Cathay Pacific has been introducing some new aircraft lately. Last year Cathay Pacific introduced their newest variant of the A350, the A350-1000. The airline took the opportunity to introduce new economy class seats when introducing the A350-1000, and although I was swapped out when booked in their economy class, I did manage to fly their business class on a short flight.
Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-1000 Hong Kong Airport
Obviously, as with any company that has moving parts, the arrival of new planes means it’s time to say goodbye to some old ones. Cathay Pacific is retiring their last 777-200 out of service on August 7, 2019.
Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-200 Hong Kong Airport
Airlineroute suggests that Cathay Pacific’s last 777-200, B-HND, will run on these routes in August:
30/07 CX 524 Hong Kong to Tokyo NRT dep. 00:55 arr. 06:30
30/07 CX 509 Tokyo NRT to Hong Kong dep. 09:15 arr. 13:10
31/07 CX 408 Hong Kong to Taipei dep. 22:50 arr. 00:40
01/08 CX 407 Taipei to Hong Kong dep. 08:00 arr. 09:50
01/08 CX 653 Hong Kong to Bangkok dep. 12:00 arr. 14:00
01/08 CX 654 Bangkok to Hong Kong dep. 15:00 arr. 18:50
02/08 CX 506 Hong Kong to Osaka dep. 10:20 arr. 15:10
02/08 CX 507 Osaka to Hong Kong dep. 18:00 arr. 20:55
03/08 CX 470 Hong Kong to Taipei dep. 17:45 arr. 19:40
04/08 CX 403 Taipei to Hong Kong dep. 09:10 arr. 11:05
04/08 CX 418 Hong Kong to Seoul ICN dep. 14:25 arr. 19:15
04/08 CX 419 Seoul ICN to Hong Kong dep. 20:15 arr. 22:55
05/08 CX 506 Hong Kong to Osaka dep. 10:20 arr. 15:10
05/08 CX 507 Osaka to Hong Kong dep. 18:00 arr. 20:55
06/08 CX 536 Hong Kong to Nagoya dep. 10:10 arr. 15:05
06/08 CX 539 Nagoya to Hong Kong dep. 16:10 arr. 19:20
07/08 CX 484 Hong Kong to Taipei dep. 14:50 arr. 16:45
07/08 CX 485 Taipei to Hong Kong dep. 17:45 arr. 19:40 (last flight)
Obviously aircraft types are subject to change, but these are the routes that Cathay’s 777-200 will be running prior to its retirement.
What does this mean for passengers?
For business class passengers this is good news. Another 777 with regional 2-3-2 business class seats is being retired, and no new regional 777s are being delivered at this moment in time. This means that the proportion of regional 777s decreases, so more passengers flying shorter routes will be seated in longhaul configurations.
Seated in the middle block of Cathay Pacific 777-200 Business Class
Unfortunately for economy passengers, one of the last remaining 777s with a 3-3-3 configuration is being taken out of service. Cathay Pacific’s 2012-generation economy seats are some of my favourites, and the 777s had the most comfortable version of them. Unfortunately while Cathay Pacific further improved upon their storage options with the newest version of Cathay Pacific’s 777 seat, the new seats are outfitted in a 3-4-3 configuration, and they’re replacing these older seats on all of Cathay’s 777s.
Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-200 Economy Class
Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-200 Economy Class
After Cathay Pacific pulls their 777-200s out of service, soon no 777s will feature these economy seats. All of the remaining 777s are being retrofitted with the latest-generation 3-4-3 economy class seats, and a majority of the 777s still featuring a 3-3-3 configuration are Cathay Pacific’s regional aircraft, featuring their dreadful 2007 shell seats.
Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300 Economy Class
Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 Regional Economy Class Cabin
Only Cathay Pacific’s A330s will feature the 2012-generation economy class seat. While I find Cathay Pacific’s latest-generation economy seats comfortable, there’s something to be said about how nice and wide the older seats were, and how sweet a spot they struck between storage options and seat width.
This is also bad news for premium economy passengers hoping for a swap to a regional aircraft so they can be upgraded, since the proportion of regional aircraft is decreasing – though we’re talking about a select few here.
Bottom Line
I’ve only flown Cathay Pacific’s 777-200 a few times, and I can’t say they’re anything too special. This isn’t a huge retirement, as the 747 was back in 2016, though obviously there’s something to be said about the fact that we’ll never see one of these 777-200s painted in a Cathay Pacific livery again.
Are you flying one of Cathay Pacific’s last 777-200 flights?