Aug 7, 2015, 8:58 am
Cathay Pacific Award Availability
when using Alaska Airlines Miles
North American CX Gateway Cities
New York City (JFK/EWR)
Boston (BOS)
Toronto (YYZ)
Chicago (ORD)
Vancouver (YVR)
Los Angeles (LAX)
San Francisco (SFO)
Notes and tips:
You cannot book CX award flights on alaskaair.com.
http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mil...rs/cathay.aspx
Both BA and JL websites can be used to search for CX partner inventory. JL is typically a more accurate engine. BA should only be used on a per-segment basis (in other words, do not search for LAX-BKK, search for LAX-HKG, then HKG-BKK). Note that AS award availability is only for 330 days, the BA engine will show availability to 365 days.
There are mixed reports on getting a CX stopover outside of HKG. By rule, HKG is the only allowed stopover. Stopovers are not allowed on intra-Asia award bookings (you will need a North American segment to be able to book a stopover).
All CX awards except for the intra-Asia award must either originate or end in HKG or North America. If you wish to fly Middle East/India/Europe/Asia/Australia to a CX destination beyond your initial flight to or from HKG that is not a North American destination, it will be two awards: XXX-HKG and HKG-YYY. CX intra-Asia awards do not include a stopover.
CX releases availability close in. If you do a change where you book another cabin and upgrade to F (which often may be the only way to get F on CX), you will be charged the $125 rebooking fee (waived for MVPG+).
*Have the AS CSR perform the search one leg at a time (Transoceanic first). That might yield more results than the whole itinerary at once.*
The CX forum has a FAQ on the CX experience.
Award eligible Destinations
By region.
(Dragon Air is not allowed on AS award)
Africa
Johannesburg (JNB)
Asia
Bangkok (BKK)
Beijing (PEK)
Cebu (CEB)
Denpasar (Bali) (DPS)
Fukuoka (FUK)
Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
Hong Kong (HKG)
Jakarta (CGK)
Kuala Lumpur (KUL) [Ends 30 April]
Manila (MNL)
Osaka (KIX)
Sapporo (CTS)
Seoul (ICN)
Shanghai (PVG)
Singapore (SIN)
Surabaya (SUB)
Taipei (TPE)
Tokyo (HND)
Australia/NZ
Adelaide (ADL)
Auckland (AKL)
Brisbane (BNE)
Cairns (CNS)
Melbourne (MEL)
Perth (PER)
Sydney (SYD)
India/Middle East
Bahrain (BAH)
Chennai (MAA)
Colombo (CMB)
Delhi (DEL)
Doha (DOH) [Discontinued as of Feb 2016]
Dubai (DXB)
Hyderabad (HYD)
Malé (MLE)
Mumbai (BOM)
Riyadh (RUH)
Tel Aviv (TLV)
Europe (To/from HKG only. NA is separate award)
Amsterdam (AMS)
Barcelona (BCN)
Düsseldorf (DUS)
Frankfurt (FRA)
London (LHR, LGW)
Manchester (MAN)
Milan (MXP)
Paris (CDG)
Rome (FCO)
Zurich (ZRH)
when using Alaska Airlines Miles
North American CX Gateway Cities
New York City (JFK/EWR)
Boston (BOS)
Toronto (YYZ)
Chicago (ORD)
Vancouver (YVR)
Los Angeles (LAX)
San Francisco (SFO)
Notes and tips:
You cannot book CX award flights on alaskaair.com.
http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mil...rs/cathay.aspx
Award Travel on Cathay Pacific
Book Your Award Travel: To use Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™ Miles on Cathay Pacific, call Alaska Airlines Reservations at 1-800-252-7522 (TTY: Dial 711 for Relay Services) 5:00 a.m. - Midnight (PT), daily
Book Your Award Travel: To use Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™ Miles on Cathay Pacific, call Alaska Airlines Reservations at 1-800-252-7522 (TTY: Dial 711 for Relay Services) 5:00 a.m. - Midnight (PT), daily
There are mixed reports on getting a CX stopover outside of HKG. By rule, HKG is the only allowed stopover. Stopovers are not allowed on intra-Asia award bookings (you will need a North American segment to be able to book a stopover).
All CX awards except for the intra-Asia award must either originate or end in HKG or North America. If you wish to fly Middle East/India/Europe/Asia/Australia to a CX destination beyond your initial flight to or from HKG that is not a North American destination, it will be two awards: XXX-HKG and HKG-YYY. CX intra-Asia awards do not include a stopover.
CX releases availability close in. If you do a change where you book another cabin and upgrade to F (which often may be the only way to get F on CX), you will be charged the $125 rebooking fee (waived for MVPG+).
*Have the AS CSR perform the search one leg at a time (Transoceanic first). That might yield more results than the whole itinerary at once.*
The CX forum has a FAQ on the CX experience.
Award eligible Destinations
By region.
(Dragon Air is not allowed on AS award)
Africa
Johannesburg (JNB)
Asia
Bangkok (BKK)
Beijing (PEK)
Cebu (CEB)
Denpasar (Bali) (DPS)
Fukuoka (FUK)
Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
Hong Kong (HKG)
Jakarta (CGK)
Kuala Lumpur (KUL) [Ends 30 April]
Manila (MNL)
Osaka (KIX)
Sapporo (CTS)
Seoul (ICN)
Shanghai (PVG)
Singapore (SIN)
Surabaya (SUB)
Taipei (TPE)
Tokyo (HND)
Australia/NZ
Adelaide (ADL)
Auckland (AKL)
Brisbane (BNE)
Cairns (CNS)
Melbourne (MEL)
Perth (PER)
Sydney (SYD)
India/Middle East
Bahrain (BAH)
Chennai (MAA)
Colombo (CMB)
Delhi (DEL)
Doha (DOH) [Discontinued as of Feb 2016]
Dubai (DXB)
Hyderabad (HYD)
Malé (MLE)
Mumbai (BOM)
Riyadh (RUH)
Tel Aviv (TLV)
Europe (To/from HKG only. NA is separate award)
Amsterdam (AMS)
Barcelona (BCN)
Düsseldorf (DUS)
Frankfurt (FRA)
London (LHR, LGW)
Manchester (MAN)
Milan (MXP)
Paris (CDG)
Rome (FCO)
Zurich (ZRH)
CX (Cathay) Award availability
Feb 28, 2014, 11:34 pm
#271
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,762
Several years ago I knew I paid for the change / cancellation fee on non-refundable tickets.
Wow. This is one very generous feature! Makes speculative bookings much easier to do as the loss is the 12.5x2 partner booking fee and the 25 telephone booking fee.
Mar 1, 2014, 2:45 am
#272
Join Date: Oct 2011
Programs: AA Exec Plat, UA , SPG Plat, Marriott Gold, United, Aeroplan, Hyatt Plat
Posts: 144
how many miles did that cost? does AS let u have to stop overs in citys from syd-hkg-lax? i tried booking with AA on CX flights and they dont let you go though asia going from aus to lax. let me know thanks
Mar 2, 2014, 8:37 am
#273
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
Alaska negotiates separately with each individual partner so the rules are more liberal than American. (Minus the ability with aa to mix metal when AS members cannot ) AS allows stopover in hkg while aa only allows it at the US gateway
You can route via Hkg using aa miles by redeeming a distance based award which is more miles
Last edited by CDKing; Mar 2, 2014 at 4:24 pm
Mar 2, 2014, 9:05 am
#274
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: BA Executive Club, AS Airlines Mileage Plan
Posts: 981
It was 60,000 AS miles total for the route SYD to HKG to LAX, with a 3- night stopover in Hong Kong.
Are you looking for TWO stopovers in Asia? I don't think AS allows that unless you book the legs separately for additional miles.
Are you looking for TWO stopovers in Asia? I don't think AS allows that unless you book the legs separately for additional miles.
Mar 2, 2014, 4:37 pm
#275
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
You mean your ticket is a Revenue Ticket and also has free changes > 60days?
Several years ago I knew I paid for the change / cancellation fee on non-refundable tickets.
Wow. This is one very generous feature! Makes speculative bookings much easier to do as the loss is the 12.5x2 partner booking fee and the 25 telephone booking fee.
Several years ago I knew I paid for the change / cancellation fee on non-refundable tickets.
Wow. This is one very generous feature! Makes speculative bookings much easier to do as the loss is the 12.5x2 partner booking fee and the 25 telephone booking fee.
You only pay the partner booking fee or phone booking fee to make the initual reservation. You can change it as many times as you want, provided its done before the 60 day point. Once you cancel and have the mony deposited yiu lose the fees that you paid. I belive the 1 year ticket validity peiod still applies.
Best to do when you find out you cannot go to change it to as close to 330 days into the future and just change the day back when you finalize your plans.
Mar 3, 2014, 12:54 pm
#276
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: YVR
Programs: Marriott Gold
Posts: 952
A question regarding routing for redeeming AS miles on CX. I am YVR-based, and it looks like CX J awards are pretty full on the weekend of Nov 28-30, and I have to either fly on the 27th or the 2nd to get any space. My desired routing is YVR-HKG-SIN.
Is it possible to route YVR-SFO-HKG-SIN or something like that? Or even YVR-JFK-HKG-SIN (though that would be a nutty flight - too much time in the air, I think)? How likely is it to have space open up closer? Should I book PE now and then upgrade to J as we get closer in and space opens up?
Is it possible to route YVR-SFO-HKG-SIN or something like that? Or even YVR-JFK-HKG-SIN (though that would be a nutty flight - too much time in the air, I think)? How likely is it to have space open up closer? Should I book PE now and then upgrade to J as we get closer in and space opens up?
Mar 3, 2014, 1:57 pm
#277
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Beaufort, SC
Programs: Delta, Alaska Air, & BA
Posts: 535
A question regarding routing for redeeming AS miles on CX. I am YVR-based, and it looks like CX J awards are pretty full on the weekend of Nov 28-30, and I have to either fly on the 27th or the 2nd to get any space. My desired routing is YVR-HKG-SIN.
Is it possible to route YVR-SFO-HKG-SIN or something like that? Or even YVR-JFK-HKG-SIN (though that would be a nutty flight - too much time in the air, I think)? How likely is it to have space open up closer? Should I book PE now and then upgrade to J as we get closer in and space opens up?
Is it possible to route YVR-SFO-HKG-SIN or something like that? Or even YVR-JFK-HKG-SIN (though that would be a nutty flight - too much time in the air, I think)? How likely is it to have space open up closer? Should I book PE now and then upgrade to J as we get closer in and space opens up?
Mar 3, 2014, 2:17 pm
#278
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: YVR
Programs: Marriott Gold
Posts: 952
You can't do that but try YVR-LAX-HKG-SIN. AS will fly you on their metal only to the partner gateway. Since there is no direct YVR-SFO on AS you can't do your route. There is a YVR-LAX nonstop on AS so that should work for you. Also with 4 flights daily to HKG it might be easier for you to get a premium seat.
Mar 3, 2014, 2:39 pm
#279
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
You should be able to do somethng like YVR-SEA-SFO-HKG-SIN as long as AS has saver space available. YVR-LAX-HKG-SIN as well. They wont let you go through JFK. Even though YVR is an international gateway for CX you are not limited to it as the departure city for the CX metal flight.
Mar 3, 2014, 2:50 pm
#280
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: YVR
Programs: Marriott Gold
Posts: 952
You should be able to do somethng like YVR-SEA-SFO-HKG-SIN as long as AS has saver space available. YVR-LAX-HKG-SIN as well. They wont let you go through JFK. Even though YVR is an international gateway for CX you are not limited to it as the departure city for the CX metal flight.
Mar 3, 2014, 3:58 pm
#281
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: YVR
Programs: Marriott Gold
Posts: 952
Besides YVR, LAX and SFO are there any other gateways that AS makes available from the West Coast? Availability is not looking too good from all 3 spots, either have to fly before the weekend or on the Monday (Dec 1).
If we do a J-class redemption on CX, do we get First class availability on the AS connecting flights to the gateway?
If we do a J-class redemption on CX, do we get First class availability on the AS connecting flights to the gateway?
Mar 3, 2014, 4:52 pm
#282
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
Besides YVR, LAX and SFO are there any other gateways that AS makes available from the West Coast? Availability is not looking too good from all 3 spots, either have to fly before the weekend or on the Monday (Dec 1).
Nope those are the only ones. All the others you need to get to on your own
If we do a J-class redemption on CX, do we get First class availability on the AS connecting flights to the gateway?
Nope those are the only ones. All the others you need to get to on your own
If we do a J-class redemption on CX, do we get First class availability on the AS connecting flights to the gateway?
Mar 5, 2014, 12:18 am
#283
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: The Internet
Programs: Alaska Mileage Plan
Posts: 714
I would not call the Alaska rules more liberal than American. In many ways they are less flexible.
- When flying Cathay, American offers a stopover at the North American gateway city only. However, there are multiple North American gateway cities so you at least have a few options. Alaska offers a stopover only in Hong Kong. That's it.
- You can combine Cathay flights with any American partner to get to your final destination when flying on an Aadvantage award. You can only combine Cathay flights with Alaska flights when flying on a Mileage Plan award.
- If you're originating in Europe, you can fly anywhere Cathay Pacific flies when booking an Aadvantage award. Using Mileage Plan miles, you can only book to Hong Kong.
- You cannot include any Dragonair flights in an Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan itinerary. Aadvantage awards can include Dragonair flights. Many cities in Asia (particularly in mainland China) are only served by Dragonair, which really limits your options with Alaska awards.
These are just a few examples off the top of my head. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan can be used for some limited situations when booking with Cathay Pacific, but I would argue the program is considerably more limited than American.
- When flying Cathay, American offers a stopover at the North American gateway city only. However, there are multiple North American gateway cities so you at least have a few options. Alaska offers a stopover only in Hong Kong. That's it.
- You can combine Cathay flights with any American partner to get to your final destination when flying on an Aadvantage award. You can only combine Cathay flights with Alaska flights when flying on a Mileage Plan award.
- If you're originating in Europe, you can fly anywhere Cathay Pacific flies when booking an Aadvantage award. Using Mileage Plan miles, you can only book to Hong Kong.
- You cannot include any Dragonair flights in an Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan itinerary. Aadvantage awards can include Dragonair flights. Many cities in Asia (particularly in mainland China) are only served by Dragonair, which really limits your options with Alaska awards.
These are just a few examples off the top of my head. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan can be used for some limited situations when booking with Cathay Pacific, but I would argue the program is considerably more limited than American.
The Alaska website shows the number of miles needed. It's a single award. http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mil...australia.aspx
Alaska negotiates separately with each individual partner so the rules are more liberal than American. (Minus the ability with aa to mix metal when AS members cannot ) AS allows stopover in hkg while aa only allows it at the US gateway
You can route via Hkg using aa miles by redeeming a distance based award which is more miles
Alaska negotiates separately with each individual partner so the rules are more liberal than American. (Minus the ability with aa to mix metal when AS members cannot ) AS allows stopover in hkg while aa only allows it at the US gateway
You can route via Hkg using aa miles by redeeming a distance based award which is more miles
Mar 5, 2014, 12:20 am
#284
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: The Internet
Programs: Alaska Mileage Plan
Posts: 714
You're finding availability for what you want if you adjust your plans by just one day? Adjust your plans and book now! The inventory will not last. If seats open up later on the day you want, you should be able to change the ticket for free as long as you're more than 60 days prior to departure.
Besides YVR, LAX and SFO are there any other gateways that AS makes available from the West Coast? Availability is not looking too good from all 3 spots, either have to fly before the weekend or on the Monday (Dec 1).
If we do a J-class redemption on CX, do we get First class availability on the AS connecting flights to the gateway?
If we do a J-class redemption on CX, do we get First class availability on the AS connecting flights to the gateway?
Mar 5, 2014, 1:45 am
#285
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: AS MVP Gold, IHG Spire Ambassador, Hyatt Globalist, SPG Gold, WR, AA Gold, Friend of Dorothy
Posts: 144
I say fairly as on the JAL award finder showed that a CX flight I wanted became available. I called three AS agents who all said it was not available. The next day I called twice during the afternoon and the agents said it was not available. Later that evening, around 2200 PST, I called again and the agent said it was available and I booked it.