VLtone

FYI - Nov 21 just opened up F space on JFK to HKG via YVR. It wasn't the flight I was after but it looks like it just became available (or at least it was earlier today).

beofotch

Thank you! I checked this morning and now in November HKG - CMB CX611 now has business awards when it hasn't for a single day at any time in October. My date is still actually not available because that flight has a bit higher load. So last night someone "flipped the switch" and turned on CX611 business awards for the month of November.

IamHungry

How or when will CX open up an award for business class, HKG - BKK route on 12/23? I now have an overnight transit leaving on 24th.

metoo

I am waiting for the CMB -HKG to open up for January 8, 2017. Does anyone know when this may happen?

FT-hss

1) Will AA agree to short-check my check-in bags to HKG on a PHX-SFO-HKG-BKK-CMB itinerary? The connection in HKG is 11 hours.
2) If they do, then do Pier/Wing First lounges have facility to secure my luggage when enjoy the lounge
3) Based on number two do I need to get out to pick up my bags and clear security again to get to the lounges?

FlyerBeek

1) Yes
2) Yes - but this will only work for carry-on sized bags that have cleared security (see below)
3) All lounges (except for the CX Arrivals lounge, which isn't really germane to this discussion) are located post-security. You would first need to reclaim and recheck your checked luggage before accessing the Wing or Pier.

-FlyerBeek

eponymous_coward

I don't quite get this sequence of events.

That and going back and forth landside-airside is not exactly a wise idea.

ETA: Oh, OK, I saw your other posts, where you're planning on no-showing segments on pre-deval AA awards and flying to a different destination on a separate Avios CX ticket, etc.

I would yield to the estimable JonNYC in these posts:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/26948694-post54.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/26948762-post57.html

Seems to me you're basically taking the opposite approach to his advice. Which is certainly your right, but I don't have better advice than he does.

seawolf

Adding on to FlyerBeek's response.

Unlike US airports, HKG is divided into three zones, Airside-Departures, Arrivals, and Landside. The ALLOWED flow are as follows:

• Arrival->Immigration->Customs->Landside
• Arrival->Security->Airside-Departure
• Landside->Security->Immigration->Airside-Departure

You can not go from Airside-Departure back to Landside without having airline/airport staff being involved and even if you do, they would only allow you to get from Airside-Departure to Arrivals as you will have to go thru Immigration->Customs to get to Landside.

Pier and Wing are both located in Airside-Departures which means you will not be able to get any checked luggage larger than carry-ons into Airside-Departures.

Based on eponymous_coward's response, if you are no showing for HKG-BKK-CMB, then once you arrive at HKG (assuming you can get AA to short-check), claim your bags, and depending on whether check-in is open for your other itinerary, you may just have to pay for left luggage (or try CX Arrivals lounge as they are located Landside). As indicated above, if you go to Airside-Departure, you will not be able to go back to Landside without airport/airline staff getting involved.

fr33b13

I don't understand Cathay's patterns anymore. I'm trying to use next two weeks to see if I'll get lucky with a flight I need on 11/15 or 11/6 and it makes no sense:

10/28 has F4, but no award availability
11/3 has F3, but 1 open award seat

Why can't they just open up the 2 seats I need to fly in mid Nov?

gpeso8

I agree, I went out on a flight last week that was F3 at departure. I thought for sure they would open one seat the day of or day before, but no dice.

fr33b13

The flights I'm looking at are at least F5 (according to kayak) so I hope I get 2 seats.

zhaofa90

Is the general consensus that they are still releasing F award batches Monday afternoon HKG time?

ahchiu

Where in kayak do you see this information? Always thought ExpertFlyer and AwardNexus were the tools for this...

ahchiu

5c in the wiki

FlyerBeek

This, in and of itself, is not insurmountable. In the past, I've had a legitimate reason for wanting to go landside from a CX lounge and the CX staff was more than accommodating in getting me back down to the arrivals level to clear immigration.

That being said, if FT-hss's sole goal is to get F lounge access upon arrival with no actual intention of flying the connecting segment, I would not necessarily recommend this. You would have to either leave your luggage unattended (assuming you've already got your connecting BP, or can get one at the transfers desk without being questioned on your short-checked luggage) or you'd need to clear immigration twice in the same day (once to retrieve your luggage and find somewhere to store it, and again once done with the lounge. I'm not sure if this is the real intent behind the FT-hss's questions, but I just wanted to share my thoughts.

-FlyerBeek