May 22, 2019, 7:13 am
Last edit by: JDiver
Earning American Airlines AAvantage Miles Flying CX / Cathay Pacific Airways (consolidated)
Including known issues (e.g. upgrades) with AA / CX
Including known issues (e.g. upgrades) with AA / CX
Earning AAdvantage Miles flying Cathay Pacific Airways
NOTE: Travel on Cathay Pacific and its affiliate airline counts toward qualifying for AAdvantage elite status membership. However, please refer to aa.com here for fare classes that earn AAdvantage miles, not Cathay Pacific.
AAdvantage Elite members members traveling on Cathay also enjoy:
If you fly CX as an AA codeshare / marketed flight, you will earn as if you were flying on AA.
Flying CX as CX, most discounted economy fare classes do not earn AAdvantage miles; See the chart. See Link to AAdvantage chart on earning miles and EQD flying CX.
Note: the CX website incorrectly indicates no AA miles for E fare; AA.com does and is correct
*Premium Economy fare W on a flight operated by Cathay Pacific will earn an additional 10% class of service bonus with the exception of W fares between Hong Kong and Bangkok, which will not earn a class of service bonus, and Premium Economy R or E, which earn no class of service bonus.
NOTE: Travel on Cathay Pacific and its affiliate airline counts toward qualifying for AAdvantage elite status membership. However, please refer to aa.com here for fare classes that earn AAdvantage miles, not Cathay Pacific.
- Economy / coach fares other than Y, B or H on CX do not earn AAdvantage miles
- B and H only earn fractional (75%) credit on AA
- Upgrades may book into ineligible fare classes, causing challenges getting AA to credit the originally purchased fare class
- there are a few fare classes that CX says do not earn AAdvantage miles, whereas aa.com says they will, as do members reporting their experiences here
- JFK-YVR and YVR-JFK do accrue EQ and miles on eligible fares. JFK-YVR-HKG accrues as if nonstop JFK-HKG.
AAdvantage Elite members members traveling on Cathay also enjoy:
- [*]
Flying CX as CX, most discounted economy fare classes do not earn AAdvantage miles; See the chart. See Link to AAdvantage chart on earning miles and EQD flying CX.
Note: the CX website incorrectly indicates no AA miles for E fare; AA.com does and is correct
*Premium Economy fare W on a flight operated by Cathay Pacific will earn an additional 10% class of service bonus with the exception of W fares between Hong Kong and Bangkok, which will not earn a class of service bonus, and Premium Economy R or E, which earn no class of service bonus.
Upgrading to First on CX / Cathay Pacific Airways and U, Z Fare Class Issues
Upgrading a paid Business fare to First on Cathay Pacific Airways puts the flight into fare class "Z", a class that is ineligible for AAdvantage miles accrual (as reflected on the accrual chart) because it is also an award classification for a First Class award.
Upgrading a paid Premium Economy fare to Business puts it into U class, another award fare class that earns no AA miles.
Members have recently reported success at having their upgrades acknowledged as miles-garnering (mid-June 2015).
and
Upgrading a paid Business fare to First on Cathay Pacific Airways puts the flight into fare class "Z", a class that is ineligible for AAdvantage miles accrual (as reflected on the accrual chart) because it is also an award classification for a First Class award.
Upgrading a paid Premium Economy fare to Business puts it into U class, another award fare class that earns no AA miles.
Members have recently reported success at having their upgrades acknowledged as miles-garnering (mid-June 2015).
I had the same issue. I upgraded from Biz to F using Asia Miles, but left my AA number in the reservation.
The outbound flight credited automatically without intervention.
The inbound flight did not credit and I submitted the Missing Mileage Request. That request got denied due to ineligible fare class. All I did was call the ExecPlat desk and ask for AAdvantage Customer Service, who had record of the denied claim. I explained I paid for Biz, upgraded to F, and provided them with my original ticket number (both ticker numbers were on CX stock). Call took about 5 minutes and miles (and EQM/EQP) posted to the account the next day.
The outbound flight credited automatically without intervention.
The inbound flight did not credit and I submitted the Missing Mileage Request. That request got denied due to ineligible fare class. All I did was call the ExecPlat desk and ask for AAdvantage Customer Service, who had record of the denied claim. I explained I paid for Biz, upgraded to F, and provided them with my original ticket number (both ticker numbers were on CX stock). Call took about 5 minutes and miles (and EQM/EQP) posted to the account the next day.
I just wanted to post the conclusion to my saga, that started with the brilliant idea to upgrade two CX flights in February (yes, 4 months ago).
Well, I Fedex'd a letter to the executive's office, which arrived Friday. Today, I received an email from an "executive liason" who said they agreed that "R" to "U" via an upgrade should be mileage earning and manually adjusted my account to receive credit. Account and status now reflects those flights.
So despite certain aagents and lower-level SUPs saying this is CX's problem and to go pound sand, AA actually can do something about it (albit at a higher level than a regular SUP, I assume). By the phrasing of the answer, I would say this isn't a one time exception but rather what is supposed to happen for these flights.
Godspeed to any other souls on this journey.
Well, I Fedex'd a letter to the executive's office, which arrived Friday. Today, I received an email from an "executive liason" who said they agreed that "R" to "U" via an upgrade should be mileage earning and manually adjusted my account to receive credit. Account and status now reflects those flights.
So despite certain aagents and lower-level SUPs saying this is CX's problem and to go pound sand, AA actually can do something about it (albit at a higher level than a regular SUP, I assume). By the phrasing of the answer, I would say this isn't a one time exception but rather what is supposed to happen for these flights.
Godspeed to any other souls on this journey.
Possible snail mail or FedEx to:
Suzanne Rubin
President – AAdvantage Loyalty Program, American Airlines
4333 Amon Carter Blvd
Fort Worth, TX 76155
Suzanne Rubin
President – AAdvantage Loyalty Program, American Airlines
4333 Amon Carter Blvd
Fort Worth, TX 76155
Wikipost as of 2018
ARCHIVE: Earning AA AAdvantage Miles on CX / Cathay (including Upgrade Issues)
Apr 10, 2014, 7:46 am
#16
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,659
I am considering booking a flight that has a CX flight number. The flight is actually operated by Air China. Can I earn AAdvantage miles on this flight?
Would I just book it with Cathay Pacific and give them my AAdvantage number? I assume that the answer to both questions is yes, but just want some confirmation.
Would I just book it with Cathay Pacific and give them my AAdvantage number? I assume that the answer to both questions is yes, but just want some confirmation.
Last edited by FAA1996; Apr 10, 2014 at 8:17 am
Apr 10, 2014, 8:09 am
#17
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
The answer to both questions is actually "no". It's good you are checking these things before being disappointed.
To earn AA miles on CX, you must purchase an H, B, Y or higher fare; you can not earn AA miles on most oneworld marketed flights operated by non-oneworld airlines.
(To be clearer, unpublished fares and K, M, L, V, Q, S, G or N Economy fares on CX earn NO AA miles; AA codeshares on CX earn as if you were flying AA.)
To earn AA miles on CX, you must purchase an H, B, Y or higher fare; you can not earn AA miles on most oneworld marketed flights operated by non-oneworld airlines.
(To be clearer, unpublished fares and K, M, L, V, Q, S, G or N Economy fares on CX earn NO AA miles; AA codeshares on CX earn as if you were flying AA.)
Jun 23, 2014, 12:05 pm
#18
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Texas
Programs: AA LT PLAT
Posts: 78
Does "E" fare in Premium Economy earn AA miles on CX marketed and operated flights? The AA website says yes. The CX website is murkier on the subject. Does anyone have recent experience with this?
Jun 23, 2014, 4:05 pm
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,030
If you are wanting to earn AA miles only the AAdvantage web site matters. What the flight would earn with the CX ffp is irrelevant.
Jun 23, 2014, 8:04 pm
#20
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Texas
Programs: AA LT PLAT
Posts: 78
Thanks. Just got email from CX csr admitting that their website is in error when stating that "E" fares do not accrue AA miles.
Last edited by KBW; Jun 23, 2014 at 8:04 pm Reason: spelling
Oct 16, 2014, 7:58 pm
#21
Join Date: Dec 2011
Programs: QF QP
Posts: 23
Best to credit to MarcoPolo or AAdvantage for I class CX sectors? Thoughts appreciated.
Oct 16, 2014, 9:46 pm
#22
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Jan 7, 2015, 8:07 pm
#23
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: ORD
Posts: 1,844
AA Elite Status Bonus on CX Flights
I have an itinerary from AA with codeshare flights and one straight CX flight.
Meaning the AA logo and flight numbers are for some flights and the CX logo and flight number is for another.
Will I get the AA elite bonus 100% AAmiles for the CX segment?
I think this link shows yes:
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/eliteStatus/bonus.jsp
Thanks.
Meaning the AA logo and flight numbers are for some flights and the CX logo and flight number is for another.
Will I get the AA elite bonus 100% AAmiles for the CX segment?
I think this link shows yes:
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/eliteStatus/bonus.jsp
Thanks.
Jan 7, 2015, 8:20 pm
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,820
If the CX marketed and operated flights are in an eligible fare class then the answer is yes. A number of CX coach fare classes do not earn base miles (and therefore do not earn elite status miles). The AA marketed flights will earn as AA flights.
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...hayPacific.jsp
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...hayPacific.jsp
Jan 7, 2015, 8:20 pm
#25
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 7,043
I have an itinerary from AA with codeshare flights and one straight CX flight.
Meaning the AA logo and flight numbers are for some flights and the CX logo and flight number is for another.
Will I get the AA elite bonus 100% AAmiles for the CX segment?
I think this link shows yes:
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/eliteStatus/bonus.jsp
Thanks.
Meaning the AA logo and flight numbers are for some flights and the CX logo and flight number is for another.
Will I get the AA elite bonus 100% AAmiles for the CX segment?
I think this link shows yes:
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/eliteStatus/bonus.jsp
Thanks.
So, the question is, is your flight eligible? And the answer to that depends on the fare class you booked. If you booked discount economy the blunt answer is no, you wont
Here is the source:
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...hayPacific.jsp
Regards
Jan 7, 2015, 8:44 pm
#26
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: ORD
Posts: 1,844
Afraid it's not quite that simple. There is a key sentence in the URL you referenced. It says, "As an AAdvantage elite-status member you earn elite status bonus miles on the base or guaranteed minimum miles for each eligible flight on select carriers as listed below" (emphasis added by me)
So, the question is, is your flight eligible? And the answer to that depends on the fare class you booked. If you booked discount economy the blunt answer is no, you wont
Here is the source:
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...hayPacific.jsp
Regards
So, the question is, is your flight eligible? And the answer to that depends on the fare class you booked. If you booked discount economy the blunt answer is no, you wont
Here is the source:
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...hayPacific.jsp
Regards
Third time a charm and re-booked to a later flight.
Darn.
Missed the connection at 30 minutes. Then 5.5 hours, so I'll have to hang around for 15 hours.
Darn.
Still wonder why some CX flights are not code shared.
Again. Thanks.
Jan 10, 2015, 11:07 am
#27
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: NJ USA
Programs: AA PLAT 2MM, MR TITANIUM 2M, HH DIA, Hyatt EXP, BW DIA, IC AMB, IHG PLAT, UA GLD
Posts: 1,086
Any current estimation of when CX flights post to AA? Took two F flight 12/30 and still no post. EQP from those flights will push me to EXP for 2015 so I'm rather anxious. AA website says it could take up to 30 days but I'm hoping for sooner. Thanks.
Last edited by JDiver; Jun 16, 2015 at 12:50 pm Reason: Restore to clean post
Jan 10, 2015, 2:25 pm
#28
Join Date: Mar 2011
Programs: AA LifeTime PLT (2.982 MM, But 3MM+ Total), HHonors GOLD, IHG AMB
Posts: 787
Spock Seat @:-)
Jan 15, 2015, 12:45 pm
#29
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: NJ USA
Programs: AA PLAT 2MM, MR TITANIUM 2M, HH DIA, Hyatt EXP, BW DIA, IC AMB, IHG PLAT, UA GLD
Posts: 1,086
Had Paid First Class Ticket RT LGA-DFW-ICN. On December 30 my return flight was canceled and AA changed my flights to Cathay ICN-HKG-JFK. As of now I have still not received the miles.
I called AA and spoke to customer service Wednesday and they resubmitted a request for proof that I was on the flight. After reading flyertalk I found a suggestion to go to www.refunds.aa.com and look at the receipt for my ticket # to verify that AA system shows that I did take that flight. Done - STATUS=USED. I then submitted an emailed request for the miles, sending them a screenshot that AA shows the flights were taken. They sent me a bunch of canned replies saying they'll look into it so today I called back AA CS supervisor to get a clearer explanation of why if the AA system shows that the flights were taken (I assume they received that info from Cathay) why have I not been credited with my miles. Spoke to 2 supervisors and both said they could see in AA system that the flight coupons were used. I was told by both that they need to get verification from Cathay that it was me who actually flew those flights so that Cathay can send AA the points to credit my account -- which will take up to 30 days from Wednesday -- not from the original flight date. HUH?? When Cathay approved my flights on Dec 30 didn't they know they had to give me miles? Why does AA need another approval and proof that I was actually in those seats? Who else would have been in them? I offered to email AA copies of my boarding passes but they say that will not help and there is nothing that they can do to get Cathay's approval and my miles quicker.
To further complicate, I was one of the "lucky ones" whose account was hacked and my flights were booked under my old AA FF#, i flew with the old FF #, and the second request was placed using my new ff #. Supervisor says this won't affect anything because request to Cathay was made using my name rather than my ff# but I find it hard to believe that this won't further complicate and delay a response.
Problem is that the points would push me into EXP for 2015 and I need the SWUs to book 2 upcoming international flights --plus I want my EXP benefits when I fly. Sounds like this may not be sorted out for another few weeks.
Any suggestion if there is anything else I can do besides "patiently" waiting??? Thanks.
PS Cathay first class was fabulous... but not worth this aftermath.
I called AA and spoke to customer service Wednesday and they resubmitted a request for proof that I was on the flight. After reading flyertalk I found a suggestion to go to www.refunds.aa.com and look at the receipt for my ticket # to verify that AA system shows that I did take that flight. Done - STATUS=USED. I then submitted an emailed request for the miles, sending them a screenshot that AA shows the flights were taken. They sent me a bunch of canned replies saying they'll look into it so today I called back AA CS supervisor to get a clearer explanation of why if the AA system shows that the flights were taken (I assume they received that info from Cathay) why have I not been credited with my miles. Spoke to 2 supervisors and both said they could see in AA system that the flight coupons were used. I was told by both that they need to get verification from Cathay that it was me who actually flew those flights so that Cathay can send AA the points to credit my account -- which will take up to 30 days from Wednesday -- not from the original flight date. HUH?? When Cathay approved my flights on Dec 30 didn't they know they had to give me miles? Why does AA need another approval and proof that I was actually in those seats? Who else would have been in them? I offered to email AA copies of my boarding passes but they say that will not help and there is nothing that they can do to get Cathay's approval and my miles quicker.
To further complicate, I was one of the "lucky ones" whose account was hacked and my flights were booked under my old AA FF#, i flew with the old FF #, and the second request was placed using my new ff #. Supervisor says this won't affect anything because request to Cathay was made using my name rather than my ff# but I find it hard to believe that this won't further complicate and delay a response.
Problem is that the points would push me into EXP for 2015 and I need the SWUs to book 2 upcoming international flights --plus I want my EXP benefits when I fly. Sounds like this may not be sorted out for another few weeks.
Any suggestion if there is anything else I can do besides "patiently" waiting??? Thanks.
PS Cathay first class was fabulous... but not worth this aftermath.
Jan 15, 2015, 12:54 pm
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: in the vicinity of SFO
Programs: AA 2MM (LT-PLT, PPro for this year)
Posts: 19,781