Starting Friday, 1 May 2026, award flight pricing on Cathay’s own metal will shift slightly. For Asia Miles members, it’s less of a sweeping overhaul and more of a fine-tuning of the chart. Kind of worth noting, but not one that dramatically shifts the value proposition of the programme.
The biggest adjustment is on ultra long-haul Business Class redemptions, which will now cost 4,000 miles more than before. That’s not insignificant, but in the grand scheme of things it’s a fairly modest bump. Interestingly, not all routes are going up. In fact, some short-haul awards are actually dropping by as much as 2,000 miles, which is a nice surprise for members who often redeem on regional flights.
The Changes
Some Business Class Awards Are Getting More Expensive
Under the changes, some business class awards will be getting more expensive. The biggest changes will be felt on Ultra Long Haul routes connecting Hong Kong with the eastern side of North America, or the more westerly European cities. If you’re planning to redeem Asia Miles for these long-haul journeys, here’s how the new one-way pricing will look:
- Medium Haul – Hong Kong to cities such as Sydney and Melbourne will see an increase from 58,000 miles to 60,000 miles.
- Long Haul — Hong Kong to cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Milan, Zurich: moving from 88,000 miles to 91,000 miles
- Ultra Long Haul— Hong Kong to cities such as New York, Boston, Toronto, London and Paris: shifting from 115,000 miles to 119,000 miles
In other words, the increases are relatively modest, just a few thousand miles more per redemption. For Long Haul flyers, the bump is 3,000 miles, while Ultra Long Haul travelers will see a 4,000‑mile increase. While they may be modest increases, they do add up if you’re booking multiple tickets or traveling frequently.
Some Awards are less expensive
It’s not all bad news. One of the more positive tweaks coming on May 1, 2026 is the reduction in mileage costs for short-haul Business and Premium Economy awards. These cuts range between 1,000 and 2,000 miles, which may not sound huge at first glance, but they do make everyday redemptions a little more accessible.
Take the popular Singapore–Hong Kong route as an example: a one-way Business Class seat that currently requires 28,000 Asia Miles will soon drop to 27,000.
Final Words
Cathay Pacific has announced another round of changes to its Asia Miles award chart, effective 1 May 2026. The adjustments are a mixed bag: on one hand, members will see small reductions in the mileage required for short-haul Business and Premium Economy flights. This will make regional redemptions a touch more affordable. On the other hand, long-haul and ultra long-haul Business Class awards are once again creeping upward.
What’s striking here isn’t the size of the changes, which remain relatively modest, but the frequency. With changes now coming in shorter intervals, it’s not even a year since the last one, it seems Cathay has shifted strategies. They seem to be moving toward a strategy of smaller, more regular recalibrations rather than large, sweeping overhauls.
