roquejo

Do you get immediately upgraded to the next Marco Polo tier if upon completion of your first leg you already earned enough club points?

Let say I have return flight from JFK to MNL with a 3 hour layover at HKG. Upon completion of the JFK to HKG leg, I already have enough club points to go to silver tier..

Am I already silver during my layover at HKG? Or do I have to wait until I complete my trip at MNL before becoming silver?

As it is important to know whether I have access already to Cathy Pacific lounges at HKG for the 3 hour layover.

midlevels

No you will not be Silver during your layover in HKG. Updating your tier status usually occurs 2-3 days after you fly the CX segment (or longer if the segment is with another OW carrier).

You will not have access to the CX lounge.

roquejo

Oh, that's too bad, guess I have to wait 2 months for my next cathay 3 hour layover in HK to go Cathay lounge hopping in HKG and try their noodle bar, long drinks bar and solaris chairs..

In the mean time, I'll just use my Diners card to get access to the other complimentary lounges at HKG.

toyotaboy95

Actually, you could write in asking if they could offer you a one-time lounge pass as a gesture of goodwill since technically, you did achieve Silver.

dkc192

You could also write in and ask for an early upgrade to SL. Mention that you'll be flying JFK-HKG-MNL, which will take you over 30K club miles. Never hurts to ask.

jasjasper

I highly doubt that's gonna be approved... I've asked for that before but i was silver, nearly getting to Gold and still they've turned it down so Green- Silver stands a very very slim chance...

garykung

If CX does not do anything, you should start finding a new airline anyway...

roquejo

I did wrote a letter and included several justifications and pleadings to Marco Polo and true enough was denied. CX is indeed strict with their policies and rarely they accomodate..

But in spite of that, Cathy is still my first choice for company paid business trips from MLA to new York because they have the best service among the airline choices..

The choices I usually have are limited to Delta, Korean Air, and Cathay... as Singapore airlines doesn't have a direct flight from Singapore to JFK..

My ranking among 3 is Cathay is still the best, Korean air 2nd, and Delta last... because Delta uses old 747's and doesn't have an AVOD for such a long flight... Korea air is ok but they have limited movies on their AVOD.. while Cathy is loaded with the current blockbusters even those not released yet in DVD' or Bluray.

But Cathay's Marco Polo program is the hardest to move up... while Delta is the easiest because they give you 150% medallion points even on higher booking class economy..have an option to roll over excess miles.. and the longest grace period as an elite.. I've been silver on Delta for almost 2 years now (might be until dec 2011) even if I didn't qualify for silver renewal yet.

guess the more well known the airline for their service is, the higher their elite requirements

CX HK

There is also a correlation between elite requirements and treatment of their elite members... sure, CX may be tough, but at GO, SL, or even GR, it is much better than the same tier in any other airline. While programs with easy to achieve tiers, like AA (you can be a 1mm lifetime Gold without ever flying revenue, as many FT members have shown) can give you a sense of security and whatnot, CX really delivers the goods for their frequent fliers.