Cathay Pacific heads to Manchester – new Avios routes to Asia
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Cathay Pacific has confirmed recent rumours that is going to launch a route from Manchester to Hong Kong from December 8th 2014.
As Cathay Pacific is a member of the oneworld alliance, alongside British Airways, this would allow you to use your Avios points to fly to Asia without having to transit through Heathrow.
Cathay already runs cargo flights to Manchester, interestingly. With nine new Boeing 777’s due to be delivered over the next two years, featuring the new business class seats pictured above, the airline has been exploring new passenger routes. The large Chinese population in the North West was apparently an attraction.
There will be four flights per week (compared to five per day from Heathrow!). It will depart Manchester at noon on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It will land in Hong Kong at 07.55 the following day.
The plane will have a three class configuration, with Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class. The 40-seat Business Class cabin should provide ample opportunities for Avios redemptions.
This service is more great news for Avios collectors who live outside London. We have already seen Qatar Airways announce a new Edinburgh service, as well as the addition to oneworld of the US Airways services to the US from Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Zurich is also rumoured to be on the list for a new Cathay route. In Europe, Cathay Pacific currently flies to London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Milan, Moscow, Paris and Rome.
How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus
25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express
30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa
The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review
You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
(Want to earn more Avios? Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)
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