Flew HKG to CTS in business class and finally got to try the new Aria suites. Overall impression is positive, but there are definitely some trade offs.
Pros first. The media screen is much bigger and a huge improvement. Touch responsiveness is way better too. The hidden sliding compartment for phone, passport, AirPods is a really nice detail. The sliding door adds a lot of privacy and feels long overdue, even if the lock placement is a bit awkward behind the seat. Dining table storage and fold out design is cleaner and more efficient.
The bathroom is a massive upgrade. More space, better layout, sensor flush, foot pedal trash bin, and even the toilet lid design makes more sense. Seat controls are smoother, faster to recline, and you can make finer adjustments now.
On the downside, the actual seating space feels a bit smaller than the old product. Not terrible, but noticeable. I also ran into a few tech quirks. During cabin announcements the audio drops and the screen dims, which is fine, but sometimes it doesn’t fully return to your previous settings after. Minor, but annoying.
A couple things Cathay could improve. There’s no real intro to the new suite features. A short video or even a paper guide would help. A lot of passengers won’t know about Bluetooth headset pairing or that you can see bathroom availability on the screen. Also, the wireless charging pad has no clear indicator, so my phone didn’t charge at first because I didn’t place it exactly right.
Overall, it feels like we may have lost a bit of personal space, but the upgrades mostly make up for it. Net result is still a better experience, and I came away impressed with Aria.
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