Three Days, Two Nights, One Flight: Cathay Pacific’s New Time-Bending Route

Skift Take

Double-check your diary if you’re flying on Cathay Pacific’s new route from Dallas Fort Worth to Hong Kong. A time-bending schedule sees the 16-hour flight span three days.

Gordon Smith

A new nonstop flight from Dallas Fort Worth straddles three days. On Wednesday, Cathay Pacific announced it will launch services from Hong Kong to and from the Texan hub.

At 15 hours on the outbound and more than 16 hours on the return, the trip is always going to be a long one. However, a quirk of scheduling – and the small matter of the International Date Line – sees the journey encompass multiple days.

Operating as Flight CX897, the new service departs DFW at 11:55 pm local time, arriving at 5:05 am two days later. In practice, this could mean boarding on Monday night and disembarking on Wednesday morning. The opposite is true when flying in the other direction. Passengers leave Hong Kong just after 4 pm and touch down on the same day in Texas shortly before 6 pm. 

Why DFW Matters

Cathay’s new service reinforces Dallas Fort Worth’s emerging position as a global epicenter of the oneworld alliance. The airport is home to the corporate headquarters of American Airlines and the alliance itself. In recent years it has also attracted increased capacity from major players including Qantas, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Finnair, and Iberia. 

In an exclusive interview with Skift in July, new oneworld CEO Nat Pieper explained his approach to sustained growth at the 13-member organization.

Only a fraction of passengers on the new route will start and end their journey in Hong Kong and Dallas. Cathay and its oneworld partners use the airport to tap into lucrative connecting traffic, as highlighted by Cathay Group Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau: “Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is one of the world’s busiest airports. With our Cathay Pacific codeshares as well as other flight options, customers can connect to over 190 domestic destinations in the United States, as well as 11 destinations in Central and South America via DFW.”

The new service will operate four times weekly and is due to begin on April 24, 2025, subject to final regulatory approval. Cathay Pacific’s flagship Airbus A350-1000 is rostered on the route with 46 business class seats, 32 premium economy options, and a large economy cabin with 256 seats. Notably, it won’t feature the highly anticipated Aria Suite, which is due to launch on the Boeing 777-300ER later this year.

Cathay Back on the Offensive

It’s the first time in the airline’s history that Cathay has served Dallas Fort Worth, however, the airline is no stranger to North America. The carrier launched nonstop flights to Vancouver in 1983 and today serves eight destinations across the continent with 88 weekly departures. By 2025, this figure is due to rise to 108 per week, including thrice-daily flights to New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

The development comes as Cathay fights to regain market dominance. The company was hit harder than most during the pandemic and remains a relative laggard on the international stage. Bosses see 2024 as the year that its rebuilding plan starts to gather pace.

In August, it announced a deal for 30 Airbus A330neo planes. The contract, valued at around $11 billion, also includes rights for a further 30 of the European-built widebody aircraft.

On November 12, the Skift Aviation Forum will return to Dallas Fort Worth. Confirmed speakers include Robert Isom, American Airlines CEO, and Sean Donohue, CEO of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. For more information visit live.skift.com. 

DFW Airport CEO Sean Donohue at Skift Aviation Forum 2023: