Following on from our post on the cheapest Qantas Points redemptions for luxurious Emirates flights, here are some ways you can enjoy the widest bed in the sky and fantastic lounges.
The product
The Hong Kong-based carrier’s top premium product currently has the widest seat in commercial aviation:
with the cabin set up in a 1-1-1 configuration (aim for the left-hand side for more privacy).
Your seat turns into a very comfortable bed:
but the food is generally not as good as what you would find on Emirates or Qatar Airways.
If departing from Hong Kong, you will enjoy access to the fantastic The Pier and The Wing First Class Lounges, where you can enjoy a private day suite or cabana, respectively.
Read our overview of Cathay Pacific 777 First Class here.
Routes & pricing
Below are some of the cheapest ways to fly Cathay Pacific First Class using Qantas Points, with two being within Asia, so they are useful when piecing together an intra-Asia trip.
Included also is a unique fifth-freedom flight between New York and Vancouver, which is currently the most comfortable way to travel within North America. This service ends on 18 February 2020.
The airline also flies First Class from Hong Kong to Europe and North America but these routes are not the focus of this article as the longer distances require more Qantas Points.
Note that Cathay Pacific does not operate a First Class cabin on flights to/from Australia. The airline used to operate First Class on intra-Asia routes to Taipei, Manila, Bangkok, Singapore, Shanghai and Seoul, but stopped selling these tickets in June 2019.
| Route | Until 17 September 2019 | From 18 September 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong - Tokyo Haneda | 56,000 points + $85 taxes | 64,500 points + same taxes |
| Hong Kong - Beijing | 56,000 points + $85 | 64,500 points |
| New York JFK - Vancouver (service ends 28 March 2020) | 78,000 points + $60 | 89,800 points |
All redemption figures are for one-way travel. Pricing is in Qantas Points and taxes are an approximate conversion to AUD.
A note on taxes
Flights departing Hong Kong historically had minimal or no fuel surcharges added to them. However, effective 1 November 2018, the Hong Kong Government now allows airlines to add fuel surcharges, which have been updated in the table above.
Now that the changes have been put in place, it may be cheaper to fly to Hong Kong rather than from Hong Kong (but then you would have to forgo enjoying the First Class Lounges at Hong Kong Airport). For example, taxes flying from Tokyo to Hong Kong are ~$69 instead of $85 flying out of Hong Kong, which is not that much of a difference. You can read more about the countries with the lowest taxes and fees.
My experience
In June 2018, I flew from New York JFK to Vancouver and got to enjoy this fantastic product for almost six hours!
Plus, before boarding, I got access to the Flagship First Dining area in the American Airlines lounge and had one of the top three meals of my life.
I consider this to be one of the best redemptions I have made.
How to book an award seat
Learn about how to make a Cathay Pacific First Class award redemption here.
Summing up
Cathay Pacific’s First Class product is not the best in the world but definitely ranks up there in terms of comfort, customer service and lounge access.
If you have earned a healthy Qantas Points sign-up bonus from a credit card and are wondering what do do with your points, one of these redemptions might be a good one to aim for.
Looking for more inspiration for how to spend your hard-earned frequent flyer points?
Here is a comprehensive list of all of our Best Uses of Points guides. There may be some overlap but each guide has its own twist.
Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Best uses of Qantas Points
- ‘Ultimate’ uses of Qantas Points
- Best uses of 60,000 Qantas Points
- Best uses of 75,000 Qantas Points
- Best uses of 100,000 Qantas Points
- Best uses of 150,000 Qantas Points
- When it makes sense to use your Qantas Points for domestic travel in Economy (and when it doesn’t)
- Best uses of Qantas Points from the East Coast
- Best uses of Qantas Points from Perth
- Reader responses: what is the best use of Qantas Points?
- Seven of the cheapest Qantas Points redemptions for luxurious Emirates flights
- The cheapest ways to fly Cathay Pacific First Class with Qantas Points
Velocity Frequent Flyer
- Best uses of Velocity Points
- Best uses of 40,000 Velocity Points
- Best uses of 80,000 Velocity Points
- Best uses of 100,000 Velocity Points
- Five flight redemptions that maximise your Velocity points balance
American Express Membership Rewards
Cathay
KrisFlyer
Etihad Guest
- Best uses of Etihad Guest miles
- Etihad Guest vs Velocity for Virgin Australia flights comparison guide
Does CX still fly F to SIN& BKK? I thought the only Asia flights are HND and TPE(sometimes)