2 New Exciting Routes Added to Some of Our Favorite Miles & Points Airlines!

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There’s exciting news coming from both United Airlines and Cathay Pacific!

Soon, you’ll have more options for redeeming miles & points when traveling to Hong Kong and Tahiti.

Cathay Pacific will begin non-stop flights between Hong Kong and Washington, DC (a ~17 hour flight!), and United Airlines will start non-stop flights from San Francisco to Tahiti.

I’ll give you the details, and remind you of how to take advantage of these routes with miles & points!

United Airlines Will Fly Non-Stop to Tahiti

Beginning October 30, 2018, through March 28, 2019, United Airlines will fly from San Francisco to Tahiti every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.  The flight will last 8+ hours.  This is very exciting, because there aren’t many airlines that fly to Tahiti from the US.

It currently costs 35,000 United Airlines miles one-way in coach to fly from the US to Tahiti.  It’s NOT non-stop, and part of the journey is on partner airline Air New Zealand.

But this new non-stop route between San Francisco and Tahiti is currently pricing at 80,000 United Airlines miles (the price of a standard award).  Hopefully we’ll see some saver awards open up soon!

We can expect to pay 35,000 United Airlines miles one-way in coach, and 70,000 United Airlines miles one-way in Business Class.

There are plenty of amazing hotels you can stay at with points in French Polynesia.  Emily and I flew into Tahiti when we visited Bora Bora and Moorea years ago.  We reserved an overwater bungalow at the Intercontinental Thalasso Bora Bora with the annual free nights from our Chase IHG cards.

We also stayed at the Hilton Moorea using Hilton points!

Want More United Airlines Miles?

You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United Airlines at a 1:1 ratio from cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, and Ink Business Preferred Credit Card.

Or sign-up for a card like the Chase United Explorer card.  It currently comes with a 50,000 United Airlines mile sign-up bonus after meeting minimum spending requirements.

And check out my series on all the ways to earn and use United Airlines miles!

Cathay Pacific Will Fly Non-Stop Between Washington, DC, and Hong Kong

Beginning some time in 2018, Cathay Pacific will begin its longest route ever, a ~17 hour flight between Washington, DC, and Hong Kong.

Because this is such a long route, I’m glad to hear Cathay Pacific is flying a plane that will have 38 Business Class seats!  That will help folks’ commute to Asia much more bearable, especially with miles & points.  That said, it does NOT look like this flight will have First Class seats.

You can check out my review of Cathay Pacific’s premium seats here.

How to Book Cathay Pacific Award Flights

You can book Cathay Pacific award flights using Cathay Pacific miles, called Asia Miles.  The number of miles you’ll need for an award flight depends on the distance flown.

Because American Airlines is a oneworld alliance partner, like Cathay Pacific, you can also use American Airlines miles to book Cathay Pacific award flights.  You can earn American Airlines miles by applying for cards like:

• Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® – Earn 60,000 American Airlines miles after spending $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
• Barclaycard AAdvantage® Aviator™ Red World Elite Mastercard® – Earn 60,000 American Airlines miles after your first purchase and payment of annual fee within the first 90 days of account opening

Cathay Pacific is also a partner of Alaska Airlines!  So you can use Alaska Airlines miles to book this route.  You can earn Alaska Airlines miles by:

• Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card – Earn 30,000 Alaska Airlines miles and $100 statement credit after making $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of opening account. (Only available to those who haven’t had the card before.)
• Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Business Card® – Earn 30,000 Alaska Airlines miles after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of opening your account

You can also transfer Starwood points to both American Airlines and Alaska Airlines at a 1:1 ratio and earn a 5,000 mile bonus for every 20,000 Starwood points you transfer.

When this new route is available, you should be able to book a one-way flight for 30,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach, or 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles for Business Class.  You can also use 37,500 American Airlines miles for a one-way coach flight, or 70,000 American Airlines miles for Business Class.

Bottom Line

Two airlines are adding new routes to fun locations!  You’ll soon be able to fly non-stop from San Francisco to Tahiti on United Airlines, and non-stop from Washington, DC, to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific.

Are you excited about these new ways to use your miles & points?