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)
Jul 5, 2015, 10:24 pm
#106
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
Flew TPE->HKG->LAX last week and was originally booked in PEY (class E) for both segments. After arriving at TPE airport I was told my original flight to HKG would be delayed and they would place me on an earlier flight. The earlier flight did not have PEY so they put me in business class.
Few days after the trip I noticed the TPE flight never credited to my AA account. Checked my booking on CX website and it says I was put in economy class with a M class ticket (no AA Milage credit). However, the bottom of my boarding pass clearly says J. And of course, I purchased an E class ticket.
My assumption was that regardless of the class of service flown, I am entitled to the miles for the class I paid for. Is this correct? And should I fight back to get what I am entitled?
Few days after the trip I noticed the TPE flight never credited to my AA account. Checked my booking on CX website and it says I was put in economy class with a M class ticket (no AA Milage credit). However, the bottom of my boarding pass clearly says J. And of course, I purchased an E class ticket.
My assumption was that regardless of the class of service flown, I am entitled to the miles for the class I paid for. Is this correct? And should I fight back to get what I am entitled?
Jul 26, 2015, 4:03 pm
#107
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 3
AA miles to upgrade on CX flight??
Hello all. I'm a first-time poster and Cathay Pacific traveler and hope I'm posting this is the right area.
I'm a American Airlines member and have plenty of accrued miles.
Recently, I purchased flights from LAX to HKG to DEL on Cathay Pacific website for my 70+ y/o parents with booking code N.
As an afterthought, I would like to upgrade their flights to a business class for their comfort. Is this possible and if so, what are my options?
Can I do the upgrade on Cathay Pacific with my AA miles?
Any suggestions about the best and most cost efficient way to do this would be appreciated. Thank you.
I'm a American Airlines member and have plenty of accrued miles.
Recently, I purchased flights from LAX to HKG to DEL on Cathay Pacific website for my 70+ y/o parents with booking code N.
As an afterthought, I would like to upgrade their flights to a business class for their comfort. Is this possible and if so, what are my options?
Can I do the upgrade on Cathay Pacific with my AA miles?
Any suggestions about the best and most cost efficient way to do this would be appreciated. Thank you.
Jul 26, 2015, 4:30 pm
#108
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
Welcome to FlyerTalk.
You can not upgrade any airline with AA miles other than AA / US, and BA and IB (but on the latter, only the highest fares).
And those who upgrade Cathay Pacific with Marco Polo usually find that the fare class CX uses for upgrades does not allow any AA miles to be earned, regardless of whether the originally purchased fares earn miles (N on CX earns no AAdvantage miles, so in this instance it wouldn't be a problem anyway).
You can not upgrade any airline with AA miles other than AA / US, and BA and IB (but on the latter, only the highest fares).
And those who upgrade Cathay Pacific with Marco Polo usually find that the fare class CX uses for upgrades does not allow any AA miles to be earned, regardless of whether the originally purchased fares earn miles (N on CX earns no AAdvantage miles, so in this instance it wouldn't be a problem anyway).
Jul 26, 2015, 6:15 pm
#109
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: MPC,CA,MU,AF
Posts: 8,171
You can consider BA as an option, but:
* Your parents' CX class N tickets may not be refundable.
* As JDiver said, you need full fare BA tickets.
* AFAIK, one-class upgrade is allowed. You need to buy premium economy to upgrade to business.
* Your parents' CX class N tickets may not be refundable.
* As JDiver said, you need full fare BA tickets.
* AFAIK, one-class upgrade is allowed. You need to buy premium economy to upgrade to business.
Jul 27, 2015, 12:58 am
#110
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
This forum is dedicated to earning and burning American Airlines miles; members with questions about other airlines' programmes are encouraged to post their questions in the forum dedicated to the relevant airline.
~Moderator
~Moderator
Aug 10, 2015, 1:07 pm
#111
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Tempe, AZ
Programs: UA *G
Posts: 86
I know that one can get AA miles on CX metal when on a flight "codeshare or marketed" by AA.
If I were to buy coach tickets on aa.com; with CX flight numbers, would I be covered by the "marketed by AA" clause or do I still need to watch out for CX fare classes?
If I were to buy coach tickets on aa.com; with CX flight numbers, would I be covered by the "marketed by AA" clause or do I still need to watch out for CX fare classes?
Aug 10, 2015, 3:00 pm
#112
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: in the vicinity of SFO
Programs: AA 2MM (LT-PLT, PPro for this year)
Posts: 19,781
If it's a CX flight number, you need to look at fare classes.
Aug 13, 2015, 12:26 pm
#113
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: LAX, SFO
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 245
How to get AA credit when flying Cathay Pacific?
I am flying Cathay Pacific (booked via travel agent with group). I called Cathay Pacific to get a seat assignment and add my AA # to the booking but they said I cannot add it to the booking and must wait until I get to the airport to select a seat since it's a group reservation.
Will I have to wait until after I am done flying and then contact American and Cathay and tell them I want them to switch my Cathay miles to American miles?
Will I have to wait until after I am done flying and then contact American and Cathay and tell them I want them to switch my Cathay miles to American miles?
Aug 13, 2015, 3:01 pm
#114
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: New York
Programs: DL PLT, Hilton Diamond, CX MPC Silver
Posts: 265
Not sure if this method still works, but worth a try if you have your Amadeus PNR readily available.
This also might be worth posting in the CX forum, as many there are very knowledgeable with this particular airline.
This also might be worth posting in the CX forum, as many there are very knowledgeable with this particular airline.
Aug 13, 2015, 3:12 pm
#115
Join Date: May 2011
Location: LON, OPO
Posts: 132
There are reports that Finnair's website doesn't do this anymore, but the same can be achieved using Royal Jordanian's website and putting your Amadeus PNR in there
Aug 13, 2015, 3:26 pm
#116
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
Whether or not you get "credit" (AA E Q miles, etc.) is determined by your fare class. H, B and Y in Economy, and above, but below that no credit is possible. See
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...hayPacific.jsp
You can't change miles earned on one program to another airline's program.
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...hayPacific.jsp
You can't change miles earned on one program to another airline's program.
Last edited by JDiver; Aug 13, 2015 at 7:33 pm
Aug 13, 2015, 3:28 pm
#117
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: LAX, SFO
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 245
Neither FA nor RJ websites worked. They each said something to the tune of "Your reservation is not eligible for online changes" or "You cannot change group reservations online."
I think it's likely due to the fact that it's a group reservation.
Does anyone have any idea how to choose a seat on a group reservation in advance?
I think it's likely due to the fact that it's a group reservation.
Does anyone have any idea how to choose a seat on a group reservation in advance?
Aug 13, 2015, 3:33 pm
#118
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: DCA, EGE, IAD
Programs: MR LTT, BA Gold, AA LTP, UA Silver
Posts: 6,077
My guess is your group booking has a CX fare basis code of Q, S, G, or N, and as such you will not earn AA miles for those fares.
As noted at this link you do not earn AA miles on CX fare basis codes of K, M, L, V, Q, S, G, or N.
And as noted at this link customers holding tickets on eligible fare types – Y, B, H, K, L, M, V, W, R, E, T may request seat assignments. Note fare basis codes of Q, S, G, and N are missing from that list and as such advanced seat assignments may not be requested; hence the reason why I guess that is the fare basis of your group booking.
Check with your TA or CX and ask what your fare's fare basis code is. It is not uncommon for group bookings to be ineligible for earning miles as many times they are booked into one of the lowest fare basis.
As noted at this link you do not earn AA miles on CX fare basis codes of K, M, L, V, Q, S, G, or N.
And as noted at this link customers holding tickets on eligible fare types – Y, B, H, K, L, M, V, W, R, E, T may request seat assignments. Note fare basis codes of Q, S, G, and N are missing from that list and as such advanced seat assignments may not be requested; hence the reason why I guess that is the fare basis of your group booking.
Check with your TA or CX and ask what your fare's fare basis code is. It is not uncommon for group bookings to be ineligible for earning miles as many times they are booked into one of the lowest fare basis.
Aug 13, 2015, 3:38 pm
#119
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: DCA, EGE, IAD
Programs: MR LTT, BA Gold, AA LTP, UA Silver
Posts: 6,077
Aug 13, 2015, 3:50 pm
#120
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: LAX
Programs: AA Plat, UA Gold
Posts: 609
I am flying Cathay Pacific (booked via travel agent with group). I called Cathay Pacific to get a seat assignment and add my AA # to the booking but they said I cannot add it to the booking and must wait until I get to the airport to select a seat since it's a group reservation.
Will I have to wait until after I am done flying and then contact American and Cathay and tell them I want them to switch my Cathay miles to American miles?
Will I have to wait until after I am done flying and then contact American and Cathay and tell them I want them to switch my Cathay miles to American miles?