How would you like to have a private party on a less than one-year-old Cathay Pacific A321neo? All you have to do to enter the competition is have a Hong Kong Identity Card and be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of August.

Party it up on a fully vaccinated scenic flight

Airlines are upping their game in the vaccination incentive drive. The latest to announce a hefty bonus for one lucky inoculated traveler is Cathay Pacific. One privileged winner will have not only antibodies protecting against COVID-19 but also the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to host a private party on board one of the airline's Airbus A321neo aircraft.

The flight will circle Hong Kong, crewed by fully vaccinated Cathay staff. Furthermore, all the CO2 emissions will be offset by the airline through its Fly Greener carbon offsetting scheme. It is thus far unclear how many people the winner gets to invite and whether or not they all need to be vaccinated as well.

Currently, 22% of Hong Kong's population has received at least one shot. The prize is part of a vaccination lottery organized by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. Beyond the exclusive chance to party it up in Cathay's latest addition to its fleet, the airline is also adding 20 million Asia Miles to the draw. Ten winners will receive one million miles each, while 100 people will get 100,000 miles.

Miles can be redeemed on a range of flight or travel deals and combined with the airline's recently added miles plus cash payment option. To be eligible to enter the sweepstakes, hopefuls must be Hong Kong Identity Card holders and fully vaccinated by the end of August.

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A321neos meant for Cathay Dragon

You could be forgiven for wondering how come Cathay has a narrowbody jet to offer up in the lottery, as the carrier has been a long-haul airline operating Airbus A330s, A350s, and Boeing 777s after saying goodbye to its last Airbus A340 and final passenger Boeing 747 in 2017.

However, as the Hong Kong flag carrier decided to fold its regional branch Cathay Dragon in the wake of the pandemic, the 16 A321neos on order for the carrier will now go to Cathay Pacific instead. Thus far, the mainline carrier has taken delivery of three of the aircraft, with the first arriving in November 2020. While there are no official photos of the jet, images of its business class cabin leaked in December last year. 

Staff encouragements or mandates

Meanwhile, Cathay is also encouraging its staff to get vaccinated. Once fully vaccinated, all of Cathay's Hong Kong-based ground staff will receive two additional days of vaccination leave. Furthermore, all Hong Kong employees will also be eligible to win Asia Miles, along with other bonuses such as air travel bubble flights and staycations.

Cabin crew and pilots, meanwhile, may be subject to mandatory vaccinations if they wish to keep flying internationally for the airline. While still optional, aircrew have been advised to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Who would you take on a private A321neo tour above Hong Kong? Leave a comment below and let us know.