Cathay Pacific First Class for 4+ (Summer/Fall 2023)
For the first time since I started sending Award Alerts in August 2018, I'm sharing an option that doesn't touch the US or Canada.
While flying between Europe and Asia might not work for everyone, if you want to fly Cathay Pacific first class (who doesn't?), run don't walk. You can find up to 6 seats in first class on a ton of dates next year.
If you're up for pairing a trip to Europe with a trip to Asia, this is an excellent way to fly between the two regions. Of course, you could just fly the long way home from either Europe or Asia.
Now, let's get into it!
|
|
|
Straight To The Points:
Routes: CDG-HKG
Operating airline: Cathay Pacific
Class of service: First class
Dates: August - December 2023
Seats available: Up to 6
Cabin layout: 1-1-1
Book with (per person, one-way):
- *Alaska Mileage Plan: 70,000 miles
- *American AAdvantage: 90,000 miles
- Asia Miles: 100,000 miles
- British Airways Executive Club: 123,750 Avios
- JAL Mileage Bank: 90,000 miles (one-way), 145,000 miles (round-trip)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer: 104,500
*No surcharges
Taxes/fees (per person):
- One-way from CDG: ~$45
- One-way from HKGG: ~$120
- Round-trip: ~$165
- Surcharges:
- One-way from CDG: $144.5
- One-way from HKG: $144.5
Alaska adds a $12.50 partner award booking fee.
Bank transfer partners:
- Alaska: Marriott
- American: Bilt, Marriott
- Asia Miles: Amex, Bilt, Citi, Capital One
- British Airways: Amex, Capital One, Chase, Marriott
- You can transfer Citi to Qatar then move Avios to British Airways
- Japan Airlines: Marriott
- Qantas: Amex, Citi, Marriott
Don't forget to let me know if you book and how you did it!
|
|
Flight Experience
Cathay's first class cabin is arranged in a 1-1-1 layout. While the seats don't have doors, they still provide plenty of privacy. For maximum privacy choose seats 1A or 2A as you'll have the aisle to yourself.
You can expect excellent service and nice champagne plus Cathay's first class lounges in Hong Kong for excellent.
|
|
Available Dates
CDG-HKG
August: 12, 15, 17, 19, 24, 26, 29, 31
September: 4, 5, 7, 11, 14, 21, 28
October: 12, 19, 26, 28-31
November: 1-9, 11-14, 16-19
If you book with Asia Miles, BA, JAL, or Qantas, there are 2 seats:
November 20-30
December: 1-9
HKG-CDG
August: 2-4, 6, 7, 9, 13, 14, 16
September: N/A
October: 5, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23, 25-27, 29-31
November: 1-19
If you book with Asia Miles, BA, JAL, or Qantas, there are 2 seats:
November: 20-30
December: 1-7
|
|
Best Ways To Book
Alaska: Best Rate, No Surcharges, Tough To Earn
Booking with 70,000 Alaska miles one-way is a great way to go. Unlike from the US, you cannot continue beyond Hong Kong so you'll only be able to book the non-stop flight to/from Paris.
Your only transfer option is Marriott so it's tough to earn the miles you need.
American: Solid Rate, No Surcharges, Transfer from Bilt
If you want to keep the cash cost of your ticket to a minimum, 90,000 American miles is a solid choice. Plus, you can transfer Bilt or Marriott points and put an award ticket on hold for up to 5 days.
You can include connections on American's Oneworld partners within the same region as your destination for no additional miles.
If you're a renter, the Bilt Card is pretty much a no brainer. You can earn up to 50,000 points on rent each year.
Asia Miles: Surcharges But Easy To Earn
Asia Miles is a solid option at 110,000 miles since you can transfer points from several bank programs.
Keep in mind that Asia Miles uses a different award chart if you fly on more than one partner airline so domestic connection will change the award rate.
|
|
How To Book
- Go to AA's site
- Select Advanced / Multi-city search (just click this link)
- Select Redeem miles
- Select One way or Round trip
- Enter From & To cities
- Select departure date(s)
- Choose the number of passengers
- Select Class as Business/First
- Click Search
- If you're searching for a nonstop, select Calendar then sort by nonstop.
- Once you know which dates have Cathay space, you can run a search from your home airport if you're not booking nonstop
If you're not booking with American miles, you can run a search with the program you're using once you find a date you want to book.
If you want to use Asia Miles and include a connection on Alaska or American, you'll need to call (866-892-2598) to complete the booking.
|
|
Final Thoughts
If you've searched for Cathay Pacific first class space in previous years, you probably notice only one seat available and possibly a second seat a few days before departure. Given that history, this is a great opportunity to book if you can do a Europe + Asia combo trip.
Happy booking!
|
|
|
|
