Photo credit from Cathay Pacific.
Cathay Pacific’s First Class is one of those legendary products on every points enthusiast’s bucket list. With wide, private seats that transform into true beds, fine dining, Krug Champagne, and impeccable service, it's extremely hard to find award availability. Since the pandemic, Cathay Pacific has not been releasing award availability to its oneworld partners such as American Airlines.
Here’s exactly how I booked a coveted Cathay Pacific First Class seat for just 125,000 points, using Roame alerts and a bit of strategic timing.
How I booked Cathay Pacific First Class for only 125,000 points
I had been hunting for this Cathay Pacific First Class award seat for what felt like ages. Checking the Cathay Pacific website every day became not only time-consuming, but downright exhausting and, honestly, boring. It started to feel like a full-time job.
Instead, I used the Roame tool to help me find availability. I just set up flight alerts for Cathay Pacific First Class from the U.S. to Hong Kong. I would get notified when Roame find open availability if it fit my criteria.
Just few days later, I received an alert that Cathay Pacific First Class seat was available for only 125,000 points! Not only that, there were a ton of availability in November and December for 2 people!
Roame also alerted me with business class options for the same routes.
Photo credit from Roame.
Verifying Availability
After receiving the Roame alert, I used Skyview to check a wide range of dates and understand the bigger picture of Cathay Pacific First Class availability over the coming months. Skyview’s visual calendar makes it easy to spot patterns and see when award space is most likely to open up.
Once I narrowed down my target date range, I switched to Roame’s Live Search feature. Live Search checks the airline program website directly and shows results across ±3 days, helping confirm that the seat I wanted was truly bookable in real time. Seeing that “125,000 miles” option appear in Live Search was exactly what I was hoping for.
Lastly, before transferring miles from American Express to Cathay Pacific, I made sure to confirm availability on the Cathay Pacific website. Always confirm availability on the airline website before transferring points.
Photo credit from Roame.
Once I narrowed down my target date range, I switched to Roame’s Live Search feature. Live Search checks the airline program website directly and shows results across ±3 days, helping confirm that the seat I wanted was truly bookable in real time. Seeing that “125,000 miles” option appear in Live Search was the final green light I needed.
Booking on the Cathay Pacific website
Once I confirmed the space on the Cathay Pacific website, I was ready to book. You’ll need an Cathay Pacific account (free to create) and to have transferred your points (from programs like Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou, or Capital One).
Here’s how I navigated the site:
- - Go to “Redeem Flights” under the Asia Miles section.
- - Enter your route (e.g., LAX–HKG), select “First” for the cabin, and input your dates.
- - Hit search, and if you’re lucky, the First Class option appears right at the top of the list, labeled as "125,000 miles + taxes & fees."
Cathay also offers a monthly award calendar view, which makes it easier to shift dates and spot days with available First Class seats. On my screen, I saw the seat available on exactly the date Roame had alerted me to — a rare unicorn moment.
As soon as I confirmed the availability, I initiated the points transfer from American Express. The transfer was instant. And just like that, I finalized the booking, paid about only 125,000 points and ~$150 in taxes & fees for Cathay Pacific First Class!
If you're just looking to explore what is availability, you can quickly scan through this Cathay Pacific award availability finder on Roame.
Final Thoughts
Booking Cathay Pacific First Class is hard to do manually. Using tools like Roame alerts removes the guesswork and dramatically increases your chances of grabbing these elusive seats. All you need to do is set your alerts and sit back.
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