Best seats: (old) business class, Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300ER

If you're travelling in business class on Cathay Pacific's Boeing 777-300ER -- but you're not on one of the new planes with brand new business class -- we've narrowed down the best seats to pick on the plane in what frequent flyer wags call "coffin class".

Cathay has just under twenty of the stretched, long-range 777-300ER with its old business class. You'll find them on many international connections out of Hong Kong: they're a real stalwart of Cathay Pacific's fleet.

Are you lucky enough to be on one of the much improved planes with the new business class? Check out our guide to the best seats in (new) business class on Cathay Pacific's Boeing 777-300ER.

The business class cabin

Cathay's 49-seat business class spans two cabins on the 777-300ER. A tiny two-row cabin sits right behind first class, with thirteen more rows stretching behind.

The seats are Cathay's old herringbone-style "coffin" business seats, where everyone faces the aisle -- and has direct access to it. No need to clamber across another passenger's fully flat bed, but you might find it tight at the shoulders.

(We've got you covered if you need a refresher on the herringbone style or any of the other numerous styles of business class seats and cabin layouts.)

The best seats on the plane

Row 11: nestled right behind first class, with no lavatories or galleys ahead of it and no infant bassinet crib positions, this is likely to be an especially quiet row.

Row 12: while all four business class lavatories are behind this row, you might consider this one for the quiet, exclusive forward cabin.

Rows 22-24: these seats are far enough back in the main cabin that the galley and lavatory traffic isn't too heavy. Plus, you're far enough back from the infant bassinet cribs at the front of the cabin (and the front of economy right behind) that the sound shouldn't carry.

The worst seats on the plane

Rows 15-17: all four business class baby bassinet crib seats are at the front of the cabin: 15A, 15D, 15G and 16K. They're also the most highly trafficked: all 49 passengers in the rear cabins need to pass by for the lavatories and galley kitchens. Avoid these rows if you can.

27A 27K 26D 26G: while there's a fair bit of privacy to these seats, it comes at the price of having the economy lavatories immediately behind them. Two economy bassinet crib positions are right behind those. And it's all separated by just a curtain from your seat.

Also in our Best Seats series:

• Business Class on United's 747
• Business Class on Singapore Airlines' A380
• Economy Class on Cathay Pacific's A330
• Business Class on Emirates' 777-300ER
• Premium Economy on Qantas' A380

John Walton

Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.