ARCHIVE: AA Awards on Cathay Pacific (2015)
Jan 3, 2015, 4:24 pm
#61
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: YYZ
Posts: 1,666
And the JL site can appropriately display married segment availability for CX. For instance, if I do a SIN-JFK search on JL I can see some results with HKG-JFK in F, while the HKG-JFK segment in F is not available by itself on JL/BA. But if I plug in the exact same date for SIN-JFK on BA, I get nothing.
Jan 3, 2015, 5:16 pm
#62
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 445
Just wanted to post and say thanks to everyone in this thread who provides such great advice. I landed in Bangkok yesterday after traveling in CX first from ORD, and it was an amazing experience. The flight, the lounges... Simply fantastic all around. And I only got to do it thanks to help from people on here, so thank you!
Jan 3, 2015, 5:40 pm
#63
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: Cathay Pacific
Posts: 9
I like how the AA thread is much more organized and topics consolidated into one single thread. In the Cathy forum, it's like a whole gutter of mess. There's a new thread for every tiny question.
Sincerely,
ex loyal Cathay customer
Sincerely,
ex loyal Cathay customer
Jan 3, 2015, 6:24 pm
#64
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Ocean Beach
Programs: Alaska MPVG75, AAdvantage PlatPro, Hyatt Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 535
It's now a little less than a year from departure, and I've managed to snag r/t award tickets for two YVR-SYD on Cathay (YVR-HKG-SYD and the reverse). All legs but HKG-SYD are in business class.
I check almost daily (obsessively??) but so far am stuck with economy HKG-SYD. Adding a one-day stopover in HKG, I can get business class HKG-MEL on Cathay and then MEL-SYD on Qantas.
I'd rather go direct on Cathay HKG-SYD, but for the sake of flying business class could live with going through MEL on Qantas. Should I wait it out and hope to switch to Cathay business class HKG-SYD, or take the Cathay/Qantas business class seats now?
I'm booking with AA miles. AA's phone rep didn't charge a booking fee, by the way, and in fact never mentioned it. Thanks to all here for the wonderful help and advice.
I check almost daily (obsessively??) but so far am stuck with economy HKG-SYD. Adding a one-day stopover in HKG, I can get business class HKG-MEL on Cathay and then MEL-SYD on Qantas.
I'd rather go direct on Cathay HKG-SYD, but for the sake of flying business class could live with going through MEL on Qantas. Should I wait it out and hope to switch to Cathay business class HKG-SYD, or take the Cathay/Qantas business class seats now?
I'm booking with AA miles. AA's phone rep didn't charge a booking fee, by the way, and in fact never mentioned it. Thanks to all here for the wonderful help and advice.
Jan 3, 2015, 7:30 pm
#65
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,592
One little note : AA doesn't charge a change fees if you don't charge the origin / destination AIRPORT (not the city). A change from JFK to EWR will result in change fees of USD 150
Jan 4, 2015, 7:24 am
#66
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 162
Approx 40 days out, time to get excited 
Still need to move my mom from the EWR flight to the wife and my JFK one, and if we are really lucky, get all 3 of us into FC.
Related, AA emailed yesterday about a schedule change. My wife and I are on separate PNRs, and they changed our connecting flights to not just different aircraft, but different airports. Gonna be fun to call and get that one fixed.
Still need to move my mom from the EWR flight to the wife and my JFK one, and if we are really lucky, get all 3 of us into FC.Related, AA emailed yesterday about a schedule change. My wife and I are on separate PNRs, and they changed our connecting flights to not just different aircraft, but different airports. Gonna be fun to call and get that one fixed.
Jan 4, 2015, 9:35 am
#67
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 6,790
CX 808 HKG-ORD cancelled in April?
On December 31, I got an unexpected e-mail from AA changing an award scheduled for April 2015. There were a few minor schedule and number changes on AA domestic feeder flights, but the key change was on the HKG-ORD flight.
My companion wants to run amok through the Jade Market while we're passing through Hong Kong, so we were scheduled to arrive in the early morning and were booked to depart that evening on CX 808, leaving at 18:25. We figured that would give her a good six hours in the Jade Market, plenty of time to exhaust her funding before we continued onward.
The new schedule has us on CX 806, a flight departing at about noon. That means we either blow off the Jade Market (and I won't hear the last of it for decades) or stay in Hong Kong overnight and leave the next day on 806.
I had hoped this might just be a mistake, a scheduler thinking it would be more efficient to get us out of HKG earlier, but when I called to check the AA CSR said she couldn't see 808 listed as flying that day. She also couldn't see award J or F availability for the 880 late evening flight into LAX or on 888, the early morning (00:30) flight into SFO and JFK.
For the time being, then, we're scheduled to overnight in Hong Kong and catch 806 the following day. I intend to check back periodically for openings on 888 and 880 as well. However, I was unable to determine on the Internet whether 808 has been cancelled for April, or just for that one flight (or maybe not at all).
Does anyone have good information? Or possibly other suggestions?
My companion wants to run amok through the Jade Market while we're passing through Hong Kong, so we were scheduled to arrive in the early morning and were booked to depart that evening on CX 808, leaving at 18:25. We figured that would give her a good six hours in the Jade Market, plenty of time to exhaust her funding before we continued onward.
The new schedule has us on CX 806, a flight departing at about noon. That means we either blow off the Jade Market (and I won't hear the last of it for decades) or stay in Hong Kong overnight and leave the next day on 806.
I had hoped this might just be a mistake, a scheduler thinking it would be more efficient to get us out of HKG earlier, but when I called to check the AA CSR said she couldn't see 808 listed as flying that day. She also couldn't see award J or F availability for the 880 late evening flight into LAX or on 888, the early morning (00:30) flight into SFO and JFK.
For the time being, then, we're scheduled to overnight in Hong Kong and catch 806 the following day. I intend to check back periodically for openings on 888 and 880 as well. However, I was unable to determine on the Internet whether 808 has been cancelled for April, or just for that one flight (or maybe not at all).
Does anyone have good information? Or possibly other suggestions?
Jan 4, 2015, 9:44 am
#68
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
On December 31, I got an unexpected e-mail from AA changing an award scheduled for April 2015. There were a few minor schedule and number changes on AA domestic feeder flights, but the key change was on the HKG-ORD flight.
My companion wants to run amok through the Jade Market while we're passing through Hong Kong, so we were scheduled to arrive in the early morning and were booked to depart that evening on CX 808, leaving at 18:25. We figured that would give her a good six hours in the Jade Market, plenty of time to exhaust her funding before we continued onward.
The new schedule has us on CX 806, a flight departing at about noon. That means we either blow off the Jade Market (and I won't hear the last of it for decades) or stay in Hong Kong overnight and leave the next day on 806.
I had hoped this might just be a mistake, a scheduler thinking it would be more efficient to get us out of HKG earlier, but when I called to check the AA CSR said she couldn't see 808 listed as flying that day. She also couldn't see award J or F availability for the 880 late evening flight into LAX or on 888, the early morning (00:30) flight into SFO and JFK.
For the time being, then, we're scheduled to overnight in Hong Kong and catch 806 the following day. I intend to check back periodically for openings on 888 and 880 as well. However, I was unable to determine on the Internet whether 808 has been cancelled for April, or just for that one flight (or maybe not at all).
Does anyone have good information? Or possibly other suggestions?
My companion wants to run amok through the Jade Market while we're passing through Hong Kong, so we were scheduled to arrive in the early morning and were booked to depart that evening on CX 808, leaving at 18:25. We figured that would give her a good six hours in the Jade Market, plenty of time to exhaust her funding before we continued onward.
The new schedule has us on CX 806, a flight departing at about noon. That means we either blow off the Jade Market (and I won't hear the last of it for decades) or stay in Hong Kong overnight and leave the next day on 806.
I had hoped this might just be a mistake, a scheduler thinking it would be more efficient to get us out of HKG earlier, but when I called to check the AA CSR said she couldn't see 808 listed as flying that day. She also couldn't see award J or F availability for the 880 late evening flight into LAX or on 888, the early morning (00:30) flight into SFO and JFK.
For the time being, then, we're scheduled to overnight in Hong Kong and catch 806 the following day. I intend to check back periodically for openings on 888 and 880 as well. However, I was unable to determine on the Internet whether 808 has been cancelled for April, or just for that one flight (or maybe not at all).
Does anyone have good information? Or possibly other suggestions?
Jan 4, 2015, 11:26 am
#69
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 6,790
Thanks for the confirmation on 808's demise (at least for the time being).
I now have a back-up hotel reservation for the evening, but will continue to check back regularly on 880 and 888.
I now have a back-up hotel reservation for the evening, but will continue to check back regularly on 880 and 888.
Jan 4, 2015, 11:59 am
#70
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,347
Are you 100% sure about this? I have read in this thread that number of people changed from an EWR flight to a JFK flight and were not charged a change fee.
Jan 4, 2015, 12:37 pm
#71
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,631
I'd had very good luck with last-minute award availability in the past, so I was hoping to change my award booking to 3 Jan for HKG-ORD in J. CX806 showed very few seats unassigned, but CX808 showed over 20 empty J seats. Nothing ever opened up. (My guess is that the seat map was good, since most J passengers get assigned seats, but they were overbooked in Y on this post-holiday travel date.) Somewhat obvious moral of story: no guarantees.
Jan 4, 2015, 2:12 pm
#73
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,347
That might be the case, however non-EXPs have reported not being charged either. One report was changing from EWR flight in J to JFK flight in F so some speculated that due to the upgrade they weren't charged the fee. However, here's one that wasn't charge for changing from J to J.
See post #1229 (sorry I don't know how to do a link directly to it):
"Yesterday I made a change from a HKG to EWR to HKG to JFK on CX using AA miles. Both business class. I expected to pay the change fee but it was never mentioned or charged. I just got the email confirmation."
I'm asking this because I have a booking for HKG>EWR and will most likely change to another flight going to EWR or JFK the same or previous day in either J or F (JFK flights ONLY) whatever is available. So I want to know what to expect.
I just had a very frustrating experience this morning trying to upgrade to F on my outbound. Did a search on BA and there was 1 F seat showing available for my flight so I immediately called AA - the wait time was a whopping 45 minutes to an hour. After 45 minutes I got through to an agent and refreshed the award seat results and of course that 1 F seat was gone! Perhaps it was snagged by a fellow FTer.... Now Cathay Pacific only shows 2 F seats available for sale on that specific flight so I'm wondering if any additional award space will be released at all. I will certainly keep on checking.
See post #1229 (sorry I don't know how to do a link directly to it):
"Yesterday I made a change from a HKG to EWR to HKG to JFK on CX using AA miles. Both business class. I expected to pay the change fee but it was never mentioned or charged. I just got the email confirmation."
I'm asking this because I have a booking for HKG>EWR and will most likely change to another flight going to EWR or JFK the same or previous day in either J or F (JFK flights ONLY) whatever is available. So I want to know what to expect.
I just had a very frustrating experience this morning trying to upgrade to F on my outbound. Did a search on BA and there was 1 F seat showing available for my flight so I immediately called AA - the wait time was a whopping 45 minutes to an hour. After 45 minutes I got through to an agent and refreshed the award seat results and of course that 1 F seat was gone! Perhaps it was snagged by a fellow FTer.... Now Cathay Pacific only shows 2 F seats available for sale on that specific flight so I'm wondering if any additional award space will be released at all. I will certainly keep on checking.
Last edited by friedablass; Jan 4, 2015 at 2:23 pm Reason: Added info
Jan 4, 2015, 2:22 pm
#74
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,636
Jan 4, 2015, 2:28 pm
#75
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: YYZ
Posts: 1,666
I wonder if one could get around the JFK/EWR issue if say, they just add a domestic segment to the beginning/end at the initial booking and then drop it after the change? Because there's no fee for dropping segments and as long as the originating country doesn't change, that should be okay?
For instance, I didn't have a problem with moving YYZ-LGA/EWR-HKG to YYZ-JFK-HKG (though of course, I needed to originate in YYZ, but I could see if someone added say, ORD-JFK at the beginning and just dropped it prior to travel there aren't fees)
For instance, I didn't have a problem with moving YYZ-LGA/EWR-HKG to YYZ-JFK-HKG (though of course, I needed to originate in YYZ, but I could see if someone added say, ORD-JFK at the beginning and just dropped it prior to travel there aren't fees)