EK partner award change
 

Hi all, slightly complicated but hoping some of the experts here can advise a strategy?

Ive booked LHR-DXB-SFO in Business with a stopover in Dubai.

Ive flown LHR-DXB already (currently in DXB).

There is now F award space on the day after my onward DXB-SFO.

I want to change my booking to go F to SFO on that date.

Is it possible to cancel the second leg and get a partial refund? And then just book a new DXB-SFO flight?
Or is it possible to change the DXB-SFO and pay the miles difference for that leg from Business to F?

As AS doesn't allow for LHR-DXB, I think you're stuck with it, unless you upfare the whole journey.

to answer my own question, after a lengthy phone call with a very helpful agent, there is no possible way to do this...
So i am stuck with what i have already booked.

Can you even do that? I thought you couldn't make changes once travel started on AS award tickets.

Correct, no changes allowed once travel has started on a one way, according to the agent.
Even cancelling wouldnt get me a refund.

Could you upgrade onboard with EK miles? If you have at least EK Silver status (unlikely given you're flying on AS miles) - I don't know whether purchase method or currency matters once onboard, so that may have worked. You could even try in the lounge. Amex MR can be transferred to EK, apparently instantly

I have plenty of EK miles, will give this a try in lounge and onboard.... but i doubt it would be possible, given that the ticket is booked using AS miles

You can change, AFAIK, but you cannot change the award type (business to First) once any bit of that direction is flown.

Like seemingly everything else in Mileage Plan, YMMV. I have done something similar twice (2017 and 2018) with a one-way Cathay award: both business class redemptions beginning in SIN and SGN; upgraded award to first class while in HKG for onward journey HKG-LAX.

how did they change it and how much did they charge?
was it a difficult process?
was this change made by AS on the phone? or done by CX in HKG airport?

Elite status probably helps; if you just bought a brace of Alaska miles so you could fly EK (or transferred from Marriott/Diners Club, or churned the Alaska card) and you've never stepped on a plane with an Eskimo on the tail you probably won't get the same results as a long time Alaska elite if you're asking for "waivers and favors".

I wouldn't expect to be able to cancel a leg and get a partial refund; there is no AS award chart for Europe-DXB on EK. I repeat: there is no "fly from Europe to Middle East" award involving EK. So if you did that you'd pay full price for a second award DXB-SFO.

You can certainly play the HUCA game if you'd like and see if you get different answers...

How on earth is CX or EK going to be able to charge anyone in AS miles for the difference between J and F? They are obviously different prices, and CX/EK is only paid for a J ticket unless the award is reissued in F, or do you think EK or CX is going to give you an upgrade based on your willingness to give them AS miles (which aren't EK or CX miles)? That's not how this works... :confused:

The only people who can reissue you a new ticket and charge you the difference in price between a J award on EK and and F award are quite obviously AS, given that you used those miles in the first place.

Quite simple on both occasions: Call AS and ask for someone who can process a change to a CX award. If you get a qualified agent (a complete crapshoot), explain you've been watching for first to open up, and you believe it just did. "Can you check, and if it is available, can you confirm and charge me for the one way first class redemption instead?" Yes, yes, and yes. 50K refund, 70K redemption, add/collect on tax change due to forex.

Maybe I've just been lucky, or it's easier to get to yes when you're a perpetual 75K? Who knows - nothing is standard or predictable with AS MP customer service roulette.

In my experience, WAY easier, even as "bouncing somewhere between MVP and MVPG for over a decade, coming up on half a million AS butt in seat miles".

Never really thought about this, but you're probably right. Although with EK, a 75K still might have issues :o