberg's reporting is correct, then we'd not expect to see a CX 777-9 until at least the back half of 2027 (at best) or later.