With Cathay Pacific continuing to add flights to its network, the airline has also announced that it would bring back First Class services on select routes from Hong Kong.
According to the carrier’s announcement on December 12, 2022, customers have already been able to enjoy the crème de la crème of its onboard services on flights from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) since December 5 and December 6, 2022, on flight CX251 and flight CX252, respectively.
Additional First Class services will be coming to the Hong Kong – Paris Charles De Gaulle International Airport (CDG) from January 18, 2023, on flights CX261 and CX260, while Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND) will see the top-of-the-line cabin product from February 1, 2023.
Growing travel demand from Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific’s First Class lounges and services were suspended in 2020. The airline, citing growing travel demand, brought the service back.
“We are extremely excited to be bringing back our First class service after an extended absence as the world’s appetite for travel comes roaring back,” stated Vivian Lo, the General Manager of Customer Experience and Design. “We know our customers have been eagerly anticipating being able to fly First class with us again, and we are delighted to be offering it on routes that we know are incredibly popular with them.”
In its most recent traffic update, the airline indicated that it carried 409,909 passengers in October 2022. Year-to-Date (YTD), the number was 1.4 million, an increase of 166% compared with the same period a year prior.
“Following the Hong Kong SAR Government’s lifting of quarantine requirements for arrivals entering Hong Kong at the end of September, travel sentiment out of Hong Kong improved significantly in October,” Ronald Lam, the carrier’s Chief Customer and Commercial Officer (CCO), said at the time.