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
#16
Suspended
Join Date: May 2009
Location: DFW
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, Hilton HHonors Gold
Posts: 2,863
How much better is CX F compared to C? I have availability on F on my flight and dunno whether to upgrade to F or stay C
#18
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: AA EXP (2.5MM), Hilton Gold, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,859
Although this is an over-simplification:
Y - You're just another passenger
C - They address you individually. Respond if called/asked. Not too pro-active.
F - They serve you individually, ask your preferences, anticipate what you want/need. On one of my flights it was a 1:1 ratio of FA:F pax, that was great service.
Just booked round trip SEA-BKK on CX in F for next December for a week and a half of diving and exploring. Didn't even consider C
#19
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Programs: AS MVP, HHonors Gold
Posts: 66
Interesting observation though - out of the two times I've flown CX F, only once did the FA crew come by and personally thank a passenger in F as a team. As this was my first time flying CX F, I thought they'd eventually come and thank me. But they didn't. Just one guy. I'm guessing they know who the paying customers are...
#20
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: New York City
Programs: UA 1K, CX Dia, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Dia
Posts: 385
One caveat
The Asia Miles website is a bit cumbersome, but once you learn how to work it, it is a gem. After you enroll, even with a zero miles balance, you will be able to check availability for one date at a time between HKG and JNB and for a week at a time (by using the flexible date function) between the SFO, YVR and LAX and HKG.
After you register, and login, go to:
https://www.asiamiles.com/am/en/redeem/flights/seats
Click on "Cathay Pacific" to bring up their search function. It will not tell you exactly how many mileage seats are left. Rather, you have to ask for two seats and see if it yields a flight with two seats. Similarly, you can ask for four seats and see if it produces a flight. By doing a couple of searches, you can easily determine how many seats are left.
Good Luck!
After you register, and login, go to:
https://www.asiamiles.com/am/en/redeem/flights/seats
Click on "Cathay Pacific" to bring up their search function. It will not tell you exactly how many mileage seats are left. Rather, you have to ask for two seats and see if it yields a flight with two seats. Similarly, you can ask for four seats and see if it produces a flight. By doing a couple of searches, you can easily determine how many seats are left.
Good Luck!
#21
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: WA
Programs: AS , AA, Hilton, Hyatt, Kimpton, Hertz
Posts: 310
While the Asia Miles site is great for determining CX award availability, it will not line up exactly with AS. In my experience, if Asia Miles shows a flight highlighted in red and states "only a few seats available" then these flights will not be available for AS redemption (I believe they save these for Asia Miles only). If you search and there is no red highlight around the flight then there is a 90+% chance you will be able to book this flight.
Go F over for certain. It is a completely different experience on CX.
#22
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: SPG GOLD
Posts: 413
I used the KVS tool with great success. If AS doesn't show the availability call back a few hour later as it may take some time for their availability to update.
#23
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVP, Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 89
#24
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: AA EXP (2.5MM), Hilton Gold, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,859
CX F is truly a transcendent experience. I could have stayed on the plane for another flight across the Pacific when I returned from a trip last year. For the LAX-HKG/HKG-LAX flights on a 777, there were always two FAs. Seemed like it was the model to have one veteran and one rookie, but either way the service was incredible and the food outstanding. The only concern is that it will ruin you for any other type of flying. Hardly anything will compare... It's totally worth the 140k miles though! ^
Interesting observation though - out of the two times I've flown CX F, only once did the FA crew come by and personally thank a passenger in F as a team. As this was my first time flying CX F, I thought they'd eventually come and thank me. But they didn't. Just one guy. I'm guessing they know who the paying customers are...
Interesting observation though - out of the two times I've flown CX F, only once did the FA crew come by and personally thank a passenger in F as a team. As this was my first time flying CX F, I thought they'd eventually come and thank me. But they didn't. Just one guy. I'm guessing they know who the paying customers are...
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,767
North America to Africa F in CX
Has anyone redeemed AS award on CX for a North America to Africa F?
My understanding is AS award allows one stopover - so that means we could have HKG as stopover on one direction enroute to JNB.
I hope some one on AS forum has inputs on this award.
My understanding is AS award allows one stopover - so that means we could have HKG as stopover on one direction enroute to JNB.
I hope some one on AS forum has inputs on this award.
#26
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2003
Location: PDX USA
Programs: AS MVPG, AA, BA, SPG Gold, HHonors Gold, Hyatt Platinum, IHG, Hertz 5*
Posts: 690
Hi Happy,
We booked an award in CX F for 4 of us to Africa that we just completed this past March. One word: incredible. An amazing experience for sure. We nearly had the cabin to ourselves on two legs, and with 3 FA's, it was the best int'l F experience yet.
Book these awards very far in advance (330+) or you'll be waiting/checking availability a week to a week and a half out from your intended departure date, as CX only releases two award seats to all its members and partners when the flight first becomes available for booking. Once those are taken, CX won't release any more until about a week or two before the departure date.
They do allow a stop over, and we took advantage of this on the return, spending 10 days in China after 14 days in Africa. So, we got two continents, 3 countries (2 in Africa), and 4 segments in F on 747's and memories for 4 lifetimes for 140k each. Leaps and bounds, day and night - however you want to measure it - the best value for award travel on the planet IMHO. CX is amazing.
We booked an award in CX F for 4 of us to Africa that we just completed this past March. One word: incredible. An amazing experience for sure. We nearly had the cabin to ourselves on two legs, and with 3 FA's, it was the best int'l F experience yet.
Book these awards very far in advance (330+) or you'll be waiting/checking availability a week to a week and a half out from your intended departure date, as CX only releases two award seats to all its members and partners when the flight first becomes available for booking. Once those are taken, CX won't release any more until about a week or two before the departure date.
They do allow a stop over, and we took advantage of this on the return, spending 10 days in China after 14 days in Africa. So, we got two continents, 3 countries (2 in Africa), and 4 segments in F on 747's and memories for 4 lifetimes for 140k each. Leaps and bounds, day and night - however you want to measure it - the best value for award travel on the planet IMHO. CX is amazing.
#27
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,767
Hi Happy,
We booked an award in CX F for 4 of us to Africa that we just completed this past March. One word: incredible. An amazing experience for sure. We nearly had the cabin to ourselves on two legs, and with 3 FA's, it was the best int'l F experience yet.
Book these awards very far in advance (330+) or you'll be waiting/checking availability a week to a week and a half out from your intended departure date, as CX only releases two award seats to all its members and partners when the flight first becomes available for booking. Once those are taken, CX won't release any more until about a week or two before the departure date.
They do allow a stop over, and we took advantage of this on the return, spending 10 days in China after 14 days in Africa. So, we got two continents, 3 countries (2 in Africa), and 4 segments in F on 747's and memories for 4 lifetimes for 140k each. Leaps and bounds, day and night - however you want to measure it - the best value for award travel on the planet IMHO. CX is amazing.
We booked an award in CX F for 4 of us to Africa that we just completed this past March. One word: incredible. An amazing experience for sure. We nearly had the cabin to ourselves on two legs, and with 3 FA's, it was the best int'l F experience yet.
Book these awards very far in advance (330+) or you'll be waiting/checking availability a week to a week and a half out from your intended departure date, as CX only releases two award seats to all its members and partners when the flight first becomes available for booking. Once those are taken, CX won't release any more until about a week or two before the departure date.
They do allow a stop over, and we took advantage of this on the return, spending 10 days in China after 14 days in Africa. So, we got two continents, 3 countries (2 in Africa), and 4 segments in F on 747's and memories for 4 lifetimes for 140k each. Leaps and bounds, day and night - however you want to measure it - the best value for award travel on the planet IMHO. CX is amazing.
I wholeheartedly agree that this is an amazing award.
Our tentative trip would be late 2013 or early 2014. However, given the logistics involved, I may need to start the planning process bit by bit now. Normally we do not plan far out ahead, our usual travels are often booked less than a few months out, usually 1 to 2 months out. I am afraid it would not work if we need to piece FLL-SEA, then SEA-SFO/LAX-HKG-JNB.
I wonder how AS handles the change on the date? Is it free or $100? and change of the routing, I assume would be $100.
We have a little issue because we are MIA/FLL based, so it would be a bit harder for us to change flights because I am sure FLL-SEA would be much harder to find award seats than say, PDX-SFO.
Anyway, I am quite familiar with CX F product and how it normally released for the US-HKG route - did 2 award trips using AA miles in Nov and Jan. Both trips were one direction in J and the other in F.
For the Nov 2011 trip it was ORD-HKG in J and HKG-YYZ in F booked about 5 months out - both directions were available at booking.
For the Jan 2012 trip it was LAX-HKG in J booked as a one-way booked between 6 and 3 weeks out. Originally was MIA-LAX-HKG in J, but about 1.5 weeks before departure SFO-HKG opened up lots of F seats so we switched to MIA-DFW-SFO-HKG just for the SFO-HKG in 747 F instead of the LAX-HKG in 777J. We even took an voluntarily downgrade on DFW-SFO due to no Saaver F seats but at T-24 AA revenue management finally moved us to F for the DFW-SFO segment. So we did fly F all the way with the paid F award price. ;-)
On the return we booked HKG-JFK in J about 3 weeks out. At the time CX had a system-wide upgrade that had caused a lot of ticketing issues. We were lucky that AA was able to ticket us because our booking was made just days before the CX system upgrade, and was not affected by the SNAFU. We decided just fly the existing reservation instead of wrestling the reticketing remotely from HKG even though we saw F opened up about a week to our departure.
#28
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: USA
Programs: Alaska MVP, Marriott Lifetime Titanium (United Silver), Hilton Gold
Posts: 779
Yes, FLL-SEA may be the hardest part of the award to find. Coming from the East, I'd look at the other CX gateway cities (JFK, ORD, YYZ) and think about adding on a cheap paid ticket for simplicity.
#29
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: AS MVPG, Hyatt Discoverist, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,399
I hate to say it but whenever people gush about amazing awards, they usually get devalued. CX is smart to limit 2 FC award seats per flight in advance and then hold back releasing more until closer to the departure date.
I've got my first CX F award trip this December. I hope to do another next year. Fingers crossed.
I've got my first CX F award trip this December. I hope to do another next year. Fingers crossed.