Cathay’s new 777 ‘Halo’ first class suites to launch in 2025

Cathay Pacific is planning a fresh take on first class for its forthcoming Boeing 777-9 fleet, and the luxe suites will quite literally be a halo product for the Hong Kong airline.

According to an application filed to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in July 2023, Cathay intends to market its 777 first class as The Halo Suites, using the trademark or ‘service mark’ shown below:

The trademark or ‘service mark’ is to be used “in commerce on or in connection with” a wide range of applications such as “luxury and first class air transportation services” as well as “frequent flyer and bonus programs for frequent air travellers.”

As previously reported, Cathay is taking a similar approach to its new Boeing 777 business class, dubbed The Aria Suites.

And when Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777-9s take wing from late 2025, the airline is promising high flyers will enjoy a ‘world-leading’ product.

Cathay Pacific’s next-gen first class

It’s no surprise that Cathay will continue to fly the first class flag.

While some airlines are phasing out first class – among them American Airlines and Qatar Airways, Cathay is lining up alongside regional rivals such as Singapore Airlines plus heavyweights Emirates, British Airways, Lufthansa, Qantas, Japan Airlines and Air India, all of which have new first class suites on the runway.

“Our new first class, which we expect to be a world-leading one, will be coming on our 777-9 fleet (and) the first one will be delivered in 2025,” confirmed Chief Customer & Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau at an analyst briefing following the release of Cathay’s 2023 financial results earlier this year.

Cathay exec Lavinia Lau promises a world-leading first class for the 777-9.

Cathay Pacific has 21 Boeing 777-9 aircraft on order, worth over US$7 billion at list prices.

While deliveries to Cathay were initially slated to begin in 2021 and stream through to 2024, a series of production delays to Boeing’s 777X program (which covers the large 777-9 and the smaller but longer-range 777-8) has pushed back the 777-9’s debut to 2024.

The Boeing 777-9 will replace the 777-300ER (shown) as Cathay's flagship.

Cathay Pacific Group Chairman Patrick Healy announced in October 2020 “the delivery of the 777-9 fleet has been postponed beyond 2025”, although Lau’s comments indicate Cathay Pacific’s first Boeing 777-9 delivery and inaugural flight is likely to sneak into the tail end of 2025.

The Cathay 777X fleet will sport the same Cathay Pacific ‘Aria’ business class suites slated to arrive on the current long-range Boeing 777-300ER by mid-2024.

Cathay Pacific's next-gen Boeing 777 'Aria' business class suite.

These will retain the similar 1-2-1 layout but add sliding doors, greater personal space plus mod cons like wireless device charging.

Cathay Pacific's next-gen Boeing 777 'Aria' business class suite.

Read more: Cathay teases new ‘Aria’ 777 business class suite

So what can we expect from Cathay Pacific’s new 777-9 first class?

Given the doored Aria business class suites, there’s no doubt Cathay’s 777X first class suites will not only come with doors but higher walls, probably to the extent of being as ‘fully private’ as Hong Kong’s airline safety regulations permit.

This would be similar in approach to Emirates’ current 777 first class and Qantas’ Project Sunrise A350 First suites.

Qantas' private A350 First suite for non-stop Project Sunrise flights.

Lufthansa also adopted a three-across layout for its A350 ‘Allegris’ first class, although with the unique twist of the middle suite being an oversized twin-berth ‘Suite Plus’ suitable for couples.

Lufthansa's A350 twin-berth first class suite.

One way Cathay could seek to bring its own touch to the 777 first class experience would be to draw on the elegant design DNA of its best lounges.

The use of warm materials and textures would cocoon travellers in a luxurious ‘residential’ aesthetic during the 777’s typically long flights, which can span around 14 hours to the likes of London, Paris and Los Angeles.

Will Cathay seek to wrap high flyers in the same warmth as its best lounges?

This would of course neatly mirror the ground experience of Cathay’s lounges, which by 2025 are likely to include some all-new lounges at Hong Kong Terminal 1 following the reopening of the airport’s Terminal 2 in late 2024.

Feted firm JPA Design is believed to be shaping Cathay’s 777-9 first class, having already revealed its business class handiwork on the new Aria suite.

JPA’s relationship with Cathay Pacific stretches back to the carrier’s 2011 Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 business class, which in turn was based on the benchmark Cirrus platform pioneered by JPA.

JPA shaped Cathay's second-gen flatbed business class.

The highly-regarded firm was also behind Cathay’s latest Airbus A321neo regional business class.

JPA’s airline portfolio also includes Japan Airlines’ Boeing 777 first class and business class, although its most high-profile airline work would be for steadfast customer Singapore Airlines.

This spanned from Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 747 first class to the Boeing 777 first class and business class upgrades of 2013...

Singapore Airlines' 2013 Boeing 777 first class and business class.

... and both the 2007 and 2017 iterations of SQ’s Airbus A380 superjumbo business class.

Superjumbo business class: Singapore Airlines' 2007 and 2017 product was developed by JPA Design.

In other words, JPA has plenty of cred when it comes to premium cabins – and a page on JPA’s website lists one of the firm’s current and “Confidential” projects as “Cathay Pacific – Future aircraft cabins.”

Under the heading of “Creating the future of Cathay Pacific’s inflight experience” the page confirms “We have partnered with Cathay Pacific to design and develop their next generation of aircraft cabin interiors.”