Reserve a seat in advance
Reserving your seat ahead of time can make all the difference inflight. While travelling with us in Economy1, ensure you’re sitting with friends or family – or simply secure a seat of your choice – without having to wait until online check-in is available. You can reserve a seat in advance for an additional fee or free of charge, depending on your Cathay member status or fare type.
Economy seat selection overview
| Extra legroom seats | Preferred seats | Regular seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| At a glance | Want more leg space when you fly? Stretch out and relax in our extra legroom seats2 | If you prefer to sit closer to the front of the Economy cabin, choose one of our preferred seats | Whether it’s a window seat or you prefer the aisle, we’ve got more regular seating options that make up the rest of Economy2 |
| Who can reserve these seats free of charge? |
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|
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| Who can reserve these seats for an additional fee? | Anyone not eligible to reserve extra legroom seats free of charge can select these seats for a fee | Preferred seats cannot be reserved in advance for a fee4 | Anyone not eligible to reserve regular seats free of charge can reserve in advance for a fee4 |
For illustration purposes only. Seating configuration will vary depending on the type of aircraft.
1 Advanced seat reservations are only available on Cathay Pacific-operated flights on Cathay Pacific-issued tickets (i.e. ticket number starts with 160). Seats are subject to availability and offered on a first come, first served basis.
2 Most extra legroom seats and some regular seats are located near our emergency exit doors. To sit in these seats, passengers must meet the exit row safety requirements as stated on this page.
3 Applies to new Economy Flex fares only.
4 Please note that preferred seat and regular seat reservations are complimentary once online check-in opens. If you’re a Cathay or oneworld member, online check-in will open 48 hours before your flight departure time for all passengers in your booking. Otherwise, online check-in opens 24 hours before your flight departure time.
Seat reservations can be made any time before check-in closes.
While purchasing your ticket
- Online through our website
- By contacting Customer Care
- Through your travel agent
After purchasing your ticket
- By logging into Manage Booking before online check-in opens
- By contacting Customer Care
- Through your travel agent
During check-in
- During online check-in up to 90 minutes before your flight departure time
- At our airport or in-town check-in counters
- At our self-service check-in kiosks
If you wish to redeem an extra legroom seat with Asia Miles, please contact Customer Care at least 24 hours before your flight departure time.
Paid extra legroom seat reservations are available during check-in except at the self-service check-in kiosks.
Fees will be charged on a per passenger and per flight sector basis. Please see the below table for details.
| Extra legroom seats | Regular seats | |
| Zone 1 | USD 45 | USD 12 - USD 14 |
| Zone 2 | USD 58 | USD 14 - USD 19 |
| Zone 3 | USD 180 | USD 41 - USD 46 |
| Zone 4 | USD 195 | USD 45 - USD 51 |
| Zone 5 | USD 212 | USD 48 - USD 55 |
Zone 1
Flights between Hong Kong SAR and the Chinese Mainland (Chongqing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Sanya, Wenzhou, Wuhan, Xiamen), Philippines (Manila), Taiwan China, Vietnam (Hanoi).
Zone 2
Flights between Hong Kong SAR and Asia (excluding those listed under zone 1).
Zone 3
Flights between Hong Kong SAR and Australia, Israel, United Arab Emirates.
Zone 4
Flights between Hong Kong SAR and Canada (Vancouver), Europe, New Zealand, South Africa, United States (Los Angeles, San Francisco).
Zone 5
Flights between Hong Kong SAR and Canada (Toronto), United States (Boston, Chicago, New York).
The fee is paid in the local currency equivalent based on the exchange rate on the date of purchase. Bookings from certain countries/regions, including India, may incur a sales tax.
Changing to another seat on the same flight
- If you wish to change to a similar seat as you have reserved already or a seat you are eligible to reserve for free in advance, you can easily make changes in Manage Booking.
- If you need to change to a different chargeable seat type, please contact Customer Care for assistance.
- Alternatively, you can change to any available preferred seat or regular seat during online check-in.
Please note if you are changing to a seat which is free of charge or lower in price, any residual fee is non-refundable.
Changing to another flight
Your seat reservation can be changed together with your flight booking. If you change your flight booking online, you’ll need to contact Customer Care to transfer your paid seat reservation to your new flight.
Please note seat selection will be subject to the availability of the requested seat on your new flight.
Our refund policy
Paid seat reservations are non-refundable except in the following scenarios:
- If your flight changes due to disruption.
- If your flight is cancelled by Cathay Pacific.
- A connecting flight operated by Cathay Pacific is missed because of a delay of a previous Cathay Pacific operated flight.
- Your selected seat is no longer available once you’ve changed to a different flight.
- If your seat has been changed due to operational, safety, or security reasons and we are unable to offer you a suitable alternative seat.
- If you choose to upgrade to a higher cabin using Upgrade Bid, Asia Miles, or by paying the fare difference on the same route.
- If you choose to rebook an Economy fare type which is eligible for seat reservations free of charge, on the same route.
- If you purchase another seat for a higher fee on the same flight.
For full details, please refer to our terms and conditions.
If you encounter any of the above scenarios, you are entitled to apply for a refund for your paid seat reservation.
How to make a refund request
Refunds can be requested within 30 days from your original flight departure date, by either filling out our refund request form online, or by contacting Customer Care. Refunds for seat reservations redeemed with Asia Miles can be requested by contacting Customer Care only. If you purchased your seat reservation through a travel agent, please contact your travel agent to request a refund.
Please note that once you submit the refund request form online, you will be giving up the reserved seat for your flight.
Refunds will be made in the currency and original form of payment used during your purchase. In the event that a refund is requested, following a date when we have adjusted the fee applicable to the seat you have reserved, we will only grant a refund in the amount originally charged at the time of your purchase, and subject to our usual refund conditions as stated above.
Most extra legroom seats* and some regular seats are located near the emergency exit doors and are subject to flight safety guidelines of the Civil Aviation Department of Hong Kong.
A passenger may be assigned a seat in an emergency exit row if they meet the following safety requirements, and will not obstruct emergency exits in a way of impeding the crew in their duties, obstructing access to emergency equipment, or hindering aircraft evacuation.
Passengers occupying an exit row seat must:
- Be at least 12 years of age at the commencement of the journey, whether accompanied or not
- Not be seated with an infant
- Be able to understand and carry out cabin crew safety instructions
- Not be under the influence of intoxicating substances or drugs
- Not require the use of an extension seat belt
- Not be a passenger with reduced mobility. This includes a passenger:
- Travelling with a guide dog / assistance dog or using a mobility aid during boarding such as a wheelchair, walking stick or Postural Support Equipment (PSE)
- Who is either vision or hearing impaired to the extent that they might not readily assimilate printed or verbal instructions
- Who requires the use of an oxygen bottle or Medical Portable Electronic Device (MPED)
If a passenger does not fulfil the above safety requirements, Cathay Pacific may re-assign an alternative Economy seat before or during the journey without a refund of the seat reservation fee.
*Please note the below extra legroom seats are not located near emergency exit doors:
- Boeing 777-300 (77A): 40C
- Boeing 777-300 (77K): 40C, 40H
- Passengers travelling in Economy cabin on Cathay Pacific-operated flights on Cathay Pacific-issued tickets (i.e. ticket number starts with 160) are able to reserve a seat for an additional fee or free of charge, depending on their eligibility as stated within this page.
- Seats are subject to availability and offered on a first come, first served basis upon request. Fees when applicable are based on the individual flight sector per passenger and seats will be assigned upon full payment collection.
- Extra legroom seat reservations are free of charge when the passenger is:
- a Cathay Diamond or Gold member^; or
- an oneworld Emerald or Sapphire member^; or
- holding a ticket on Economy Flex fares#.
- Preferred seat reservations are free of charge when the passenger is:
- a Cathay Diamond or Gold member^; or
- an oneworld Emerald or Sapphire member^; or
- holding a ticket on Economy Flex fares#; or
- holding a ticket on fare class Y, B, H, K, M, L, V (excluding Economy Essential fares# and Economy Light fares#); or
- travelling with a child or an infant holding applicable ticket types
- Regular seat reservations are free of charge when the passenger is:
- a Cathay Diamond, Gold or Silver member^; or
- travelling with a Cathay Diamond, Gold or Silver member^ in the same booking and tickets issued on the same fare type; or
- an oneworld Emerald, Sapphire or Ruby member^; or
- holding a ticket on Economy Flex fares# or Economy Essential fares#; or
- holding a ticket on fare class Y, B, H, K, M, L, V (excluding Economy Light fares#); or
- travelling with a child or an infant holding applicable ticket types.
- Passengers who do not purchase a seat reservation in advance may choose a preferred seat or a regular seat free of charge during check-in. However, passengers may not be guaranteed a particular seat type and/or sit together with their companion(s). Please note online check-in opens 48 hours before flight departure time for Cathay and oneworld members, and all passengers in the same booking with them. For others, online check-in opens 24 hours before flight departure time.
- Please be aware that seat reservations will only be held until 20 minutes before the check-in counters closure for your flight. Check-in counter closure times vary by departure airport, please refer to the airport information pages for further information. Any paid seat reservations that are not used will not be refunded.
- Extra legroom seats have certain characteristics, including the following specifications:
- There is significantly more legroom than other seats in the Economy cabin.
- Extra legroom seats are located near the emergency exit doors*.
- Exit row seats are often near toilets or galleys, so there may be increased traffic at certain points during your flight.
- Personal items and luggage must be stored in the overhead bins, as no under-seat or seatback storage is available.
- The armrests between extra legroom seats cannot be retracted because meal trays are stowed in the armrest section.
- Your personal TV must be stowed during taxi, take-off and landing.
- Some seats may see a reduction in seat width due to the location of the personal TV handset.
- Passengers must fulfil exit row safety requirements when occupying seats located near the emergency exit doors. Please refer the exit row safety requirements stated on this page. Cathay Pacific has the sole discretion, at check-in or boarding, to determine whether a passenger meets the requirements to sit on a seat located near the emergency exit doors. If a passenger does not fulfil the necessary safety requirements, Cathay Pacific may re-assign an alternative Economy seat before or during the journey without a refund of the seat reservation fee.
- Seat reservations are non-transferable and non-reroutable. If a passenger decides to change the flight/date, the seat reservation can be transferred to the new flight/date within the same booking. Please note seat reservations cannot be transferred to another origin, destination, booking, nor passenger.
- Seat reservations are non-refundable except for the below scenarios. Cathay Pacific will issue a refund for paid seat reservations if the seat is not utilised under the following conditions:
- Flight changes due to disruption.
- Flight is cancelled by Cathay Pacific.
- A connecting flight operated by Cathay Pacific is missed because of delay of a previous Cathay Pacific operated flight.
- Selected seat is no longer available once passenger has changed to a different flight.
- Seat reservation has been changed due to operational, safety, or security reasons and no suitable alternative seat has been offered.
- Passenger is upgrade to a higher cabin using Upgrade Bid, Asia Miles, or by paying the fare difference, on the same route.
- Passenger holding a paid regular seat reservation, rebooks their ticket to fare class Y, B, H, K, M, L and V (except for Economy Light fares#) on the same route.
- Passenger holding a paid regular seat reservation, rebooks their ticket to either Economy Essential fares# or Economy Flex fares# on the same route.
- Passenger holding a paid extra legroom seat reservation, rebooks their ticket to Economy Flex fares#, on the same route.
- Passenger purchases another regular seat or an extra legroom seat for a higher fee, on the same flight.
Eligible passengers can submit a refund request as per details stated within this page.
Refunds will be made in the currency and original form of payment used during the purchase. In the event that a refund is requested, following a date when Cathay Pacific has adjusted the fee applicable to the reserved seat, a refund will be granted only in the amount originally charged at the time of the purchase, and subject to usual refund conditions as stated above. - No Asia Miles are rewarded for the fee paid for seat reservations.
- Cathay Pacific reserves the right to adjust the amount of the applicable fees and revise these terms and conditions at any time without notice.
- In case of any discrepancy between the English version and any translated version of these terms and conditions, the English version shall prevail.
#Economy Light fare is where “Economy Light” is shown on page 1 of the eTicket receipt.
Economy Essential fare is where “Economy Essential” is shown on page 1 of the eTicket receipt.
Economy Flex fare is where “Economy Flex” is shown on page 1 of the eTicket receipt.
^Eligibility for seat reservation is based on the membership status at the time of the request.
*Please note the below extra legroom seats are not located near emergency exit doors:
- Boeing 777-300 (77A): 40C
- Boeing 777-300 (77K): 40C, 40H
