Cathay Pacific has long had one of my favourite economy class seats (well, on most aircraft). There’s an exciting new update – their A330s and A321neos are getting some refreshed economy class seats, with new tech.
While I’ve heard that their A321neo economy seat is far too tight legroom wise, I’m quite happy to see the change to their A330 – I loved their old seat, though it is due a refresh, especially due to its now outdated at-seat tech.
Cathay Pacific introduces new A330 economy seat
Cathay Pacific is introducing a new economy class seat on their A330s. Specifically, this is the ZIM/HAECO Vector seat, which you’ll also find on Air New Zealand and/or Condor.
The seats have storage trays, phone pockets, and adjustable headrests, as you’ll find on other newer seats within the airline’s fleet. The airline also advertises:
- Sculpted seatback cushions
- 13.3-inch 4K screens, with Bluetooth audio streaming
- Two USB-C power ports
- Improved storage solutions and wireless charging
I believe this will be a first for wireless charging in economy – though I wouldn’t be far too excited, as wireless charging usually doesn’t work as well as it’s marketed. Still, this looks like a very good product, and I can’t wait to try it out one day.
Cathay Pacific’s new A330 economy class
For comparison’s sake, all of Cathay Pacific’s current A330s feature their previous-generation economy class seat from 2012. This actually used to be one of my favourite economy class seats – it had supreme padding, good recline, and storage that led the industry for its day. However, in 2026, there’s no denying that the screens are quite unresponsive, the seats are more worn than well-padded, and the industry standard for in-seat tech has leapfrogged beyond what these seats offer.
Cathay Pacific’s old A330 seat was one of the best of its time, though its time was a while ago
Cathay Pacific’s A321neo economy is also getting a refresh
Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific’s A321neos are also getting a refresh. We’d known for a while that Cathay Pacific was planning on increasing legroom onboard their A321neos due to customer feedback, though what they hadn’t said was that they were planning a new seat altogether for these planes.
Cathay Pacific’s new A321neo economy class features:
- 13.3-inch OLED screens with 4K HDR10+ content
- Two fast-charging USB-C power outlets
The original A321neos already featured Bluetooth audio, so the new A321neos will still inherit this feature.
As promised, the airline has shaved the economy class seat count from 190 to 183, also moving the lavatories in front of the last set of doors (as opposed to behind, where they currently are). It’s rare to see an airline remove seat count from economy, especially on shorthaul flights, so it’s glad to see Cathay Pacific actually responding to customer feedback in this way.
Cathay Pacific’s new A321neo economy class
These seats actually look less like the airline’s A350-1000 seats (as their old A321neo seats did, sans legroom), and more like their 777 seats. In either case, I’m glad to see the same ergonomic considerations such as in-seat storage at play.
Cathay Pacific’s current A321neo seats are well-padded and feature good ergonomics generally, except that they’re really tight. The seats are as thick as you’d typically expect from longhaul economy class seats, except that there’s 30″ of seat pitch. This means that you’d get even less actual usable legroom than you would on Ryanair, which also features 30″ seat pitch.
Cathay Pacific’s A321neo economy class was very comfortable if you’re under 5′
Conclusion
Cathay Pacific has released two tech-forward economy class seats on their shorthaul fleet, both of which I’d be happy to fly on a multi-hour flight. The new A330 seats replace the airline’s current comfortable-but-dated seats, whereas the A321neo seats are a welcome update to the airline’s current modern-but-far-too-tight economy class seats.
I’m hoping to try these seats out soon, and glad to see the airline continue to up its game in economy.
What’s your take on Cathay Pacific’s new economy class seats?
