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 10, 2017, 7:10 pm
#601
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
There's nothing saying you can't book flights in Y and change to J/F closer in, or book CX into or out of a city that isn't NYC and do a positioning flight.
If you book the positioning flight using WN points (also a Chase UR partner) it's completely refundable back to WN point. BA Avios you just lose the $6 TSA fee.
Remember what jamienbaker said up thread about get stuff down now, optimize later? Take it to heart. Broaden your horizons.
If you book the positioning flight using WN points (also a Chase UR partner) it's completely refundable back to WN point. BA Avios you just lose the $6 TSA fee.
Remember what jamienbaker said up thread about get stuff down now, optimize later? Take it to heart. Broaden your horizons.
May 10, 2017, 7:14 pm
#602
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,053
When schedule first loads, 11-12 months in advance, there will usually be F6 seats available. Pretty quickly that may drop to F5 as one is grabbed as an award. Then it is a long wait until close in to flight time before CX release any more. Note that even with F6 available, CX may chose not to release any to an award at schedule load... e.g. with four daily flights from New York (5 if you count Newark) they may not release award on all of them.
DAK
May 10, 2017, 7:22 pm
#603
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
If I decided to book the JAL F award on the way out and then changed my mind would I be able to change my booking to CX F if it opened up? Or once you commit to an airline with Alaska miles can you only change to flights within that particular airline?
May 10, 2017, 7:30 pm
#604
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,397
Change fees apply inside of 60 days unless you are MVPG or +.
May 10, 2017, 11:53 pm
#605
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,541
Did you at least book the intra-Asia flights? Or are ALL flight segments unavailable? Even if only one segment anywhere in the itinerary is available you should grab it now.
May 11, 2017, 12:10 am
#606
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
Because of the cost of JAL I won't be able to book my return long haul on CX until my bonus points until mid-June (statement cut date on Alaska card is 6/7). I would be looking to fly back no later than 7/10. I guess what I should do is look for the MNL-HKG flight on CX and try to book that in J and then add to that reservation F when HKG-NYC opens up and it would still come out to a return trip for 70k points? Would adding the second flight segment result in a change fee of $125?
Last edited by Red259; May 11, 2017 at 12:24 am
May 11, 2017, 6:39 am
#607
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
Inside of 60 days and without MVPG+, changes should incur a change fee.
May 11, 2017, 7:00 am
#608
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: DC
Posts: 189
BA often times doesn't show specific flights on certain days for some reason. Does anyone know the rhyme or reason behind this?
It's not like they're booked since one still has 5 F available but the flight entirely doesn't show.
I'm assuming it'll pop back out as we get closer (late June). It also doesn't show at all on Qantas as well.
It's not like they're booked since one still has 5 F available but the flight entirely doesn't show.
I'm assuming it'll pop back out as we get closer (late June). It also doesn't show at all on Qantas as well.
Last edited by jayoxd; May 11, 2017 at 7:06 am
May 11, 2017, 7:33 am
#609
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,053
BA often times doesn't show specific flights on certain days for some reason. Does anyone know the rhyme or reason behind this?
It's not like they're booked since one still has 5 F available but the flight entirely doesn't show.
I'm assuming it'll pop back out as we get closer (late June). It also doesn't show at all on Qantas as well.
It's not like they're booked since one still has 5 F available but the flight entirely doesn't show.
I'm assuming it'll pop back out as we get closer (late June). It also doesn't show at all on Qantas as well.
No need to post same question twice.
May 11, 2017, 8:55 pm
#610
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
I booked a JAL flight via my Alaska miles for my inbound flight because nothing on CX was open yet. I screwed up and didn't build in the layover. Is it true you can change the reservation within the first 24 hours of booking and avoid the $125? Basically all I want to do is keep the first segment and switch the NRT-BKK flight to a few days later.
May 11, 2017, 9:20 pm
#611
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,397
I booked a JAL flight via my Alaska miles for my inbound flight because nothing on CX was open yet. I screwed up and didn't build in the layover. Is it true you can change the reservation within the first 24 hours of booking and avoid the $125? Basically all I want to do is keep the first segment and switch the NRT-BKK flight to a few days later.
Last edited by eponymous_coward; May 11, 2017 at 9:28 pm
May 11, 2017, 9:25 pm
#612
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
Thanks, I was aware its an extra 5k compared to CX. I'm going to see if I can snag that NH award on the return and avoid fuel surcharges in the process. If so, i'll just build the layover into my trip back and leave the JL booking the way it is and just monitor CX to see if they release an award close in.
May 12, 2017, 9:41 am
#613
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: DC
Posts: 189
Responded here... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28297546-post309.html
No need to post same question twice.
No need to post same question twice.
May 12, 2017, 5:00 pm
#614
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
I ended up changing my alaska mile booking to for JFK-NRT-BKK on JAL to include a layover in Tokyo for a few days and then flying on to Hanoi in what looks like a nice business class product. I figure then I can work my way down vietnam and move across SE asia that way. I am in the process of trying to book ANA out of SIN-JFK via krisflyer. Waiting for the points to transfer over and my game plan to work my way down to SIN and see if maybe either SQ suites opens up to JFK or if CX F becomes available.
If I can book CX F with a layover in HKG (do they have J service on CX from SIN to HKG?) I'd rather do that using the alaska miles and then just redeposit my SQ miles for a future redemption to Europe. While I initially was considering skipping SIN it seems like an ideal place to end, due to the number of options out of there to give me flexibility to switch to CX at last minute and also because it seems to be the only route that ANA has First class on going from SE Asia to NRT.
If I can book CX F with a layover in HKG (do they have J service on CX from SIN to HKG?) I'd rather do that using the alaska miles and then just redeposit my SQ miles for a future redemption to Europe. While I initially was considering skipping SIN it seems like an ideal place to end, due to the number of options out of there to give me flexibility to switch to CX at last minute and also because it seems to be the only route that ANA has First class on going from SE Asia to NRT.
May 12, 2017, 5:05 pm
#615
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,397
I ended up changing my alaska mile booking to for JFK-NRT-BKK on JAL to include a layover in Tokyo for a few days and then flying on to Hanoi in what looks like a nice business class product. I figure then I can work my way down vietnam and move across SE asia that way. I am in the process of trying to book ANA out of SIN-JFK via krisflyer. Waiting for the points to transfer over and my game plan to work my way down to SIN and see if maybe either SQ suites opens up to JFK or if CX F becomes available.
If I can book CX F with a layover in HKG (do they have J service on CX from SIN to HKG?) I'd rather do that using the alaska miles and then just redeposit my SQ miles for a future redemption to Europe. While I initially was considering skipping SIN it seems like an ideal place to end, due to the number of options out of there to give me flexibility to switch to CX at last minute and also because it seems to be the only route that ANA has First class on going from SE Asia to NRT.
If I can book CX F with a layover in HKG (do they have J service on CX from SIN to HKG?) I'd rather do that using the alaska miles and then just redeposit my SQ miles for a future redemption to Europe. While I initially was considering skipping SIN it seems like an ideal place to end, due to the number of options out of there to give me flexibility to switch to CX at last minute and also because it seems to be the only route that ANA has First class on going from SE Asia to NRT.
Now that's using your options...
(I honestly don't think NH F is a downgrade from CX F at all. Maybe the lounges aren't as sexy but the onboard product is nice or nicer.)