Roomier Economy Seats Coming

By Author: Steve Robinson
Total Articles: 468
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Cathay Pacific, long known for its cheap airfare, both in terms of cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages, has accepted delivery of its first new Boeing 777-300ER plane that is fitted with the airline’s new “premium economy” class seating configuration.

Ultimately, Cathay will take possession of 87 such planes and will start offering the new class of service on all of its long haul flights by the end of 2013. Starting in April, premium economy class will be offered on select flights to Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver and New York routes.

Cathay Pacific’s premium economy class will consist of between 26 to 34 seats and will be located between the economy and business class areas. Its premium economy seats come with more legroom than economy class and a dedicated flight attendant for the section.

This section offers 38 inches of seat pitch, which is the distance from the back of a seat to the front of the seat behind it. This is six inches more than economy class and Cathay’s premium economy class is roomier than the 34 to 36 inches offered by United Airlines’ economy plus class.

38 ...
... inches of pitch means that passengers have plenty of room to work comfortably on laptops even when passengers in front of them fully recline their seats. The additional space means that there is room for passengers in window seats to get by fellow passengers in other seats without having to wake them up so long as their tray tables are up.

These premium economy seats recline up to eight inches and are slightly wider than in economy class and come with bigger video screens.

Complimentary welcome cocktails and Champagne will be offered to premium economy passengers as well as special menus. Additional perks include priority check in and boarding and a five kilo increase in baggage allowance.

While pricing has yet to be finalized, premium economy tickets are expected to be priced 50 to 80 percent more than a standard economy ticket. While Cathay Pacific is determined to be competitive, its object is never to be the cheapest because it believes its customers will pay more for the right product.
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