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
#1471
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,762
Come to think of it, I did have a SLIGHTLY easier time booking CX awards 26 days after their initial release, booking in October 2016 and 2017. Perhaps the devaluation at AA did contribute. As for a move to Star, I would appreciate the instant Chase transfers into United, whereas currently the SPG transfer to Alaska poses some risk. But ultimately, price matters more.
The US-HKG routes are not difficult to book - it is those one daily flight only routes are difficult, as well as the HKG-Australia/ New Zealand routes, despite CX flies to 6 airports in Australia!
Even CX remains partnering with AS, it would not surprise me we see a devaluation in 2018 though may not be the same degree as the EK one.
We always have enough miles in AS accounts so the SPG route has no effect but I do feel the current chart may be on its last run.
#1472
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 821
My concern is same AS may devalue.....so AS/AA/JAL all 330 days, if I want to book earlier than this will be CX/BA?
Actually after BA devalued the umpteen times, CX seats would just hung in there after the initial release. During the last AA devaluation I actually booked 2 Avios F awards slightly less then 24 hours before AA could book them. Then the next day during midday when nobody was looking, I called BA to cancel it within 24 hours booking so also got back the cash part, then immediately called AA to book the seat now back to the inventory. Repeated the same process for spouse' seat. And that was well over 2 years ago.
The US-HKG routes are not difficult to book - it is those one daily flight only routes are difficult, as well as the HKG-Australia/ New Zealand routes, despite CX flies to 6 airports in Australia!
Even CX remains partnering with AS, it would not surprise me we see a devaluation in 2018 though may not be the same degree as the EK one.
We always have enough miles in AS accounts so the SPG route has no effect but I do feel the current chart may be on its last run.
The US-HKG routes are not difficult to book - it is those one daily flight only routes are difficult, as well as the HKG-Australia/ New Zealand routes, despite CX flies to 6 airports in Australia!
Even CX remains partnering with AS, it would not surprise me we see a devaluation in 2018 though may not be the same degree as the EK one.
We always have enough miles in AS accounts so the SPG route has no effect but I do feel the current chart may be on its last run.
#1473
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
Here’s to hoping AS teams up with Aer Lingus!
#1474
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,540
Actually after BA devalued the umpteen times, CX seats would just hung in there after the initial release. During the last AA devaluation I actually booked 2 Avios F awards slightly less then 24 hours before AA could book them. Then the next day during midday when nobody was looking, I called BA to cancel it within 24 hours booking so also got back the cash part, then immediately called AA to book the seat now back to the inventory. Repeated the same process for spouse' seat. And that was well over 2 years ago.
The US-HKG routes are not difficult to book - it is those one daily flight only routes are difficult, as well as the HKG-Australia/ New Zealand routes, despite CX flies to 6 airports in Australia!
Even CX remains partnering with AS, it would not surprise me we see a devaluation in 2018 though may not be the same degree as the EK one.
We always have enough miles in AS accounts so the SPG route has no effect but I do feel the current chart may be on its last run.
The US-HKG routes are not difficult to book - it is those one daily flight only routes are difficult, as well as the HKG-Australia/ New Zealand routes, despite CX flies to 6 airports in Australia!
Even CX remains partnering with AS, it would not surprise me we see a devaluation in 2018 though may not be the same degree as the EK one.
We always have enough miles in AS accounts so the SPG route has no effect but I do feel the current chart may be on its last run.
#1476
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,391
/digression
#1477
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
Either way, two airlines that are in the same alliance don't necessarily get along well, as seen with the DL/KE spat that is only recently being mended (and DL still hasn't moved KE back up to a higher partner tier, so for the time being DL flyers don't earn MQMs on KE-marketed/KE-metal flights). UA seems to not always get along well with other *A members--notably SQ, who were partnered with VX for SFO feed despite having an enormous UA hub right there.
#1478
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,762
I tend to agree with your thoughts. I think 2015 (pre-AA) was the last time I had a really hard time find awards for August travel at the 330 day mark. I counted last weekend and I’ve redeemed over 150 segments on CX in the last 10 years - I haven’t flown them all, but my success speaks to the ample availability. My biggest current issue is the mismatch between AS and OneWorld partner availability. I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of that. It’s hard for me to believe CX would layer in a third level of award inventory just for Alaska. Seems needlessly complex.
I am not optimistic on the current CX and JL charts going forward in 2018. It would be a loss to us had the devaluation happened. Fortunately we normally dont make a specific trip US to HKG or even Asia - they are always worked in an itinerary that is pretty much encompassing multi-continents, just so it would be "cheaper" for us to visit families at the same time. On top of that, between EU and HKG, there are usually far less competition and enough options with other programs.
As of now, I am not transferring any more Marriott Travel Package to AS program until we are into 2018 for some time when things may become clearer. (CZ leaving SkyTeam and CX might join Star).
#1479
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,762
It's not against the rules to have a *A Gold lounge that is not a J lounge; the rules say you just need designated *A Gold lounges. LH does the same thing SQ does and does not have *A lounge = J lounge. (They do it differently and have the designated *A Gold lounge as the SEN/partner F lounge. But either way is in the rules. Personally, I think SQ's approach is more logical; it's bizarre that you get a worse lounge if you're on a multi-thousand dollar longhaul business class ticket but have no status than if you're *A Gold on a $200 economy ticket for FRA-LON.)
/digression
/digression
#1480
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,540
My speculation all along despite people here dont think so, is AS has put in some type of blockage because the CX redemption really costs them dough. There were some speculation a couple years ago, stemmed from the AS account closures on the abuse of its credit cards, and the convo people had with the BofA reps, it seems to me that, unlike AA or UA or DL program that the airlines sell boatload of miles to their partners for cash and then carry such as deferred revenue in their books, AS does not sell miles to BofA or its partners, but rather, expensed those miles as they are awarded / redeemed - sort of like a Pay as You Go system which might have served them well in the past when Blogs were not prolific and knowledge of travel hacking was not widespread. Market dynamic changed long ago but it might be hard for AS to adapt to the traditional model as the US3... The EK devaluation in my mind, has all the hallmarks of AS saying, enough is enough, to stop the bleeding.
I am not optimistic on the current CX and JL charts going forward in 2018. It would be a loss to us had the devaluation happened. Fortunately we normally dont make a specific trip US to HKG or even Asia - they are always worked in an itinerary that is pretty much encompassing multi-continents, just so it would be "cheaper" for us to visit families at the same time. On top of that, between EU and HKG, there are usually far less competition and enough options with other programs.
As of now, I am not transferring any more Marriott Travel Package to AS program until we are into 2018 for some time when things may become clearer. (CZ leaving SkyTeam and CX might join Star).
I am not optimistic on the current CX and JL charts going forward in 2018. It would be a loss to us had the devaluation happened. Fortunately we normally dont make a specific trip US to HKG or even Asia - they are always worked in an itinerary that is pretty much encompassing multi-continents, just so it would be "cheaper" for us to visit families at the same time. On top of that, between EU and HKG, there are usually far less competition and enough options with other programs.
As of now, I am not transferring any more Marriott Travel Package to AS program until we are into 2018 for some time when things may become clearer. (CZ leaving SkyTeam and CX might join Star).
If it was formulaic, such as AS = OneWorld - X, or something like that, then we'd be able to figure out the pattern pretty easily. But it isn't. I've had cases where OW = 3 and AS = 2...but I've also had cases where AS =1 and OW = 0. I've also had cases where AS and OW match. (Last week, I changed 3J EWRHKG to 3J JFKYVRHKG without much fuss...and the EWRHKG was returned to OW inventory).
Now, it could be that AS specifically revenue manages its CX awards...but that seems ridiculously complex. The time and expense associated with that just seems really unlikely to me.
So it leaves us where we began - why don't they harmonize?
Respectfully, Jamie
#1481
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE100k, MT Ambassador, HH Diamond, Accor Diamond, Avis President's Club, National Emerald Club
Posts: 229
what is the best way to search for cathay availability now?
ba?
asiamiles?
qantas?
trying to go yvr to hkg.
thanks in advance,
a
ba?
asiamiles?
qantas?
trying to go yvr to hkg.
thanks in advance,
a
#1482
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,838
There is no "best". All of the sources you mentioned will work, but do not necessarily reflect Alaska partner availability. You can use any of these for your initial search, then call AS to verify.
#1483
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: UA, AS
Posts: 2,393
#1484
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE100k, MT Ambassador, HH Diamond, Accor Diamond, Avis President's Club, National Emerald Club
Posts: 229
when searching Qantas availability are you only able to redeem Alaska points on the flights listed under their “classic rewards”?
#1485
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
Does anyone know if it’s possible to get CX space from HKG-TLV?