On my flight out to Hong Kong from New York earlier this week, I had the pleasure of trying out Cathay Pacific’s new business class seat for the first time (at my own expense). Spending 16 hours on a plane is never fun, but I have to say, it went by in an absolute flash this trip and it was all because of the seat.

I’ve written about all kinds of aircrafts, seats, classes and long-haul international flying options– and I’ve got to say these new fully-flat seats on the 777-300ER Cathay planes are some of the best I’ve ever experienced.

As background, it’s important to know the difference between “fully-flat” and “lie-flat” seats. There are plenty of airlines that will give you a lie-flat seat, but they angle it at the ground to fit more in the cabin. These slanted seats constantly feel like you’re sliding down them– and you’re always thinking you’re going to fall right off. Fully-flat seats are, well, completely flat. Horizontal to the ground and most like your bed at home (or, they certainly try to be).

Layout wise, the business class on Cathay Pacific is most like Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class. The herringbone style lineup gives extra privacy when you recline it into a flat bed– and although it feels a little sardine-like at times, it feels good to have walls up on both sides of you while you sleep. Design wise, there’s not much to say. It isn’t much to look at (that’s not the point), but it’s soft and comfortable in all the right places and allowed more than enough room for me to stretch out fully with room to spare.

The entertainment system is also worth mentioning– as I think it’s the first setup I’ve ever seen which easily rivals (if not beats) Virgin America’s highly technical and impressive system in the USA. Entertainment was shown on a massive moveable HD wide screen. One gripe of most planes is immovable screens– but not here. A complimentary noise canceling headsets was also included. I was able to watch Star Trek in all it’s glory, create a good playlist for the trip, and choose from what seemed to be easily more than 100 on-demand movies and TV shows to make my selection.

For me, the true test of any airplane seat like this is simple. Did I sleep? Like a baby. 11 hours worth (with no pharmaceuticals). A highly recommended seat, and treat.

Today, Virgin Galactic, the newest arm of the Virgin Group, rolled out the WhiteKnight II (WK2) mothership at the Mojave Air and Space Port and we had a chance to be a part of it. Guests checked in at the south hanger at LAX and were taken to the desert on a new member of the Virgin America fleet, aptly named “My Other Ride Is A Spaceship.” When we landed, we were taken into the Scaled Composites hanger where we were introduced to an all-star cast including lead engineers, Galactic pilots, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, a local Congressman, and fire and police chiefs. All of sudden a loud female voice started counting down and the hanger doors parted. The bright California sun shone through the white curtains and, as you are about to make out the shape of a plane, they dropped unveiling a large, unique looking aircraft. Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson and aeronautical pioneer Burt Rutan are hanging out the windows waving at the crowd. They held a fun Q&A panel which reiterated Virgin’s goals for developing space travel — namely, advancement in space travel must be started in the private sector and Virgin hopes to be the catalyst to spur more development with the launch of Galactic. Here are some fun facts about the new spacecraft and program:

• WK2 is the first 100% composite aircraft (including the control cables, using a proprietary design), which makes it lightweight, more fuel efficient, and safer. No bolts are required and fatigue is not an issue.

• Though WK2 can fly and launch SpaceShipTwo (SS2) higher in the atmosphere, the air up there is so thin that it’s difficult for SpaceShipTwo to get the lift it needs to reach sub-orbit. So instead, it will launch SS2 at the same altitude WK1 did, which is about 48,000 feet.

• They are starting a pilot exchange program where select Virgin America pilots can enter a rigorous training program and fly for the Galactic group.

• Lucky members of their frequent flier program, EleVAte, may win seats on a future Galactic flight

• The main spaceport will be in New Mexico, with talks of new locations in Sweden, Spain (Barcelona), northern Scotland (British airspace), and Australasia.

• The captive carry capabilities of WK2 are improved over the first iteration, theoretically allowing it to carry a pod that could launch a traveler to the moon.

• The passenger cabin for SS2 is very large to allow passengers room to move around. It currently has eight seats (two pilots, six passengers) but could accommodate two additional riders.

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