What would you like travellers, particularly business travellers, to remember about this new Aria Suite?
Paul Johannes - I'd like them to remember a seat, an environment, an ambience over which they have total control. A very top-of-the-range seat, with unrivalled comfort and soothing, relaxing colours.
For example, what features should I mention?
Paul Johannes - Normally on a plane there's this light above the seat, which is very bright when you turn it on. This is no longer the case. You can now control the lighting in your cabin without disturbing other passengers, and with the intensity you want. Passengers no longer need to stand up, ask which toilet is free and queue: the screen in all seats simply shows availability, in all classes.
This includes Premium Economy, which Cathay has also redesigned...
Paul Johannes - Our new Premium Economy class has really changed things. We've tried to design this class in such a way as to create a more intimate atmosphere, a private space with large partitions, 'wings', so that the passenger feels a bit apart. There's also this separation between the middle seats, bigger screens, more storage space and, here too, greater control by the passenger over his or her environment. It really is an exceptional seat. In fact, these two new cabins have already won awards at the Design Air Awards, when we had just started our flights! And the economy class was crowned by Skytrax.
by the Design Air Awards
Could Cathay be crowned by Skytrax as the best airline in the world, as it was 11 years ago?
Paul Johannes - Who knows? I think it's possible. It would be great!
Would you say that being an Asian airline implies higher standards than elsewhere, given the competition from other carriers in the region at the top end of the market?
Paul Johannes - Competition is extremely intense. We are well aware of this. There are many airlines around the world offering very competitive products. Our aim is to ensure that as a customer, when you choose to fly with Cathay, you know exactly what to expect in terms of comfort, service, elegance, smoothness of travel...We are committed to being customer focused in the way we think about our product, our flights, our frequencies, our network.
Have the habits and expectations of business travellers changed as a result of the health crisis?
Paul Johannes - As far as the business travel segment is concerned, there have indeed been changes since the pandemic. The return of this clientele has been slower than in other sectors, but it is gradually coming back. The first companies to return were largely SMEs, because they needed to get back in touch with their customers. And we are now seeing a significant return from large companies. As far as the behaviour of business travellers is concerned, what we are seeing is that they may be making fewer flights, but they are making longer journeys by combining several trips. We have also noticed that, perhaps as a result of the pandemic, during which people were unable to travel, they are combining business and leisure trips to a greater extent. This is what we call bleisure. People say to themselves: "If I'm flying from Paris to Singapore on a trip, why not make a diversion via Bali?
" Last but not least When can we board the new Arie Suite from Paris CDG?
Paul Johannes - That's a good question... As you know, we are in the process of refitting our 30 Boeing 777-300ERs to accommodate the Aria Suite. As the process progresses, we will start to distribute them to different destinations. But after London, I don't know what the next launches will be. We need to be thinking about the best options, but we obviously have a vast network at our disposal. And I don't think the Aria Suite will be arriving in Paris this year.
