Jan 7, 2019, 9:47 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
Awards: All Cathay Pacific / CX (Including First and Business Class)
Questions, Availability, Discussion
Questions, Availability, Discussion
For the current thread, please see here.
NOTE: As of 15 Jan 2017, JFK CX flights have relocated to Terminal 8.
Please feel free to use this thread for questions regarding CX Economy, Premium Economy, First and Business Class award redemption using AAdvantage miles, as well as questions regarding award availability, routings and related issues. Please go to the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Forum to discuss or ask about meals, equipment, service, etc. on CX, as there is an existing wealth of information there - and this is the American Airlines AAdvantage Forum
.AA Flight award chart for oneworld® and partner airlines
Other related threads that may be of interest:
FT Discrepancy between CX Award Search and AA availability: Discrepancy between QF and CX award search and AA availability
FT How , When to Select CX Seats on CX Award: How / when to select seat on a Cathay (CX) award / flight (consolidated)
FT Cathay Pacific Experience - Seats / Interline/ Baggage FAQs: Cathay Pacific Experience / Seats / Interline / Baggage FAQs
Also, for Rules about awards, see AA oneworld and Other Airline Partner Award information, rules (2015 on).
NOTE:
1) Only "MileSAAver" awards apply to oneworld and AA partners.
1a) Premium Economy seats are not available with AAdvantage awards, may be soon as AA sells Premium Economy Feb 2017.
2) Awards on Cathay Pacific and subsidiary KA / DragonAir may be booked through AA.
3) aa.com does not reveal CX awards; you must call AA (1-800-882-8880) to book a CX award (though you may find BA, JL or QF websites may reflect CX award availability). As CX/KA awards can not be booked online on aa.com, you must call (no fee).
3a) Be aware that what you see on the BA, JL, or QF sites may not be visible to the AA reservations folks. You may want to note the flight on which the F award seat is shown as "available" on those sites and if the AA agent doesn't see any availability suggest that the AA agent check that specific one again. If the AA agent still cannot see it, thank them, hang up, and call back a little later.
3b) Sometimes CX will make flights available for award booking to CX frequent flyers, but not release the seats immediately for other oneworld frequent flyers. Usually though, the seats, if not taken by CX frequent flyers, are released after a while to other OW programs.
4) Although CX may release seats for award earlier, AA can book them no more than 331 days prior to departure. The awards that CX does release are available as early as 355 days prior to departure for CX and BA frequent fliers, and sometimes that means the awards you want w AA miles will be snatched up prior to the 331 day mark.
*** AA does not have a set schedule to load flights. They can load it anytime after midnight 331 days out. Most of the time it is within a couple to 12 hours of that. Other times, it can be a full day or a day and a half afterwards, especially on the weekends where there's most variability. Unlike JL award space, it is not a specific time of day.
4a) Keep in mind that when booking eastbound space to North America that it's one day later in HKG so that space usually becomes available 330 days in advance to North America; this is not always true, since CX has already loaded the availability a month prior to AA - it is just up to AA to load and release the seats on SABRE, so it typically ends up being 330 days out, but not necessarily.
4b) Similarly... if you are trying to book westbound, US->HKG->Somewhere then AA may not be able to book the HKG->Somewhere segment 331 days in advance of the US->HKG flight, if it is still 332 days out in HKG. As it is the flights from US->HKG that are hardest to get, if you find a seat US->HKG at the 331 day mark when it is first available for booking through AA but cannot book the continuation, you can just put that US->HKG segment on hold with AA, then call back the next day when connecting flights will be loaded into the system to try to book the onward flight from HKG.
5) CX tends to initially release award seats farther out, and then again closer to the day of departure if there is remaining F or J seat inventory available, so keep checking back with AA up to the last practicable minute. AA will ticket partner awards/changes up to 4 hours prior to departure.
5a) So is there a pattern to how many seats CX releases? They seem to consistently release 5 J award seats and 1-2 F award seats on long hauls to/from North America at 355 days out. For intra-Asia flights, they often release just 4 J seats.
5b) Patterns for west coast routes: Because LAX has 4 daily flights to HKG, it tends to be the easiest option for blocks of 3 or more J award seats. SFO and YVR only have 2 daily flights and even if 5 award seats were initially released at 355 days prior to departure, some of those may be gone by the time the 331 day mark rolls around. If you need 4 or 5 J award seats on these west coast routes, either use Avios to book at 355 days or consider routing through LAX where there may still be availability at 331 days out.
5c) Pattern for release of close-in (within about 14 days of flight) award seats? Driving Rain reports that using BA.com it appeared that on three consecutive Sunday evenings at exactly 1030pm Eastern Daylight Time inventory would open up for "close-in" CX flights (i.e. flights roughly within 14 days of that Sunday) to and from the US. While there were changes here and there periodically during the week, sweeping changes occurred on Sunday nights at 1030. Driving Rain reports that it seems that on Monday mornings in Hong Kong (i.e. 1030pm EDT on Sunday) someone at CX HQ consistently did a run through the inventory and freed it up. No guarantees, but a person looking for close-in flights might want to plan to check with AA shortly after 1030 PM Eastern Time on Sundays to see if anything has become available.
6) AA does not charge "YQ" surcharges [what they sometimes call "fuel surcharge"] on CX/KA award segments (BA Avios does), thus the taxes and fees on your "free" ticket on CX or KA are almost always significantly less than for the same routing on BA.
6a)
6b) There is a Hong Kong Departure Tax (HK) of $120 HKD (approx $15.50 USD) on every segment departing Hong Kong. Exemptions apply. If your ticket includes this tax and you qualify for an exemption, a refund can be applied for either in person at HKIA landside or via post to Civil Aviation Department. AA charges this tax for children under 12 years of age despite the exemption. In order to obtain a cash refund at HKIA, you will need passenger passport, passenger boarding pass, passenger ticket receipt showing the fare calculation line which will show the HK tax being charged. This receipt can be obtained at any AA counter worldwide including HKIA as well as Airport Express in-town check-in (AA check-in). As the AA counter at HKIA operates only during limited hours, Airport Express in-town check-in would be the the convenient option.
7) Not all CX flights offer First class; CX Business is markedly different on long haul and regionally configured aircraft.
8) If you're looking for multiple seats in First on a particular flight but can find only some but not all that you're looking for, take what's available in F, then take the rest of the seats you want on J (if available) on the same flight, and check back periodically to see if an F seat has opened up for award. There is no additional charge (in money, although there will be in miles) to change to an award to a higher cabin of service (e.g., J to F, Y to F, Y to J) as long as the award keeps the same origin/destination airports.
9) In general, rerouting to different flights after you have redeemed an award will not attract a monetary penalty so long as the originating and destination airports are the same (connection airport can differ without triggering change fee) and you are using oneworld carriers. For this reason, be aware of potential alternate routings and check them, too. For example, CX uses LAX, SFO, ORD, JFK, and BOS as ports of entry to the US from HKG (and also YVR and YYZ in Canada), so if you have one F and one J award seat on a non-stop from HKG to ORD, you might check flights from HKG to LAX for available seats in F, and if they are available, reroute from your HKG-ORD to HKG-LAX on CX, then continue LAX-ORD on AA First.
9a) Note the above rule also applies if you change the dates of flight but retain the same originating city and destination city. If you are flexible in your travel dates be sure to periodically check availability on other dates as well.
10) Be aware your award must conform to some rules on a) MPM (Maximum Permitted Mileage - your award routing can not exceed 125% of the most direct routing available); a useful tool is Great Circle Mapper.
11) The Most Significant Carrier (transpacific usually, CX in most of these posts,) must offer a non-"constructed" fare between your origin and destination (you might find an unconstructed fare between DFW and SIN, but might not from Killeen to SIN).
12) If you can't pick your CX seats online, either due to them being blocked or you just want to call, you need to first get the CX PNR from AAdvantage at 1-800-882-8880. Then call CX at 1-800-233-2742. Some seats that are blocked on CX website are assignable via AA reservations. Close to departure AA can even assign 2A, 2K.
Note: if the Cathay Manage booking tool doesn't appear to recognize your CX PNR, you need to enter your first name AND middle name, separated by a space, in the "First Name" field.
13) Up-cabin visits (i.e. J pax joining F companion in F cabin) are not permitted per CX policy, though have been granted under special circumstances. But putting crew in the awkward position of being asked to violate policy is generally frowned upon. Down-cabin visits are permitted ex-USA. However, on flights to the USA, down-cabin visits are not permitted and this rule is vigorously enforced.
Posts made in 2017 may be read in ARCHIVE: 2017 AA Awards in Cathay Pacific / CX, KA...
Posts made in 2016 may be read in ARCHIVE: AA Awards on Cathay Pacific (2016).
Posts made in 2015 may be read in ARCHIVE: AA Awards on Cathay Pacific (2015).
Posts made in 2014 may be read in ARCHIVE: Awards: CX / Cathay Pacific / (inc. F and J) - 2014.
N.B. Older posts have been moved and archived to: Cathay Pacific / CX (inc. First and Business Class) award - ARCHIVED.
ARCHIVE: 2017 AA Award: Cathay Pacific / CX, KA availability, etc. (master thd)
Aug 12, 2017, 1:08 am
#526
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: PVG, FRA, SEA, HEL
Programs: UA Premier Gold
Posts: 4,783
Well, I'd need an official AA source, since AA charged me a EUR 45 booking fee for CX-only itinerary.
Aug 12, 2017, 3:15 am
#527
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: NY, NY
Posts: 695
was it for travel within 21 days?
Aug 12, 2017, 3:53 am
#528
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: PVG, FRA, SEA, HEL
Programs: UA Premier Gold
Posts: 4,783
no, 2 months out - hence, I am asking for an official source; otherwise, I'd advise to change the FAQ.
Aug 12, 2017, 5:45 am
#529
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
Aug 12, 2017, 7:21 am
#530
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: PVG, FRA, SEA, HEL
Programs: UA Premier Gold
Posts: 4,783
It's very common for them to mistakenly charge.
Aug 12, 2017, 8:11 am
#531
Join Date: Jul 2001
Programs: AA EP
Posts: 2,203
Did u look on .com? Here is is spoon fed to you...
https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-program/miles/redeem/award-travel/award-travel.jsp#manageyourawardtravel
look under "hints on booking award travel" and then the link service charge may apply
https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-program/miles/redeem/award-travel/award-travel.jsp#manageyourawardtravel
look under "hints on booking award travel" and then the link service charge may apply
Aug 12, 2017, 8:15 am
#532
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: DCA/IAD/WAS
Programs: MAR AMB, WOH Explorist, AA EXP, UA 2P
Posts: 2,138
Aug 12, 2017, 10:03 am
#533
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,053
As you are now under 6 days from travel, time to be monitoring closely.
DAK
Aug 12, 2017, 10:03 am
#534
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)
Posts: 8,937
Where yesterday I saw three possible options for return on 7-7-18 ALL with cs4 available (2 flights DPS to HKG, the flight from HKG to SFO and the flight from HKG to ORD).
and some on 7-8 as well (we would prefer the 7-7 flights but are somewhat flexible).
Today, all of the DPS-HKG cs4 space on all of the flights is gone on both days (seriously?) and all of the cs4 or other space is gone on the SFO and ORD routes.
edit: just checked again and some cs space is available on the 8th
OK, the net of all of this confusion is my question:
Is this up and down this far out normal? Is this an anomaly due to some scheduling changes going on?
I can't book through AA until Friday or Saturday depending on the return date and I'm afraid I may be crazy by then!
and some on 7-8 as well (we would prefer the 7-7 flights but are somewhat flexible).
Today, all of the DPS-HKG cs4 space on all of the flights is gone on both days (seriously?) and all of the cs4 or other space is gone on the SFO and ORD routes.
edit: just checked again and some cs space is available on the 8th
OK, the net of all of this confusion is my question:
Is this up and down this far out normal? Is this an anomaly due to some scheduling changes going on?
I can't book through AA until Friday or Saturday depending on the return date and I'm afraid I may be crazy by then!
Has anyone booked from Korea? Can I call back to the US reservation line or do I have to use the Korea office?
Day 331 for a flight I'm watching to book will come up while I'm traveling to Korea and I'd like to try to book the awards as soon as they are available through AA.
I found the Korea reservation number online but with no experience calling them, not sure what I'm getting into there. Not sure how good they are with finding CX availability, etc.
Day 331 for a flight I'm watching to book will come up while I'm traveling to Korea and I'd like to try to book the awards as soon as they are available through AA.
I found the Korea reservation number online but with no experience calling them, not sure what I'm getting into there. Not sure how good they are with finding CX availability, etc.
Aug 12, 2017, 2:28 pm
#535
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: PVG, FRA, SEA, HEL
Programs: UA Premier Gold
Posts: 4,783
Thanks I found the relevant rule now.
The American Airlines Reservations Ticketing Service Charge will be waived for all members redeeming miles for awards that cannot be booked on aa.com
Aug 12, 2017, 4:51 pm
#536
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 2,028
I have not seen the term "cs4" before; is this an AA term? Usually in FT we use either Y/J/F as generic terms, or specific inventory terms such as T/U/Z. Assuming "cs4" is a term for award inventory in a particular cabin, in my own personal experience, it's unusual to see that much volatility that far out, but I have seen it on, e.g., QF flights. The approach I use is to monitor what's available, then as soon as the AA booking window opens for any route I could take, call and grab it, while continuing to monitor for better routes/times/flights. If something better opens up, I call and switch.
Aug 12, 2017, 10:14 pm
#537
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,232
I knew it was there in the past because I quoted it to an agent (who insisted there was a fee and said she even had just completed training for international booking as a former US agent 
).How did you navigate to it from the home page? It's certainly not in or near that table with all the booking fees.
Aug 13, 2017, 2:27 am
#538
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 37
What site can I use to check if award business seats become available this last few days before my flight? Awardnexus not working and BA doesbt show..
Cx899 August 18th
Cx899 August 18th
Aug 13, 2017, 2:35 am
#539
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Worldwide
Posts: 12,949
[KVS Tool 8.5.8/Diamond - Awards/JL-OneWorld/US]
Code:
NYC New York Metro NY US = JFK LGA
HKG Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok Intl HK [VHHH]
FRI 18 Aug 2017
Carrier Flight From Depart To Arrive A/C St Award Availability
--------- ------ ---- -------- ---- -------- --- -- ------------------
CX 845 JFK 01:35 HKG 05:15 +1 77W 0 FS0 CS0 YS0
CX 899 EWR 01:45 HKG 05:30 +1 77W 0 CS0 YS0
CX 841 JFK 10:00 HKG 14:00 +1 77W 0 FS0 CS0 YS0
CX 831 JFK 14:55 HKG 18:50 +1 77W 0 FS1 CS0 YS0
CX 889 JFK 21:55 HKG 06:15 +2 77W 1 FS0 CS0 YS0
CX 889 JFK 21:55 YVR 00:45 +1 77W 0 FS0 CS0 YS0
-> CX 855 YVR 09:30 +1 HKG 13:50 +2 359 0 FS/ CS0 YS0
CX 889 JFK 21:55 YVR 00:45 +1 77W 0 FS0 CS0 YS0
-> CX 837 YVR 14:45 +1 HKG 19:15 +2 77W 0 FS/ CS0 YS0
Aug 13, 2017, 6:44 am
#540
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,053
Per my post yesterday, this flight is looking tough for awards. Right now it is J5 W3 Y4 (from expertflyer... btw W is premium economy). which is a loading that suggests more award seats unlikely until real close to flight time (if even then). Your chances are better on one of the JFK flights.
DAK