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
#361
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,392
#362
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: Hyatt Glb, MR Plat
Posts: 2,577
Is HND-HKG(stop)-LAX a valid 50k/70k routing in J/F?
#363
#364
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: SNA
Programs: AA gold, DL Gold, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Plat
Posts: 446
#366
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 540
I would double check in the Alaska site using your PNR to manage the reservation to see if this is case. Normally the phone booking fee attaches automatically and even though I'm 75K I have to ask for it to be removed or else they charge it. Sometimes they just tell you the tax fee =X, but X actually includes the phone booking fee. Not trying to rain on your parade or anything, but I've been charged the phone booking fee in cases where the agent on the phone has only told me that the fee is for taxes. I now specifically ask for the phone booking fee to be removed when making a booking.
#367
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 733
No status here. This is from an intra-asia CX J booking made by phone last month:
From email:
Base Fare and Surcharges: $6.00
Taxes and Other Fees: $45.10
Partner Award Booking Fee: $12.50
Traveler total:
Total fare: USD $63.60
From taxes breakthrough on website:
Base fare 22,500 miles
Surcharges $6.00
Hong Kong Airport Construction Fee $20.60
South Korea International Psc Departure Tax And Global Disease Eradication Fund $24.50
Chase shows I was charged 51.10 USD and 12.50 USD separately with no further charges. So it looks like the call centre fee was waived without being mentioned? (I'm a newbie with Alaska so it's possible I'm missing something obvious).
Funny enough I want to also check my NA-HKG-JNB longhaul on CX F but Alaska gives me this error: "Due to flight schedule changes, manual assistance is required on this reservation. Call Alaska Airlines at 1-800-ALASKAAIR (1-800-252-7522) at your earliest convenience."
But by looking at Chase, it shows they made a separate 25 USD charge fro this reservation, which is probably the phone booking fee.
So the answer is it will be waived if you're lucky?
From email:
Base Fare and Surcharges: $6.00
Taxes and Other Fees: $45.10
Partner Award Booking Fee: $12.50
Traveler total:
Total fare: USD $63.60
From taxes breakthrough on website:
Base fare 22,500 miles
Surcharges $6.00
Hong Kong Airport Construction Fee $20.60
South Korea International Psc Departure Tax And Global Disease Eradication Fund $24.50
Chase shows I was charged 51.10 USD and 12.50 USD separately with no further charges. So it looks like the call centre fee was waived without being mentioned? (I'm a newbie with Alaska so it's possible I'm missing something obvious).
Funny enough I want to also check my NA-HKG-JNB longhaul on CX F but Alaska gives me this error: "Due to flight schedule changes, manual assistance is required on this reservation. Call Alaska Airlines at 1-800-ALASKAAIR (1-800-252-7522) at your earliest convenience."
But by looking at Chase, it shows they made a separate 25 USD charge fro this reservation, which is probably the phone booking fee.
So the answer is it will be waived if you're lucky?
#368
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 21
There is NO phone booking fee for CX awards. The rep told me this explicitly when I booked an F and a J CX award ticket a month ago.
#369
Join Date: Aug 2013
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold
Posts: 917
Indeed - you found the Unicorn on the SEA-BOS in F that I have never seen - but of course I never try cold months. We avoid flying in / out East Coast between Nov and March. So no wonder I never see such availability.
YVR-SEA in F is no big deal, given the frequency and the very short flight. It is the transcon that is NON EXISTENT in the months we need them - ditto for my friend lives in Delaware, that he concludes anything East of Mississippi it is nonexistent - because both our searching concentrates in the Warmer Months shall we say.
YVR-SEA in F is no big deal, given the frequency and the very short flight. It is the transcon that is NON EXISTENT in the months we need them - ditto for my friend lives in Delaware, that he concludes anything East of Mississippi it is nonexistent - because both our searching concentrates in the Warmer Months shall we say.
Just because they aren't available out of wherever you live in Florida doesn't mean they don't exist in many other places. Why insist that there are no unicorns, when you could be grilling unicorn steaks?
#370
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: SNA
Programs: AA gold, DL Gold, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Plat
Posts: 446
I would double check in the Alaska site using your PNR to manage the reservation to see if this is case. Normally the phone booking fee attaches automatically and even though I'm 75K I have to ask for it to be removed or else they charge it. Sometimes they just tell you the tax fee =X, but X actually includes the phone booking fee. Not trying to rain on your parade or anything, but I've been charged the phone booking fee in cases where the agent on the phone has only told me that the fee is for taxes. I now specifically ask for the phone booking fee to be removed when making a booking.
#371
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Programs: BA Silver, EY Gold, HH Diamond, IHG Plat
Posts: 12,210
Is AMS-HKG-MNL a valid routing? Can I get a stop over in HKG?
#373
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Programs: BA Silver, EY Gold, HH Diamond, IHG Plat
Posts: 12,210
#374
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
#375
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,392
Still two awards. As stated, awards outside of Asia and North America always terminate or originate in HKG. Regardless of whether you start at AMS or DXB, HKG-MNL will be a second award. I would recommend using BA Avios for a second award if you choose that route.