Waitlist Clearance with OW Sapphire
 

I'm looking to issue a ticket for BKK-HKG-BKK

Currently BKK-HKG has space.

The return is full on the flight I prefer.

I'm looking at booking Class K

At the moment the flight shows C4D3I2Y8 and everything else 0. If I booked a different flight and waitlist for this particular flight do you think IM will open it up to me?

I need CX experts here. I'm a JL OW Sapphire member if that helps anything.

What's the date/flight you want to travel?

If the flight is a couple of weeks out, then based on Y8, a seat in K class will almost certainly open up for you before the flight time.

Very often, lower classes will show 0 but as soon as you make a booking the CX system will release a seat almost immediately.

If the flight is less than 4 days away (just an approximation), then that might change things around a bit, depending on the case.

The flight is exactly 13 days away from today. It's down to J4C1 and Y7 now ....

Is issuing the ticket and being put on a waitlist safe?

Oct 25th CX703 HKG-BKK

I'm looking at this flight on ExpertFlyer and I see:

J5 C2 D1 I0 Y1 B0 H0 K0 M0 L0 V0 S0 N0 Q0 O0

Other flights on the same day are also rather full. This is also in the middle of Hong Kong's peak October fair season where flights are really busy.

Given all these factors, I'd say that your chances of waitlist clearance drop from "very good" to "fair, but still likely" given your OW Sapphire status.

If you do choose to issue and waitlist, do let us know the result and how early your waitlist clears.

This is the last flight I can take to catch my JL flight out of BKK that night to NRT.

I still haven't issued my ticket, but i'll look at it closely for the next day or so and see my chances first.

According to Flight stats, CX703 on 25 OCT is as follows,

J7 C5 D3 I3 Y9 B0 H0 K0 M0 L0 V0 S0 N0 Q0 O0

You should be able to achieve the booking by K class soon, I hope.
In addition, this might be a chance for op-up, because of overbook.

I was thinking the same thing, but the J7 somewhat dampens that feeling. If it was J9 then I would say op-up is more likely.

Let's assume that J7 means 7 seats left open for op-up (could be just a very rough assumption). On a HKG-BKK flight, I would guess there would be at least 7 total CX DM+GO, both of which would be higher up the priority for op-up than OW Sapphire.

In any case, I would be interested to hear how things work out for the OP.

Thanks for helping me out guys, I didn't want to take the risk, so I just booked TG instead it was 2/3 the price and I got space right away :)

Oops!
I have paid attention how your original choice would become to be.
However, your alternative choice(TG) is a better one to decrease your own risk for the connecting flight.


Mr./Mrs. midlevels
Thank you for your comment, I agree with your opinion.

HKG-BKK is one of the most important and frequent route among intra-asia for CX such as HKG-TPE, HKG-SIN, HKG-NRT, etc.
As you mentioned, perhaps there should get on board with many elite members (MPC DM, GO).
The opportunity for op-up of OW sapphire holders might be decreased.
So, I said "might be a chance for op-up".

To tell the truth, I have an another interest for this issue.

Moderator said that the priority for op-up is as follows,

　MPC DM > MPC GO > OW EMERALD > OW SAPPHIRE > MPC SL > OW RUBY > MPC GR > ASIA MILES member

As you know, JGC(JAL GLOBAL CLUB) members live in JAPAN are considered as OW SAPPHIRE status or more.
So, All JGC members have OW SAPPHIRE status permanently, despite they don't get on board a once within a year.

JGC is consisted of five types
(1)JGC Diamond (corresponding to MPC DM) : OW EMERALD
(2)JGC Premier : OW EMERALD
(3)JGC Sapphier (corresponding to MPC GO) : OW SAPPHIRE
(4)JGC Cristal (corresponding to MPC SL) : OW SAPPHIRE
(5)JGC (corresponding to MPC GR) : OW SAPPHIRE

This is very rough correspondence between MPC status and JGC status.
So this is not an accurate expression for their relations.

Once you join into JGC, you can get a permanent OW SAPPHIRE status, even if you are not a frequent flyer!!
Hence, (5)JGC member is prior to MPC SL for op-up, whether JGC member fly on CX or not.

However, I never complain, because that is a strategy of JAL.

In rumor, CX sometimes considers as MPC SL is prior to (5)JGC (and (4)JGC Cristal) for op-up.
Because the reason is that MPC SL member is a better customer for CX than JGC, I think.
But I have no evidence, so I don't know which is prior to JGC or MPC SL.
In my experiences, I believe MPC SL is prior to (5)JGC for op-up.

From 31 OCT, CX and JL will begin inclusive codeshare between HKG and JAPAN.
All flights between HKG and JPN operated by CX or JL become to have CX/JL codeshare flight number each other.
If JGC member book a codeshare flight as JL flight operated by CX, I think op-up might be rare.
On the other hand, when JGC member book a codeshare flight as CX flight operated by CX, which one is prior to JGC or MPC SL ?
I am very interested in those treatment.

Mr./Mrs. fumitani is a member of JGC, I don't know he has which status of JGC(1)-(5).
Hence, my interest is how JGC has priority concerning op-up and clearance for waitlist.

I agree with his/her alternative choice(TG), of course.

The statements regarding permanent OW Sapphire status is misleading. JGC membership is subject to annual renewal and it is not a lifetime benefit as JAL does not have a lifetime program at the moment. So theoretically one can lose the JGC membership, even for Japan residents.

Mr. fumitani is only a regular JGC member.

The op-up priority list that's given may not actually be correct. There is a chance it may have changed - or was not correct in the first place. It is not based on a published source.

Regarding how you get OW Sapphire status, as long as you have it, I don't think that CX cares how or why you have it. They just see that you're OW Sapphire and give you the benefits and op-up priority accordingly.

That's right.
"permanent OW Sapphire status" is not an accurate expression.

However, if JGC members continue to pay JAL card(credit card) fee every year, you will have been a JGC member almost automatically and permanently.
Is this correct ?

But JAL often changes the treatment for OW status regarding JGC.
Last year, a regular JGC was a OW ruby status.
Hence, next year a regular JGC might become OW ruby status instead of OW sapphire.
So JGC does not correspond to a permanent OW Sapphire status.

JMB don't have a official lifetime elite membership system , but I wonder that JGC behave as a permanent elite member in practice.

I am not JGC member, so I have no complain for JGC system.

Thank you for your comment. I agree with your opinion.
According to some CX ground staff in JAPAN, MPC SL is prior to JGC for op-up.
There might be a local rule concerning such as flexible operation.
Unpublished benefit ? Ha Ha

JAL does not change the corresponding OW status for JGC members often. I could be wrong, but this year is the first time JAL changing that since JAL joined OW.

Japan and foreign members have different renewal rules for JGC membership but both are required to pay for the renewal in some way, either through membership fee, miles, or fly. IMHO PERMANENT elite program means you don't have to maintain it in ANY way (other than you stay alive and don't do anything violating the program rules to get you kicked off the problem). So I won't regard JGC as a permanent elite program.


Anyway, back to the topic!

When did the CX ground staff told you MPC Silver has higher op-up priority over JGC? Maybe they were not aware of the recent changes in the JGC program?

I think this is not a positive and valuable discussion so much.

If a JGC member of Japanese resident have not flown on JAL(and/or OW flight) a once within a year, he/she hopes to maintain JGC membership next year by paying JGC member fee, of course he/she have followed the rule of JGC, will he/she be able to maintain JGC membership next year ?

He should be able to renew JGC membership regardless of his boarding frequencies and flight miles.

So, it is very easy for JGC to maintain OW elite status, especially for Japan resident.

Hence, I said "JGC behave as a permanent elite member in practice"
In other words, JGC is not a yearly temporary elite membership but just like a eternal elite membership, actually.

As I mentioned already, I never complain JGC system, because that is a strategy of JAL.

beginning of May, this year

As I mentioned already, I don't know which one has priority for op-up between JGC and MPC SL.
Because I have no evidence, but in my experiences, I believe MPC SL is prior to a standard JGC for op-up.

Mr./Mrs. JALPak loves JAL and JGC, perhaps.
I respect your favor toward JAL.
On the contrary, I have not been interested in JAL yet.
The person has various favors.