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 19, 2018, 4:00 am
#2012
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: LA
Programs: CX Silver
Posts: 53
Trying to find J award for about 5/24-28 but looking at BA sites, I only see one day with J availability from now till end of May. Is it that difficult to get a J seat these days on CX?
I looked at EF, most flights are pretty open in J. But I only see PEY availability. thoughts?
I looked at EF, most flights are pretty open in J. But I only see PEY availability. thoughts?
Apr 19, 2018, 5:26 am
#2013
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
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?
Apr 19, 2018, 6:23 am
#2014
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,541
Trying to find J award for about 5/24-28 but looking at BA sites, I only see one day with J availability from now till end of May. Is it that difficult to get a J seat these days on CX?
I looked at EF, most flights are pretty open in J. But I only see PEY availability. thoughts?
I looked at EF, most flights are pretty open in J. But I only see PEY availability. thoughts?
Jamie
Apr 19, 2018, 7:00 pm
#2015
Join Date: Apr 2018
Programs: Alaska, Delta, American
Posts: 1
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?
Apr 19, 2018, 11:14 pm
#2016
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
It was last year roughly this time. I arrived in Kennedy at night, overnighted, and then took the 7 AM departure back to Seattle the next day. Don’t know how the agent overlooked it.
Apr 21, 2018, 12:21 am
#2017
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: UA, AS
Posts: 2,393
The website will book JL TYO-JFK-SEA. I don't see this as significantly different from a CX HKG-JFK-SEA regarding backtracking so I would push to try to book it based on that.
Apr 21, 2018, 1:55 am
#2018
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
The website allows some more fluid itineraries. I'd recommend not pushing for the CX routing via JFK based off this...
Apr 21, 2018, 2:02 am
#2019
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
The website will allow for some very.... interesting routings I guess I would say. If you know what I’m talking about PM me as I’d like to ask some questions to people regarding Emirates awards.
Apr 21, 2018, 9:30 am
#2020
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
If website prices it, call it a day and have fun flying. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Apr 22, 2018, 2:59 am
#2022
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
FWIW, I have redeemed a large amount of Cathay Pacific first class awards over the years. Probably over 25 flights. I took Cathay, Hong Kong to LAX about a month ago, and maybe it’s just me, but it seems like Cathay F is going downhill. The service seemed watered down. The employees seemed like they were just going through the motions. I can’t help but wonder if the mileage hoarding, buying with bonuses through AS etc etc... And then people redeeming them on CX has made the product not as great. Not to mention CX is not really actively investing in their F class. In fact aren’t there rumors they will get rid of F?
Apr 22, 2018, 8:50 am
#2023
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,392
FWIW, I have redeemed a large amount of Cathay Pacific first class awards over the years. Probably over 25 flights. I took Cathay, Hong Kong to LAX about a month ago, and maybe it’s just me, but it seems like Cathay F is going downhill. The service seemed watered down. The employees seemed like they were just going through the motions. I can’t help but wonder if the mileage hoarding, buying with bonuses through AS etc etc... And then people redeeming them on CX has made the product not as great. Not to mention CX is not really actively investing in their F class. In fact aren’t there rumors they will get rid of F?
https://skift.com/2016/08/17/cathay-...ging-strategy/
Cathay Pacific sees first annual loss in eight years - BBC News
https://endauanalytics.wordpress.com...o-john-slosar/
Apr 22, 2018, 9:12 am
#2024
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,801
Seems to me a luxury they can afford back then, not a cause of their success back then.
Apr 22, 2018, 9:23 am
#2025
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,392
IAG (BA's owners) are consistently profitable.
https://news.sky.com/story/iag-profi...n-may-10964858
BA also has reasonable award availability to partners, and has made recent hard product investments in F.
SQ had problems with profits over that time frame.
https://news.sky.com/story/iag-profi...n-may-10964858
SQ is notorious for rotten partner availability. They also regularly do hard product investments in F.
My argument is that it's far more likely service cutbacks in any class of service have to do with things that have absolutely nothing to do with whether or not you can spend 70,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles to fly in Cathay Pacific first class. Such as Cathay consistently losing money on fuel hedges (and having to make it up elsewhere), and the competitive environment they fly in.