Cathay Pacific has been on quite a roll in terms of launching new routes. This isn’t surprising, since the carrier is taking delivery of more and more A350s, and are trying to put them to good use on routes that weren’t previously profitable. For example, last December Cathay Pacific announced non-stop service between Hong Kong and Washington-Dulles (IAD), a route that is set to launch in September. Also in 2018, Cathay is launching new services to Brussels (March), Copenhagen (May), and Dublin (June).
Cathay Pacific Business Class on A350. Photo courtesy of Cathay Pacific.
Well, after a slew of rumors, it’s finally official. Cathay Pacific will be launching non-stop flights between Hong Kong and Cape Town, South Africa. This route will be operated on a seasonal basis, with a run from November 13, 2018 to February 18, 2019. The flight will be operated by the A350-900, which features Business Class, Premium Economy, and Economy Class. Schedule as follows:
- Hong Kong (HKG) to Cape Town (CPT): CX 795 – 2345/0805+1 Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
- Cape Town (CPT) to Hong Kong (HKG): CX 794 – 1105/0655+1 Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The route will have one of Cathay Pacific’s longer flights, measuring a Great Circle distance of 7,353 miles. The flight times look to be very favorable for business travelers, who can depart Hong Kong at night and get into Cape Town early morning. This new service to Cape Town will nicely complement Cathay Pacific’s existing route to Johannesburg, South Africa, which is actually one of the few routes that is consistently filled due to huge demand, and award space is hard to come by.
For those of us who are fans of using Alaska Mileage Plan miles for flights on Cathay Pacific, this new route to Cape Town would open a new possibility. Alaska Airlines allows a stopover even on one-way awards. As a result, you can fly from the US to South Africa for just 62,500 miles in Business Class, with a stopover in Hong Kong. You can redeem a First Class award for just 70,000 miles, though since the routes to South Africa are operated by aircraft without a First Class cabin, only the Hong Kong-US flight would be in First Class.
Will you be flying Cathay Pacific’s new route to Cape Town?
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