Cathay Business Class for 4 (Fall 2023)
It's been a long time since I sent an Award Alert for Cathay Pacific. However, Hong Kong is reopening and Cathay is scheduling more flights to/from JFK.
With that in mind, I'm excited to see a bunch of dates with business class space for four people on both the JFK and Vancouver routes. Even better, you can find dates out of JFK with multiple flights with space for four people.
If Hong Kong isn't on your list to visit, it's a great jumping off point in Asia if you want to visit Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and more!
Shout out to my friend Max Miles Points for flagging this!
Now, let's get into it!
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Straight To The Points:
Routes: JFK/YVR-HKG
Operating airline: Cathay Pacific
Class of service: Business class
Dates: October - December 2023
Seats available: 4
Cabin layout: 1-2-1
Book with (per person, one-way):
- *Alaska Mileage Plan: 50,000 miles
- *American AAdvantage: 70,000 miles
- Asia Miles:
- JFK: 85,000 miles
- YVR: 70,000 miles
- British Airways Executive Club:
- JFK: 108,250 Avios
- YVR: 92,750 Avios
- JAL Mileage Bank:
- JFK: 85,000 miles (one-way), 130,000 miles (round-trip)
- YVR: 80,000 miles (one-way), 110,000 miles (round-trip)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer:
- YVR: 104,500 points
- JFK: 119,200 points
*No surcharges
Taxes/fees (per person):
- JFK:
- One-way: $5.60
- Round-trip: ~$69
- YVR:
- One-way: ~$38
- Round-trip: ~$83
- JFK Surcharges:
- One-way: ~$105
- Round-trip: ~$263
- YVR Surcharges:
- One-way: ~$144
- Round-trip: ~$288
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!
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Flight Experience
Cathay's business class cabin is arranged in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout. All seats are lie-flat, have direct aisle access, and provide a decent amount of privacy.
If you fly out of JFK, you'll have access to American's Flagship Lounge. Flying out of Hong Kong, you'll have access to Cathay's lounges. If you have Oneworld Emerald status, the first class lounge experience is really impressive.
Hopefully, Cathay's lounge in Vancouver will be open by next fall.
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Available Dates
JFK-HKG
October: 29-31
November: 1-15, 23-30
December: 1-6
HKG-JFK
October: 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 13, 17, 20, 24, 29-31
November: 1-23
December: 2-10
YVR-HKG
October: 30, 31
November: 2-30
December: 1-10
HKG-YVR
October: 29-31
November: 1-28
December: 1-7
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Best Ways To Book
Alaska: Best Rate, No Surcharges, Free Stopover, Tough To Earn
Booking with 50,000 Alaska miles one-way is a great way to go. You can even include a stopover on a one-way award ticket to other parts of Asia. If you need a connection in the US, it has to be on Alaska.
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, 70,000 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 a domestic connection on American or Alaska if you don't live near one of these airports for no extra AA 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: More Points From JFK + Surcharges But Easier To Earn
Asia Miles matches AA's rate on the nonstop from Vancouver at 70,000 miles one-way. However, continuing beyond Hong Kong and/or flying out of JFK will cause the rate to increase to 85,000 miles.
Still when you consider how easy Asia Miles are to earn via bank partners (Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Citi), this is a great option. Just remember that you'll be on the hook for surcharges.
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.
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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.
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Final Thoughts
If you're an AvGeek, you'll love flying into/out of Hong Kong, If you're a foodie, you'll love all of the food you can eat while there. Whatever you're looking for, Hong Kong is an amazing place to visit.
Even if you're not looking to visit Hong Kong, Cathay business class still provides a great way to visit other parts of Asia. Plus, with four seats, you can bring the whole family.
Happy booking!
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