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, 2018, 3:46 pm
#1681
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
Just wondering I have been having the same problem trying to get HKG-EUR. I'm not wanting to go from HKG-US just to get to EUR. Did you check either QF or BA for CX availability first? I've been doing this for days. I did ring about availability with CX with the AS call centre but they can't access a lot of the BA/QF CX award availability. Do you think it's better just to ring AS call centre periodically to see if they can come up with anything. Getting connecting flight HKG-EUR after securing AKL-HKG on CX J has been just about impossible unless you are prepared to stay 4-7 days in HKG.
Jan 20, 2018, 4:55 pm
#1682
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,740
Anyone heading to Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, or Queensland for that matter, please do some research on the danger of being stung by a tiny yet very deadly jellyfish.
Deadly Irukandji jellyfish are heading further south on an invasion of warmer waters.
Please read the above article and go all the way to the bottom. A bodysuit would not protect you.
https://www.tourismwhitsundays.com.a...er-information
https://www.childrens.health.qld.gov.../bites-stings/
Do check out the Queensland website on their advice about Marne Creatures.
Oct to May are consider the high danger months. Lifeguards would drag the nets on the water. If they see anything the beach would be shut down immediately But there are just so much they can do. So taking precaution as personal responsibility may just save your own life.
Last edited by Happy; Jan 20, 2018 at 5:02 pm
Jan 21, 2018, 2:39 pm
#1683
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 272
I able to grab 2 seat for J business either from HKG to SFO or LAX, but on the last segment to either LAX/SFO to SEA. I am not able to see any low first class award 25k in October? what do your guys usually do? spend money to buy another ticket or booked the HKG part first then later near the trip in 1-2 month then call in to add the final segment? thanks!
Jan 21, 2018, 3:32 pm
#1684
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,378
I able to grab 2 seat for J business either from HKG to SFO or LAX, but on the last segment to either LAX/SFO to SEA. I am not able to see any low first class award 25k in October? what do your guys usually do? spend money to buy another ticket or booked the HKG part first then later near the trip in 1-2 month then call in to add the final segment? thanks!
Jan 21, 2018, 8:40 pm
#1686
Join Date: Feb 2001
Programs: IHG Diamond, HH Diamond, BW Diamond Select, Accor Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 4,227
2) Book economy and change it later. (Keep searching every so often. Obviously, it's better if you can make the change for free >60 days out.)
3) Consider a stop-over in LAX/SFO if you can book first the next day.
AS has many more flights LAX-SEA than SFO-SEA and seems to make them available for awards way more often too, so if you can't book the connection in first, I'd probably be inclined to book via LAX rather than SFO.
Jan 21, 2018, 9:01 pm
#1687
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,378
If it REALLY freaks you out to spend an award flight in coach, do as suggested above or use a co-terminal, SJC/OAK for SFO, BUR/SNA/ONT for LAX. Getting to the coterminal is on you. Ive done CX F into SFO and OAK-SEA when the SFO flight timings were garbage (something like a five hour wait because there were no SEA nonstops out of SFO). BART to OAK from SFO isnt terrible.
Jan 22, 2018, 10:49 am
#1688
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,740
The only caveat is, there are much more flights out from LAX to SEA than from SFO. So if anything happened to your inbound CX flight, the recovery options probably are more than at SFO.
I once lost the LAX-SEA F seat due to the inbound CX flight had a medical diversion to SFO but we were not allowed to disembark there, not even parked at the terminal but to an emergency landing pad in the midfield. Then the airport security truck / fire truck (why so?)/ Medic ambulance came. Took a long time but then we needed to taxi to the terminal to refuel due to not enough fuel to get to LAX now. So my almost 4 hours connection LAX-SEA went to just an hour after I reached T6 check in desk. My original flight was delayed but not left yet. My husband was on that flight.
Agent refused to put me back on but "with my permission" he could put me on the next flight in coach versus the yet next flight back in F. Needless to say I took the coach seat. Agent looked at my new BP which showed Precheck. He said "good you have that. Just pass thru the Precheck and walk fast straight, not stopping anywhere." lol. When I rushed thru boarding gates I saw my original flight was still boarding! Went to the gate and asked if they could put me on if anything available. GAs did not even look up said flight was full and told me to rush down 2 more gates on my rescheduled flight.
At the gate I went to the podium and asked if there was any chance to get back in F. GA looked and apologized, said, "Unfortunately all checked in. But I could at least put you on an aisle seat so you would not be stuck in a middle seat." I was initially assigned Row 10 middle seat, she changed it to Row 21 aisle C.
It was totally OK for the 2 hours flight especially my husband later said whatever distributed on his flight was not edible. He only arrived hotel 30 min ahead of me due to his flight left an hour late.
I once lost the LAX-SEA F seat due to the inbound CX flight had a medical diversion to SFO but we were not allowed to disembark there, not even parked at the terminal but to an emergency landing pad in the midfield. Then the airport security truck / fire truck (why so?)/ Medic ambulance came. Took a long time but then we needed to taxi to the terminal to refuel due to not enough fuel to get to LAX now. So my almost 4 hours connection LAX-SEA went to just an hour after I reached T6 check in desk. My original flight was delayed but not left yet. My husband was on that flight.
Agent refused to put me back on but "with my permission" he could put me on the next flight in coach versus the yet next flight back in F. Needless to say I took the coach seat. Agent looked at my new BP which showed Precheck. He said "good you have that. Just pass thru the Precheck and walk fast straight, not stopping anywhere." lol. When I rushed thru boarding gates I saw my original flight was still boarding! Went to the gate and asked if they could put me on if anything available. GAs did not even look up said flight was full and told me to rush down 2 more gates on my rescheduled flight.
At the gate I went to the podium and asked if there was any chance to get back in F. GA looked and apologized, said, "Unfortunately all checked in. But I could at least put you on an aisle seat so you would not be stuck in a middle seat." I was initially assigned Row 10 middle seat, she changed it to Row 21 aisle C.
It was totally OK for the 2 hours flight especially my husband later said whatever distributed on his flight was not edible. He only arrived hotel 30 min ahead of me due to his flight left an hour late.
Jan 26, 2018, 10:46 am
#1689
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: NYC
Programs: Skymiles Platinum / Alaska MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 90
Hi all. My wife, infant daughter, and I are traveling to Vietnam (from NYC) in the Summer and I'm thinking of using Alaska Miles for CX Business class one way to HAN or SGN. To save paying over $1,000 for the lap infant fee, I think I may book three seats for us - business class for my wife and the baby and then an economy seat for myself - and then ideally i could slide into the business class seat after takeoff.
Would appreciate any useful thoughts or advice from folks with experience.
Would appreciate any useful thoughts or advice from folks with experience.
Jan 26, 2018, 10:56 am
#1690
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
Hi all. My wife, infant daughter, and I are traveling to Vietnam (from NYC) in the Summer and I'm thinking of using Alaska Miles for CX Business class one way to HAN or SGN. To save paying over $1,000 for the lap infant fee, I think I may book three seats for us - business class for my wife and the baby and then an economy seat for myself - and then ideally i could slide into the business class seat after takeoff.
Would appreciate any useful thoughts or advice from folks with experience.
Would appreciate any useful thoughts or advice from folks with experience.
Jan 26, 2018, 10:58 am
#1691
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,635
Hi all. My wife, infant daughter, and I are traveling to Vietnam (from NYC) in the Summer and I'm thinking of using Alaska Miles for CX Business class one way to HAN or SGN. To save paying over $1,000 for the lap infant fee, I think I may book three seats for us - business class for my wife and the baby and then an economy seat for myself - and then ideally i could slide into the business class seat after takeoff.
Would appreciate any useful thoughts or advice from folks with experience.
Would appreciate any useful thoughts or advice from folks with experience.
It is no different than you travelling by yourself and self upgrading to an empty seat.
Jan 26, 2018, 11:00 am
#1692
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: NYC
Programs: Skymiles Platinum / Alaska MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 90
Jan 26, 2018, 11:46 am
#1693
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,533
Hi all. My wife, infant daughter, and I are traveling to Vietnam (from NYC) in the Summer and I'm thinking of using Alaska Miles for CX Business class one way to HAN or SGN. To save paying over $1,000 for the lap infant fee, I think I may book three seats for us - business class for my wife and the baby and then an economy seat for myself - and then ideally i could slide into the business class seat after takeoff.
Would appreciate any useful thoughts or advice from folks with experience.
Would appreciate any useful thoughts or advice from folks with experience.
Did this exact trip last summer (using AS currency). Nothing could have prepared me for the heat of Vietnam. Tokyo summers are a breeze. Jogging in Singapore in July? Bring it on. But I couldn't believe the wall of heat and humidity that tried to body slam me back through the hotel door every time I tried to leave. Abu Dhabi in August was much easier to contend with, at least that was a dry heat.
Jamie
Jan 26, 2018, 12:03 pm
#1694
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: NYC
Programs: Skymiles Platinum / Alaska MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 90
Jan 26, 2018, 5:03 pm
#1695
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 178
sorry, been reading thread. I want to go to HKG from Toronto on business class. How many points is it required on CX?