Cathay Pacific flight 3337, which took off from Seattle on a direct flight to Hong Kong recently, was a very special flight.
CX 3337 was not a commercial flight but it carried some very important people from Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong. It was not listed on the boards of the Sea-Tac Airport in Seattle, and its passengers — only about 80 on an aircraft that could accommodate 365 — did not have to line up at a crowded airport, neither did they have weight restrictions on their luggage.
The plane was making its maiden trans-Pacific flight — not its first commercial flight, but its first across the ocean, ever.
The most special thing about CX 3337 was the aircraft itself: a Boeing 777-300ER, the acknowledged “rockstar of its size segment” — those big, double-aisle 300 to 400-passenger airplanes including the 747.
It didn’t just smell or look new, it was new — our bottoms were the first to sit in these wide seats and our somewhat jet-lagged heads were the first to rest on the headrests.
CX 3337 was a delivery flight.
It literally rolled out of the Boeing Everett factory in Seattle, got on the Everett runway and, with Capt. Colin Couch in the cockpit announcing Sea-Tac Tower’s go signal, it began its maiden flight — speeding up on the runway and pushing up into the crisp summer skies of Seattle — the first of what we imagine will be thousands of flights around the world in its lifetime.
At seat 11A, Cathay Pacific chief executive John R. Slosar sat, surrounded by his CX family and friends. It was the business class cabin with the new herringbone-design flat-bed seats, as this particular plane has no first class cabin.
The next cabin was Cathay’s newest offering: The Premium Economy Class (PEY) — a quieter space with only 28 or 35 seats per aircraft. On this flight, this cabin was occupied by journalists from the Philippines, South Africa, the US, and Bahrain.
With a glass of champagne in hand, Slosar talked with journalists in this cabin, after touring them to the cabin crew’s sleeping area (eight beds on the second floor at the back of the plane).
Slosar doesn’t do all delivery flights, only about two or three a year. This is Triple Seven No. 29 for Cathay, the latest airplane in a big order of about 99 new ones (not just from Boeing and not just Triple Seven) between now and 2020.
“The Triple Seven is the backbone of our long-haul,” says Slosar. “It is about 20 percent more fuel-efficient than the 747. It’s huge savings, so it’s great for us. What excites me about this plane is that it can fly anywhere nonstop. It flies 16-hour sectors, allowing us to fly from Hong Kong to anywhere and from anywhere to HK.”
Some routes, he says, make sense to have a first-class cabin while some don’t. Now, apart from just business and economy classes, there is the Premium Economy Class.
“There’s a segment of passengers who want to pay more for better seats but don’t want to go business class because it’s quite expensive, but they’re happy to pay a bit more than economy,” says Slosar who adds that in the foreseeable future, the configuration of a plane like this might change — perhaps more PEY seats and fewer economy seats.
Premium Economy seats are wider than economy, they have a bigger recline, a larger meal table, cocktail table, footrest, a 10.6-inch personal TV, an in-seat power outlet, a multi-port connector for personal devices and stowage space under the TV where you can put the small items you need during the flight — like lip balm, eyeglasses, iPod, pen, etc. — and passengers are given amenity kits.
On the ground, passengers of Premium Economy check in at dedicated counters and get to board before economy class passengers, and are given an increased allowance from 20 kg. to 25 kg. or two pieces of baggage from 23 kg. to 25 kg.
On a regular flight, Premium Economy passengers are welcomed aboard with champagne and juice, and enjoy a better meal selection and additional snack choices that include more fresh fruit, an energy bar, and dessert.
On this delivery flight, we all got first-class treatment — premium champagne (Moet et Chandon) and spirits (Belvedere vodka and Johnny Walker whiskey), dinner, snacks, and the highly coveted black cotton pajama set from Shanghai Tang (normally given only to first-class passengers) that we wore for the 12-hour flight.
Cathay Pacific, one of the world’s most successful airlines and whose hub in Hong Kong is the third busiest in the world, will have by the end of the year 48 aircraft installed with Premium Economy cabins; and by the end of 2013, 87 aircraft in the airline’s long-haul fleet will have it.
Ryan Uy, Cathay Pacific Philippines sales manager, says, “We believe that there are Filipino passengers who value extra comfort and service, and this is where we expect CX’s Premium Economy to serve this demand. It is perfect for business travel as well as for leisure trips for families wanting to have a very comfortable time onboard and it is currently available from Hong Kong to New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, Europe, Africa, Australia, India, and soon even the Middle East. With our hub in Hong Kong, our nonstop long-haul flights allow passengers to enjoy continuous, unbroken sleep since normally the travel time from Hong Kong ranges from 12 to 16 hours depending on the destination. By 2013, it will already be available on most of our long-haul flights.”
“Premium Economy is about 80 percent more expensive than an economy ticket and about half the price of a business class ticket,” says Uy.
“So, it is for people who have almost made it?” we joke.
Well, that’s not quite how Cathay is looking at this segment.
“We always say our Premium Economy is Economy Plus rather than Business Minus,” says Uy. “It works so perfectly for all travelers but more so to those traveling on economy class who want to upgrade their travel experience — more legroom, higher seat pitch, and preferred check-in.”
Cathay Pacific Philippines marketing manager Jan Charmaine Te-Agoncillo adds, “Filipinos love to travel and this is another product they can choose to make their experience more memorable. A lot of people say their first trip abroad was on CX. We want to make sure that the current and future generation will say the same thing by continuously investing in new products and services.”
Soon, passengers will be able to upgrade to Premium Economy using their miles, too. Slosar says that Cathay’s partnership with American Express, which has a co-branded card (issued by BDO in the Philippines) and Asia Miles has been an excellent profit stream for the airline and its partners.
“Asia Miles has four million members now and offers fantastic rewards,” says Slosar. “On an average week we carry about 13,000 to 15,000 redemptions, which can be tickets or upgrades. Anytime someone tells me they can’t get a redemption, I tell them, ‘Well 13,000 people did, how did you manage to miss out?’”
This kind of passenger loyalty also has to do with the aircraft. Boeing’s Anita Polt, regional director for product marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, says the Boeing 777-300 ER, the third generation of the Triple Seven, “is the preferred aircraft of elite airlines as it inspires passenger loyalty and provides unmatched revenue capability for airlines and delivers unrivaled performance.”
The Triple Seven was the first 100 percent digitally designed airplane, the first with only twin engines (by General Electric) for long haul flights, compared to the 747’s four engines, which means it is more economical in terms of fuel, and more environmentally friendly.
Boeing first rolled out the Triple Seven in 1995, followed by the extended-range 777-200ER in 1997, and the a year later the 10-meter longer 777-300, and in 2004, the 777-300ER.
Polt says of the Triple Seven evolution, “We got it right from the very beginning.”
Boeing received 618 orders from airlines for the 777-300ER, and by the end of July this year they had delivered 349.
The price? USD$350 million.
“The biggest investment of an airline is on new aircraft,” says Slosar, and adds that Cathay invested a lot, too, on the new seats. The design of the business class, for instance, is now “herringbone,” which maximizes privacy but couples traveling together can still see each other and talk if they pushed their seats forward.
It took two years, he said, to design the seats. They had the prototype in their office at Cathay City, Hong Kong, and he once spent the night sleeping in the flat-bed seat.
“I slept for six and a half hours straight,” he said.
No, he hasn’t tried the Premium Economy, but on that delivery flight, passengers in this new section slept just fine. It may have been the overflowing champagne, but the seats and service made the 12-hour flight seem much shorter.
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Cathay Pacific flies to Hong Kong 37 times a week. For inquiries and bookings, call 757-0888, or log on to www.cathaypacific.ph.