During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hong Kong Airport Authority purchased a large number of “tickets” from Hong Kong airlines to help them get through the crisis. Now that the pandemic has largely ended this year, the Airport Authority has begun distributing those 500,000 free tickets. From April 24 to 30, Cathay Pacific is running a giveaway for free round-trip economy class tickets departing from Hong Kong International Airport to 26 countries. A total of 27,314 tickets will be given away in this round.

Giveaway details

To enter, visit the Cathay promotion page during the promotion period (Hong Kong time: April 24 at 10:00 AM through April 30 at 11:59 PM) and click the “Register Now” button to register. You must:

  • Be at least 18 years old
  • If selected, register for a Cathay account by May 9 (if you do not already have one), and make sure the phone number linked to the account matches the one used when entering the giveaway

The 26 destination countries included in this promotion are: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, and South Korea.

Winners will be notified by email on May 3. Redemption must be completed by June 10, and travel must take place by February 10, 2024. Winners will still need to pay taxes and surcharges.

Bottom line

If you need to depart internationally from mainland China, it may be worth entering. No account registration is required to enter, and it takes less than 30 seconds. Good luck!