Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - CX 828/829 HKG-YYZ. Refuelling stop to return to ANC

Just heard from YVR CX staff that CX will soon return to the stopover refuelling station at ANC instead of YVR for CX828/829.

CX has apparently negotiated 'special' arrangements with the US INS authorities to give it special status for these refuelling flights in that it's passengers do not need transit visa for the USA.

I don't know, maybe CX might ask the refuelling to be done on an icefloe or something!

I told you it was going to change and I'm quite happy! However, does anyone know the exact date? Is it January 21st 2005? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

if no further changes, it should be 06Apr 2004

Will they allow passenger boarding in ANC??

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by akdude:
Will they allow passenger boarding in ANC??</font>

They never did, and I think they never will.

In facts, paxs just stay in their seat during refuel stop, can't even access the terminal.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by fakecd:
In facts, paxs just stay in their seat during refuel stop, can't even access the terminal.</font>

Not at ANC. The terminal is designed to hold all passengers inside, 2 large lavatories, coffee and juice outside and a great amount of stuffed animales enclosed in glass. Carry-ons were allowed to be left inside the aircraft as passengers departed for the hour+ stopover. I hope that continues. There were other airlines allowed to do the same in the past and Korean Air had a lounge, I wonder if those airlines will also be granted the new feuling stop again.

No one was allowed to board the aircraft as a new passenger and that won't change. If April 06 is the correct date, even better for moi! The YVR stopover is unbearable, almost torture.

Do you pre-clear US INS/Customs in Toronto before boarding if it stops in ANC en route to HKG?

If so that adds a pain to the start of the journey and I assume no lounge access in YYZ since there aren't any but AA in Terminal 3.

Also, is it true that in summer '04 YYZ- HKG loses CX F class? I was thinking a RTW in F and would not want to pay that and get J.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ricktoronto:
Also, is it true that in summer '04 YYZ- HKG loses CX F class? I was thinking a RTW in F and would not want to pay that and get J.</font>

Correct, from a previous thread I think F goes from the YYZ route sometime in May 2004.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ricktoronto:
Do you pre-clear US INS/Customs in Toronto before boarding if it stops in ANC en route to HKG?</font>

That wasn't the case previously, and assume that won't be the case when the stop resumes.

I always found the ANC stop kind of interesting. Lot's of Asian aircraft docked at the same time, and passengers could intermingle in what was essentially a very large "in-transit" terminal. Food vendors seemed to primarily offer Asian food. Although there was a small door which led to a customs/immigration facility, the only people entitled to use it were crew-members laying over in ANC (some of the air carriers would change crew in ANC) and a couple of flights with actual traffic rights at ANC (KE for one, could actually pick up and drop off pax in ANC for the Seoul flights).