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
May 1, 2017, 2:47 am
#541
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 539
So...I'm new to trying to use my alaska miles, I've kinda just built them up and let them sit.
I was going to book a CX award this past week, maybe it's not news to you guys, but holy crap was it hard to find availability. I was looking for OCT so not close in, but certainly not 330 days out.
Quite easily found J/Y availability on the Cathay 350 from HKG-YVR. So like a naive fool, when I decided I needed to reverse the direction I figured I'd find it. WRONG. How about Cathay's other 2 flights a day from YVR. Nope. How about LAX? Nope. SFO? Nope.
I found like 1 first (which I didn't want) seat going NA-HKG for like 2 weeks. No Y seats, let alone J. Availability coming back HKG-NA seemed pretty open though. Is this kinda the standard? Is the trick to just book way in advance? I looked at the award calendar for JL too and it showed literally no availability for weeks going NA-BKK via NRT. Sources were BA search for CX and JL search engine for JL.
I was going to book a CX award this past week, maybe it's not news to you guys, but holy crap was it hard to find availability. I was looking for OCT so not close in, but certainly not 330 days out.
Quite easily found J/Y availability on the Cathay 350 from HKG-YVR. So like a naive fool, when I decided I needed to reverse the direction I figured I'd find it. WRONG. How about Cathay's other 2 flights a day from YVR. Nope. How about LAX? Nope. SFO? Nope.
I found like 1 first (which I didn't want) seat going NA-HKG for like 2 weeks. No Y seats, let alone J. Availability coming back HKG-NA seemed pretty open though. Is this kinda the standard? Is the trick to just book way in advance? I looked at the award calendar for JL too and it showed literally no availability for weeks going NA-BKK via NRT. Sources were BA search for CX and JL search engine for JL.
May 1, 2017, 7:34 am
#542
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
That would be 2 awards regardless of stop-over. Middle east is to/from HKG or Middle East to/from North America There isn't a Middle east/Asia award using AS miles.
May 1, 2017, 9:35 am
#543
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,395
Itinerary breaks at HKG to two awards, just like it says in the wiki at the top of the thread. For shorthaul J out of HKG, BA Avios >>> AS MP- a lot less miles (15k Avios in J vs 25k MP miles). So book that HKG-BKK segment with Avios if you can.
Last edited by eponymous_coward; May 1, 2017 at 9:42 am
May 1, 2017, 3:49 pm
#544
Join Date: May 2016
Programs: BA G CX S AS G DL PM
Posts: 127
Odd Problem when booking DXB-HKG-ICN
Hello,
I just encountered a problem when trying to book an award DXB-HKG-ICN on CX J using AS miles. However, the ticketing agent told me the route cannot price. However, she also figured that DXB-HKG can be priced as 30,000 miles. Has anyone got an explanation? Odd. I do not think it violates AS rules.
Helpp
Thanks!
I just encountered a problem when trying to book an award DXB-HKG-ICN on CX J using AS miles. However, the ticketing agent told me the route cannot price. However, she also figured that DXB-HKG can be priced as 30,000 miles. Has anyone got an explanation? Odd. I do not think it violates AS rules.
HelppThanks!
May 1, 2017, 3:55 pm
#545
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,395
Read the wiki on booking CX award flights. This is an extremely common question from people who assume that, like most airlines that are in an alliance, (AS is not) AS has arbitrary zone-based awards where you can fly from any CX destination to any other CX destination on a single award. That's not how AS awards work; they have their advantages (lower mile amounts) but this isn't one of them.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alask...ska-miles.html
DXB-HKG-ICN is two awards: DXB-HKG (ME-HKG) and HKG-ICN (intra-Asia), breaking at HKG. AS does not do Asia-Middle East zone-based awards for CX. Anything other than a North America award or intra-Asia award must originate or end at HKG.
If you want to save miles on the second award, HKG-ICN is only 20k Avios using BA (25k AS MP). Or you can book the entire award with another OW program like AA (which does support zone-based awards for ME-Asia).
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alask...ska-miles.html
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 website can be misleading about this.
If you want to save miles on the second award, HKG-ICN is only 20k Avios using BA (25k AS MP). Or you can book the entire award with another OW program like AA (which does support zone-based awards for ME-Asia).
Last edited by eponymous_coward; May 1, 2017 at 4:00 pm
May 1, 2017, 9:54 pm
#546
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: YVR
Programs: OZ Diamond, Jiffypark Manhattan Gold
Posts: 4,485
Good to know. I guess they just get snapped up pretty quickly. Sked open is T-365? Or do you mean the 330 that AS allows the bookings to begin?
May 2, 2017, 7:23 pm
#548
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
I haven't booked an award on CX for 2 years. I want to go to vietnam with a stopover in Hong Kong and was thinking about spending my points on a marriott package that would give me alaska airlines miles. How difficult is it to obtain NYC-SGN flights with a stopover in HKG in J on the way there and F on the way back? I would be looking to take the trip fairly soon (ie, depart third week of June and return early July). I have some flexibility on the dates. Does CX still hold award space until the last minute or have they changed? Is this a viable plan or is award space tough to come by?
May 2, 2017, 8:07 pm
#549
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,541
I haven't booked an award on CX for 2 years. I want to go to vietnam with a stopover in Hong Kong and was thinking about spending my points on a marriott package that would give me alaska airlines miles. How difficult is it to obtain NYC-SGN flights with a stopover in HKG in J on the way there and F on the way back? I would be looking to take the trip fairly soon (ie, depart third week of June and return early July). I have some flexibility on the dates. Does CX still hold award space until the last minute or have they changed? Is this a viable plan or is award space tough to come by?
May 2, 2017, 8:16 pm
#550
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
You'll make it. But you missed the booking window for CX and JL. Lock down HKGSGN flights NOW, then add USAHKG when they're released inside of 14 days. Assuming a two week trip, you'll likely fly over without a return res. But I've done that several times. Always works out. But lock down the short haul segments to/from HKG/NRT ASAP.
May 2, 2017, 8:34 pm
#551
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,541
Uh, yeah. Ample availability at T-355, much of which is gone my T-330 once AS and AA can book. CX awards soon after are shut down until about two weeks out. You'll find one or two sporadically available here and there, but if planning for more than one person you are SOL for at least another 3 weeks. JL tends to be better. Plenty of shorthaul awards to/from SGN so grab them NOW!
May 2, 2017, 8:36 pm
#552
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,541
Uh, yeah. Ample availability at T-355, much of which is gone my T-330 once AS and AA can book. CX awards soon after are shut down until about two weeks out. You'll find one or two sporadically available here and there, but if planning for more than one person you are SOL for at least another 3 weeks. JL tends to be better. Plenty of shorthaul awards to/from SGN so grab them NOW!
May 2, 2017, 8:53 pm
#553
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
What are JL searches? I've been looking for openings via my JAL account. Is that not reliable? I have an expertflyer membership but I guess they don't cover CX. I am travelling on my own so only need one seat which helps.
Last edited by Red259; May 2, 2017 at 9:05 pm
May 2, 2017, 9:11 pm
#554
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,053
I have no first hand experience of routing to SGN but have done SIN often. CX do release JFK/HKG seats close in so your chances of getting F or J on that segment are good.
As for Marriott transfers to AS miles they are not instant. Be sure to ask Marriott to expedite the transfer.... I did this about a month ago but with requesting the transfer on a Saturday it was Wednesday morning before they were in my AS account (which I promptly redeemed for a F ticket JFK-HKG-SIN for that Friday morning!).
Good luck.
DAK
May 2, 2017, 9:26 pm
#555
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
Jamie is suggesting two alternate routes. JFK-HKG-SGN on CX or JFK-NRT-SGN on JL. Either way he is suggesting that the intra Asia flight will be harder to get close in. Out of curiosity, using awardnexus, he searched for CX options but did not bother with JL leaving that joy up to you.
I have no first hand experience of routing to SGN but have done SIN often. CX do release JFK/HKG seats close in so your chances of getting F or J on that segment are good.
As for Marriott transfers to AS miles they are not instant. Be sure to ask Marriott to expedite the transfer.... I did this about a month ago but with requesting the transfer on a Saturday it was Wednesday morning before they were in my AS account (which I promptly redeemed for a F ticket JFK-HKG-SIN for that Friday morning!).
Good luck.
DAK
I have no first hand experience of routing to SGN but have done SIN often. CX do release JFK/HKG seats close in so your chances of getting F or J on that segment are good.
As for Marriott transfers to AS miles they are not instant. Be sure to ask Marriott to expedite the transfer.... I did this about a month ago but with requesting the transfer on a Saturday it was Wednesday morning before they were in my AS account (which I promptly redeemed for a F ticket JFK-HKG-SIN for that Friday morning!).
Good luck.
DAK
333 for the hkg-sgn flight on certain dates. I'm not sure if the $ sign in front of the flight number means I need to pay money for that intra asia segment? Given my goals is it a safe idea to just go ahead and purchase the package? It seems worth it for the flight alone even if I only redeem 3-4 of the seven nights on a stay. I could route to SIN or Bangkok if those are easier redemptions and then just purchase cheap flights to hop around once I am there. Sorry for all the questions.