downtheback.

Looking for HKG-MEL in late july, can be any class. What are the chances some seats open up at the 2 to 4 weeks beforehand mark?

SanDiego1K

I just successfully ticketed two JNB-HKG-LAX tickets. HKG-LAX are different flights, albeit on the same day. JNB-HKG is in biz, all that is offered. HKG-LAX is in F. It took me a couple hours of prep before calling AS. The AS agent said it was rare to be able to accomplish 2 F bookings so easily. I thought it might be worth going thru how I did this.

A number of people in this thread suggested using awardnexus. It is a paid service, where you buy a certain number of searches. I found it invaluable for this. I knew from reading the thread that I was unlikely to find 2 F seats for an individual flight. Thus, my first step was to search for 1 seat for the window of time I had available. I searched over 28 days and found an F seat on at least one of the 3 HKG-LAX flights on 24 days. I reran the search looking for 2 seats. Nope, not a single flight had 2 seats. I then searched the same window for 2 seats from JNB-HKG in biz. I only found 4 days that had 2 seats available. I wanted a day in Hong Kong so I took one of those four days to see what onward flights to LAX were available with the layover that I wanted. I found two separate flights with 1 seat each. I then called AS and fed the dates and flights that I wanted. AS requires that the ticket be issued during the course of the call; there is no courtesy hold.

I now have awardnexus set to search on a daily basis for the two flights where we are ticketed from HKG-LAX. Hopefully over the next several months a second seat will become available and we can fly together. (Neither of these flights had a business class award seat available so that was not an option.) I very much want us to fly together but we will end our trip separately if need be.

Cost: 70K points per ticket plus roughly $100 that includes a $12.50 nonrefundable partner ticket fee

gnomey

how far in advance of trip date? 11 months out?

SanDiego1K

7 months. Thus, my surprise at the good results.

CDKing

I booked my CX F award 5 months out. Though i think they messed up my taxes as my DXB-HKG-BOS was only ~$60

mrwangkai

Hi all, I'm booked on CX in PE from HKG to JFK. I'm wondering if a spot in J opens up before I fly, can I call Alaska to use additional miles to upgrade to J? I used to do that with AA before deval a couple of years ago, not sure if the same rule/policy would apply for Alaska. Thanks!

travelbug2225

I understand that you can book AS award at 11 months out. I want to book one way trip to Boston with stop over in LAX (my home base) then Lisbon.
For example BOS-LAX May 15 2018
LAX- LIS Sept 5 2018
After I fly the 1st segment, Can I change my 2nd segment to May 2019? Since I can only book 11 month out, so I am thinking about booking any date in Sep then change it later when the award in May 2019 is open up. I don't mind paying for the $125 change fee. I just want to know if this allow?

jinglish

You can't change an award reservation after the first segment has been flown, but you won't even be able to route like this anyway. AS doesn't publicly post this rule, but this kind of backtracking isn't allowed if you can get to your final destination without crossing the country--e.g., in the case of CX awards, you can redeem to HKG-LAX, or HKG-JFK, or maybe even HKG-LAX-JFK (I think but can't say with 100% certainty), but not HKG-JFK-LAX. BA and AA are the only AS partners who can get you to LIS; the former lets you do a one-stop from BOS, while the latter flies seasonally from PHL, and I can't possibly see AS letting you redeem BOS-LAX-PHL to connect to a transatlantic segment.

Also, this is the CX awards thread, not a general awards question thread.

eponymous_coward

Tokyoite

Happy

Congrats on getting your African trip booked again.

What you described has always been the (right) way to do the search. I and many do such all the time. Except that I just use BA to do it instead of using AwardNexus. Works just fine, except cannot search the dates within 7 days of departure, so does not for AwardNexus as it simply pulls data from other sites including BA's. Just that it is laid out in a way some found it easier to read for them, or may be more efficient for them than the BA display which is for 7 days at a time only.

Dont waste your time and money to search the additional F seat in coming months until it is within week to 10 days to your departure. Because CX would NOT release another F seat until then. It has been like that for almost 2 years now.

You will however, most likely will find an additional F seat become available on either / both the flights you have already booked, within days to your departure. You can call AS to change the booking if seats available and you want to switch - but of course it means you would need to pay the $125 fee if you are not top elite of AS, AND you would need to call in US from South Africa or HKG on the last minute change. Whether you want to take the risk of messing something up during the reticketing while you are still on the road, is up to you.
We had the identical set up the past Sept but I did not bother to change our tickets (my husband's flight was earlier and he was the only passenger in F, while mine had 3 including myself). We could change our tickets at HKG check in by calling AS but given we also had same day connecting AS flight (on same flight) after LAX I did not want to mess around with the reissuance of tickets.

FWIW, we have been doing the separate flights back multiple times. Usually it is the 12:30pm flight and the 4:30pm flight. They leave only 4 to 5 hours apart so not a big deal to be on separate flights. We might be the only couple who dont need to fly together, as we dont never seat together either even in the business class as we prefer window seats.
There were also occasions that we were on same flight but husband was in Biz while I was in F. He does not drink and does not eat caviar so it is a waste to let him sit in F. LOL. Though he ALWAYS gets A LOT of brownie points from the purser and FAs when we fly like this! Each time the purser and FAs doled out on him, gave him F PJ and desserts! (He does not want the PJ at all nut I tell him to just keep it when the pursers want to show him their love.)

SanDiego1K

Great advice. Thanks, Happy. We, too, will travel separately if need be. We're together from JNB and will be together while in HKG. Of course we'll prefer it if we manage to get on the same flight from HKG to LAX, but life will go on if we aren't.

hardworking21

I think I have the below correct, but can someone who is more experienced with this validate / confirm?

I've got 70K Alaska Air miles, and am planning to book ICN - HKG - JFK in Business for ICN-HKG and First for HKG-JFK. British Airways is showing availability (albeit limited, but still) for these routes / fare classes. For the purposes of discussion, ICN to HKG is on Day 1, and HKG to JFK is on Day 2 (aka, these two flights aren't on the same day, but rather, one day apart).

If I call the Alaska Air reservations line, they can book this (including the stopover) for the 70K points plus fees, assuming fare classes are still available at time of call. They won't book me in Business all the way through (but instead, business ICN to HKG, first from HKG to JFK).

Just double checking as I want to make sure I can lock in the HKG to JFK in First. Many thanks!

CDKing

That should work. I'd mention up front when you call that you are booking an award on Cathay Pacific. They will likely have to transfer you, this is a good sign as you will know the next person has the experience to book, vs hoping the agent that first answers truly does. They usually don't mention cabin right away but after giving the first flight info and they ask about cabin, mention that you are booking mixed cabin (Business, continuing on on First)

hardworking21

Makes complete sense. Here's to hoping the agent does indeed know how to route this (from what TPG and other travel blogs have said, they are fairly experienced and should be capable of doing this). Thank you!