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Cathay Pacific
Hong KongHong Kong Economy

Cathay Pacific passengers to be squeezed into smaller seats but at least the screens are bigger

The carrier will add an extra row of seats to its Boeing 777s to create a 10-abreast cabin – but the good news is travellers will enjoy more features 

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The first photos have emerged of Cathay's new economy class seat on Boeing 777 aircraft. Photo: CX
Danny Lee

Passengers on some Cathay Pacific Airways flights will face narrower economy class seats from as early as this month as Hong Kong’s biggest carrier squeezes in more people to boost profits.

The move is expected to add HK$700 million (US$89.7 million) to Cathay’s bottom line annually when its refit is completed, helping the airline recover from two years of back-to-back losses.

The redesigned seats on Boeing 777 aircraft will feature bigger TV screens and in-flight Wi-fi will be installed on the planes.

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The carrier will add an extra row of seats to its 777s to create a 10-abreast cabin. Around six planes will have the extra seats before the end of the summer while refitting of its fleet of 65 Boeing 777s will be completed by the end of next year.

Seats will have a number of new features. Photo: CX
Seats will have a number of new features. Photo: CX
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“This new configuration enables us to increase capacity offered to our passengers at this critical time when Hong Kong International Airport remains slot constrained,” an internal Cathay document said. 

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