Update 1/2/19: Cathay Pacific has announced that they are honoring these fares! Congrats to those who got in. See: Surprise: Cathay honoring first and business class fares sold at huge discounts.
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Cathay Pacific has some outrageously cheap fares from Vietnam to several cities in North America (including Hanoi to Vancouver from $773 RT in business class or $988 in first class) and New York (first class from $1444) or Da Nang to New York for $680 RT in business class. These fares earn a small boatload of Alaska Airlines miles.
I’m not going to waste time with any analysis because THIS. WILL. NOT. LAST. If you are interested, see these posts and then run and book these right now.
- View from the Wing post about the business class
- View from the Wing post about the first class fares
- One Mile at a Time post about the first class fares
- Link to search Google Flights Hanoi to Vancouver in first class
- Link to search Google Flights Hanoi to New York in first class
- Link to search Google Flights from Da Nang to New York in business class
Keep in mind that you do not want to make any other nonrefundable plans until you’re sure the airline is going to honor this fare (I’d suggest you wait at least a couple of weeks).
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[…] there will always be another deal. Whether it’s 90K Iberia points for a couple hundred bucks, Cathay Pacific first class for under a thousand dollars round trip, a phone that comes with gift cards equal to its cash price, $250 in gift cards with a $400 travel […]
[…] View from the Wing points out that the Intercontinental Hanoi will drop in price from 35K to 30K, which is welcome news for those who need to position for the New Year’s Eve Cathay Pacific business and first class fares. […]
[…] the unbelievable first and business class fares that we reported on New Year’s Eve (See: [Expired] Crazy Cathay Pacific biz / first class fares: $680/$988 RT from Vietnam to North America). Cathay Pacific must have sold a ton of these tickets. Many of these first class flights would […]
Congrats to those who got in. Awesome of Cathay to honor it.
Yes, and better if booked on C and not on D inventory for $25 more on each leg when in J cabin. Now we can work with the CX system in case we need a little change of dates or times. What is amazing is that people are trying to fly to position themselves in Vietnam on the same aircraft on which the mistake fare is going to start, just to be denied entry into Vietnam for being illegal to do that in that country.
Please explain. Are you saying you can’t position to Vietnam to catch the flight?
Based on a comment I saw elsewhere today, it looks like a same day turn might not be legal in Vietnam. I don’t know that for a fact — just that I saw someone comment with something like that (at One Mile at a Time I think?). Moral of the story is that you should give yourself a day or two to enjoy Vietnam I guess.
CATHAY TO HONOR TICKETS SOLD IN ERROR
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2180367/cathay-pacific-customer-who-bought-first-class
CX has announced on Twitter that they will honor all the bug tickets.
Not the same deal, but still pretty good. You can fly in J for $1,200 if you force a +24 hr layover in HKG. Fare is still valid but they zeroed out inventory for connecting flights. If you add a stopover in HKG they tack $500 to the original fare because the stopover rules but you can get it to work. Use Matrix to search for it and you’ll see them. Open all year round.
So booked the following trip:
Am already in Asia in early July, so
HAN-HKG-JFK 7/5-24 in F USD 1444.64
DAD-HKG-JFK 8/1-9/30 in J EUR 590.74
DAD-HKG-EWR ret from JFK-HKG-DAD 10/9-11/13 in J CAD 936.43
The first fare was booked directly; the rest were booked on OTAs.
Hope it sticks!
Must the flight originate in Vietnam, or can it originate in the US?
This is long over now, but it was only available departing Vietnam.
When I found about this crazy fares, it expired. I am wondering how to take advantage of fares like this as the departing must be from Vietnam. Being in the US, do I book a one-way flight to the originating country to take advantage of this?
Yes, exactly. You would have booked a one way award to Vietnam (or a paid ticket).
Amazing!!! Forced the system to book 2 tickets in C class and not D or I, as now the tickets are fully refundable and changeable. It ended up adding only $25 usd to each ticket, ($725 all in) but that way I can change them for free if the return doesn t work (if honored). Booked directly with CX !!! BTW, I love not needing a Visa for Vietnam …
If you change them you’ll be on the hook for the fare difference… which for this kind of seats will run into the thousands/tens of thousands
Not according to the fare rules @ Expertflyer
Still waiting to hear from you and the fare rules under which you booked. I did book mine on C and not on D with a non change fee and non cancellation fee. But no way I am cancelling. My fare code has very lax fare rules when searched through expertflyer and I did screen shot them after CX Issued the ticket.$25 more on each segment got you C and not D on both legs.
Can’t seem to get it to work somehow … coming up against a page that says the following when I try to book:
“Cathay Pacific
We are experiencing technical difficulties.
We are unable to find a fare for your chosen itinerary. Please select different flights and search again. (5685)”
I had a trip to Vietnam already scheduled using miles but booked return on Cathay now and will pay to have miles put back in. Cathay Pacific first class, yes!! Hoping it goes through
Forgot to mention, initially rejected chase sapphire. called chase and they put it through
I just got the NO she TOAD me to reapply in 6 months. I had 4 with Chase & Citi over the years 2 I got 6 months later.Like we all know ,Know doesn’t Always mean No.
I got two reservations, yvr to han, first, 995 each. went to store and upon return they are gone. so now we have to get an award flight to han in April and fly back first, and then do the opposite in September. it will be sweet if it happens.
THANKS NICK! I just booked 5 first class seats! I hope they honor these tickets. Happy New Year!