ARCHIVE: AA Awards on Cathay Pacific (2016)
Dec 2, 2016, 11:34 am
#2386
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YVR to SEA
Posts: 2,535
The BA block was originally for HKG to Shanghai, Beijing and Taipei, which is a high value business route to begin with, especially on short notice. Looks like it's just spreading to kill multiple birds with one stone
Dec 2, 2016, 11:48 am
#2387
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
Dec 2, 2016, 4:11 pm
#2388
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,763
Works fine of you're calling from a hotel. But for most people on vacation, they probably aren't in their rooms during the day. My assumption is that roaming charges will preclude some - but not all - from obsessively calling American to see if CX F awards have been released. Unless you can ring ATT Direct from a cell phone (perhaps you can, I've never bothered). And for those below EP/CK, there's still the issue of hold times.
Regardless, this creates more work and eliminates BA from the calculus. So it's a good thing.
Regardless, this creates more work and eliminates BA from the calculus. So it's a good thing.
Lots of Hong Kong hotels provide the free Smartphone that you are encouraged to take it with you when you are out and about for your needs to connect to the web, search on google, look up attractions etc etc. It also is free to call US/Canada, Australia, China, and some Asian cities. I have seen this type of phones in both local hotels and in chains such as the Hyatt and Marriott.
I had called AA from HKG using the ATT Direct Access and was connected to the AAdvantage almost immediately - and I am lowly Gold.
Dec 2, 2016, 4:17 pm
#2389
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,763
Wouldn't this cause more calls to AA to request the assistance from the agents versus do it themselves first?
Dec 2, 2016, 4:18 pm
#2390
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,803
Works fine of you're calling from a hotel. But for most people on vacation, they probably aren't in their rooms during the day. My assumption is that roaming charges will preclude some - but not all - from obsessively calling American to see if CX F awards have been released. Unless you can ring ATT Direct from a cell phone (perhaps you can, I've never bothered). And for those below EP/CK, there's still the issue of hold times.
Regardless, this creates more work and eliminates BA from the calculus. So it's a good thing.
Regardless, this creates more work and eliminates BA from the calculus. So it's a good thing.
Dec 2, 2016, 4:42 pm
#2391
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,541
You do not need your own cell phone service if you are in Hong Kong.
Lots of Hong Kong hotels provide the free Smartphone that you are encouraged to take it with you when you are out and about for your needs to connect to the web, search on google, look up attractions etc etc. It also is free to call US/Canada, Australia, China, and some Asian cities. I have seen this type of phones in both local hotels and in chains such as the Hyatt and Marriott.
I had called AA from HKG using the ATT Direct Access and was connected to the AAdvantage almost immediately - and I am lowly Gold.
Lots of Hong Kong hotels provide the free Smartphone that you are encouraged to take it with you when you are out and about for your needs to connect to the web, search on google, look up attractions etc etc. It also is free to call US/Canada, Australia, China, and some Asian cities. I have seen this type of phones in both local hotels and in chains such as the Hyatt and Marriott.
I had called AA from HKG using the ATT Direct Access and was connected to the AAdvantage almost immediately - and I am lowly Gold.
Dec 2, 2016, 5:27 pm
#2392
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: ORD [formerly] + HKG
Programs: CX Diamond, AA exExPlat, BAEC exGold, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Starriott Titanium, GE
Posts: 2,966
If CX can shut down on BA, surely they can shut down on AA too. Almost all ISMs now know very well about how the F cabin is flooded with AA miles nowadays. Just saying.
Dec 2, 2016, 5:29 pm
#2393
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: ORD [formerly] + HKG
Programs: CX Diamond, AA exExPlat, BAEC exGold, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Starriott Titanium, GE
Posts: 2,966
Avios have been the subject of scandals in China, like 'Ctrip hacked tickets' which was widely publicized...
Dec 2, 2016, 5:30 pm
#2394
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Ocean Beach
Programs: Alaska MPVG75, AAdvantage PlatPro, Hyatt Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 535
Dec 2, 2016, 7:11 pm
#2395
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: LAX, LGB, SNA
Programs: AA EXP OWE, DL DM ST+, AS MVPG, UA, BA, WN CP, Hyatt E, Ritz Plat, HH GM
Posts: 3,185
Dec 2, 2016, 8:51 pm
#2396
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,803
- financial liability for fraudulently issued Avios tickets lies with BAEC as FFP, not CX
- CX gets compensation payment from BA for every Avios redemption ticket flown on it - it has no skin on whether the Avios redemption is fraudulently obtained or not.
- you can say CX may not like a bunch of cheapo close-in Avios redemptions flooding Ctrip, competing for its last minute revenue tickets; but if CX find that a problem, it can either:
--- raise the compensation payment required from BAEC (or if it is unable to specifically target redemptions from BAEC, then all OW partners); or
--- restrict last-minute redemption availability to AM (this is not the case, it is now everyone but BAEC)
(I think CX did the former to AA...)
Dec 2, 2016, 9:32 pm
#2397
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: AA PLT, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,405
No doubt about that one.
And this whole thing is insane. One hell of an "alliance" we have here isn't it? If there are too many fraudulent transactions there isn't there a better way of solving it other than to entirely ban an entire airline's FFs from accessing award space? What a joke. BA and oneworld have done nothing other than screw over their customers at every opportunity with the recent enhancements, and this is no different.
And this whole thing is insane. One hell of an "alliance" we have here isn't it? If there are too many fraudulent transactions there isn't there a better way of solving it other than to entirely ban an entire airline's FFs from accessing award space? What a joke. BA and oneworld have done nothing other than screw over their customers at every opportunity with the recent enhancements, and this is no different.
Dec 2, 2016, 9:50 pm
#2399
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: DTW/MBS
Programs: UA 1K, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Formerly Starbucks Gold
Posts: 3,525
Dec 2, 2016, 10:12 pm
#2400
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: ORD [formerly] + HKG
Programs: CX Diamond, AA exExPlat, BAEC exGold, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Starriott Titanium, GE
Posts: 2,966
Well, 110k is still on the lower side among award 'prices' within the alliance, and while I wouldn't say that AA miles are easier to amass than competitor currencies like Asia miles nowadays, there is a tonnnnnn of AA miles that have been floating around forever to begin with, so not surprised that AA miles are still one of the easiest/most common/frequented ways to grab these awards.
Also, why does everyone feel so entitled that their miles are for grabbing these awards? Cathay flies these seats to sell for cash, not for miles......I'm saying this even as an AAdv elite that cares about RDM. I see nothing wrong with prioritizing for revenue sales...
Also, why does everyone feel so entitled that their miles are for grabbing these awards? Cathay flies these seats to sell for cash, not for miles......I'm saying this even as an AAdv elite that cares about RDM. I see nothing wrong with prioritizing for revenue sales...