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
Jan 20, 2017, 5:32 am
#76
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,345
Well whether you call BS or not is definitely upto you but all I know is I won't be paying the $125 change fee to book a last minute 2nd F seat. And secondly I have no reason to give a false data point.
As for getting it ticketed and confirmed yep done that on the AS and CX website but now I just need to call in and select seats. Which two seats are best for two people? Checked multiple times to make sure that I actually snagged the "unicorn". If all you're doing is "looking" then you're wasting your time. Going into this I was doing research on how I can snag two either 330/331 out or 1 now and one at T-14. Either I got lucky, which is highly possible, or there is a method to this madness of booking 2F on same flight 330/331 days out. I was able to book 2 SQ suites ex-sin a few weeks back so...
As for getting it ticketed and confirmed yep done that on the AS and CX website but now I just need to call in and select seats. Which two seats are best for two people? Checked multiple times to make sure that I actually snagged the "unicorn". If all you're doing is "looking" then you're wasting your time. Going into this I was doing research on how I can snag two either 330/331 out or 1 now and one at T-14. Either I got lucky, which is highly possible, or there is a method to this madness of booking 2F on same flight 330/331 days out. I was able to book 2 SQ suites ex-sin a few weeks back so...
Last edited by nas6034; Jan 20, 2017 at 5:55 am
Jan 20, 2017, 5:51 am
#77
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,541
Well whether you call BS or not is definitely upto you but all I know is I won't be paying the $125change fee to look for a last minute 2nd F seat. And secondly I have no reason to give a false datapoint.
As for getting it ticketed and confirmed yep done that on the CX. Checked multiple times to make sure that I actually snagged the "unicorn". If all you're doing is "looking" then you're wasting your time. And if all you're doing is looking for 2 that's also wasting time. Either I got lucky, which is highly possible, or there is a method to this madness of booking 2F on same flight. I was able to book 2 SQ suites ex-sin a few weeks back so...
As for getting it ticketed and confirmed yep done that on the CX. Checked multiple times to make sure that I actually snagged the "unicorn". If all you're doing is "looking" then you're wasting your time. And if all you're doing is looking for 2 that's also wasting time. Either I got lucky, which is highly possible, or there is a method to this madness of booking 2F on same flight. I was able to book 2 SQ suites ex-sin a few weeks back so...
I will cry "unintended" as it isn't CX's policy ex-USA to release more than 1 at the window. I'll chalk this up to he same gremlins that prevent AS from seeing many CX awards, but I'm glad it worked in your favour. And your flight now shows F4 I presume? You obviously know what you're doing since you reconciled on the CX site.
My congratulations are matched only by my concern that we are now contributing to a false level of confidence that CX releases 2F at the window...which they used to, I'll admit.
I've already begun marital negotiations in case we don't get a second F seat HKGJFK next summer. Offering wife JL F out and CX J on return. Or, DL J out and CX F home. I suspect I need to sweeten the offer/choices.
Safe travels, and congrats again - Jamie
Jan 20, 2017, 6:48 am
#78
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,345
2 on SQ is easy, been there, done that
I will cry "unintended" as it isn't CX's policy ex-USA to release more than 1 at the window. I'll chalk this up to he same gremlins that prevent AS from seeing many CX awards, but I'm glad it worked in your favour. And your flight now shows F4 I presume? You obviously know what you're doing since you reconciled on the CX site.
My congratulations are matched only by my concern that we are now contributing to a false level of confidence that CX releases 2F at the window...which they used to, I'll admit.
I've already begun marital negotiations in case we don't get a second F seat HKGJFK next summer. Offering wife JL F out and CX J on return. Or, DL J out and CX F home. I suspect I need to sweeten the offer/choices.
Safe travels, and congrats again - Jamie
I will cry "unintended" as it isn't CX's policy ex-USA to release more than 1 at the window. I'll chalk this up to he same gremlins that prevent AS from seeing many CX awards, but I'm glad it worked in your favour. And your flight now shows F4 I presume? You obviously know what you're doing since you reconciled on the CX site.
My congratulations are matched only by my concern that we are now contributing to a false level of confidence that CX releases 2F at the window...which they used to, I'll admit.
I've already begun marital negotiations in case we don't get a second F seat HKGJFK next summer. Offering wife JL F out and CX J on return. Or, DL J out and CX F home. I suspect I need to sweeten the offer/choices.
Safe travels, and congrats again - Jamie
Jan 20, 2017, 6:48 am
#79
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2006
Location: DTW, but drive to/from YYZ/ORD
Programs: Chase Ultimate Rewards 2MM, Diner Club points
Posts: 31,920
Looks like we're all going to be spending the next few weeks furiously checking to repeat this "cold fusion" claim! 
You can just search for 4 F revenue seats , I use google flights for quick dirty. For example CX 831 on Dec 14 shows only F4 now! Eat your heart out jamienbaker
I don't have EF so not sure if it shows as F4.
Eat your heart out jamienbaker
Last edited by rufflesinc; Jan 20, 2017 at 6:54 am
Jan 20, 2017, 6:53 am
#80
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,345
Yea just went to google flights. Put 5 and my flight doesn't show, put 4 and it does.
Jan 20, 2017, 6:55 am
#81
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2006
Location: DTW, but drive to/from YYZ/ORD
Programs: Chase Ultimate Rewards 2MM, Diner Club points
Posts: 31,920
Jan 20, 2017, 7:03 am
#83
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2006
Location: DTW, but drive to/from YYZ/ORD
Programs: Chase Ultimate Rewards 2MM, Diner Club points
Posts: 31,920
A quick check using google flights for the routes I'm looking for F on, all BOS-HKG from June 2017 thru end of calendar all are are least F5. Two days in May are F4, then more and more F4 days to the present.
For HKG-ORD, Dec 9 is F4. Oct 24 is F4. Sept 12 and 26 are F4. Do people book F revenue tix this far out?
For HKG-ORD, Dec 9 is F4. Oct 24 is F4. Sept 12 and 26 are F4. Do people book F revenue tix this far out?
Jan 20, 2017, 7:53 am
#84
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,541
I don't have EF so not sure if it shows as F4. I did check on AS, CX and email confirmations. My only thing is I need to book an add-on leg and right now only PEY is available on AS/BA but AM shows J. But the month prior it shows J seats for partners. I'm hoping & waiting for AM to release the J seats to partners for my month of travel. I am gathering some data to see. I hope that this won't be the reason I pay $125 lol.
AS could only see 2J and 4PEY.
Booked wife and self in last row of J and kids in first row of PEY. Hope they keep the A359 on this segment.
I assume you'll take the PEY so you have something?
Jamie
Jan 20, 2017, 7:56 am
#85
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,345
Yea I booked PEY, so no availability of that now on AM/BA but J still shows on AM but not on BA/AS. So I hope that AM opens up the seats to AS soon so I can switch my tickets to those seats.
Jan 20, 2017, 10:28 am
#87
Join Date: May 2003
Location: PDX USA
Programs: AS MVPG, AA, BA, SPG Gold, HHonors Gold, Hyatt Platinum, IHG, Hertz 5*
Posts: 690
SFO-HKG, HKG-JNB, JNB-HKG, HKG-SFO.
Jan 20, 2017, 10:55 am
#88
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2006
Location: DTW, but drive to/from YYZ/ORD
Programs: Chase Ultimate Rewards 2MM, Diner Club points
Posts: 31,920
the fifth is taking the photo!
Kudos to jamienbaker for having grit of steel, when I end up needing that many F seats, I don't know if I'll be able to see it thru to the end. Given what I went thru just to keep 2 F seats, I think I'll stop at 2 and let the MIL and kids stay in J
Unless of course, its like that time July 4 ORD-HKG had all 6 F seats available for award a few weeks before
Kudos to jamienbaker for having grit of steel, when I end up needing that many F seats, I don't know if I'll be able to see it thru to the end. Given what I went thru just to keep 2 F seats, I think I'll stop at 2 and let the MIL and kids stay in J
Unless of course, its like that time July 4 ORD-HKG had all 6 F seats available for award a few weeks before
Jan 20, 2017, 12:13 pm
#89
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 794
Have never seen before but AS apparently can waitlist for F on CX, and F cleared.
1 confirmed F, 1 J, waitlisted F. Now 2F in the same flight after 2 days. So yes, you can do 2F far out.
1 confirmed F, 1 J, waitlisted F. Now 2F in the same flight after 2 days.
So yes, you can do 2F far out.
Jan 20, 2017, 12:32 pm
#90
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2006
Location: DTW, but drive to/from YYZ/ORD
Programs: Chase Ultimate Rewards 2MM, Diner Club points
Posts: 31,920
So this is just CX releasing a F seat as it would normally and AS letting you "line up" in advance for it?