Here’s a step-by-step guide to upgrading your flight using Asia Miles.

Step 1: Check the amount of Asia Miles Required

Refer to the Asia Miles redemption chart for a detailed breakdown of mileage requirements based on destination and travel class. For example, upgrading from premium economy to business will cost you 42,000 miles from HKG to LHR.

Step 2: Check if your ticket is eligible

Not all tickets are eligible for upgrades. Ensure your ticket is booked in an eligible fare class. For economy tickets, the "Light" fares are not eligible. For premium economy tickets, the "Essential" fare (Fare class E) is not eligible. All business fare classes are eligible.

For a long haul PEY (E) + short haul EY (H) ticket, Light/Essential/Flex determines whether you are eligible for the short haul flight, not the fare calls.

Step 3: Is there upgrade availability?

Flight upgrades are subject to availability, and award inventory can be limited, especially on popular routes such as JFK and LHR. Call customer service to check if you can upgrade using points. Either they'll proceed with the upgrade or put you on a waitlist.

Before you purchase your ticket, you can call customer service to check if there is any upgrade award inventory. You need to be clear that you are checking for an upgrade award, not redeeming an outright ticket. Please call using the membership details from the points-deducting account. As mentioned, availability differs between membership tiers. Once you confirm the availability, you can have customer service issue the ticket and apply for an upgrade simultaneously.

How can I find out if there's availability aside from calling an agent? AM upgrade award availability, the number of seats, is exactly the same as AM redemption availability. You can upgrade whatever you see available for redemption, no more, and no less.

Also, you can help your redemption group nominees redeem an upgrade or waitlist. Crucially, points will be deducted from the nominator's account. Once your waitlist has been cleared, you cannot request it to be deducted from a different account. However, before your waitlist request has been cleared, you can call CS to sort out the details.

Step 4: Understanding the Waitlist

If an upgrade is not immediately available, you will be placed on a waitlist. Here’s how the waitlist works:

1. Fundamentals: Cathay Pacific prioritises upgrades based on factors such as your Cathay Pacific membership tier and seat availability. If business class is fully booked, res ipsa loquitur. Usually, having I class and E class open is a positive sign.
2. Notification: If your upgrade clears, you will be notified via email. If someone helped you waitlist, the nominator has to issue the ticket.
3. Deadline: Waitlists are typically confirmed, at the latest, 96 hours before departure, though this can vary. If not, you'll be removed from the waitlist. You can call Customer Service to waitlist again if you desire. The hard cutoff is approximately 3 hours before departure. However, it is very unlikely that they would clear waitlist requests between T-48 and T-3. It's more likely to happen between T-96 and T-48.
4. Miles Deduction: Your miles will only be deducted once the upgrade is successfully confirmed.

Step 5: Upgrade at the Airport

If you were unable to secure an upgrade in advance, you may still have a chance at the airport. Check at the check-in counter if miles upgrades are available.

Important note: As of 2024, there is a new SOP. This might not be available and you might have to call customer service to get the seat award cleared.

Step 6: Confirm and Pay Taxes (if Applicable)

To issue the upgrade, you’ll have to call customer service. While the upgrade itself is covered by miles, you may need to pay additional taxes.

Step 7: What if I need to change or cancel my flight?

Once the booking is upgraded using miles, there will be differing fare conditions that need to be adhered to.
- Cancellation and change of route, cabin class or carrier is not permitted for a partially used ticket.
- CX considers that you have used a designated amount of AM to purchase an 'upgrade coupon', which (same as a redemption ticket) requires US$50 to change or US$120 to cancel. That is of course on top of your original ticket's change fee & fare difference.
- You can only change an upgraded flight to another flight which has award availability on your upgraded class.
- If you upgrade multiple legs in an itinerary then cancel the entire itinerary, the cancellation fee for the upgrade part will only be charged once per itinerary.

From experience this year, to change an upgraded flight (date &/or port(s)) you'll need to;

1. Book your desired new flights;
2. Check that availability exists
3. Call CX to apply your 'upgrade coupon" to your new flight;
4. Pay the change fee; &
5. Cancel the old booking (if you no longer want it)

Overall, it is not recommended to upgrade in advance using points for any traveller requiring flexibility or on a highly uncertain schedule.



Editor's note: Special thank you to pf007 and percysmith for their contributions.