Cathay Pacific (CX) Award Redemption, Booking and Availability (2019-2022)
#181
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,384
Hi there,
I've been looking into booking a one way award from SIN-HKG-YYZ. I gave the agent some of the segments found on BA with availability in different classes (i.e. SIN-HKG in PY and HKG-YYZ in J), and they told me it would actually be two tickets (15k points for SIN-HKG and 50k points for HKG-YYZ). Is this correct? Can they not issue this trip as a single ticket at 50k points? Or is this a case of HUCA?
I've been looking into booking a one way award from SIN-HKG-YYZ. I gave the agent some of the segments found on BA with availability in different classes (i.e. SIN-HKG in PY and HKG-YYZ in J), and they told me it would actually be two tickets (15k points for SIN-HKG and 50k points for HKG-YYZ). Is this correct? Can they not issue this trip as a single ticket at 50k points? Or is this a case of HUCA?
I wouldn’t count on getting PE for the SIN-HKG segment. CX swaps airplanes a lot on that route, you might get shorthaul.
#182
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: YYZ
Posts: 27
Thank you, I thought that but they seemed certain that it would have to be ticketed that way. And thanks for the tip about PE for SIN-HKG!
#183
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Programs: BMI Diamond Club Gold forever
Posts: 6,367
I was looking for SEA-HKG in biz in May, BA showed 7 award seats on my desired date for that (yay, to not have to drive to YVR!) but then connecting to Delhi later in the evening so we could have a full day in HKG. All tools showed HKG-DEL in biz but nothing showed the two flights together. I was surprised that the agent was able to piece this together, with folks increasingly reporting challenges with married segments and CX.
#184
Join Date: Nov 2013
Programs: NZ
Posts: 1,549
I was looking for SEA-HKG in biz in May, BA showed 7 award seats on my desired date for that (yay, to not have to drive to YVR!) but then connecting to Delhi later in the evening so we could have a full day in HKG. All tools showed HKG-DEL in biz but nothing showed the two flights together. I was surprised that the agent was able to piece this together, with folks increasingly reporting challenges with married segments and CX.
#185
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,165
I'd like to book BKK-HKG-JFK on CX with my AS miles.
The QF website shows availability for HKG-JFK, but nothing for BKK-HKG.
Interestingly when I search for BKK-JFK, the website shows availability for BKK-HKG-JFK.
JL's website shows the exact same results.
This gives me the feeling I'm dealing with married segments here.
I called AS and asked if they can see CX availability for BKK-JFK, but the agent was not able to see any availability.
She was only able to see the HKG-JFK leg separately, but not the whole BKK-HGK-JFK segments.
I'm wondering if there's a way for AS to book these married segments that I'm seeing on QF and JL's websites.
Does anyone have experience dealing with CX's married segment availability with AS miles?
The QF website shows availability for HKG-JFK, but nothing for BKK-HKG.
Interestingly when I search for BKK-JFK, the website shows availability for BKK-HKG-JFK.
JL's website shows the exact same results.
This gives me the feeling I'm dealing with married segments here.
I called AS and asked if they can see CX availability for BKK-JFK, but the agent was not able to see any availability.
She was only able to see the HKG-JFK leg separately, but not the whole BKK-HGK-JFK segments.
I'm wondering if there's a way for AS to book these married segments that I'm seeing on QF and JL's websites.
Does anyone have experience dealing with CX's married segment availability with AS miles?
#186
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: UA, AS
Posts: 2,393
I'd like to book BKK-HKG-JFK on CX with my AS miles.
The QF website shows availability for HKG-JFK, but nothing for BKK-HKG.
Interestingly when I search for BKK-JFK, the website shows availability for BKK-HKG-JFK.
JL's website shows the exact same results.
This gives me the feeling I'm dealing with married segments here.
I called AS and asked if they can see CX availability for BKK-JFK, but the agent was not able to see any availability.
She was only able to see the HKG-JFK leg separately, but not the whole BKK-HGK-JFK segments.
I'm wondering if there's a way for AS to book these married segments that I'm seeing on QF and JL's websites.
Does anyone have experience dealing with CX's married segment availability with AS miles?
The QF website shows availability for HKG-JFK, but nothing for BKK-HKG.
Interestingly when I search for BKK-JFK, the website shows availability for BKK-HKG-JFK.
JL's website shows the exact same results.
This gives me the feeling I'm dealing with married segments here.
I called AS and asked if they can see CX availability for BKK-JFK, but the agent was not able to see any availability.
She was only able to see the HKG-JFK leg separately, but not the whole BKK-HGK-JFK segments.
I'm wondering if there's a way for AS to book these married segments that I'm seeing on QF and JL's websites.
Does anyone have experience dealing with CX's married segment availability with AS miles?
HUCA. It should be possible with a competent agent but they need to search for BKK-JFK. Not BKK-HKG-JFK. Tell them you want to go from BKK to JFK, the date, the carrier, the time (maybe have them search using departure time too) and hopefully they can see it. You may have to call back a few times. Not all agents are experienced in married segment partner bookings.
#187
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,165
Evidence suggests AS can ticket married segment itineraries. It could have been an inexperienced agent. It is also possible this was a caching issue. AS does cache some JL availability so maybe they cache CX availability too? If you call back in a few hours or the next day the caching issue would not affect it. Flight around midnight? I do not see flights departing BKK close to midnight so that probably is not the issue.
HUCA. It should be possible with a competent agent but they need to search for BKK-JFK. Not BKK-HKG-JFK. Tell them you want to go from BKK to JFK, the date, the carrier, the time (maybe have them search using departure time too) and hopefully they can see it. You may have to call back a few times. Not all agents are experienced in married segment partner bookings.
HUCA. It should be possible with a competent agent but they need to search for BKK-JFK. Not BKK-HKG-JFK. Tell them you want to go from BKK to JFK, the date, the carrier, the time (maybe have them search using departure time too) and hopefully they can see it. You may have to call back a few times. Not all agents are experienced in married segment partner bookings.
I had to call four times until I got an agent who was able to find and book the two flights together. (I tried calling AS whenever I had some spare time during the day to check my luck.)
All in my four calls I told the agents I wanted to book a one-way ticket from Bangkok to New York JFK, but somehow only the fourth agent was able to find the married segments being available.
I am not quite sure what she did differently compared to the other agents, but I'm happy to share a data point that tells AS indeed can book CX married segments.
Cheers.
#188
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Canada
Programs: Alaska,AC,Avios,
Posts: 330
hi everyone , whats the best way to find first class reward availability ?I've been searching searching on British avios for many days but no luck. Is there a gui anyone can point me to?
#189
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 590
I always use BA. The fact that you're having trouble finding availability adds up with the experiences of others. Try looking 10+ months out, I bet you'll find something.
#190
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: British Columbia
Programs: AS MVPG100K, Marriott Marriott Titanium Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 7,263
I never book out 330 days but usually do find my awards in the 4 month to 3 month range and then closer in within a week.
James
#192
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: British Columbia
Programs: AS MVPG100K, Marriott Marriott Titanium Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 7,263
James
#193
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 590
No biggie, AS processed a return of 20K miles (LAX-HKG-BNE) and credited my Credit Card $1.98 I flew JL J/F HKG-NRT-JFK two weeks ago and took a stopover in JFK with 2 onward segments booked in mid March. For me, JL F is a better product both hard and soft. After a 5 week vacation and an around the world J revenue mileage run we will fly back on JL F award to SFO an then on to PHX.
James
James
#194
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Canada
Programs: Alaska,AC,Avios,
Posts: 330
I prefer to use QF for searching CX availability. What city are you checking from? The error fare at New Years filled up a lot of F cabins with revenue tickets so finding F this year will be a challenge. Also note that not all flights operated from the US have an F cabin. I was downgraded from F to J on LAX-HKG last Thurday with an aircraft swap to 3 cabin (J, PE, Y) 777. With all the flights that day from LAX only one was a 4 cabin configuration.
I never book out 330 days but usually do find my awards in the 4 month to 3 month range and then closer in within a week.
James
I never book out 330 days but usually do find my awards in the 4 month to 3 month range and then closer in within a week.
James
#195
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Canada
Programs: Alaska,AC,Avios,
Posts: 330
No biggie, AS processed a return of 20K miles (LAX-HKG-BNE) and credited my Credit Card $1.98 I flew JL J/F HKG-NRT-JFK two weeks ago and took a stopover in JFK with 2 onward segments booked in mid March. For me, JL F is a better product both hard and soft. After a 5 week vacation and an around the world J revenue mileage run we will fly back on JL F award to SFO an then on to PHX.
James
James