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If you’re planning a trip to Hong Kong or mainland China soon, whether for travel or to visit family, this is a deal you shouldn’t miss. Cathay Pacific has been running several rounds of limited-quantity free roundtrip tickets to Hong Kong this year, sponsored by the Hong Kong International Airport. Starting today (May 17, 2023), it’s now the turn for departures from the United States and Canada. These tickets will be offered on a first come, first served basis. Each eligible member can book one roundtrip ticket and only needs to pay taxes and fuel surcharges, which come to about $350 total, making this an excellent deal.

To get access to this exclusive offer, you just need to be a Cathay Pacific member. If you’re not a member yet, there’s also a promotion you can join to pick up 500mi Cathay miles.

Promotion details

The U.S. and Canada sale times are one hour apart, so if you’re quick, you may even be able to grab one from each side. Note that both the U.S. and Canada are currently on daylight saving time, so the correct time zones should be PDT/EDT. Cathay’s materials list PST/EST, which is incorrect, so the actual sale time may be delayed by one hour.

  • United States: May 17, 2023 17:00 PST / 20:00 EST
  • Canada: May 17, 2023 18:00 PST / 21:00 EST

This round includes 2,890 roundtrip tickets from the U.S. (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and New York JFK) to Hong Kong, plus 1,555 roundtrip tickets from Canada (Vancouver and Toronto) to Hong Kong.

How to participate

Offer links: U.S., Canada

  1. Register for or log in to your Cathay Pacific membership account
  2. Go to your account settings and make sure you have opted in to receive Email marketing communications
  3. During the promotion period, return to the offer link, get the promo code, and use it to book your ticket

Because demand may be heavy during the promotion, here are a couple of tips:

  • Register your Cathay account ahead of time and search for the flights you want in advance
  • Log in to the Cathay website before the sale starts, since signing in may be difficult once the rush begins

Terms

Full terms are here: U.S., Canada

  1. The minimum stay for a Hong Kong roundtrip ticket (that is, the gap between outbound and return flights) is 2 days, and the maximum is 1 month
  2. The ticket books into O class, and you can earn 25% mileage credit with Alaska Airlines
  3. Each eligible Cathay member may book only one roundtrip ticket
  4. The change fee is US$306 or C$415
  5. Ticket quantities are limited and available on a first come, first served basis

If you have an urgent need to travel back, go try your luck. A roundtrip for a little over $300 is about as good a deal as you’ll find for going back anytime soon.