Cathay Pacific to Begin A350 Service Between Hong Kong and Vancouver
Earlier this summer, Cathay Pacific took delivery of its first A350. The airline has been flying it within Asia for the past few months, with service to Europe (Dusseldorf and London-Gatwick) set to launch next week (September 5 and September 4, respectively). Until now, Cathay had yet to announce A350 service to North America, but we have some good news: The airline just shared plans to operate its Hong Kong (HKG) to Vancouver (YVR) route with the new A350 as of March 26, 2017.
With the upgrade in aircraft, Cathay also announced that it's increasing its service from 14 to 17 weekly flights. Here's the schedule, which will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in both directions:
- Cx856 Hong Kong (HKG) 11:00am Departure ⇒ Vancouver (YVR) 7:55am Arrival
- CX855 Vancouver (YVR) 9:25am Departure ⇒ Hong Kong (HKG) 1:45pm (+1) Arrival
The A350 is comprised of three cabins: business, premium economy and economy. The business-class cabin offers 38 lie-flat suites that have 45 inches of pitch and are 20 inches wide in a 1-2-1 configuration. The premium economy cabin is comprised of 28 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration. Each seat has 40 inches of pitch and is 20 inches wide. The economy cabin, meanwhile, has 214 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration. Each seat has 32 inches of pitch and is 18 inches wide.
There appears to be excellent award availability on the route, with two seats on almost every flight:
If you're interested in booking this award, you'd get the best value out of using American AAdvantage miles (70,000 one-way in business class) or Alaska Mileage Plan miles (50,000 one-way in business class). Keep in mind that even if you don't have Alaska Mileage Plan miles in your account, you could buy more with a 50% bonus through September 29, 2016.
H/T: One Mile at a Time
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.