Here’s How You Can Fly a Former Cathay Pacific First Class Suite for Under $1,800

Updated: February 18, 2026, 10:34am CST

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T’way Air Is Now Flying Former Cathay Pacific 777s
Final Thoughts

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If you’ve ever wanted to try Cathay Pacific’s first class suite but couldn’t justify the usual 5-figure price tag, this may be your chance. A South Korean airline is now operating former Cathay Pacific 777 aircraft, and you can book one of those first class seats for under $1,800 on select long-haul routes.

Here’s what you need to know — and how you can book it.

T’way Air Is Now Flying Former Cathay Pacific 777s

Here’s what’s going on. As first reported by Alviator, in 2025, South Korea-based T’way Air acquired 2 Boeing 777 aircraft from Cathay Pacific. Instead of reconfiguring them, the airline kept the original interiors.

One of those aircraft came equipped with Cathay’s long-haul first-class cabin, which means travelers can now book that same first-class suite for a fraction of what international first class typically costs — done by booking directly with T’way Air.

Cathay Pacific First Class 2 — Cathay Pacific First Class on the Boeing 777-300. Image Credit: Juan Ruiz

The 777 featuring Cathay’s former first class cabin is currently operating between Seoul and Barcelona, along with select routes within Asia such as Osaka and Fukuoka. Meanwhile, T’way’s other 777 — which does not include a first class cabin — is primarily flying between Seoul and Rome.

On the Barcelona–Seoul route, a one-way business class ticket is currently priced around $1,484 for the 12-plus-hour flight.

Screenshot — Cash rates in business class start at around $1,400 for the 12-hour flight between Barcelona and Seoul. Image Credit: T’way Air

But here’s the twist: While standard business class seat selection is included, you can pay about $270 more to select a seat in T’way’s “Business Premium Zone.”

That “Business Premium Zone” seat? It’s the former Cathay Pacific first class suite.

So for roughly $1,750 all-in, you’re flying a true long-haul first class hard product between Europe and Asia — for less than what many airlines charge for standard business class on similar routes.

Service is marketed as business class, but the seat itself is significantly larger and more private than what you’d typically get up front. And considering Cathay Pacific’s first class seats used to sell for well over $10,000 round-trip, this is an unusually affordable way to experience the product. Even if the service isn’t identical, the hard product remains exceptional.

Hot Tip:

Unfortunately, T’way does not fly to the U.S. Its only North American route is Vancouver to Seoul, and that service does not use the Boeing 777 equipped with the former Cathay Pacific first class cabin.

Final Thoughts

We don’t often see true international first class seats available anywhere near business-class pricing — especially on a 12-hour flight between Europe and Asia. Thanks to T’way Air keeping Cathay Pacific’s original cabin intact on one of its Boeing 777 aircraft, that’s exactly what’s possible right now.

If you’ve ever wanted to try Cathay’s former first class suite without paying an arm and a leg in cash (or even miles), this is a rare chance to do it for a fraction of the usual cost.