Hey all,

Normally I hang out in the AA forums and clock all miles to Aadvantage, but I'm seriously considering a jog to Australia over the 4th of July. Optimizing EQP earnings on AA, it looks like the best route to fly is:

LAS-LAX-HKG-MEL-HKG-LAX-LAS on CX in Premium Economy (R fare) for ~$3200. (The LAS-LAX-LAS segments are on AA w/ AA flight #'s in B and H)

Before I go ahead and book the ticket, I thought I'd ask here about upgrading from E to Business on CX, which I've never done:

From my research, which really doesn't seem to be right, it looks like a 10,000+ mile RT R-->J upgrade is 55,000 AsiaMiles. It also seems like I can only do my upgrade at the airport when I'm checking in.

It also looks like I, or someone who loves me, can transfer SPG points to an account I create on AsiaMiles, which I can then use to upgrade the flight (upgrade space permitting, of course). If I do get upgraded, I also want to make sure it all books to my AA FF#, which from reading your threads and using search looks like it shouldn't be a problem.

Can someone please check my math/method/madness and tell me if I'm close or way-off base on how many miles it's going to take and how best to accomplish this? Regardless of being able to upgrade, I'll probably book the ticket anyway, but I figured I'd ping the experts here in advance.

Thanks!

-SF

I just plugged your itinerary into the calculator on the AsiaMiles website, and 55k for a roundtrip upgrade does appear to be the going rate for this itinerary (when you use the calculator, you'll need to use the "add segment" function to enter each leg separately although it then prices as one roundtrip).

But if you're using AsiaMiles, you can request the upgrade request at any time from when you book the ticket and then be put on a waitlist if no seats are available.

One important difference from most U.S.-based programs is that your waitlist will not stay in place up until departure time. When you call to request the upgrade, they'll give you a ticketing deadline by which you need to ticket the upgrade (or you're out of luck if it hasn't cleared yet). In practice you can call back to ask them to extend the deadline, but in the best case it will still expire a couple days before departure. If you haven't cleared then, you need to re-request the upgrade at the airport -- you won't automatically be on a waitlist/upgrade standby list.

CrazyJ82: I think you have to ignore the two legs between LAX and LAS to get the correct result because including these legs will exceed the li it of two transits.


OP: Your plan and calculation is correct. As mentioned you will not be able to upgrade for las -lax and i dont think AA offers J in this segment as well (its just a short flight anyway). CX can do a partial upgrade as well.
Btw, I think it will be a waste of SPG points in converting to AM.

I should have specified that's what I was doing -- only the HKG-LAX-MEL portion vv.

I think in terms of the value of converting the SPG points to AM, it really depends. The wild card is whether the upgrades clear. If they do, then CX J on such long flights may well be worth it even if it's an "expensive" upgrade in comparison to what other programs might charge, due to AM's poor earn/burn ratio. But the risk is that if the upgrades don't clear, you're stuck now with AsiaMiles that will expire after three years or so. If you're going to be flying CX again before they'd expire then it might be worthwhile. Otherwise, YMMV.

Thanks to both of you for the advice/comments.

A couple of follow ons:

1. Is there a way to check for upgrade inventory avails, before applying for the upgrade? I know for AA I can check for C inventory on ExpertFlyer and was wondering if there is something similar.

2. Can someone else use their AsiaMiles account to upgrade me? As I was exploring last night, it looked like there is an AM "list" that a member can add people to that allows them to redeem miles for someone else... does that "redemption" also apply to upgrades, or is it only for booking tix?

Thanks again,

-SF

1. I stand to be corrected for this - I think EF can't check CX reward inventory. You will need KVS tool.

2. Yes. It applies to upgrade as well (but not companion ticket). FYI, you can add anyone to your redemption list for free, but it will cost $90 to remove any or all names on the list. The maximum number of nominees on the list is 5.

No, you can use any other service that also screen scrapes the airline websites, such as AwardNexus.com

Thanks to all of you for your help/advice!

-SF

Just check the awards search function on CX's website. The availability accuracy is high there. Availabilities don't seem to vary between full-redemption and upgrades, to CX they're all awards only. So if you see the full redemption available then it should mean an upgrade is available too.

This award search function is kind of like a gaming app when you jump back and forth between different dates to see when an award would be available, makes you feel like you are playing a round of rock paper scissors each time you click "search"

That is correct.

Indeed, CX uses the same Booking Classes for both:
http://Help.KVSTool.com/#CX