Cathay Pacific Expands Aria Suite Business Class to U.S. Flights in 2026

HONG KONG — Cathay Pacific is expanding its Aria Suite business class to long-haul routes, marking the product’s first scheduled deployment to the United States, effective January 3, 2026.

The airline is reconfiguring its Boeing 777-300ER fleet to introduce this updated product, with San Francisco‘s airport (SFO) set to receive the Aria Suite three times a week under the CX872 and CX873 rotations starting early in 2026. The rollout is part of Cathay Pacific’s broader initiative to enhance its long-haul network from Hong Kong (HKG).

Initially introduced in late 2024, the Aria Suite aims to offer an elevated travel experience for business class passengers. The updated layout on the 777-300ER includes 45 business class seats, with notable easy visual confirmation through seating arrangements in Rows 14 and 20.

Currently, ten aircraft have already received the Aria Suite upgrade, including registrations B-KPA, B-KPE, B-KPF, B-KPX, among others, with retrofitting taking place in Xiamen (XMN) over approximately seven weeks per aircraft. B-KQQ is the next aircraft scheduled for modification.

The Aria Suite will also be available on flights to several key destinations this winter, including Frankfurt (FRA), London (LHR), Melbourne (MEL), Sydney (SYD), and Vancouver (YVR). Selected flights to Bangkok (BKK) and Sapporo (CTS) will also feature the suite on a variable basis.

Cathay Pacific confirmed that passengers can identify the presence of the Aria Suite on certain flights through Google Flights, which marks the suites distinctly, as well as on the airline’s website, where the corresponding seat maps display the configuration.

As Cathay Pacific moves forward with its fleet upgrades, it aims to reconfigure all of its Boeing 777-300ERs by the end of 2027. Given that retrofitting takes nearly two months per aircraft, travelers can expect a methodical rollout with additional routes set to gain availability as more jets are upgraded.