Two Transpacific Airline Passes Are the Keys to Dozens of Asian Cities

In recent years, more and more Americans are visiting the great cities of Asia. That’s the only possible explanation for the success of Asian airline passes introduced by Cathay Pacific Airlines and emulated by Malaysia Airlines. To the avid traveler, these passes are a key to visiting a vast area inexpensively.

Cathay Pacific’s All Asia Pass is the more expensive ($999) and is a bit more limited. Travelers get round-trip air transportation from Los Angeles, San Francisco or New York to Hong Kong, and then flights from Hong Kong to the traveler’s choice of as many of 16 other Asian cities as they have time to visit within 21 days.

The 17 cities allowed on the pass include all the big ones--Denpasar, Bali; Tokyo; Manila; Singapore; Seoul; Taipei, Taiwan; and Bangkok, Thailand, among them.

But because you must visit each using Cathay Pacific only (and Cathay Pacific flies to most of them only from Hong Kong), visiting these 16 resembles the flight of a yo-yo; in most cases, you must return to Hong Kong after visiting each city, then fly from Hong Kong to the next. It might seem tempting to visit all of them, but it isn’t practical; airline schedules, seat availability, flight connections and your own time and money constraints probably will limit you to a few cities.

My advice: Stay at least a few days in each place rather than zooming to a dozen cities on a marathon quest.

You must reserve all Cathay Pacific flights for your pass at least 30 days before departure (and even more time is recommended, given that some flights may be sold out), and you may not use the pass between May 13 and Aug. 12 of this year. Otherwise, you can fly until Dec. 4.

Finally, the Cathay Pacific pass must be purchased from a travel agent. The $999 price is based on a $200 discount for members of the airline’s free CyberTraveler club, which you can join only online. You’ll need to print your membership confirmation before you can purchase the pass at a discount at your travel agent’s office.

Malaysia Airlines’ AccessAsia Pass starts at just $747 plus tax. (Taxes will vary based on where you’re flying.) That figure includes a round-trip flight from Los Angeles (no other U.S. cities) to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and unlimited travel thereafter, for a maximum of 30 days (which can be extended for an extra payment; see below).

The pass is good for 23 other Asian cities, including Beijing; Bangkok; Denpasar; Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Hong Kong; Jakarta, Indonesia; Manila; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Phuket, Thailand; Shanghai; Taipei; and Tokyo. The $747 rate is valid from now until May 31 and between Aug. 15 and Nov. 15. Travel between June 1 and Aug. 14, or between Nov. 16 and Jan. 14, 2003, incurs a $150 peak-season surcharge.

You can extend the Malaysia Airlines pass to 45 days for $150 more; to 60 days for $200 more; and to a maximum of 90 days for $300 more. You can add a stop in Sydney, Australia, or Auckland, New Zealand, for $700 more.

The Malaysia Airlines and Cathay Pacific passes are sold only to residents of North America and must be purchased within the United States or Canada.

To become a CyberTraveler on Cathay Pacific, go to www.cathay-usa.com, then take the documents you’ve printed out to a travel agent.

For the Malaysia Airlines pass, book through a travel agent, call (800) 552-9264 or get more information from www.malaysiaairlines.com.