Jun 28, 2017, 8:46 pm
Last edit by: eponymous_coward
Cathay Award Guide Using Alaska Airlines Miles
Note: Cathay flights cannot be booked using alaskaair.com. Mileage requirements in chart form available on alaskaair.com.
Routing Rules:
North American Gateway Cities:
Western
Vancouver
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Seattle (Spring 2019)
Eastern (Can not be used if traveling to west coast)
Boston
Chicago
New York (JFK & EWR)
Toronto
Washington
Award Chart Links*:
Asia
Australia
Europe
India/Middle East
North America
Anyone with 90 posts and 90 days can edit the wiki. Everyone else if you want something added to the wiki please comment in the thread.
Note: Cathay flights cannot be booked using alaskaair.com. Mileage requirements in chart form available on alaskaair.com.
Request your Partner Award reservation on Cathay Pacific by calling Alaska Airlines Reservations at 1-800-252-7522 (TTY: Dial 711 for Relay Services) 5:00 a.m. - Midnight (PT), daily.
- If it's not on the award chart, it's not allowed. For example EUROPE is To/From HKG only.
- Stopover are only allowed on any CX award for North America awards as destination or origin. For instance: intra-Asia awards do not get a stopover. It must be a North America->Somewhere or Somewhere->North America award to qualify for a stopover.
- The only awards that do not break at HKG are intra-Asia or North American ones. For instance, Australia-Europe/Middle East/Asia outside of HKG will be two awards (breaking at HKG). The AS award chart can be misleading about this and give you the impression you can fly an award like Australia/Europe-ICN, but the chart for these award types will show "Hong Kong".
- One stop-over allowed on one way award. You can build open jaw and other advanced routings by booking multiple one way awards. Please note change fee rule below.
- Allegedly stop-over only in Hong Kong, but some have posted success in other enroute cities such as YVR or SEA.
- As of 5 June 2018 changes/cancellations made to a booking will incur a $125 fee which is waived for MVPG/MVPG75K. Bookings made prior to 5 June will be allowed one complimentary change or cancellation for up to 60 days prior to date of travel.
- Awards can be booked 330 days in advance.
- Cathay and Alaska (or an Alaska flight operated by SkyWest/Horizon on behalf of Alaska) are the only airlines allowed on a Cathay award. No other partner airlines may be used on a single award (e.g. American, JAL, Emirates).
North American Gateway Cities:
Western
Vancouver
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Seattle (Spring 2019)
Eastern (Can not be used if traveling to west coast)
Boston
Chicago
New York (JFK & EWR)
Toronto
Washington
Award Chart Links*:
Asia
Australia
Europe
India/Middle East
North America
Anyone with 90 posts and 90 days can edit the wiki. Everyone else if you want something added to the wiki please comment in the thread.
Cathay Pacific (CX) Award Redemption, Booking and Availability – 2017 and Later
Apr 14, 2018, 7:49 am
#1996
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
Interesting, how about looking at award your average AS North American member would book. If you want to see what i'm referring to go look at LAX-SYD. prior to 12/18, there is QF space of some sort most days. Look after that, nothing in December on any partner. Then Jan and Feb and only AA, EK and KE options come up.
Apr 14, 2018, 8:43 am
#1997
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
QF’s release of J and F space is absolutely ridiculous. They routinely allow long haul flights to go out empty and never release seats to go down under, even last minute. Unless you book a year out, you’re almost drawing dead. Honestly I never understood how they get away with that, and not getting blowback from their partners who do release premium space like Cathay, BA, JL and virtually every other OneWorld partner.
BA site shows flights left and right in January 2019 in various classes of service. This is just a sampling on non-stop flights SYD-LAX on 1/20/19 with Y, Y+ & J
AS site shows AA only
Apr 15, 2018, 1:09 am
#1998
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: UA, AS
Posts: 2,393
Nothing a year out either not even Y. I noticed it a few months ago that if you go to the last month or 2 on the AS schedule there is no space what so ever on QF, but a plethora of space if you go further back. There is a bigger gap now due to US Holiday and Australia Summer, However there is definitely something fishy. I know this is more OT for the CX thread but i will provide this one example.
BA site shows flights left and right in January 2019 in various classes of service. This is just a sampling on non-stop flights SYD-LAX on 1/20/19 with Y, Y+ & J
BA site shows flights left and right in January 2019 in various classes of service. This is just a sampling on non-stop flights SYD-LAX on 1/20/19 with Y, Y+ & J
Apr 15, 2018, 3:43 am
#1999
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: British Columbia
Programs: AS MVPG100K, Marriott Marriott Titanium Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 7,263
James
Apr 15, 2018, 8:57 am
#2000
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 133
Assume this has been covered before, but didn't find it with a cursory search.
I find availability in F from HKG to the US, but there is no F or J availability for the short intra-Asian connecting flight to HKG. If I book the long haul in F, and the connection in premium economy, and later J or F becomes available on the connecting flight, can I upgrade it, since the award was booked in F? Will I have to pay the $125 change fee?
Thanks
I find availability in F from HKG to the US, but there is no F or J availability for the short intra-Asian connecting flight to HKG. If I book the long haul in F, and the connection in premium economy, and later J or F becomes available on the connecting flight, can I upgrade it, since the award was booked in F? Will I have to pay the $125 change fee?
Thanks
Apr 15, 2018, 9:18 am
#2001
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,536
Yes, I found in the past that CX availability is released closer to 300 days out, but some may have a more precise number. You can call AS and ask them to check when the latest available awarding booking is and then figure out more or less when you can expect your desired dates to be released. I would think that would be soon though; I just booked 4 tickets on Feb 14th and that was over 3 weeks ago.
Jamie
Apr 15, 2018, 10:26 am
#2002
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 299
I know this is a general statement but is it me or is IAD route J availability pretty lean both ways? I guess CX expects the route to be pretty popular.
Apr 15, 2018, 11:12 am
#2003
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
The AS website is definitely not showing most flights to or from the US on QF. Have you tried calling in to see if phone agents can see QF flights available as shown on BA that are not shown on the AS website? Could just be a website problem. Hopefully it is not QF or AS restricting space to AS.
Assume this has been covered before, but didn't find it with a cursory search.
I find availability in F from HKG to the US, but there is no F or J availability for the short intra-Asian connecting flight to HKG. If I book the long haul in F, and the connection in premium economy, and later J or F becomes available on the connecting flight, can I upgrade it, since the award was booked in F? Will I have to pay the $125 change fee?
Thanks
I find availability in F from HKG to the US, but there is no F or J availability for the short intra-Asian connecting flight to HKG. If I book the long haul in F, and the connection in premium economy, and later J or F becomes available on the connecting flight, can I upgrade it, since the award was booked in F? Will I have to pay the $125 change fee?
Thanks
Apr 15, 2018, 12:51 pm
#2004
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,536
Datapoint
Just a datapoint, JFKHKG showing F6 just released an F award, July travel (July 30th).
Just showing that F awards are released for F6 flights, between the two customary booking windows (T-355 and T-14, respectively). Proves, once again, that awardnexus searches should be run daily.
Best, Jamie
Just showing that F awards are released for F6 flights, between the two customary booking windows (T-355 and T-14, respectively). Proves, once again, that awardnexus searches should be run daily.
Best, Jamie
Apr 15, 2018, 7:27 pm
#2005
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: SFO
Posts: 506
Is anyone seeing CX awards from California? I've checked SFO/LAX and I'm not having any luck with availability for HKG in J. If I see space via BA website? is that a good confirmation that there is space?
Apr 15, 2018, 8:41 pm
#2006
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: DC
Posts: 189
I'm trying to find close in availability T-7 and not seeing anything on Qantas for the week despite being some F5 flights according to EF.
I was under the impression that CX releases it at 10:30 PM ET on Sundays. Maybe I'll check tomorrow morning because Qantas is different from BA?
I was under the impression that CX releases it at 10:30 PM ET on Sundays. Maybe I'll check tomorrow morning because Qantas is different from BA?
Apr 16, 2018, 6:10 am
#2007
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,536
I'm trying to find close in availability T-7 and not seeing anything on Qantas for the week despite being some F5 flights according to EF.
I was under the impression that CX releases it at 10:30 PM ET on Sundays. Maybe I'll check tomorrow morning because Qantas is different from BA?
I was under the impression that CX releases it at 10:30 PM ET on Sundays. Maybe I'll check tomorrow morning because Qantas is different from BA?
Jamie
Apr 17, 2018, 3:53 pm
#2008
Join Date: May 2008
Location: "the world is my country"
Programs: Alaska 100K (aka OWS)
Posts: 810
I released a SFO-DPS award in J class a few days ago - I needed to change the name on the ticket but they had to cancel it first. Agent couldn't find the ticket to rebook it in the new name after she released it. I saw it on Avios the next day, but she was still unable to book it. Then it disappeared. She said it goes back into Cathay Pacific inventory first....
Apr 17, 2018, 9:51 pm
#2009
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,953
I released a SFO-DPS award in J class a few days ago - I needed to change the name on the ticket but they had to cancel it first. Agent couldn't find the ticket to rebook it in the new name after she released it. I saw it on Avios the next day, but she was still unable to book it. Then it disappeared. She said it goes back into Cathay Pacific inventory first....
Apr 19, 2018, 1:45 am
#2010
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
Is a HKG-JFK/BOS-SEA award technically not bookable since it violates the rules of going in the right direction?
I have been able to book one of these before but the last agent i spoke to said I needed to purchase seperate awards if I wanted to go from JFK-SEA. Is that correct?
I have been able to book one of these before but the last agent i spoke to said I needed to purchase seperate awards if I wanted to go from JFK-SEA. Is that correct?