Behind Cathay Pacific’s Seattle route relaunch

From 30 March, Cathay Pacific is restarting flights to Seattle, reopening its gateway to the US Pacific Northwest with five non-stop flights per week. But why now, and why Seattle?

Elaine Lee, General Manager Planning at Cathay Pacific, explains that the decisions around launching and relaunching routes are shaped by many strategic, commercial and operational factors. These are considered across multiple timeframes, from long-term strategic goals to medium- and short-term plans, which can also involve agile responses to market opportunities in the coming travel season. 

The strategic element is closely tied to the airline’s longer-term growth and development. Network expansion typically requires additional or new aircraft, which is why fleet planning also sits within Lee’s remit – especially as new aircraft orders can take many years to fulfil. 

Commercial scrutiny begins once a destination makes the shortlist.  

“It needs to work for us,” Lee says. This involves detailed data analysis around demand and revenue opportunities across different passenger segments, as well as a thorough assessment of the competitive landscape. When services resume, Cathay Pacific will be the only airline offering direct flights between Hong Kong and Seattle. 

“Seattle’s prominence as a major tech and business hub generates substantial international corporate traffic, but it also offers a balance of leisure and ‘VFR’ – visiting friends or relatives – thanks to the sizeable Chinese and Indian diasporas in the Greater Seattle area,” she adds. 

Insights from Lee’s team – combined with input from global sales colleagues – have highlighted strong commercial potential, especially from India, South East Asia and the Hong Kong home market. “We don’t only look at demand from Hong Kong,” she explains. “As a network carrier, a significant proportion of our passengers transit through Hong Kong en route to their final destination.” 

Seattle is also a major hub for oneworld alliance partner Alaska Airlines, offering extensive connectivity to destinations across the Americas that we do not serve directly. This opens further opportunities, including potential future codeshares on selected Alaska Airlines-operated routes, with reciprocal arrangements on Cathay Pacific services to and from Hong Kong. 

Operational considerations focus on whether the airline has the aircraft and crew resources required, and whether the destination airport has the infrastructure, services and support – from ground handling to catering – to enable smooth operation. For Seattle, this presents no major challenges, as the route is being relaunched rather than introduced for the first time. 

“Deciding on a new route is essentially exploring all the pieces of a puzzle and then seeing how it comes together,” Lee says. “And when we put the case forward for Seattle, it all came together beautifully.”