Sherman's Travel

Like bacon and peanut brittle, or Bing Crosby and David Bowie, air travel and Earth Day make unlikely bedfellows. After all, one cross-country, round-trip air ticket can create a warming effect of two to three tons of carbon dioxide per passenger. And the inconvenient truths about carbon-offset purchasing plans include high prices and mixed reviews.

Fortunately, some global airlines are stepping up to the sustainable plate, in an attempt to raise culinary consciousness in the not-always-eco-friendly skies. So put down your tray tables, and get ready to go green. Read more

As an avid traveler and native German living in New York City, I have endured many long hours crammed into a tiny seat in the economy section of the aircraft. Every time I board a long-haul flight, I look with envy at those passengers in First and Business Class, sprawled out on their big seats, knowing that, unfortunately, this style of travel is well beyond my financial means.

On a recent trip to Hong Kong, I was invited by Cathay Pacific Airways to sample their new Premium Economy Class on the 12-hour maiden voyage of their new Boeing 777-300ER from the Boeing factory in Everett, Washington. We were welcomed with champagne and orange juice as we settled into the intimate cabin, as one might expect when enjoying first or business class travel. As part of the Premium Economy experience, we enjoyed wider seats with a bigger recline, a footrest, and more leg- and storage room – a great improvement on regular economy seats. A 10.6-inch personal television featured many popular movies, TV shows, and other entertainment – and noise-canceling headphones made sure that I didn’t have to strain to understand the conversations (however, I found on the return trip that some of the older headphones are not as efficient as the brand new ones we received on this delivery flight). The seats are also equipped with a power outlet and multi-port connector compatible with most popular gadgets. Read more

Thanks to airline miles blogger The Points Guy for tipping us off to this incredible deal: Starting tomorrow, July 7, Cathay Pacific is celebrating the September 1 launch of its Chicago to Hong Kong route by selling 100 $100 round-trip tickets from ORD to HKG.

Here’s how it works: Each Thursday in July, Cathay will sell 25 tickets at the hugely discounted price. Just log on to the sale page at 3:25pm (the route’s scheduled departure time), and click “purchase” as quickly as possible.

Even if you’re not Chicago-based, this is a steal. Fares from the East Coast to Chicago this fall cost around $200 (save for Thanksgiving and Christmas travel), bringing the total round-trip cost to a measly $300. Flying from the West Coast to Chicago to Hong Kong is geographically illogical, but you’ll still save a bundle: Plan to pay around $230 to fly from LAX to ORD.

Naturally, demand for these tickets will be sky high, and nabbing the rate will take a bit of luck. We suggest bookmarking the sale page, opening the site in a few different browsers (and perhaps on your phone and iPad, too), and get ready to hit “refresh.”

Use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find the lowest rates on hotels, packages, and more travel deals.

I recently had the pleasure of flying business class on Cathay Pacific from New York to Hong Kong. Everything about the flight was superlative, from the friendly service to the tasty Chinese cuisine and Murad toiletries.

In light of this experience, I was very intrigued to hear about what Cathay changed when it unveiled its new business class in March. When I flew with them in February, the best part, in my opinion, was the seats, which are each individually situated in “herringbone fashion” and surrounded by privacy partitions. This set-up is especially appreciable when trying to sleep: There’s no getting distracted or woken up by your neighbor moving around, turning on lights, or flipping through movies. The comfy seats also feature plenty of intuitive nooks and crannies in which to store your items close at hand. And, of course, they lie flat come bedtime.

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Cathay Pacific has just announced a buzz-worthy sweepstakes to Bali. Simply plug in your e-mail address on their website’s sweepstakes page (which will offer you the option to sign up for the airline’s free e-newsletter), and enter for a chance to escape to the tiny Indonesian island’s surf, sand, and fun-in-the-sun culture for free. The prize package includes two roundtrip economy tickets from select North American cities (Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, or Vancouver) – that in itself being a real treat, given Cathay’s renowned economy class, which features spacious seating, a personal entertainment center, and a flight crew that doles out white-glove service. Read more