Cathay Pacific adds more Brisbane flights

Cathay Pacific will add more flights between Brisbane and Hong Kong from October this year as the Oneworld member continues to rebuild its international network.

The current daily CX156 flight with its 1am departure and 9 hours of red-eye status is not everyone’s first choice – but until now it’s been the only choice for a direct flight, especially as Qantas has yet to restart Brisbane-Hong Kong flights.

That changes for the better come the end of October, when there’ll be an additional daytime flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong every Monday, Tuesday and Friday (beginning Monday October 28).

• CX150 will depart Brisbane at 10.35am to reach Hong Kong around 5.20pm – perfect timing to head to your hotel and freshen up before dinner and drinks in the buzzy Asian metropolis
• the CX155 return leg is wheels-up from HKG at 9.55pm: take your supper in one of the airport’s Cathay lounges (we recommend The Pier Business or The Pier First as your go-to), then settle down to sleep most of the way back to Brisbane ahead of an 8.30am arrival the following day

Also read: Your complete guide to Hong Kong’s Oneworld lounges

Both flights are on Cathay’s modern Airbus A350 with the latest business class flatbeds and premium economy recliners, although new versions of both are due to launch in August on the Boeing 777 – and the Aria Suites business class is certainly aiming to set new standards for Cathay.

“These new flights will give our Australian customers more choice when travelling to Hong Kong and beyond,” notes Frosti Lau, Cathay’s Regional General Manager for the Southwest Pacific.

Ahead of their Cathay flight from Brisbane, business class passengers and and eligible frequent flyers – including Cathay Silver, Cathay Gold and Cathay Diamond members, along with Qantas Golds, Qantas Platinums and their Oneworld Sapphire and Oneworld Emerald equivalents – can all visit the Qantas Brisbane International Lounge.

Are you headed to Hong Kong? Here’s how your Australian passport can be used to skip the immigration queues at Hong Kong Airport via the automated e-Channel lanes.