While most people spend Black Friday searching for a new TV or appliance, I spend the day searching for airfare. You’d be amazed by some of the fares you’ll find toward the end of the year. Black Friday 2017 wasn’t particularly exciting, but one fare stuck out. Specifically, Cathay Pacific was offering up to 60% off Premium Economy fares from the United States to Hong Kong!
Premium Economy fares from Chicago to Hong Kong typically cost well over $2,000 so finding fares for just over $1,000 round trip seemed like an absolute steal. The fare is even more exciting when you look at the AAdvantage elite mileage accrual chart for flights with Cathay Pacific.
When flying in Premium Economy on Cathay and crediting flights to the AAdvantage program you’ll earn 1.5 EQM per mile flown and at least 20% EQD per mile flown. With that I booked Chicago to Hong Kong with a return to Los Angeles. In total, I’d cover about 15,000 miles and earn around $3,000 EQD and 22,500 EQM. Because of that generous elite mileage accrual I jumped on the fare and booked. Since I didn’t want to take any time off from work I decided to book over a 3-day holiday weekend.
Planning The Trip To Hong Kong
As with most of my trips I usually start with something unusual and then try to piece together the rest. In this case, I knew I had 2 nights in Hong Kong, but had no idea where to stay. I also didn’t know what to do in Hong Kong since I’d never been before and hadn’t done any homework.
In the end I decided to use Marriott Rewards points to book a night at the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong and then switch to a paid night stay at the Mira Hong Kong. I figured at least if I knew where I’d be sleeping in Hong Kong that I could figure out the rest.
Departing For Hong Kong In Premium Economy On Cathay Pacific
The trip technically began around Noon on the Friday of Martin Luther King weekend. I decided to head to the airport a little early so that I’d have time to explore Terminal 5 of Chicago O’Hare International. I don’t get many opportunities to visit Terminal 5 so I wanted to take advantage of this one.
Unfortunately, I wish I wouldn’t have arrived early to the airport. The British Airways Galleries First Class lounge was a total disappointment. While the lounge was a little nicer than sitting in the crowded terminal, I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit this lounge.
After a longer than desired visit to the British Airways Galleries First Lounge it was finally time to board the Cathay Pacific 777-300ER to Hong Kong. When I purchased my flight I chose seat 30D because of the positive feedback posted on SeatGuru.
While the seat itself was comfortable I don’t recommend seat 30D. That’s because other PE guests step over you nearly the entire flight to access the PE lavatory located on the other side of the aircraft. On future flights I’ll look to book 32G, 33G, or 34G. G or H seats mean you’ll have easier access to the Premium Economy lavatory.
Arriving In Hong Kong
After landing in Hong Kong it was extremely easy to get to the immigrations hall and clear customs. At that point I made my way downstairs to Cathay Pacific’s The Arrival Lounge to freshen up before heading into the city.
The Arrival was a really nice, albeit small, arrivals lounge. If you wish you can eat a full made-to-order meal, have a cup of coffee or tea, or most importantly, a hot shower. I can’t tell you how nice it was to take a hot shower after the 13 hour flight. It was nice to be able to go straight into town and meet friends without needing to stop at the hotel first.
From The Arrival Lounge I took the Airport Express into Hong Kong’s Kowloon Station. Keep in mind you can’t fund a transit card with a credit card, but you can pay for the Airport Express with a credit card.
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
After a short ride on the Airport Express I arrived at Kowloon Station. From there I walked upstairs to the ground floor lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong. From there it’s a short elevator ride up to the 103 floor lobby of the International Commerce Center.
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong was absolutely incredible! The views of Hong Kong at night when I checked in were unbelievable.
However, the sunrise offered even better views.
I truly loved my stay at this hotel and hope to visit again sometime in the not too distant future.
The Mira Hong Kong
After a great night at the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong I had to switch hotels. I chose The Mira Hong Kong because of the reasonable nightly rate and because the hotel is affiliated with the SPG program.
The Mira was a much more reasonable hotel than The Ritz-Carlton. I personally really enjoyed the hotel and would absolutely stay here again.
Another reason I liked this hotel was the location. The hotel is located across the street from Kowloon Park and guests can easily walk to many nearby tourist attractions and brand name shops.
Exploring Lounges In HKG Airport
During a layover in Hong Kong in late 2017 I visited several lounges. For that trip report I took the time to fully explore and review the American Express Centurion Lounge. I also spent quite a bit of time in the Plaza Premium Lounge. Both of those lounges are nice, but neither were as nice as either of the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounges in HKG airport. Sadly, during that trip I only stopped in either first class lounge for just a few minutes. With this trip I made sure to spend much more time in both lounges.
I began the day in Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class lounge. The Pier is beautiful and the decor is consistent with other Cathay Pacific lounges found around the world.
To avoid filling this section with too many pictures of The Pier I’m going to leave it at that. However, trust me, this lounge is stunning. After eating a meal in the full-service restaurant and a short rest in a day-bed I decided to head to Cathay Pacific’s other First Class lounge.
The Wing is equally impressive, but quite different.
The Wing also has a Champagne bar which is a great place to stop before heading into the rest of the lounge.
Oh, and did I mention the Cabanas?
Ultimately I love both The Wing and The Pier and it’s hard to choose a favorite, so next time I visit Hong Kong I’ll try to visit both again.
Cathay Pacific Premium Economy Flight To Los Angeles
After visiting two incredible lounges I sadly had to head home. I boarded another Cathay Pacific 777-300ER however this aircraft featured an updated Premium Economy Cabin.
For the flight home I chose seat 34D which I liked much more than 30D on the way to Hong Kong. Ultimately I think if I ever fly Cathay Pacific Premium Economy again I’ll pick 34G or H.
The flight to Los Angeles was rather uneventful as I slept for much of it. Before long we exited the aircraft in Los Angles and I made it through customs with Mobile Passport.
Qantas First Class Lounge LAX
Of all the lounges I visited on my absurd trip I was most excited to visit the Qantas First Class lounge. I’ve read excellent reviews of the lounge and many regard it as the “best OneWorld lounge” in the United States.
While the Qantas First Class lounge was nice, I didn’t love it. The main areas of the lounge were nice enough, but by far my least favorite part of the lounge was the shower suite.
The shower room reminded me of a scene from the movie Saw. While the shower was nice enough I just didn’t enjoy being in that room for any longer than I needed to be.
American Airlines Flagship First Lounge LAX
After a little more than an hour in the Qantas lounge I was ready to leave. I decided just to go sit in the familiar LAX Admirals Club in Terminal 4 for the final half hour of my layover. When I arrived at the lounge I was surprised to see that it has been completely renovated. Even better, the renovations include the addition of a Flagship Lounge which I had access to since I was connecting from a OneWorld international flight.
The Flagship Lounge was very nice and I loved the design. Even better, the lounge offered fantastic views of the LAX Terminal 4 alleyway.
I really loved this lounge and will absolutely use LAX as an international connection if necessary going forward to spend some more time here. The food was great and the beer selection was far superior to any selection offered in a US domestic lounge.
Final Thoughts
Wow, I knew this conclusion would be long, but I didn’t realize that it’d be 1,600+ words! Writing this made me realize just how much I did during this long weekend. Keep in mind I didn’t even mention my time spent in Hong Kong in which I walked well over 12 miles!
I realize most people think a long weekend in Hong Kong is absurd, trust me when I say that it’s not only possible, but it’s so much fun! I’ve read that Cathay offers this particular sale each year and you better believe that I’ll 100% do this again next year. Not only did I have a great long weekend, but I also earned a ton of EQD and EQM to put me on solid ground to qualify for Executive Platinum again in 2018.
