BOOKED: JAL Business Class, Cathay Pacific First Class

There are many good uses of miles. One thing I like is to buy miles during a promotion, when you can score a flight in a cabin that otherwise would’ve cost you double. Another way I like to use miles is to maximise them – for example, flying from Hong Kong to Perth for 65,000 KrisFlyer miles roundtrip, when Hong Kong to Taipei costs 40,000 KrisFlyer miles (actually…)

But there’s no better way than to fly from point A to point B with purpose and redeeming miles for an amazing product when you realise your miles are about to expire in the coming month.

This is what happened to my mom late last week, so we spent some time securing a couple of flights for myself and her, and I’m so excited…

Japan Airlines Boeing 777 Business Class

I’ve always wanted to fly Japan Airlines, as I’ve heard about their top-notch business class product. Even though I’m only flying them shorthaul, I’m glad to see that my dreams have come true. Early this summer I’ll be flying from Hong Kong to Haneda with my mom, and we’ll be spending a few days in Tokyo, which I’m so excited about (I haven’t been to the city in almost a decade now, since the March 2011 earthquake).

Japan Airlines Boeing 777 Business Class

We have a few options for how to get back, but we’re not sure as of yet. We have four Cathay Pacific awards waitlisted on a range of aircraft. I originally was tempted to book ScootBiz from Tokyo to Taipei on their 787, before realising that ScootBiz was twice as expensive in June compared to other months. Gah!

Scoot Boeing 787 Taipei Airport

Cathay Pacific 777 First Class – AHH, I’m so excited!!!

I’m going to university in the UK later this year, so naturally I’ve been looking at options for how to get between Hong Kong and London. One thing that I knew off the top of my head was that no matter which university I decided to go to, I’d be on Christmas holiday at the same time. So while I have no certainty regarding any of my term dates yet, my Christmas inbound date was an exception.

So when my mom still had 95k miles prone to expiring, I jumped on the opportunity to help her spend it, in Cathay Pacific first class. I figured that I might as well round off and try all possible cabin classes on my home airline. I can’t wait to spend a longhaul flight in Cathay Pacific first class, and am happy to report the experience with you guys as well.

Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 First Class

Bottom Line

Redemption opportunities like these don’t come by often, and they’re a clear indication of the beauty of miles and points. The Cathay Pacific one-way flight would’ve cost HK$50,000, whereas the JAL one-way flight would’ve cost HK$10,000 (!). I had to pay taxes (and a change fee, due to a stupid name issue that I’ll talk about later), but the miles themselves were actually “free”, since they would’ve expired either way.

It’s time for me to up my miles and points game soon. Since I turn 18, I’ll have the chance to earn some income and possibly apply for some credit cards once I’m in university. I can’t wait…ahhhh!!

What are the flights you’re looking forward to most this year?