Cathay Pacific announced new cabin designs recently. I found some photos posted on the net:

good-times.webshots.com/album/554329140EEHNju

First Class will be a suite, and business will be Virgin/AirNZ type herringbone cubicles.

Most interesing is the new economy seats:

- Fixed back, so no more arguing with people in front or behind you
- 3-point belts, at least in the pictures
- I also notice in the pictures that the seat back doens't really recline. It just slide down while the bottom cushion slides forward.

I wonder if they're actually more comfortable than new seats that both actually recline and slides forward.

I've never flown before, so parden my ignorant question here, but a lot of airplanes these days have the shoulder harnesses, too, or just the lap belts? I'm curious. It doesn't make a difference to me, I'm just wondering.

Wow...first class looks sweet.

Cyndy_S: No current aircraft seat for passengers have shoulder belts. This is new.

BTW, the shoulder is only used for take-off and landing for extra protection. It then can be converted to just a lap-belt system for use inflight.

rkkwan, when bracing for "emergency landing" (ahem) aren't passengers supposed to bend at the waist and cover their heads? If so, won't the shoulder belts prevent from doing so?

Just curious. Those pics do look cool. Too bad I have no trips to Asia coming up in the next year!

lynnejoel - I have no idea what the policy will be. But personally I'd be a lot more happy with a 3-point belt. Lap belts are notorious in resulting spinal cord injuries in motor vehicles.

lynnejoe1015, as one who's been through that, I think you have an excellent question. It's possible the shoulder harnesses eliminate the need for the "bend over and kiss your a$$ goodbye" position. But in our case it was necessary to put our heads down low due to smoke, therefore a shoulder harnass would be a hinderance. Hmmmm, I would be interested to know the answer to that question.

Thanks, rkkwan and P_M.

P_M, was it you who'd gone down the emergency evac slide and witnessed people get injured because of improper footwear and pants?

I always think about that story when I travel and try to wear sensible clothes and shoes. -L

I'm guessing, but I think that one reason that they tell you to bend over and kiss your knees goodbye is because your body is not strapped in by a shoulder harness.

If you are wearing only a lap belt and are sitting up then on impact the seatbelt is going to restrain you at the waist but your body, head, and shoulders will keep moving forward. So you bend over and hld your legs so that your upper and lower half move together.

I figure that the reason that seatbacks are put in the upright position is partly to protect the person behind it. If the plane stops abruptly then a tall person behind a lowered seat might slam into it.

My third guess is that, on seats that have an adjustable headrest, that the FAs tell you to lower the headrest is because that is for the same reason. I was in first class on a flight recently and kept my headrest up (for comfort mostly, but I would get some whiplash protection that way). The FA told passengers in the rows in front of me to lower theirs, but not me. I was in the last row, so nobody behind to smack into it. That might be one reason for the headrest-down requiremnt, but that one is probably more related to the likely fact that that is the configuration that was used when testing.

Hi, lynnejoel1015. Sorry I didn't answer your question sooner, but I've been in Hawaii and I just returned today.

Yes that was me, I was involved in an evacuation of a 777 in Houston a couple of years ago. Since then I also put more thought into what I wear when flying. And I also look for the nearest exit. It will probably never happen to me again, but I think of these things just in case.