Have you ever heard the old adage, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater?” That’s what Alaska Airlines just did in its latest Mileage Plan devaluation. Alaska Airlines now blocks partner redemptions on Cathay Pacific and JAL within...
Cathay Pacific Chairman: No Budget Airline (Thanks to Disgraced United CEO)
While legacy carriers across Asia have introduced their own budget carriers, Cathay Pacific steadfastly refused. Ironically, credit may go to the disgraced former CEO of United Airlines. In a university speech last week, Cathay Pacific Chairman John Slosar told students...
Cathay Pacific-Air China Merger?
The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s most respected English daily, leads with a headline entitled, “For Air China and Cathay Pacific, it’s one country, two airlines (but how long?)”. The headline follows up with a question: What looks like...
How to Redeem Aeroplan Miles on Cathay Pacific
Did you know that you can use your Aeroplan points for redemption on Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon? You can even mix and match Cathay Pacific flights with Star Alliance carriers. But don’t think you’ll be redeeming 75K Aeroplan...
What is Qatar Thinking in Latest Cathay Pacific Investment?
Qatar Airways will spend $600MN to secure a 9.6% stake in Cathay Pacific. What is Qatar Airways’ strategy in this latest acquisition? Qatar expects the deal to close today, meaning it has been in the works for quite some...
Review: Cathay Pacific “The Wing” First Class Lounge HKG
Cathay Pacific has a handful of great lounges in Hong Kong for first class passengers. While these lounges do not rival the world’s greatest airport lounges, they are still high-quality and worth a visit. I visited “The Wing” first class lounge...
Review: Cathay Pacific 777 First Class London to Hong Kong
I stepped onto my Cathay Pacific flight from London to Hong Kong with extremely high expectations. After all, this carrier has offered one of the most consistent and well-regarded first class products for years. I’m happy to report my expectations...
Why Did Lufthansa Partner with Cathay Pacific?
Lufthansa and Cathay Pacific announced a partnership yesterday that has left many asking questions. I outlined details of the partnership here, but the elephant in the room remains: why didn’t Lufthansa with a Star Alliance partner like Singapore Airlines...
Details on New Cathay Pacific – Lufthansa Partnership, Including Reciprocal Frequent Flyer Benefits
Lufthansa and Cathay Pacific announced a partnership yesterday that will go beyond mere codesharing. Here is how Lufthansa describes the new partnership: Cathay Pacific Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines, sign code-share and frequent flyer agreement Shared flights will mean...
The Real Reason Cathay Pacific is Losing Money
Yesterday I wrote about Cathay Pacific’s 2016 reported annual loss. The Hong Kong-based airline blamed weak demand for its premium cabin product and fierce competition from Mainland China as the reason. Although I mentioned that Cathay lost money hedging fuel,...
Ouch! Disappointing Loss for Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is blaming too many empty seats and increasing competition from Mainland China for only its third annual loss in company history. In 2015, Cathay Pacific reported a HK$6bn annual profit ($772mn USD). In 2016, the company lost $575mn ($74mn...
The Elegant Simplicity of Cathay Pacific’s New Livery
Airlines update their livery from time to time, often when the brand is in need of a similar refresh. For Cathay Pacific, flag carrier of Hong Kong, the brand is respected, financial are stable, and there has been no...
Top 10 Airline Award Redemptions for January 2014
With the new year here and many changes negatively affecting airline loyalty programs now in effect or shortly taking effect, there are still a number of superb deals available. Here are my top ten award travel bright spots for...
Cathay Pacific Announces New Service to Newark Beginning on March 2, 2014
Cathay Pacific teased us on Facebook and Twitter last week with the image above, stating that it would announce new service to either Boston, Seattle, Miami, or Newark this week. Newark is the winner and the new flight is already...
Cathay Pacific First Class Cabin Refresh
Only a few weeks after Singapore Airlines announced their new first, business and economy class designs, Cathay Pacific is following suit. Today they announced their anticipated refresh of their first class seat. While the new seat isn’t a big...
The Long Way Back to Frankfurt (via YVR, HKG, IST)
After a refreshing week away from the office, I am on my way back to Frankfurt today. To spice things up a bit and to take advantage of a great deal Turkish Airlines ran earlier this year on their...
Oneworld Alliance Relocates Headquarters to New York City
Oneworld, the global airline group featuring airlines including American, British Airways, JAL, Qantas, and Cathay Pacific, is moving from Vancouver to New York next summer. The new headquarters will be in the low-rent district of Manhattan, on 2 Park Avenue. Former...
Airlines Raiding Desert Boneyards as Passenger Traffic Increases
Last week I booked a Sunday night redeye from Los Angeles to Chicago on United and was pleasantly surprised to see that the flight would be operated by a 747-400. Like Kevin’s experience last week, the aircraft featured the old...