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
Sep 24, 2018, 8:43 am
#2716
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: DUB-BOS
Programs: various
Posts: 3,683
I have a CMB-HKG-JFK award booked since the start of the year..
I now would prefer to start at HKG, will they let me drop the CMB leg, or do I have to do a cancel/rebook?
I fear I will not get the HKG-JFK seats back if I have to cancel
I now would prefer to start at HKG, will they let me drop the CMB leg, or do I have to do a cancel/rebook?
I fear I will not get the HKG-JFK seats back if I have to cancel
Sep 24, 2018, 8:52 am
#2717
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
im speaking from 75k experience, but I dont think dropping a segment is a big deal. You may have to pay a fee since your originating in a difference city, but you certainly will not have to start over.
Sep 24, 2018, 10:25 am
#2718
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,380
HKG airport tax is now applicable if it is not a connection, for instance. Also the $125 change fee may apply.
Sep 24, 2018, 10:42 am
#2719
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: SEA/ORD/ADB
Programs: TK ELPL (*G), AS 100K (OWE), BA Gold (OWE), Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 7,763
I wouldn't be so confident - there are multiple reports that AS is unable to break CX married segment inventory.
Sep 24, 2018, 1:46 pm
#2720
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 343
I apologize if this has been asked and answered (I did a search for MLE and Maldives in this thread and couldnt find answer). Is an award flight from North America/US (SFO) to Maldives (MLE) in Business 50K miles one way or 62.5K miles one way? Getting conflicting answers from the blogs and from this thread. Thanks in advance!
It’s Middle East/India @62.5k, where else would it be? Look at a map... It’s WEST of India. Apparently bloggers don’t read maps, or they’re doing the “HUCA and find the weak link” trick the way they used to do with US to get cheaper awards. I don’t doubt that bloggers would argue that LGW is in Asia if they could get away with it...
Sep 24, 2018, 5:38 pm
#2721
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,380
Just wanted to update that Maldives / MLE is considered part of Asia for Cathay Pacific via Alaska Air Mileage Plan award booking purposes; no HUCA necessary as the agent was able to book the flights I saw on Qantas and miles required matched this chart
AS considers USA-NRT-DEL to cost less than USA-NRT-BKK on JL. I guess they don’t have that side of the world squared away yet. US was pretty famous for having messed up awards you could milk too. OK...
Sep 25, 2018, 6:26 am
#2722
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: DUB-BOS
Programs: various
Posts: 3,683
I have 1 free T-60 day change so can avoid the $125
It seems dropping a leg is possible - and this might be pushing it - but what about changing the start to BKK. Will that require a cancel/rebook?
Thanks in advance
Sep 25, 2018, 8:00 am
#2723
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,380
It’s a change.
You know, you could always call and hang up without changing if you don’t like where the call is going...
You know, you could always call and hang up without changing if you don’t like where the call is going...
Sep 26, 2018, 6:45 pm
#2724
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 46
yes, I don't see why you can't have them drop it. There will be difference in $$$ you might need to pay or get back.
Sep 26, 2018, 6:47 pm
#2725
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 46
Anyone had luck this year with HKG->CPT CX flights? I have a HKG->JNB booked in November, and was hoping to switch to CPT. Looks like no seats whatsoever. I'll check again near the start of the trip.
Sep 26, 2018, 7:09 pm
#2726
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
Its always been short on award space because its seasonal and only 3x weekly so they have enough demand for the limited number of seats.
Sep 26, 2018, 11:07 pm
#2728
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 80
Try searching on JAL for married segments all the way from the US. if you can find the HKG-->CPT segment as part of a US-originating itinerary, Alaska will be able to add it to your ticket.
Sep 28, 2018, 7:01 am
#2730
Join Date: Feb 2001
Programs: IHG Diamond, HH Diamond, BW Diamond Select, Accor Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 4,227
To those of you who are SEA-based, how are you handling the problem of the big nearby hubs being SFO and LAX and there being no "A" availability between SEA and SFO/LAX any more? AS used to have first awards on pretty much every SEA-LAX flight and a few SEA-SFO flights, but now there's nothing.