Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - A Question of Strategy.......

I wonder if anybody can help me work through a small issue. I'm booked on an economy ticket for BKK-LHR at end of January, and will only be in London for 2 days, but I need to be fresh and awake while there. This trip will break up an existing consultancy, so I can't spare any days on either side to relax pre or post-flight.

I would very much like to be in J for the HK-LHR segments, if possible, as I'd really like to sleep well on the flight. I figure I've got 3 main options at this point:

1. Spend miles for an upgrade now.
2. Hope for an operational upgrade (MPO Gold, so if Y is full, I have a reasonable shot at it).
3. Use my upgrade vouchers, which are each good for one segment, for the long hauls (this depends upon availability of J seats on the day of the flight).

I figure for options 2 and 3, I should be OK if J is not full. If Y is full, I'll have a good shot at an operational upgrade, and if both Y and J have open seats, I can use the vouchers. However, if Y is open, but J full, then I'm probably out of luck. I'd prefer not to use miles at this point (CX doesn't give all that many, in any case), but I wonder if anybody has any idea of what the flying situation is likely to be at end of January (before Chinese New Year)?

Thanks for any help with this little problem....

Just looked at Jan 30th on ITN from HKG-LHR. This is what it showed for CX 255
F4 A4 J9 D9 I9 Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 S9 V9 N9

So I guess at least for now, you can't even guess the load factor on that day. It seems pretty empty to me.

If you think this 2 day in London is important, then by all means, use the upgrade voucher or the mile. I don't think counting on luck is a good thing, especially end of January isn't quite crowded. (No student travel, not New Years yet)

I remember you got those voucher from CX for free. So, why not just use it? Or using the miles isn't a bad idea knowing you are getting extra 50% for all qualifying miles for next year. (you are Gold, right? Remember the Elite Appreciation bonus).

Either way enjoy your travel.

Seating update:

For Jan 27 thru Jan 31, the seats status for economy class on both CX 251 & CX255 are:
Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 S9 V9 N9 O9 Q9.

At this moments, not a good chance of getting an operation upgrade.

Will keep you uptodate ...

It is very difficult to judge what might happen with CX flights. If you want a guaranteed seat in Business Class then either spend the miles or use the upgrade voucher.

Operational upgrades are iffy... especially since there are 2 flights leaving for London within an hour of each other, so CX rarely overbooks on the London flights.

Thanks everybody for the input. From the number of categories open, economy may not sell out (or may?). Is it possible to get the same information for the J class cabin?

The tricky part of my plan is that I do have upgrade vouchers,but mine are "upgradeable subject to availability at check-in" So, it's kind of a roll of the dice. I'm happy to use them, but I could end up high and dry if the J class cabin is full but Y is open (my only really bad scenario). So, I guess the real question is: how often is the J class cabin full and Y not full on these HK-LHR flights? I know a lot of businesspeople travel, and that's why I'm a bit concerned.

Seating update:

As of today, the seating status from Jan 27-30 for economy class on both CX 251 & CX255 are still the same as before, Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 S9 V9 N9 O9 Q9. Not a good chance for an operation upgrade on these flights.

As for Jan 31, on CX 251 there is bit different but still not a good chance. Status look like Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 S9 V0 NC O0 QC.

Upgrades cannot be confirmed even up to 2 hours prior to departure. It is totally up to the descretion of the airline.

My niece was upgraded from economy (cheapo fare) to Business from HKG to LAX last week and she had no status with AAdvantage!

So one may never know!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Commuter:
The tricky part of my plan is that I do have upgrade vouchers,but mine are "upgradeable subject to availability at check-in" </font>

Even though the voucher states that it is only confirmation upon check-in, you CAN call reservation and ask them to LIST you for an upgrade. That way, you are sort of 'booked' but not confirmed for that Business Class seat. ie you cannot select seats! I've found that this works in your favour.

Thanks, I think I'll call CX and tell them about the upgrade certs-- I guess it can't hurt to have my name on the list. Of course, it would be really nice if I ended up in the new J class. I understand that some of the HK-LHR flights have this???

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Guy Betsy:
Upgrades cannot be confirmed even up to 2 hours prior to departure. It is totally up to the descretion of the airline.

My niece was upgraded from economy (cheapo fare) to Business from HKG to LAX last week and she had no status with AAdvantage!

So one may never know!</font>

i heard about such cases, but it happened only when he checked in barely in time, i.e. 35 min before departure

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by pegasus8228:
i heard about such cases, but it happened only when he checked in barely in time, i.e. 35 min before departure

</font>

Yeah, but you might not even get a Y-class seat if you take such chances! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif