Take A Closer Look

Cathay Pacific's new Aria Suite, the Hong Kong-based airline's first business class equipped with sliding doors, is a minimalist seat that boasts very subtle touch points. And it is deliberate - the airline has turned its focus on creating cabin experiences that cater to the needs of its passengers, not just for instant virality.

- Manfred Lu

These days, airlines are all vying to impress with one thing - sliding doors in business class. It is easy to see why: these suite-like partitions have made the experience of flying in a plane with 200over strangers more private than even one's own home; it also drastically decreases the need to be disturbed by an in-flight neighbour on those redeye flights, where the extra hours of snooze are needed. Some airlines' sentiment for installing suite doors in their business class cabins was so positive that it even retired the need for a first-class product.

So, as the lifespan of most airlines' interiors reaches its decade-long end, the race is now on for them to include the elusive premium feature as part of their retrofit plans. With travel reaching an all-time high, so are expectations for an airline's next-generation cabins. Some have even begun bitting at the trend by embellishing their planes not only with suite doors but with added features such as built-in speakers and double beds.

Yet, when Cathay Pacific revealed the Aria Suite, the Hong Kong-based airline's first-ever business class seat with closing doors slated to replace the existing generation on its 777-300ER aircraft, the airline had intentionally chosen to avoid any flashy novelties for its HK$100 million upgrade. Instead, they focused on creating a seat that functions for your comfort and not just for instant virality - you will not find out-of-the-world concepts in the Aria Suite with its undoubtedly straightforward design that mirrors its existing business class product.