Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. unveiled a new business-class seat to about 3,000 customers as it begins a HK$1-billion (US$129 million) cabin upgrade to fend off competition for lucrative premium travelers.
The carrier put on a laser show, paraded new cabin-crew uniforms and hired Lady Gaga, Tina Turner and Marilyn Monroe look-alikes to entertain frequent fliers attending the event at Hong Kong’s convention center late yesterday. The seats, which are longer and wider than Cathay’s current units, will be rolled out across 50 long-haul planes from March.
“I really like the extra space,” Helen Au, managing director at Hong Kong-based German Wines Ltd., who takes about four long-haul flights a month, said after trying a seat mock-up. “It’s much more convenient.”
Incoming Chief Executive Officer John Slosar will oversee the revamp as Emirates Airline and Singapore Airlines Ltd. woo Hong Kong travelers with Airbus SAS A380 superjumbos while US carriers add China flights. British Airways Plc and Deutsche Lufthansa AG have also unveiled new first-class cabins this year as travel rebounds from the global recession.
“The premium carriers in this region have to be very mindful of what’s going on in the Middle East,” said Derek Sadubin, chief operating officer at consultants Centre for Asia- Pacific Aviation. “And, there’s obviously some very strong trans-Pacific rivals.”
The airline, Hong Kong’s biggest, will install the new seats in 30 Boeing Co. 777-300ERs and 20 Airbus SAS A330-300s by February 2013, according to a statement. The planes will fly to markets including Europe, North America, Australia and India.
The new lie-flat business-class seats have a 75-inch (1.9 meter) usable bed length, 4 inches more than the current units. Slosar told reporters he slept “very well” on mock-ups of the new leather-covered seats.
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Source MB.com