CATHAY PACIFIC: Resuming Hong Kong to Seattle flights in 2026

Cathay Pacific is adding another dot back on its North America route map. From 30 March 2026, the Hong Kong carrier will once again fly non-stop to Seattle, USA. Seattle becomes Cathay’s ninth North American destination, joining Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver.

Plus, it’s an interesting way to fly to the USA, even though a bit counterintuitive.

Seattle Returns to the Map

The new service will run five times a week — Monday to Thursday plus Saturday with a three class Airbus A350-900 aircraft. That means Business, Premium Economy, and Economy cabins.

Cathay had previously served Seattle before suspending the route during the pandemic. Its return reflects the airline’s ongoing recovery strategy, reconnecting Hong Kong with key US markets.

Schedule at a Glance

30 March – 31 May 2026; 16 September – 24 October 2026

• CX852: Hong Kong (HKG) 13:30 → Seattle (SEA) 10:10 (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat)
• CX853: Seattle (SEA) 11:50 → Hong Kong (HKG) 16:45+1 (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat)

1 June – 15 September 2026

• CX852: Hong Kong (HKG) 13:30 → Seattle (SEA) 10:35 (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat)
• CX853: Seattle (SEA) 12:15 → Hong Kong (HKG) 16:45+1 (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat)

Bigger US Presence

Seattle isn’t the only expansion. Cathay launched flights to Dallas-Fort Worth in April 2025, and from 26 October 2025 that route will go daily, up from four flights a week.

By the northern summer of 2026, Cathay will be running over 110 weekly return flights across its North America network.

“We are excited to resume direct passenger flights to Seattle, reinforcing our goal to deepen business and cultural ties between Hong Kong and a dynamic tech hub in the United States.”

Lavinia Lau, Cathay’s Chief Customer and Commercial Officer

She added that the route will help connect travellers not just from Hong Kong, but also from mainland China and India, into North America via the Hong Kong hub.

Customer Experience & Extras

Cathay’s cabins are amazingly consistent across the Airbus A350-900 fleet, with each having:

• Cabins: Business with fully flat Aria Suites, upgraded Premium Economy, refreshed Economy.
• Inflight perks: Michelin-collaborated menus, Skytrax-awarded inflight entertainment, Wi-Fi.
• Lounges: Pretty excellent with a new 10,000 sq ft flagship lounge at New York JFK T6 is set to open in 2026.

Cathay Pacific: North America Destinations & Weekly Frequencies

Here’s a comparison table showing Cathay Pacific’s North America network, their approximate weekly return-flight frequencies (or planned frequency).

Destination	Country	Flights per week (return)	Notes / Changes Coming
Boston	USA	Daily	Already operating daily returns.
Chicago (ORD)	USA	Daily	Same as Boston.
Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)	USA	Daily from 26 October 2025	Currently 4 return flights/week; being increased to daily.
Los Angeles	USA	3 return flights/day	Part of the “three return flights per day” grouping.
New York (JFK)	USA	3 return flights/day	Same grouping.
San Francisco	USA	3 return flights/day	Same grouping.
Toronto	Canada	13 return flights/week	Planned frequency.
Vancouver	Canada	2 daily return flights	Already operating 2 per day.
Seattle	USA	5 return flights/week	New service starting 30 March 2026.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is Cathay Pacific flexing its recovery muscles. Seattle is a logical west coast hub to bring back, with strong corporate and leisure demand, not least for the tech corridor and cruise-ship traffic up to Alaska.

For Aussies, this means yet another option for heading stateside via Hong Kong, especially if you’re after an alternative to LAX or SFO. And with Cathay sharpening its product — new Business suites, better Premium Economy, and refreshed lounges these routes via Hong Kong are worth considering if the price is right.