Introduction – The Cathay Pacific New Year Deal Trip

I had originally intended 2019 to be a ‘quiet’ travel year, but scrolling my Twitter feed on New Year’s Day changed that pretty quickly.

According to Ben Schlappig’s blog One Mile At A Time, Cathay Pacific First Class tickets from Vietnam to the United States were pricing at around A$1200 return. Whilst there was no guarantee that Cathay Pacific would honour these deals it was worth booking since I hadn’t yet flown First Class on Cathay Pacific and am always up for a trip to New York.

I managed to find a routing from Danang, Vietnam to New York for the October long weekend via Expedia which I was happy with so pulled the trigger. Then I thought Cathay may choose to only honor the tickets that were booked directly with them so continued to search and booked a second trip in December directly.

So the waiting game began and we progressed through the FlyerTalk classic Emotional Stages of A Mistake Fare. Fortunately Cathay Pacific made their decision within a business day and announced they would honour all the fares booked.

So my ‘quiet’ travel year went out the window and planning for the October trip began in earnest. 

I had my Danang to New York flights but had to secure positioning flights from Sydney to Danang and then home from Hong Kong (as I would not be flying the final leg from Hong Kong to Danang).

Getting To Danang, Vietnam

My first port of call when planning is Wikipedia, as it really is a gift to travellers. Turns out Silk Air, the regional arm of Singapore Airlines, serves Danang so 62,000 KrisFlyer miles and A$138 in taxes later I had a Business Class redemption from Sydney to Danang via Singapore. 

I chose the SQ288 overnight flight to reduce the amount of annual leave required for this trip, with a departure time of 9:20PM and arrival time into Singapore of 5:15AM (which would be a reasonable 8:15AM Sydney time).

This flight had the bonus of stopping in Canberra as SQ288 is a circular routing between Singapore, Sydney, Canberra and Singapore. It was my first visit to the new International facilities at Canberra Airport and they were impressive, more akin to a business class lounge than a public waiting area.

Where To Stay In Danang

There is no shortage of accommodation in Vietnam with local hotels and international chains well represented. 

Initially I had booked the Hilton Danang since I’d get breakfast as a Hilton Honors Gold elite. However, the area immediately behind the hotel is currently a construction site.

With my two hotel bookings totalling 11 nights in New York being with Marriott, it made sense to aim for elite status using the Platinum Challenge. There is a beachfront Four Points by Sheraton in Danang, which would give me an additional 2 nights towards the 16 night requirement, for the same price as the Hilton so I switched my booking across.

Where To Stay In New York

With 1 AUD converting to 0.67 USD it was not easy to find reasonably priced accommodation in the Big Apple. Most 3 star hotels were going for A$300+ per night but I was able to successfully claim a Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) or Look No Further (LNF) rate for a 6 night stay at the Fairfield Inn Manhattan Downtown East on Henry Street in Chinatown for A$215 per night, including breakfast.

The saving on accommodation was put towards activities in New York, including lunch at Le Bernardin and dinner at Blue Hill At Stone Barns.

Getting Home From Hong Kong

Both Qantas and Cathay Pacific fly multiple times per day between Hong Kong and Sydney.

I had to monitor Business Class award availability for a few weeks but eventually a seat came up on QF128, which was being operated by the 787 Dreamliner. Redemption cost was 60,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points and A$133 in taxes. 

It leaves Hong Kong at 7:30PM, allowing for a full day in town, and arrives back in Sydney at 8AM for a full working day if needed. 

Summary

This unintended trip of 27,115 miles was a great taster of Central Vietnam, having only been to Hanoi and Saigon previously, and an opportunity to spend a wonderful week in New York during fall. 

It was also an opportunity to try out interesting flights like the circular Singapore-Sydney-Canberra-Singapore flight SQ288 and the New York to Hong Kong via Vancouver flight on Cathay Pacific. 

Trip Report Contents

Introduction – The Cathay Pacific New Year Deal Trip
Review: Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge Sydney Business Class
Review: Singapore Airlines Business Class 77W
Review: Silk Air Business Class 737-800
Review: Four Points By Sheraton Danang
Review: CIP Orchid Lounge Danang
Review: Cathay Dragon Economy Class A320
Review: The Pier First Class Lounge
Review: Cathay Pacific First Class 77W
Review: Fairfield Inn Manhattan Downtown East
Review: Blue Hill At Stone Barns
Review: Le Bernardin
New York Activities
Review: TWA Flight Centre
Review: AA Flagship First Dining JFK
Review: Cathay Pacific First Class 77W (via Vancouver)
Review: Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour
Review: The Pier Business Class Lounge
Review: Qantas Business Class 787
Summary – Highlights & Points Earned