Cathay Pacific courts US travelers with premium offerings, new routes

Cathay Pacific plans to grow its presence as a premium Asian airline in the U.S. — and not necessarily just by adding more dots to its route map.

After opening two new routes in as many years, the Oneworld alliance carrier is focused on adding depth from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) to the U.S. by adding more flights to existing markets — or "intensifying" them — before it adds new destinations, Lavinia Lau, chief commercial officer at Cathay Pacific, said at the Routes World conference in Hong Kong on Thursday.

Take Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), where Cathay began flights in April. In October, the airline will boost service to daily from four weekly flights, increasing connecting opportunities at the megahub for partner American Airlines.

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As for a return to Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, D.C., a route Cathay axed during the COVID-19 pandemic?

"Of course, we'll always be on the lookout for really interesting opportunities," Lau said.

IAD and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) are two of numerous destinations that Cathay exited during the pandemic and has yet to return to. The airline, along with its budget subsidiary HK Express, will finish 2025 serving 105 destinations — 11 fewer than they did six years earlier — schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows.

To the U.S., specifically, the carrier will fly nearly 14% fewer seats this year than it did in 2019, schedule data shows.

However, Cathay will return to one of those destinations, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), with five weekly flights starting next March.

Improving connections with American Airlines, Alaska Airlines

Cathay's recent U.S. additions represent a subtle shift in its network strategy. Cathay is now more focused on serving key gateways and Oneworld partner hubs rather than offering a broader selection of destinations with its own planes as it did before the pandemic.

The airline's last two U.S. additions, DFW and SEA, are major hubs for Oneworld partners American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, respectively.

In addition to DFW and SEA, in the U.S., Cathay serves Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO). American has bases at JFK, ORD and LAX, and Alaska at LAX and SFO.

Cathay says its strategy shift does not mean a reduced presence in the region.

"By launching these two destinations, it actually exponentially expands our presence in the Americas," Ronald Lam, CEO of Cathay, said on Thursday.

The airline's new HKG-DFW route carries many travelers connecting with American flights to and from Central and South America, Lam noted.

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Cathay's premium product investments

Cathay is investing in U.S. flyers with more than just flights. Earlier this year, the airline debuted its new Aria business-class suites. The swanky product, however, is only currently available to North America on flights to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in British Columbia but will be rolled out to additional routes in the future.

The carrier will introduce a luxurious new first-class product when it begins flying the new Boeing 777-9 on long-haul routes. That launch is expected in 2027.

And in New York, Cathay is set to open its first-ever lounge at JFK around the end of the first quarter of 2026.

While Lau was mum on the look and feel of the new space that will cater to Cathay's first- and business-class flyers, she did confirm at least one aspect of the lounge offering.

"I can guarantee you the signatures — the noodles — they will definitely be there," Lau said, referring to the legendary noodle bars in the airline's lounges at HKG.

And dim sum?

"Yes, very likely," she said.

The first six-gate phase of Terminal 6 at JFK is scheduled to open early next year. Cathay is one of multiple international airlines, including All Nippon Airways, Lufthansa and Swiss, that will call the facility home.

"Our aspiration is to be the best premium airline in the world," Lam said at the event.

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