Chicago to Hong Kong: Five Course Gourmet Meals, Award Winning Wine Selections, Flat Bed Seats, and Now Double AAdvantage Miles from Cathay Pacific

American Airlines partner and oneworld member airline, Cathay Pacific is launching new non-stop service between Chicago and Hong Kong on September 1 and to promote the new route, they’re offering Double AAdvantage miles for First and Business class travel.

So if menu items like Caviar and Balik salmon, Grilled beef tenderloin with red wine sauce, green peas potato mash, baby carrots, asparagus and red capsicum, Stir-fried prawn paddy with asparagus, and breakfast eggs cooked to order don’t excite you, maybe earning more than 35,000 AAdvantage Miles will:

Airline: Cathay Pacific and American Airlines

Bonus Code: HKGCX

Dates: Book your trip between August 1, 2011 and September 30, 2011. Travel on/between September 1, 2011 and November 30, 2011.

Offer: Travel round-trip on a Cathay Pacific operated nonstop flight (booked under either the CX or AA flight number) from Chicago to Hong Kong, on a qualifying First Class ticket or Business Class ticket, and earn double AAdvantage miles. There is no limit to the number of bonuses you can earn during the promotion period and the bonus miles are in addition to your standard base miles and class of service bonus. Just book your trip between August 1, 2011 and September 30, 2011, fly between September 1, 2011 and November 30, 2011, and register prior to travel.

Double miles for round-trip First Class travel between Chicago and Hong Kong booked in F or A
Total miles earned (base miles, bonus miles and class of service bonus) 38,935 total miles

Double miles for round-trip Business Class travel between Chicago and Hong Kong booked in J, C, D or I
Total miles earned (base miles, bonus miles and class of service bonus) 35,042 total miles

There’s no bonus for coach travel, but you’ll still earn 15,588 AAdvantage Miles if your flight is ticketed as an American Airlines codeshare flight or booked in H on Cathay Pacific.

A discounted First class ticket will cost you as much as a Kia, and at first you might think it’s a little expensive. However, to help you put that cost in perspective, I’ve put together these comparisons:

Cost
2011 Kia Optima MSRP: $18,995
First class (booked in A), Round-trip ORD to HKG: $18498.30

AAdvantage Miles
2011 Kia Optima: 0
First class (booked in A), Round-trip ORD to HKG: 38,935

AAdvantage Elite Qualifying Miles
2011 Kia Optima: 0
First class (booked in A), Round-trip ORD to HKG: 23,382

Total travel time
2011 Kia Optima: 2 days drive to Los Angeles, 22 days transit time Los Angeles to Hong Kong via Maersk Lines, Transpacific 6
First class (booked in A), Round-trip ORD to HKG: 15 hours, 35 minutes

Fully flat bed seats
2011 Kia Optima: Not available
First class (booked in A), Round-trip ORD to HKG: Available

So after a little analysis, I think it’s clear that it’s the Kia that is overpriced.

Registration is required before travel, go here to sign up or for more details.

Photo: “Cathay Pacific First Class”
Credit: Lucky at One Mile at Time via Flickr