Cathay Pacific, Fiji Airways expand Oneworld Connect partnership

Members of Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles program can now earn and burn frequent flyer points on the airline’s Oneworld Connect partner Fiji Airways.

Cathay’s Marco Polo Club cardholders will also now accrue Club Points on all Fiji Airways flights: Club Points being the Cathay Pacific equivalent of status credits.

These new developments build upon an existing suite of frequent flyer perks for Cathay Pacific members travelling with Fiji Airways, such as priority check-in with baggage through-check, priority boarding, and access to selected lounges.

Earning Asia Miles on Fiji Airways flights

Whether you’re travelling from Hong Kong to Nadi, Fiji to Australia or elsewhere on Fiji Airways’ network, you can now earn Asia Miles.

The rewards earned are based on both your fare type, and the distance of each flight in miles, with the number of Asia Miles given being a percentage of that distance.

• Flexible business class (J, D): 150% of miles flown
• Business class (C, Z, I): 125% of miles flown
• Flexible economy class (Y, B, H, L): 100% of miles flown
• Semi-flexible economy class (O, K, W): 75% of miles flown
• Discount economy class (Q, S, M): 50% of miles flown
• Deep discount economy class (V, T, N, G): 25% of miles flown

For example, flights from Sydney to Nadi measure up at 1,970 miles.

This means you’d collect approximately 2,462-2,955 Asia Miles in business class per one-way flight, or 492-1,970 Asia Miles in economy class, depending on your fare type.

Fiji Airways' fleet includes the modern Airbus A350.

Earning Marco Polo Club Points on Fiji Airways flights

Cathay Pacific splits its loyalty arm into two distinct brands: Asia Miles covers the earning and burning of frequent flyer points, while The Marco Polo Club is an attached yet optional program through which members can build status and climb through the Silver, Gold, or Diamond ranks.

In addition to receiving Asia Miles on Fiji Airways flights, Marco Polo Club members will now earn Club Points on the same.

Again, this is influenced by both your airfare type and the distance of each flight.

Many popular Fiji Airways routes are grouped together as ‘short flights’ – including all flights between Australia and Fiji – while others, such as Nadi to Hong Kong or Los Angeles, are classed as ‘long flights’, with Club Point earning rates as below.

With the figures above representing one-way flights, this means a business class traveller can expect 40-50 Club Points on a return Fiji Airways trip between Australia and Fiji, or 130-150 Club Points round-trip between Fiji and either Hong Kong or Los Angeles.

Passengers taking multiple flights – such as from Australia to Fiji, and then Fiji to Los Angeles – will earn Club Points on each separate departure.

A return Sydney-Nadi-LA jaunt would therefore provide 170-200 Club Points in business class.

For a full list of Club Point earning rates on Fiji Airways flights, consult the Cathay Pacific website.

Business class on Fiji Airways' Airbus A350-900.

Spending Asia Miles on Fiji Airways flights

In addition to earning Asia Miles on paid Fiji Airways flights, you can also now spend Asia Miles to book the same.

From Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane to Nadi – as well as from Sydney to Suva – expect to pay 30,000 Asia Miles in business class or 15,000 Asia Miles in economy, per one-way flight.

(At the time of writing, Asia Miles did not have a reward rate listed for Adelaide-Nadi flights.)

Planning a longer jaunt, such as from Australia to Los Angeles via Nadi?

Per one-way journey, you’d need a total of 75,000 Asia Miles in business class or 40,000 Asia Miles in economy from Sydney or Brisbane to Los Angeles, via Nadi.

From Melbourne, however, the total is bumped to 90,000 Asia Miles in business class or 47,000 Asia Miles in economy, as Melbourne-Nadi-Los Angeles is a longer overall flying distance, and nudges the booking into a higher Asia Miles reward category.

For a simple flight from Hong Kong to Nadi, you’re instead looking at 70,000 Asia Miles in business class or 35,000 Asia Miles in economy.

As Asia Miles can be used to book flights across Fiji Airways’ network, you can calculate the number of miles needed to secure seats on other routes by searching the Asia Miles website.

Benefits of Fiji Airways in Oneworld Connect

With Fiji Airways being a ‘Oneworld Connect’ member of the alliance – as opposed to a full member of Oneworld – frequent flyer benefits when travelling with Fiji Airways don’t completely mirror what travellers might expect aboard a full Oneworld member.

Priority check-in and priority boarding are the same, being open to all Oneworld Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald members: being Cathay Pacific Silver, Gold, Diamond and above-Diamond members.

However, airport lounge access is a completely different ballgame.

Oneworld Connect arrangements rely on a complex set of rules depending on a lounge’s location, the airline operating the flight, the flight number on the ticket, and the traveller’s status.

Fiji Airways lounge access for Marco Polo Club members

Marco Polo Club Gold and Diamond members can access Fiji Airways’ lounge in Nadi when departing on a Fiji Airways flight with an FJ flight number (including to Hong Kong and elsewhere), or on a Fiji Airways-operated flight with a CX flight number, to Hong Kong only.

Top-tier Cathay Pacific frequent flyers enjoy access to Fiji Airways' Premier Lounge at Nadi.

Up in Hong Kong, these same cardholders are granted lounge access prior to Fiji Airways flights, but only when booked onto a CX codeshare flight number.

Book the FJ code instead, and you’ll only get lounge access here if travelling in business class: and that’s to Cathay Pacific’s business class lounge, even if you’re a Diamond member and would normally visit a first class lounge instead.

(Due to COVID-19, Cathay Pacific is currently serving all lounge-eligible customers in its Wing First Class Lounge in Hong Kong – however, this is a temporary measure only: and as other lounges reopen, the normal lounge access rules will apply.)

Cathay Pacific’s Marco Polo Club members do not receive lounge access when travelling with Fiji Airways from places like Australia – unless booked in Fiji Airways business class – as this is outside the Oneworld Connect agreement.

For lounge access in Australia on jaunts to Fiji, Marco Polo Club members would instead need to book flights with Qantas: a full member of the Oneworld alliance, on which Oneworld’s normal lounge access policies apply.

Also read: Oneworld moves forward with alliance-wide upgrades

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.