Cathay Pacific takes business class higher as airline seats go premium

JAL, other carriers also join trend of higher-price upgrades to keep pace with costs

20240913N Cathay Pacific press conference

Cathay Pacific showed off a new category of business class seat in Tokyo on Friday. (Photo by Tomonori Washida)

KEIICHI FURUKAWA and TOMONORI WASHIDA, Nikkei staff writers

September 14, 2024 23:46 JST

TOKYO -- Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and other global carriers are upgrading their business and first-class sections to try to generate more cash from each seat as costs soar.

Cathay Pacific on Friday showed off the new Aria Suite business-class seat in Tokyo that will be featured on Boeing 777-300ER planes as early as this year. The Hong Kong-based airline also plans to update its first-class section next year.