ARCHIVE: AA Awards on Cathay Pacific (2016)
Feb 7, 2016, 12:43 pm
#496
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: HH Diamond, SPG Gold, Marriott Elite Gold
Posts: 1,032
Why not just book AA F to HKG then switch to CX F when it opens? That's what plan to do from LAX.
Feb 7, 2016, 12:50 pm
#497
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,480
Finally got someone who understood and was willing to work with the rate desk to force it as F. Took 5 tries. But she was able to drop a CX F HKG MNL and isert a CX J HKG CMB without it dropping to a J award (the only F is JFK-SFO, which I plan to drop)
Feb 7, 2016, 12:52 pm
#498
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: MCO, YEG
Posts: 1,198
Pretty sure booking AA F and switching to CX F post devaluation will cause it to reprice. All AA awards are ticketed differently than One World partner awards and require that it be reticketed, which will, very likely, cause it to be repriced.
Feb 7, 2016, 12:53 pm
#499
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,480
It's for January 1 at 8:25 am, I"m hoping not a lot of paid F that morning. (If I was paying for F, I wouldn't get up that early on New Years Day)
Feb 7, 2016, 12:57 pm
#500
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
On its own, no question it would. The strategy I've seen some employing is attaching a CX segment to the AA HKG flight so that it tickets as a partner award not al all-AA award.
Feb 7, 2016, 12:58 pm
#501
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,480
Good point. In this case I am going onward to CMB on CX so the original ticket will be a One World Award. But if I didn't have that onward CX segment, it would reprice.
Feb 7, 2016, 1:04 pm
#502
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: HH Diamond, SPG Gold, Marriott Elite Gold
Posts: 1,032
Not true. I just spoke with AA today and was told a change with any partner doesn't constitute a fee or rebooking.
Feb 7, 2016, 1:28 pm
#503
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: ORD [formerly] + HKG
Programs: CX Diamond, AA exExPlat, BAEC exGold, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Starriott Titanium, GE
Posts: 2,969
Feb 7, 2016, 1:42 pm
#504
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
Do not rely on that-- it's a massive oversimplification even by the current rules (not even involving award chart change.). So, you can safely ignore that info you were given, it's incorrect.
Feb 7, 2016, 2:04 pm
#505
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: LAX
Posts: 2,851
I wouldn't rely on anything AA CSR tell you either.
I had a one way from Muscat to Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles on EY
I was able to drop Muscat to Abu dhabi for free so not sure if it is only for the last segment drop or not
I had a one way from Muscat to Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles on EY
I was able to drop Muscat to Abu dhabi for free so not sure if it is only for the last segment drop or not
Feb 7, 2016, 2:08 pm
#506
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: MCO, YEG
Posts: 1,198
When I changed from CX+AA to just AA on an award on Jan 29, it was reticketed (all miles put back in my account and then taken out again) and I was told that it would be $150/ticket (6 tickets). I told them that I would not make the change if they charged me and the rep on the phone went to her supervisor and had to wait for them to provide an authorization code to waive it. So you might be able to get the reprice waived, but that would not be according to AA policy. I wouldn't count on them be as understanding switching from all AA to a partner award as from a partner award to all AA. Switching from AA to partner means money out of their pocket, switching the other way means money in their pocket, with only an opportunity cost lost. And I would especially doubt that they would waive it if it is not just $150, but also tens of thousands of miles that they are waiving.
Feb 7, 2016, 2:11 pm
#507
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: BNA and FLL
Programs: National Executive Elite, IHG Diamond Elite, Hilton Gold, SW A List, Marriott Gold
Posts: 971
Deleted
Feb 7, 2016, 2:50 pm
#508
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 376
just dropped an F seat for HKG-LAX on 12/30/15 @ 1015. Thought I would give yall a heads up
Feb 7, 2016, 5:07 pm
#509
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,855
So count your lucky star for that free change because the agent was not aware of the 2 airports were in different countries (much like US agent insisted Vietnam was in North Asia instead of SE Asia...)
Read what JonNYC said, as well as others posts right after your post - relying on what you are told by an AA agent at your own peril that is all I would say.
Last edited by Happy; Feb 7, 2016 at 6:44 pm
Feb 7, 2016, 5:25 pm
#510
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,855
I'm also concerned that the HKG-MNL F strategy may not work, but I'm wondering what your specific concerns are.
I'm thinking once it's priced and issued, I can take drop the last segment (HKG-MNL) without it being repriced. But I"m concerned when I add HKG-CMB it will reprice down. Does adding a segment at the end in the same region always trigger a reprice?
I am also worried about CMB availability closer to flight time. Only 1 J HKG-CMB available now.
The idea of another Transpac F, and switching dates might work if I could be confident of J availability but on the date we are targeting, she already grabbed the only J seat on that day.
I might try it for a day with a lot of J availability. Problem is, things don't ticket that quickly.
I'm thinking once it's priced and issued, I can take drop the last segment (HKG-MNL) without it being repriced. But I"m concerned when I add HKG-CMB it will reprice down. Does adding a segment at the end in the same region always trigger a reprice?
I am also worried about CMB availability closer to flight time. Only 1 J HKG-CMB available now.
The idea of another Transpac F, and switching dates might work if I could be confident of J availability but on the date we are targeting, she already grabbed the only J seat on that day.
I might try it for a day with a lot of J availability. Problem is, things don't ticket that quickly.
Also I have found surprisingly, the US-HKG CX J isn't that hard to find given some flexibility, LAX seems the best to find J in quantity and in many dates. However the regional Js are very hard to come by - case in point, I could not find any workable date/city pair between HKG and Australia despite CX flies to all major Australia cities - SYD, MEL, BNE, CNS, ALD. and PER! HKG-JNB-HKG is in same situation. I am giving up hope to optimize our current booking as I see Js disappear from all dates that not picked before, and no new release on dates hoped for.
I were you, just travel on the same flight one in F one in J - that is how we ticketed our AS award to JNB - I am in F he is in J as he could not understand the concept why with such small differential (even smaller on AS award) one should shoot for F... plus he does not drink, so he should be in J. ;-)