It’s hard believe January is well more than halfway over. I’ve been off to a slow start with blogging due to several significant life adjustments, but I hope to carve out time to write again in the near future. However, in the meantime I thought I should introduce my Cathay Pacific Premium Economy Mileage Run.
The Trip – New York to Hong Kong and Back
I purchased this trip as part of Cathay Pacific’s Black Friday sale. Yes, the real sale, not the mistake sale they had a few weeks ago. For this sale I ended up booking a round trip from San Fransisco to Hong Kong in Premium Economy on Cathay Pacific for just $800.
Thanks to the Black Friday sale there were plenty of dates available, but I chose this upcoming weekend due to scheduling. When I searched for flights I found an outbound leg on Cathay’s new Airbus A350-1000 and the return on the A350-900. I’ve never flown on Cathay’s A350’s so I figured this trip would offer a great side-by-side comparison of their Premium Economy product on either aircraft. Unfortunately, as luck would have it Cathay adjusted their schedule so I’ll still be flying the A350-1000 (for the first time) on the outbound, but will be flying the 777-300ER (77W) on the way home, which I’ve reviewed before.
If you haven’t picked up on this yet, the trip I purchased from Cathay is from San Francisco (SFO) to Hong Kong. The issue with that itinerary is that I’m currently in New York. So, to begin my journey on Cathay I must first fly from JFK to SFO on American’s A321T aircraft in order to get to San Francisco. Then on Sunday I’ll fly the reverse route home.
For the purposes of this blog my plan along the way is to review American Airlines A321T (Economy? 2X), Cathay Pacific Premium Economy A350-1000, and Cathay Pacific Premium Economy 777-300ER.
A Few Lounge Visits Along The Way
The first flight of my weekend mileage run is from New York’s (JFK) to San Francisco (SFO) on American Airlines in Economy. My flight is in the early evening and I have to work a full day so I don’t plan on visiting the JFK Flagship Lounge (or Bridge) again.
From there I have a few hour layover in San Fransisco before my late night departure on Cathay Pacific. Given that I have a few hours to kill in the SFO airport I plan on visiting at least one or two lounges. My plan is to stop in the American Airlines Admirals Club and the Cathay Pacific Lounge prior to my departure. The Admirals Club is nothing special, but I have fairly high expectations for the Cathay Pacific Lounge.
To get home I hope to get to Hong Kong Airport a few hours early to explore a few of the Cathay Pacific lounges on offer. I of course want to again visit The Wing and The Pier, but I also hope to finally stop in The Qantas Hong Kong Lounge and Cathay’s The Bridge and The Deck as well.
Once back in the United States I’ll plan to not visit any lounges. However, if I can use the Cathay Pacific Lounge in San Fransisco as an arrivals lounge I’ll happily take a shower after my 13 hour fight!
What Will I Do In Hong Kong?
This is the one part of the weekend I haven’t given much thought to. In fact, I’ve given this topic zero though. At the time of writing this I still have no idea where I’m going to spend the night in Hong Kong. I’ve been going back and forth on a few different hotels, but can’t seem to decide.
I’m currently trying to decide if it’s worth getting a hotel with an outdoor pool or not. The temperature in Hong Kong over the weekend is expected to be 60 degrees (F) which is just a bit too cold to sit by the pool. However, if the pool is heated it would be nice to swim for bit before getting back on a flight home.
Ultimately, I am probably going to end up booking a night back at the Mira Hong Kong as I loved the hotel the last time I stayed there and I love the location. When it’s all said and done I should have just over 24 hours to explore Hong Kong so the Mira is in a great location to see plenty in a short amount of time.
For this trip I’d really like to finally climb up Victoria Peak, but who knows if I get around to it. Either way, I will for sure walk around the city again and I will definitely find some dumplings along the way.
But… Why Go To Hong Kong For A Weekend?
This seems to be the question I get most often these days. So let me explain. In my journey to earn $15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQD) and 100,000 Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM) this trip offers incredible mileage accrual rates. From San Francisco to Hong Kong I’ll cover a total round-trip distance of 13,800 miles. Since I purchased a Premium Economy ticket on Cathay Pacific I’ll earn 20% EQD per mile flown, or about $2,760 EQD. Additionally, I’ll earn 1.5 EQM per mile flown, or about 20,700 EQM.
Additionally, I’ll earn 13,800 AAdvantage award miles with a 120% bonus because of my elite status. So, in total I’ll earn just over 30,000 award miles which are worth about $450 ($0.015/each) which is about half of the cost of my ticket.
Final Thoughts
Hong Kong is quickly becoming my favorite city in the world. I have absolutely fallen in love with the city over the past few years and am trilled to be going back. Obviously I wish I could spend some more time there, but I’m excited to go either way.
This will be my first ever flight on the Airbus A350-1000 and I couldn’t be more excited. I’m also thrilled to be going back to the Hong Kong airport as I truly love the airport and the lounges available to OneWorld travelers.
Lastly, for this trip I’ll be bringing along my new Google Fi Pixel 3 phone. I recently signed up for Google Fi and have really enjoyed my first few weeks with the plan. While in Hong Kong I will compare Google Fi to my existing T-Mobile service to decide if it’s worth keeping Google Fi or sticking with T-Mobile. I’m also excited to try out the Google Pixel 3’s camera as I plan to use the phone for many of the photos I’ll take this weekend.
