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Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking. However, if you’re using The Platinum Card® from American Express, you’ll need to book directly with the airline or through Amex Travel portal to get 5x MR points. Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Orbitz or Expedia’s courtesy cancellation if you’re unable to get the time away from work or family.
Hong Kong Airlines has been making quite the impression on west coast flights to Asia ever since service launched in late 2017. We're seeing a perfect sign of that today with flights to Manila and Bangkok as cheap as $400 round-trip.
For those not familiar with Hong Kong Airlines, you might be surprised to learn that the airline operates a brand new fleet of Airbus A350s for flights across the Pacific. Also, you can check up to two bags for free.
Unfortunately for fellow fans of Google Flights, you can't use the popular flight search engine to easily search these flights until you select dates. Even then, Kayak routinely beats the airfares shown on Google Flights. So this is one time you're going to want to just head to Kayak instead of Google Flights.
Airline: Hong Kong Airlines, United, Philippine Airlines, ANA
Routes: LAX/SFO to MNL/BKK/SIN/SGN
Cost: $400+ round-trip in economy
Dates: August-November 2018 and January-March 2019
Booking Link: Kayak for Hong Kong Airlines flights. Orbitz, Expedia or directly with the airline for other airlines.
Pay With: The Platinum Card from American Express (5x on airfare), Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Prestige (5x on airfare plus excellent trip delay insurance) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
Los Angeles (LAX) to Manila (MNL) on Hong Kong Airlines for $400 round-trip via Kayak:
San Francisco (SFO) to Manila (MNL) on Hong Kong Airlines for $418 round-trip via Kayak:
San Francisco (SFO) to Bangkok (BKK) on Hong Kong Airlines for $436 round-trip via Kayak:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Bangkok (BKK) on Hong Kong Airlines for $436 round-trip via Kayak:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Singapore (SIN) on United for $514 round-trip:
San Francisco (SFO) to Bangkok (BKK) on Philippine Airlines for $573 round-trip:
Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to Ho Chi Minh (SGN) on United/ANA for $620 round-trip:
Maximize Your Purchase
Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases, such as the American Express Platinum Card (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Citi Prestige (5x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
