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
Aug 31, 2017, 11:48 am
#1096
Join Date: Nov 2010
Programs: IHG Platinum
Posts: 1,066
I noticed that my originally booked CX 855 flight departing 10:25 in March 2018 got changed to CX 859 departing 11:10.
Would I be able to use the change of flight by CX as an excuse to get a free flight change within 60 days? Will AS waive the $125 if I change CX859 to CX889 within 60 days of departure?
Would I be able to use the change of flight by CX as an excuse to get a free flight change within 60 days? Will AS waive the $125 if I change CX859 to CX889 within 60 days of departure?
Aug 31, 2017, 6:06 pm
#1097
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: Alaska. AA, Kris, QFF, Lifemiles, BA+
Posts: 50
- AS doesn't allow combining multiple partners on awards, so you'd need to find an AS flight.
- The only airports AS serves from JFK are PDX and SEA.
- AS's not-publicly-posted award routing rules prohibit transcontinental backtracking on a single award; i.e., they don't let you fly SEA-JFK-HKG when you could just as easily redeem SEA-LAX-HKG.
You'd have to make it a separate award unless somehow DAL-LGA is allowed (which I find doubtful) and they actually have JFK/EWR/LGA established as coterminals in their systems.
Sep 2, 2017, 2:09 pm
#1098
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: 718
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, IHG Diamond
Posts: 967
Does anyone know what time does CX award inventory load? Is it 12AM EST?
Sep 2, 2017, 3:35 pm
#1100
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: 718
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, IHG Diamond
Posts: 967
Well i am more wondering about close-in awards. Is it loaded in at a specific time if CX decides to open up space like 12AM EST, or do they randomly open up the close-in award seats at any given time during the day
Sep 2, 2017, 3:51 pm
#1101
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,540
I've never found a pattern, having ticketed over 50 close-in awards on CX. Here are some examples, in EST:
1) 0715 in the a.m. (I checked at 0710 and there was nothing, I checked at 0720 and there was).
2) 1100 (snagged 2 F awards just last week from Bali, I checked around 1030EST and there was nothing, checked around 1130 and there was).
3) 1815 (on the train home, 1810 nothing, 1820 there was).
4) 2100 (was actually in HKG on day of departure, so 0900 there).
5) 1430 (was clicking refresh on a Saturday afternoon, 1425 nothing, 1435 there was).
Lots of other examples, these are just the ones where I happen to remember where I was and/or what I was doing.
Now if you're looking for JL, they absolutely have a release pattern, down to the very minute. But I've never cracked the code on CX. Incidentally, my latest award, flight was F5 10 days out and 3 were released...but AS characteristically could only see 2. But that's a different topic.
Good luck. I'm nervously watching the clock as there are 5 J awards on a EWRHKG I need, but the AS booking window hasn't opened yet.
Jamie
Sep 2, 2017, 4:44 pm
#1102
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: 718
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, IHG Diamond
Posts: 967
Ahh, that's a horse of a different colour.
I've never found a pattern, having ticketed over 50 close-in awards on CX. Here are some examples, in EST:
1) 0715 in the a.m. (I checked at 0710 and there was nothing, I checked at 0720 and there was).
2) 1100 (snagged 2 F awards just last week from Bali, I checked around 1030EST and there was nothing, checked around 1130 and there was).
3) 1815 (on the train home, 1810 nothing, 1820 there was).
4) 2100 (was actually in HKG on day of departure, so 0900 there).
5) 1430 (was clicking refresh on a Saturday afternoon, 1425 nothing, 1435 there was).
Lots of other examples, these are just the ones where I happen to remember where I was and/or what I was doing.
Now if you're looking for JL, they absolutely have a release pattern, down to the very minute. But I've never cracked the code on CX. Incidentally, my latest award, flight was F5 10 days out and 3 were released...but AS characteristically could only see 2. But that's a different topic.
Good luck. I'm nervously watching the clock as there are 5 J awards on a EWRHKG I need, but the AS booking window hasn't opened yet.
Jamie
I've never found a pattern, having ticketed over 50 close-in awards on CX. Here are some examples, in EST:
1) 0715 in the a.m. (I checked at 0710 and there was nothing, I checked at 0720 and there was).
2) 1100 (snagged 2 F awards just last week from Bali, I checked around 1030EST and there was nothing, checked around 1130 and there was).
3) 1815 (on the train home, 1810 nothing, 1820 there was).
4) 2100 (was actually in HKG on day of departure, so 0900 there).
5) 1430 (was clicking refresh on a Saturday afternoon, 1425 nothing, 1435 there was).
Lots of other examples, these are just the ones where I happen to remember where I was and/or what I was doing.
Now if you're looking for JL, they absolutely have a release pattern, down to the very minute. But I've never cracked the code on CX. Incidentally, my latest award, flight was F5 10 days out and 3 were released...but AS characteristically could only see 2. But that's a different topic.
Good luck. I'm nervously watching the clock as there are 5 J awards on a EWRHKG I need, but the AS booking window hasn't opened yet.
Jamie
Sep 3, 2017, 3:11 pm
#1103
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Phuket Thailand
Posts: 223
AS not showing award avail
been trying to book BOS HKG in F, I see avail on BA.com for a week
AS agents tell me all they see is coach avail
will AS ever show availably?
was looking at 3 dates in Nov, I'm sitting on 220,000 AS miles that I only use for CX awards
any suggestions please
Thanks
AS agents tell me all they see is coach avail
will AS ever show availably?
was looking at 3 dates in Nov, I'm sitting on 220,000 AS miles that I only use for CX awards
any suggestions please
Thanks
Sep 3, 2017, 7:19 pm
#1104
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: LAX
Posts: 10,909
Be flexible and book what AS sees or use AA or other mileage. There is no magic solution as you probably noticed from reading this thread.
Sep 4, 2017, 7:54 am
#1105
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2006
Location: DTW, but drive to/from YYZ/ORD
Programs: Chase Ultimate Rewards 2MM, Diner Club points
Posts: 31,911
Make sure to ask for partner award desk. Even then some agents will see and some won't. You'll have to huaca alot
Sep 4, 2017, 1:02 pm
#1106
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: SEA, FLL, Martha’s Vineyard
Programs: AS MVPGold75K, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Pan Am million-miler
Posts: 2,019
BA tool is always wrong on what Alaska can book/see. Better tool to use to search, and at least get an idea is the Qantas award tool. It's also easier to use and you can use a calendar to see when F awards are open.
Now just like all of them, QF's tool shows phantom space-at least phantom space for AS- but it's definitely more accurate and more helpful than BA's.
Now just like all of them, QF's tool shows phantom space-at least phantom space for AS- but it's definitely more accurate and more helpful than BA's.
Sep 4, 2017, 1:13 pm
#1107
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: SEA, FLL, Martha’s Vineyard
Programs: AS MVPGold75K, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Pan Am million-miler
Posts: 2,019
By the way some people were talking about getting agents to assign you seats in row 2 on CX, because the US number the agents usually won't give you row 2.
What I do to get an assignment in row 2 on F is call the U.K. Cathay 800 number on Skype. That number is Those agents will assign row 2 for you without giving you the whole "sorry-reserved-for-baby-bassinet" thing.
What I do to get an assignment in row 2 on F is call the U.K. Cathay 800 number on Skype. That number is Those agents will assign row 2 for you without giving you the whole "sorry-reserved-for-baby-bassinet" thing.
Sep 4, 2017, 2:07 pm
#1108
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Phuket Thailand
Posts: 223
I did book one flight with AA last night still looking for second seat to open Oct 23 but I hate spending 110000 when I should be using 70000 AS
How is AS on getting CX awards close in, within 2 weeks? any better that way
Sep 4, 2017, 2:23 pm
#1110
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: SEA, FLL, Martha’s Vineyard
Programs: AS MVPGold75K, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Pan Am million-miler
Posts: 2,019
Truth be told, for whatever reason, AS just doesn't have the same access as OW partners do. I've probably booked about 20 lifetime cathay awards about half last year, half this year, all in F, especially after EK became not worth it.
In my experience, you can either book like 5-8 months out and if you find availability on QF or BA tool on CX, it usually will also match up with AS. As the date grows closer (1-2 months), the availability doesn't align as much. You can hang up on AS and call back as much as you want, it's no help.
At about the 1-2 week mark is when they start opening things up, and AS agents can see things that are visible on the QF tool. I've also had lots of luck 1-2 days before departure. All this experience has been booking F.