Cathay Pacific is launching service to the Maldives from Hong Kong starting October 27, 2013 4 times a week, providing another great way to get to the Maldives. Here are the details:
- CX601 Departs Hong Kong 5:15pm, Arrives Male 9:25pm [flight time of 7 hours 10 minutes]
- CX602 Departs Male 11:35pm, Arrives Hong Kong 8:55am [flight time of 6 hours 20 minutes]
- Both flights operate Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays
FAQ
Which Miles Should I Use to Book Cathay Pacific to the Maldives?
If coming from the U.S., you can't book from the U.S. to Hong Kong to the Maldives as a single award ticket, because American AAdvantage doesn't allow you to transit a third region except under a few exceptions. So you'd have to book the U.S. to Hong Kong in either
Cathay Pacific First Class for 67.5K AA miles one way, or
Cathay Pacific Business Class for 55K AA miles, then book a separate Business Class award from Hong Kong to the Maldives for 30K AA miles.
Hence, the best bet would be to book Cathay First Class to Hong Kong for 67.5K AA miles, then book Cathay Business Class to the Maldives with 25K British Airways Avios + $125 in fees/taxes, especially if you're able to transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points to Avios when there's a transfer bonus.
Is Business Class Flat Bed?
Yes–this is on Cathay Pacific's A330-300, with fully flat bed business class–see the first photo of this post. Here's the seating map:
That's a Very Late Arrival in Male…Will I Need to Overnight There?
Most likely yes–and take the first domestic flight or seaplane out the next day to your Maldives resort.
What Are the Other Recommended Award Flight Options for Getting to the Maldives?
From the U.S., I'd recommend Etihad First Class to Abu Dhabi, then Business Class to the Maldives using AAdvantage miles (and since it's via the Middle East, it's all one award ticket). Later this year, once Qatar joins Oneworld, you'll be able to book
Qatar Business Class to the Maldives via Doha, also using AA miles. Or, book Singapore Airlines to Colombo using either Singapore KrisFlyer miles (transferred from AMEX points) or United miles, then either a paid ticket from Colombo to Male or Sri Lankan from Colombo to Male using Avios points, after Sri Lankan joins Oneworld.
Do you plan to fly Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong to the Maldives on a future award?
Related Posts
Etihad Business Class Review Male, Maldives to Abu Dhabi
Park Hyatt Maldives Review
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HT: Ben
