Cathay Pacific vs. Singapore Airlines

Both Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines are loved by Mileage Collectors in the United States, despite being on the opposite side of the globe. Both airlines offer superior onboard experiences and valuable loyalty programs.

Which airline should you choose if you have to choose between these two airlines? Let’s look at five metrics that will determine who wins the battle between Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines has a larger network of routes and flies to U.S. destinations more frequently than Cathay Pacific. Singapore Airlines also offers flights to the U.S. from two European destinations, plus Tokyo. Hong Kong is the only nonstop Cathay Pac destination from the U.S.

Singapore Airlines is located in Singapore, a small but powerful city-state. Singapore Airlines has flights to 76 countries as of January 2023. These are the destinations offered by Singapore Airlines in the United States:

• 
  Houston-Intercontinental.
  

• 
  Los Angeles.
  

• 
  New York-John F. Kennedy.
  

• 
  San Francisco.
  

The airline operates flights to Singapore in addition to some flights from the United States to non Singaporean destinations. At the time of writing these are the U.S. routes that Singapore Airlines fifth-freedom flights cover:

• 
  Houston-Intercontinental to Manchester.
  

• 
  Los Angeles to Tokyo.
  

• 
  New York-John F. Kennedy, Frankfurt
  

Cathay Pacific’s headquarters is in Hong Kong, and its operations are centered around the city-state. The once-mighty airline is currently rebuilding its route network after being severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Cathay Pacific currently flies to 74 destinations around the world, including five in the United States.

• 
  Chicago-O’Hare.
  

• 
  Los Angeles.
  

• 
  New York-John F. Kennedy.
  

• 
  San Francisco.
  

Singapore Airlines is a partner with five major transferable point programs, but does not currently offer a credit card to the United States. Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, a credit card that Cathay Pacific offers to U.S.-based travellers, is also partnered with many of the major transferable point programs. This gives Cathay Pacific an edge in this category.

Singapore Airlines does not currently offer a creditcard in the United States. It is however very simple for U.S.-based travellers to accumulate KrisFlyer points. Because you can transfer points from any number of transferable point programs to Singapore, including all five major transferable point programs, this is possible.

• 
  American Express Membership Rewards (1 to 1 transfer ratio).
  

• 
  Chase Ultimate Reward(r) (1/1).
  

• 
  Capital One Miles (1:1).
  

• 
  Citi ThankYou Points (1:1).
  

• 
  Marriott Bonvoy (3:1).
  

Cathay Pacific Visa Card holders based in the United States can earn Asia Miles by simply using their Cathay Pacific Visa Card. Eligible cardholders will earn 35,000 bonus Asia Miles for spending $3,000 within the first 90 days of account opening. Cathay Pacific cardholders earn 1.5x miles for every dollar spent, and 2 Asia Miles for each dollar spent on Cathay Pacific dining purchases. All purchases made outside of the U.S. earn 1x Asia Miles.

You can also transfer points from any of the five major transferable point programs to Asia Miles. Chase Ultimate Rewards(r) is the only major program that’s missing. This means that you can transfer points from these programs to Asia Miles.

• 
  American Express Membership Rewards (1 to 1 transfer ratio).
  

• 
  Capital One Miles (1:1).
  

• 
  Citi ThankYou Points (1:1).
  

• 
  Marriott Bonvoy (3:1).
  

Over the last few years, both Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer have experienced devaluations. This battle is won by Singapore Airlines, which offers a better booking experience and more sweet spots for U.S-based travelers.

The Singapore KrisFlyer miles program offers many sweet spots, despite being located on the other side of the globe from the U.S. U.S. citizens can still book Alaska award flights at as low as 8,500 miles. They can also fly to Europe starting at 25,000 miles and to Hawaii starting at 19,500 miles.

NerdWallet analysis shows that Singapore KrisFlyer points have a base value of 1.1 cents per miles for economy redemptions. KrisFlyer miles can offer more value than this if you take advantage of the right redemptions and perks, such as a free stopover for round-trip awards.

Asia Miles offers a variety of sweet spots for travelers, including first-class awards on Cathay Pacific and reasonable award rates to Europe. The Asia Miles program is not always easy to use.

The Asia Miles program has a few limitations. For instance, it is not possible to book many awards online. To book an award on American Airlines or any of the eight partner airlines, travelers will need to fill out an online form. They hope to be contacted by an agent before the award space is gone. Cathay Pacific makes it difficult to determine the cost of a partner award.

NerdWallet does not currently have an Asia Miles valuation. Asia Miles are usually valued at around 1.1-1.3 cents per mile.

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Oneworld multicarrier award is for those who are creative. These complex awards allow determined travelers to book one award that includes five stopovers, two transfer and two open-jaws. You can fly as high as 25,000 miles in business-class for only 185,000 Asia Miles.

Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines have a similar baggage policy. For most flights, both airlines offer a free checked bag as well as standard seat selections. Both airlines charge reasonable seat selection fees for basic economy fares.

Singapore Airlines fares include a free checked bag as well as standard seat selection. You will need to pay a fee to select extra legroom, forward zones and other types preferred seats. For economy fares, travelers must pay $8 for seat selections.

Please note that premium cabin seats may be subject to an additional charge, such as the single seats at the back of the Singapore Airlines premium Economy cabin aboard the Airbus A350-900ULR.

Baggage allowances vary depending on the type of flight, route, and when you book your flight. Even Cathay Pacific light fares offer a complimentary checked bag for flights to the U.S.

Cathay Pacific passengers and fares have standard seat selections that are free. A seat selection fee is required for Economy Light passengers who aren’t elite status members, or travel with a child. The regular seat selection fee is $12 per person.

When deciding whether to fly Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines, travelers can’t go wrong. Both airlines provide excellent onboard experiences, regardless of whether you fly in economy or first-class. This is despite the fact that Singapore Airlines narrowly won this category for its continued improvements and creation of new cabins.

Singapore Airlines offers a wide range of services, including meals and complimentary drinks. The new Airbus A380 Singapore Suites First Class has double beds that can be used to cross any ocean.

Cathay Pacific, like Singapore Airlines offers a superior in-flight experience regardless of which cabin you choose. Cathay Pacific’s onboard product has been well-received by all classes, from economy to first. This ensures that passengers have a pleasant and enjoyable journey to Hong Kong.

The airline hasn’t done much to improve its product over the past few years. The Cathay Pacific’s first class is still regarded as one of the most outstanding products in the sky. However, the seat has not changed much from the original version introduced by the airline in 2007.

There is no clear winner in the Cathay Pacific versus Singapore Airlines competition. Both airlines provide excellent onboard experiences, fly to almost the same destinations worldwide as in the U.S. and charge no extra for basic economy fares.

You can easily accumulate miles on any airline thanks to the many transferable points program partnerships. Both airlines have unique sweet spots that skilled mileage collectors can benefit from.

Singapore Airlines is ahead of Cathay Pacific on many metrics, including number of flights and experience as well as transfer partner programs.