AA is finally joining Oneworld partner Cathay Pacific with a nonstop flight between Los Angeles (LAX) and Hong Kong (HKG) — the flight on this route will be operated by AA's three-cabin 777-300ER, with 8 seats in first class, 52 seats in business, 30 seats in Main Cabin Extra and 220 seats in a (fairly tight) 3-4-3 economy configuration. American currently offers nonstop service from Dallas (DFW) to Hong Kong, and this new LAX flight may begin on September 7 — an AA spokesperson has confirmed the flight with a September launch, but the specific date is still pending, apparently.
Whether or not anyone will prefer to fly this product is a different story. After the AA devaluation on March 22, you'll need to redeem the same number of miles for business and first on this new AA flight as you will to fly Cathay Pacific's far superior service, while economy will require 2,500 more miles each way on Cathay. Regardless, Cathay's business and first-class products are among the best in the sky, making Cathay the obvious front runner for nonstop award flights to Hong Kong.
Bottom Line
The service isn't bookable yet, but with an anticipated September 7 launch date, it's possible that AA will open up revenue bookings very soon. However, unless American really improves its service, you're probably better off sticking with Cathay if you have the choice.
H/T: View from the Wing
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