CGRA

Very true for the T-24
Wanted to change an HKG-LHR on BA to CX
Nothing at T-22 by phone with AA (despite was available on BA.com and it was F3)
called at T-15 and AA found it and was ticketed / change in one hour.
AA gave me 1D and called MPC to change it to 2K (easily done)
Checked on CX and it was confirmed for 2 K
When I received my BP at DPS it was 2D. I didn't pay attention until I board in HKHand realized that someone (without baby) was in my seat. (in fact it was his seat)

My final destination was CDG, not LHR. (full routing was DPS-HKG-LHR-CDG)
HKG-CDG was F0 at T-24 (the seat map show 2A and 2K available, probably some people who booked their ticket without assigning a seat)
75 mns prior departure I checked on EF and the CDG flight was F2, asked CX at the lounge for their opinion and they told me that even if AA changed it, they need one hour to find and change my checked bags so it'll be too late (they told me that bags must fly with pax)
I wish I'll have checked the CDG flight earlier in the day (
That will save me 4 hours and probably a delayed bag
The 2 seats available were in fact 2A & 2K (same seats already available on the seat map) I know that we should not trust a seat map but this is an odd coincidence, maybe EF was wrong with the F0 ?

The guy in 1D receive a nice congratulations drawing from CX FA for 500.000 miles flown

They have 8 or 10 box of 20 g caviars on board for the 6 F pax
I asked / received a second one for breakfast.

Was it a good idea to change from BA in A380 to CX ,?, (both in F)

starbuk

There are very few times when switching into CX F is not the best idea. I don't think a BA A380 is one of them. Maybe for SQ Suites or a Middle Eastern A380 flight.

PWMTrav

It should and usually does, but in this case, it doesn't. Neither does AA's site when I pull up the PNR. That's why I'm asking here. All I know otherwise is the AA rep telling me it "should" be CX's allowance.

Looking here: https://www.aa.com/i18n/utility/baggageExceptions.jsp

Since this award is priced as a J/F award with a voluntary downgrade on the first outbound segment (we're split across cabins for now), I'm thinking it'll actually be AA's allowance that applies and that allowance is 2 bags.

CGRA

[
thank you.

susiesan

No problem getting the flight within Asia. I just booked the last segment for my vacation to Sri Lanka next Feb. award tickets HKG-CMB. Got the flight I wanted CX 611 on the first call to AA this morning, when they became available.

This is what I ended up with outbound:
Feb. 10, 2016
US 601 MCI-PHX 6:15pm-7:59pm, F
US 640 PHX-LAX 9:10pm-9:39pm, F
CX 881 LAX-HKG 12:05am-7:40am Feb. 12, 1 F and 1 J
CX 661HKG-CMB 8:10pm-11:30pm, J

I will check in periodically to see if another F seat opens up on CX 881.
Now I wait 2 weeks for the dates of the return to open up. I will decide whether to use a CX routing through ORD on the way home or JL routing through LAX to be able to try F on JL.

25milesfromhome

I was able to grab a second LAX-HKG F seat around six months out. They seem to pop up randomly when there are no or few other bookings in F. So, it's worth checking regularly--not just when you're within 2 weeks of departure.

susiesan

Yes, that is what I was planning to do. Check maybe once a week.

jamienbaker

Agreed. Another reason why Awardnexus is worth it.

susiesan

I find it just as easy to search on JL or BA site then call AA to make the change. If awardnexus would send an email when the award seat is available
then we'd have a plan.

When I called today for the final leg HKG-CMB AA agent could see flights on Feb. 12 but the JL site was not seeing Feb.12, only Feb. 11. So the AA agent was one day ahead of JL site. Interesting.

jamienbaker

That's what awardnexus does. It sends you an email when the award is available. It's how I recently snagged an F seat for August, on a day that I probably wouldn't have bothered checking BA myself (I think I was putting up he Xmas tree, or maybe skiing, don't remember. But I do remember calling AA from the side of the road and claiming what's rightfully mine).

25milesfromhome

I find AwardNexus interface and credit system confusing. I guess I need to go back and play around with it some more. On the other hand I'm happy with KVS but there is no automated search or notification function.

jamienbaker

Agree it could be more user friendly. And the points can go quickly if you're not careful (or if colleagues constantly ask for searches, but I digress). Still, for automation, it can't be beat. I've scored a half dozen CX awards with it.

cks30

+1
I Love it. It's such a great tool for book award travel. The notification system is well worth the fee.

Ross0

Can I use add'l AA miles to move from J to F if the inventory is available even if I have completed a domestic segment of the same ticket?

Flying DCA-JFK-HKG next week (CX flight in J) and am closely watching to see if CX opens F award space (I booked these tickets 331 days out and there has never been F space available). If after the DCA-JFK leg is complete CX opens F inventory to HKG can I call AA and move to F or is this sort of change not permitted after the initial segment? I assume I can still use more miles to re ticket to F but would like confirmation

PDXPremier

Waiting for a J seat to open up for December...do the J class seats typically open up like the pattern that exists with F...two weeks or so from departure? I'm hoping for maybe a few J seats to open up around 6 months but I can live with 2 weeks....