Cathay Pacific Resumes Seattle Flights: An Assault On Alaska, Delta, Or Each?

Cathay Pacific has introduced that it’s resuming a route that was “completely” reduce a number of years again. The timing right here is kind of fascinating, in case you ask me.

Cathay Pacific’s Hong Kong to Seattle route returns

As of March 30, 2026, Cathay Pacific plans to function 5x weekly flights between Hong Kong (HKG) and Seattle (SEA), with the next schedule:

CX852 Hong Kong to Seattle departing 1:30PM arriving 10:10AM
CX853 Seattle to Hong Kong departing 11:50AM arriving 4:45PM (+1 day)

The flight will function in each instructions on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The 6,500-mile flight is blocked at 11h40min eastbound and 13hr55min westbound.

Cathay Pacific will use an Airbus A350-900 for the service, that includes 280 seats. This consists of 38 enterprise class seats, 28 premium financial system seats, and 214 financial system class seats.

Seattle will likely be Cathay Pacific’s ninth gateway in North America, complementing service to Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), Toronto (YYZ), and Vancouver (YVR). In the summertime of 2026, Cathay Pacific will function greater than 110 weekly flights to North America.

What makes Cathay Pacific’s return to Seattle fascinating

Cathay Pacific’s path to Seattle marks a service resumption somewhat than a brand new route. Cathay Pacific first launched this route in March 2019, and it solely lasted for round a 12 months, because it was suspended at first of the pandemic. Then in late 2020, Cathay Pacific revealed that this was considered one of seven stations that was being reduce “completely,” as a consequence of lack of profitability. Different “everlasting” cuts in the US included Newark (EWR) and Washington (IAD). As you’d anticipate, nothing within the airline trade is definitely everlasting.

So, why are we now seeing Cathay Pacific resuming flights to Seattle? Properly, I’ve to think about the airline thinks the economics will work out higher than previously. The airline notes rising demand significantly for the Chinese language Mainland and India.

In idea, there’s no motive that Seattle service shouldn’t succeed — it’s the closest US mainland gateway from Hong Kong, Seattle is a big market, and Cathay Pacific has a ton of connectivity in Seattle because of its oneworld associate, Alaska.

Nonetheless, larger image, I can’t assist however discover the timing of this route launching to be fairly fascinating, and picture it’s primarily motivated by aggressive causes. The way in which I see it, there are a few fascinating aggressive dynamics.

First, Delta just lately introduced it will launch Hong Kong flights, however it’s doing so out of Los Angeles, somewhat than Seattle. Hong Kong to Los Angeles is a market dominated by Cathay Pacific, and I think about Delta can be too conservative to additionally launch Hong Kong flights out of Seattle. Nonetheless, I think about Cathay Pacific including this service to a Delta hub is a little bit of a “nudge” to the provider, to remind the parents in Atlanta who dominates Hong Kong. 😉

Second, Alaska is presently increasing lengthy haul, turning Seattle into a world gateway. We all know that Alaska plans so as to add 12 lengthy haul routes from Seattle by 2030, and to date we’ve seen Asia service launched to Tokyo Narita (NRT) and Seoul Incheon (ICN). I’ve to think about that Hong Kong (HKG) is among the many subsequent cities into account, so Cathay Pacific most likely desires to beat Alaska to the punch.

Some individuals assume “oh, associate airways don’t play these sorts of video games,” however that’s not the case. Remember the airways don’t have anti-trust immunity, so there’s zero coordinating when it comes to routes, schedules, and so on. They’re opponents available in the market, similar to another airways can be.

Backside line

As of March 2026, Cathay Pacific plans to renew flights to Seattle, with 5x weekly Airbus A350 flights. This can be a route that was beforehand operated in 2019, earlier than being “completely” reduce at first of the pandemic.

I’m not shocked to see Cathay Pacific resuming this route, each because the market general has modified a bit in recent times, plus the aggressive dynamics have developed significantly. This comes at a time the place Delta is returning to Hong Kong (however out of Los Angeles), whereas Alaska is popping Seattle into a world gateway.

What do you make of Cathay Pacific returning to Seattle? And competitively, do you suppose that is extra aimed toward Alaska or Delta?