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
Jun 4, 2018, 11:55 am
#2236
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: BAEC, Mileage Plus, Aeroplan, SPG
Posts: 62
Hey guys- I"m sure someone would have asked at some point, but i can't find the answer anywhere.
If I book an Alaska redemption for CX, but my booking goes as follows: YVR -> JFK, ORD ->HKG, HKG->DXB
Will this be considered one redemption from Canada to Middle east? or will it become two redemptions: Canada to US and then US to Middle East as a result of the JFK/ORD swap?
If I book an Alaska redemption for CX, but my booking goes as follows: YVR -> JFK, ORD ->HKG, HKG->DXB
Will this be considered one redemption from Canada to Middle east? or will it become two redemptions: Canada to US and then US to Middle East as a result of the JFK/ORD swap?
Jun 4, 2018, 12:12 pm
#2237
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
Hey guys- I"m sure someone would have asked at some point, but i can't find the answer anywhere.
If I book an Alaska redemption for CX, but my booking goes as follows: YVR -> JFK, ORD ->HKG, HKG->DXB
Will this be considered one redemption from Canada to Middle east? or will it become two redemptions: Canada to US and then US to Middle East as a result of the JFK/ORD swap?
If I book an Alaska redemption for CX, but my booking goes as follows: YVR -> JFK, ORD ->HKG, HKG->DXB
Will this be considered one redemption from Canada to Middle east? or will it become two redemptions: Canada to US and then US to Middle East as a result of the JFK/ORD swap?
Jun 4, 2018, 12:12 pm
#2238
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
Hey guys- I"m sure someone would have asked at some point, but i can't find the answer anywhere.
If I book an Alaska redemption for CX, but my booking goes as follows: YVR -> JFK, ORD ->HKG, HKG->DXB
Will this be considered one redemption from Canada to Middle east? or will it become two redemptions: Canada to US and then US to Middle East as a result of the JFK/ORD swap?
If I book an Alaska redemption for CX, but my booking goes as follows: YVR -> JFK, ORD ->HKG, HKG->DXB
Will this be considered one redemption from Canada to Middle east? or will it become two redemptions: Canada to US and then US to Middle East as a result of the JFK/ORD swap?
Jun 4, 2018, 12:21 pm
#2239
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Ocean Beach
Programs: Alaska MPVG75, AAdvantage PlatPro, Hyatt Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 535
I’d assume that CX thinks the flexibility of the Choice/Tailored awards (presumably more available) increases the market value. A business class ticket you can obtain whenever you need it is more valuable (will have a higher demand) that one that can only be obtained 330 days in advance of departure.
Jun 4, 2018, 12:30 pm
#2240
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,802
However I add two observations that limit how far my underpricing argument goes:
1. It is not just AS who accesses at 330 but AA and CA Phoenixmiles also;
2. Over at the AA thread we just observed that since CX announced AM changes, max J availability on any one CX NA flight seems to be two irrespective of whether is it AA or AM miles that are used for redemption.
Jun 4, 2018, 12:55 pm
#2241
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Ocean Beach
Programs: Alaska MPVG75, AAdvantage PlatPro, Hyatt Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 535
True. My assumption is that CX knows more about demand for its product than I do and can make rational decisions. But that could be overly optimistic.
Jun 4, 2018, 1:15 pm
#2242
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: BAEC, Mileage Plus, Aeroplan, SPG
Posts: 62
Thanks guys - as I thought.
What surprises me is what you both say about it being considered 2 redemptions even if departure was JFK. I thought I had read datapoints where this was possible. I could be wrong I guess.
What surprises me is what you both say about it being considered 2 redemptions even if departure was JFK. I thought I had read datapoints where this was possible. I could be wrong I guess.
Jun 4, 2018, 1:35 pm
#2243
Join Date: May 2015
Programs: BAEC, AAdvantage, AMEX Plat
Posts: 108
Changing a mileage plan award ticket on CX
I have an AS booked award ticket on CX metal from NYC-HKG. I wanted to see how much it might cost me to change my flight on the same flight to first class besides the additional miles. I am super confused with the alaska website, and all the recent changes. Any help would be truly appreciated.
Jun 4, 2018, 1:49 pm
#2244
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: ANC
Programs: Alaska 100k
Posts: 1,012
I have an AS booked award ticket on CX metal from NYC-HKG. I wanted to see how much it might cost me to change my flight on the same flight to first class besides the additional miles. I am super confused with the alaska website, and all the recent changes. Any help would be truly appreciated.
If you book after today, this will be changing.
Jun 4, 2018, 2:18 pm
#2245
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: British Columbia
Programs: AS MVPG100K, Marriott Marriott Titanium Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 7,263
While I have no direct experience others have said they have not been charged for a CABIN change inside 60 days.
James
Last edited by Flying for Fun; Jun 4, 2018 at 8:47 pm
Jun 4, 2018, 2:58 pm
#2246
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
I have no relevant experience either--although I hopefully will on a JL award later this year, J space allowing--but my understanding is that AS won't charge the change fee for upgrading a segment's cabin when the award is already at that level--i.e., you booked partner flight A in J and partner flight B in F, and you're moving flight A up to F now that award space is open in that cabin. I'm not sure if they'll do the same to change cabin for an entire award.
Jun 4, 2018, 3:38 pm
#2247
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,392
I see.
It's not just booking an AS connection that'll suck if you're not a Gold or 75K. Any HKG connections from westbound TRANSPAC flights are going to be the next day, so that'll require a subsequent call if you're booking at AS's schedule window opening. Same goes for booking a stopover in either direction.
At least out of SEA an actual coach ticket to LAX would be less than $125 most of the time...
Jun 4, 2018, 3:50 pm
#2248
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
If they did they got extremely lucky. If you want to fly CX award from Chicago or East, the award needs to start there.
Jun 4, 2018, 3:55 pm
#2249
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,392
Not to mention that AS doesn't do open unflown segments of AAA-BBB//CCC-DDD where there's no flight between BBB and CCC on a single award; that would be two awards (unflown segments are not a stopover/open-jaw scenario, stopover means you go on from where the stopover happens, open jaw implies a return segment). So YVR-JFK//ORD-HKG-DXB will price as two awards for sure. (ORD and JFK are not coterminals, either- I've booked BKK-HKG(stop)-SFO//OAK-SEA on a CX award but that's only because there was a super long forced layover at SFO I could get out of by taking BART to OAK, and OAK and SFO ARE coterminals).
Jun 4, 2018, 8:28 pm
#2250
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: British Columbia
Programs: AS MVPG100K, Marriott Marriott Titanium Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 7,263
deleted, duplicate!
Last edited by Flying for Fun; Jun 4, 2018 at 8:46 pm