The Definitive Guide to Cathay Pacific’s Direct Routes From The U.S. [Plane Types & Seat Options]

Cathay Pacific is an airline that I personally get super excited about. The Hong Kong-based carrier is known for providing some of the best flights in the industry.

With such a rich heritage coming from the tiny sovereignty of Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific is known to cater especially to those who fly in the premium cabins.

Cathay Pacific’s first class boasts the widest first class seats in aviation, and it even trumps the famous Singapore Airlines new A380 Suites!

Since Hong Kong is such a hot business and tourist destination, we figured we’d give you the U.S. route offerings of Cathay Pacific to help you plan your trip to Hong Kong!

Update: Due to COVID-19, Cathay Pacific may temporarily suspend routes, frequencies, and/or aircraft flown. Please check with the airline directly for the most current information.

Cathay Pacific Seat Options by Aircraft Type

Cathay Pacific chiefly operates 4 planes on flights to/from the United States:

• 777-300ER (4 class)
• A350-900 (3 class)
• A350-1000 (3 class)

There are two versions of the A350 operated by Cathay Pacific to/from America, but the seats are actually identical for the most part.

Check out the table below for an executive cheat sheet for the U.S. routes, planes operated on said routes, along with classes of service offered and frequency.

Best Points to Earn to Fly Cathay Pacific

Without a doubt, using Alaska Airlines miles is the best option here. Alaska Airlines charges a paltry 70,000 miles one-way in first class and 50,000 miles one-way in business class.

Additionally, you’ll be able to add one stopover for absolutely free when using Alaska Airlines miles.

If you don’t have Alaska miles, other options include American Airlines AAdvantage miles, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, or British Airways Avios.

There’s tons of ways to earn Cathay Pacific miles in addition to American Airlines miles and British Airways Avios!

Now that we’ve summarized the routes offered by Cathay Pacific on various airplanes, let’s look into the nuances of each seat and cabin!

Cathay Pacific First Class Options

As we’ve shown in the table above, Cathay Pacific operates their long-haul first class to the U.S. on the 777 only.

Here are the 5 routes on which you can fly Cathay Pacific first class:

• New York City (JFK) – Hong Kong (HKG)
• Vancouver (YVR) – Hong Kong (HKG)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Hong Kong (HKG)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG) {on CX 873}
• Boston (BOS) – Hong Kong (HKG)

All of the first class cabins on the 777 share the same seating configuration: 2 rows in a 1-1-1 arrangement for a total of 6 first class seats.

These first class seats measure out at a whopping 36 inches wide and 81 inches in pitch. Cathay Pacific actually offers the widest first class seats in the world, trumping even the Singapore Airlines First Class Suites (new AND old!).

Honestly, you can comfortably fit up to 3 people in this one seat, which is nuts.

Here’s what the seat map looks like:

Conventional wisdom says that you want to pick the first class seat with the most privacy. Seats 1A and 2A fit this description, as there is much less foot traffic (almost none).

Seats in D and K seats are open to each other, while there’s actually a wall to the left of the D seats — making A seats way more private.

If you’re traveling with a companion, you can actually dine together at the same seat, since the ottoman is actually a “buddy seat!

Here’s my personal order of preference for seating from most to least preferred:

• 2A
• 1A
• 2K
• 1K
• 2D
• 1D

Hot Tip: Need some help booking this product? Check out our epic guide on the best ways to book Cathay Pacific first class!

Cathay Pacific Business Class Options

Thinking of Cathay Pacific’s amazing first class product makes me drool. What also makes me think about glorious moments in the sky is Cathay Pacific business class!

Unlike first class, Cathay Pacific business class is offered on all of their U.S. flights. That is, these routes all offer Cathay Pacific business class:

1. Vancouver (YVR) – Hong Kong (HKG)
2. New York City (JFK) – Hong Kong (HKG)
3. Los Angeles (LAX) – Hong Kong (HKG)
4. San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG)
5. Boston (BOS) – Hong Kong (HKG)
6. Chicago (ORD) – Hong Kong (HKG)

Although there are 3 different aircraft types operated by Cathay Pacific for U.S. flights, their business class seats are similar (with a few subtle caveats).

I’m going to assert that the 777 business class seats are superior to both A350s’ seats. Here’s why.

First, all business class seats are arranged in a reverse herringbone 1-2-1 configuration, which is pretty standard for long-haul flights.

However, seat pitch for the A350-900 and A350-1000 is around 20.2 inches, which is inferior to the 777’s 21 inches.

And bed length for the A350-900 and A350-1000 is 75 inches, which is inferior to the 777’s 81 inches.

Here’s what the seat map on the 777 looks like:

As you can see, there’s a mini-cabin with 2 rows of 8 seats total in the front of the plane, while the rest of the 45 seats are located further back. I’ll talk more about this momentarily.

This is what the A350-900 seat map looks like in business class:

In the A350-900, there’s still 2 cabins in business class, but the mini-cabin is located behind the main business class cabin. As a rule of thumb, you always want to sit in the mini cabin for the most privacy.

Here’s what the A350-1000 seat map looks like for business class travelers:

As you can see, the A350-1000 doesn’t separate the business class cabin into 2 separate cabins, so there’s less of a quality distinction among seats.

Let’s first talk about seats you should absolutely avoid:

• Seats close to lavatories
• Seats right next to galleys

Here’s how I would rank the planes from highest to lowest preference for Cathay Pacific business class:

1. 777 (specifically row 11)
2. A350-900 (specifically row 21)
3. A350-1000 (specifically rows 12, 17, and 18 due to 2 windows in window seats)

Though the A350-1000 is quite technologically advanced, quieter, and offers better climate control than the 777-300ER, I would gladly deal with that in return for an optimal routing (Los Angeles for me) and an incrementally larger seat.

I would actually say that the 777 and A350-900 both have seats that are better than the rest of the cabin; however, with the A350-1000, there’s very little distinction between seats since they’re all in the same cabin together.

The 777 is operated on:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Hong Kong (HKG)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG)
• Boston (BOS) – Hong Kong (HKG)
• New York City (JFK) – Hong Kong (HKG)
• Vancouver (YVR) – Hong Kong (HKG)

The A350-900 is operated on:

• San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG) {only on CX 893}

Lastly, the A350-1000 is operated on:

• Chicago (ORD) – Hong Kong (HKG) 

Bottom Line: For me, it all boils down to award availability and geographical location. Generally, award availability tends to be highest where there are many flights (i.e., LAX, SFO, and JFK). Sure, the 777 might be a bit larger and the A350-1000 more technologically advanced, but I care more about convenience. 

Cathay Pacific Premium Economy Options

Now that we’ve gone over first and business class, let’s discuss premium economy!

Cathay Pacific has a couple of seating arrangements for long-haul premium economy:

1. A350-1000 (best)
   • Chicago (ORD) – Hong Kong (HKG)
2. A350-900 (fine)
   • San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG) {only on CX 893}
3. 777 (worst)
   • Los Angeles (LAX) – Hong Kong (HKG)
   • San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG)
   • Boston (BOS) – Hong Kong (HKG)
   • New York City (JFK) – Hong Kong (HKG)
   • Vancouver (YVR) – Hong Kong (HKG)

To begin, the premium economy cabin is arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration. As we’ll discuss later, I would personally prefer to fly the A350-1000.

The 777 premium economy seat is 19.5 inches in width and 38 inches in pitch. This is smaller than the A350-900/A350-1000 premium economy seat, which measures up at 20 inches in width and 40 inches in pitch.

Also, all these seats offer up to 9 inches of recline, which makes these seats a bit more consistent.

Right off the bat, the 777 doesn’t offer an ideal seat size, so I would lean away from it. Also, the 777 has a total of 34 seats as follows:

Let’s talk about the differences between the A350-900 and A350-1000 in premium economy.

I will say right off the bat that the A350-1000 is a much more efficient version of the A350-900.

The in-cabin setting is much more comfortable with better humidity/climate control, along with a lower carbon footprint.

Here’s what the 32 seats in premium economy on the A350-1000 look like :

Notice that there are lavatories close to the premium economy cabin itself — this will become important shortly.

Let’s take a look at the 28-seat premium economy cabin on the A350-900:

There are no lavatories available for usage here unless you go all the way to the back of cabin…which is why I think the premium economy on the A350-1000 is better than the A350-900. You will also probably have delayed service considering how far the galley is from the actual cabin.

Bottom Line: Premium economy seats are largest on the A350. The inflight technology is best on the A350-1000. Along with the proximity/location of premium economy galleys and lavatories, this makes the A350-1000 the clear winner for Cathay Pacific’s long-haul premium economy from the U.S.

Cathay Pacific Economy Options

Our last option after premium economy, business, and first class is economy! Though not as glamorous as the above products, it is highly economical and still offers great service if you want to fly on Cathay Pacific.

The interesting thing is that there’s quite a bit of variability on one issue: recline.

Here’s what I’m going to say about the ranking of economy on Cathay Pacific:

1. A350-1000 (best)
2. A350-900 (fine)
3. 777 (worst)

There are 182 seats in the 777 economy cabin, 214 seats in the A350-900 economy cabin, and 256 seats in the A350-1000 economy cabin.

The 777 actually has the widest seats, sitting at 18.5 inches in width and 32 inches in pitch. While it is very comfortable sitting straight up, the recline is limited to only 4 inches!

Here’s what the 777 economy cabin looks like:

That, along with the fact that the A350 is a more technologically advanced aircraft leads us to rank the 777’s economy seat as the “worst.”

Pivoting to the A350-900… let’s examine the cabin seat map:

Hot Tip: Note that on the A350-900, Seats 60A, 60K, and outsides of row 40 (ABC, HJK) might be great because of the extra legroom they afford you. 

Let’s quickly look at our winner…the A350-1000:

The seat maps on the A350-1000 and the A350-900 are pretty similar.

The A350-900 and A350-1000 are both slightly narrower at 18 inches in width and 32 inches in pitch. But the recline is up to 6 inches! This 50% increase in recline is HUGE!

To me, recline is the most important part of a long-haul economy flight, because it drastically increases my comfort in already cramped seats.

Making things even better, the A350 is a more comfortable aircraft, which means this particular ranking is pretty easy.

As far as the A350-900 goes, we’ve shown above which route uses this aircraft, but we’ll summarize again below:

• San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG) {only on CX 893}

And though we wouldn’t recommend its economy class, the 777 flies from:

• Chicago (ORD) – Hong Kong (HKG) {777-300ER service ends on June 1, 2020}
• San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Hong Kong (HKG)
• Boston (BOS) – Hong Kong (HKG)
• Vancouver (YVR) – Hong Kong (HKG)
• New York City (JFK) – Hong Kong (HKG)

The only downside to the A350 products is that they have many more economy seats to choose from. If you have the option, here’s what we recommend.

Pick these seats on the A350-1000:

• 60A/K (tons of extra legroom due to missing seat in front)
• 40A/B/C and 40H/J/K (bulkhead seat with more legroom)

Pick these seats on the A350-900:

• 60A/K (tons of extra legroom due to missing seat in front)
• 40A/B/C and 40H/J/K (bulkhead seat with more legroom)

Pick these seats on the 777-300ER:

• 40C (extra legroom due to missing seat in front)
• 40D/E/G (exit the plane first)

Bottom Line: When flying Cathay Pacific economy, try to fly on the A350 — particularly in the seats listed above! 

Final Thoughts

Cathay Pacific has some stellar first and business class products! They’ve got an industry-leading seat size in first class and a solid business class product that lives up to expectations.

Their premium economy and economy seats are also worth mentioning, and you can set yourself up for success by picking the right aircraft and/or seats.

We specifically spoke about their U.S. routes — they have a series of daily flights from major hubs in the U.S., including Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), and New York City (JFK). And don’t worry: you can connect through the airline’s HKG hub to elsewhere in Asia, too!

Now you’ll have a great resource to use when looking at possible routes and awards with Cathay Pacific!