How exactly does CX Waitlist work for awards?
 

Unsure how CX Waitlist works with award travel.

Basically, I see 30+ seats available in J (revenue) for a flight on a particular date. However, CX Award is not available but Waitlist is.

CX allows you to transfer the miles and pay for the taxes for this Waitlist fare.

My questions:

1) How long are you "wait-listed" for? 24 hours prior to departure? If a seat does not become available, I assume your miles and fees are refunded.

2) How is the waitlist priority determined? Marco Polo status? Etc?


I ask because there are 4 daily flights from LAX > HKG in June but all show Waitlist for J awards - even though KVS shows 36+ available in revenue business class.

Any thoughts/opinions/strategies?


Thanks

0. What we can generally see is only up to J9 (9 or more available seats). We cannot tell if there are 30+ seats available. If you see 30+ unassigned seats on seat map, there may just be a few unassigned seats.
1. You can waitlist up to the ticketing deadline. CX will not deduct miles and charge fees at waitlist. So there is no need to refund.
2. Waitlist priority is in accordance with MPC status.

Not entirely sure of the exact query, but will give it a shot.

But first, how are you getting the 36+ business class seats available? a J9C9D9I9 just means that CX is willing to sell 9 seats at the each of those fare classes- just that.

Not necessarily mutually exclusive, and impacted by stuff like married segments and point of sale.
A single sale could, possibly, change things to J8C8D8I8, or something else.
Infact, in theory, there might be <9 seats left in the biz cabin and CX could still be showing J9C9D9I9. (though i would 'expect' all 9s to imply a relatively light loading, especially if F/PE/Y are light too)

Not sure about the bit about transferring the miles - are you moving miles from a partner into your Asiamiles account?

The way CX would work is to give you a deadline (possibly extendable) and if the waitlist clears by then, give you a bit of time to issue the ticket (and deduct the miles, charge the card). If you are looking at this online, you can make the waitlist reservation, and the page notes:

Asia Miles and taxes/fees/charges/carrier surcharges displayed above are for reference only. Asia Miles and taxes/fees/charges/carrier surcharges required will be quoted at the time of ticket issuance.

So go ahead and waitlist away!

You can waitlist with 0 miles. I did for a mate.


If not ticketed, up to 4 days before depature. Not ticketed = no miles debited, no taxes collected.

Ticketed (and trying to change flights by waitlisting) - I don't think there's a limit. Essentially til whenever CX stops ticketing for the flight.

Wiki http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/catha...n-thread.html# "The order of upgrades when required is believed to be..."

Its revenue management. Sometimes some premium seats get released beyond expectations, but expect to wait maybe up to four days before depature only for nothing to show up.

If I don't have enough miles, how will I be contacted to know that I am successful and to transfer miles? I want to transfer from AMEX, but only if successful.

Are you a MPC member? MPC members can check on our account. I often get a call too. I don't know if that works for non MPC members.

Just a note - transfer from AMEX can take as short as a day and as long as about a week. (It used to be longer, and they may still be stating a longer time.) However, your miles must be available by the ticketing deadline.

Yes - MPC member. I'm just not in there every day, hence my concern.

Last month, I needed to postpone the final segment of a reward ticket which is due to fly 2 days later. I phoned MPC and was put on the waitlist. Few hours later, I got a SMS saying my flight was confirmed.

I also wonder how often does CX release additional reward seats?

You may get a call or SMS (as happened to me and other MPC members), but I suggest that you proactively check on it, especially as you have to transfer miles.

CX may occasionally release awards to MPC members upon requests. Back 6-7 years ago, I usually got awards released on the spot when I called MPC, although that hasn't been as easy the past few years.

There's always going to be some risks involved and you have to decide....do I want to put it on red or black?

Having said that, I would transfer the Amex points to CX. The rate isn't great but at least you'd have a better chance of it clearing.

With AA, if you wait last minute, your chances should be ok. Now, do you want to take that risk?

Related question, I have a specific flight I'd like to take (so as to be with another companion already booked on revenue) on CX. The award for the one way flight in economy is currently unavailable but it's in Feb 2016 so plenty of time left.

I have just enough AM to redeem, but would prefer to use BA Avios since it's only 4500 vs 10000 on AM. Can I still waitlist on AM and when the seat becomes available book it via BA? Will there be any email notification from CX about the availability, and can I at that point cancel the waitlist? I'm assuming based on the above I won't be charged cash or miles.

jix: Can, but the waitlist can only be redeemed by AM.

In order to redeeem it with Avios you're going to have to cancel the waitlist after it clears.

And the released seat may not necessarily be re-released for Avios.

Actually someone asked this recently in the AAdvantage CX partner redemptions thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...l#post25423045

Thanks, curious if CX blocks award space for the first and last flight of the day? I've been checking on the dates and routes I want but seems that the earliest flight is often unavailable for economy award even at 6 months out, is it likely that additional seats will be released later or should I just redeem for premium economy seat on the same flight now given it's still available.

Particularly, I'm looking for 2 Y seats on CX463 on Feb 19.

Sharing recent experience:

12/9 HKG-LAX J: Waitlist confirmed on 6/9
29/9 LAX-HKG J: Waitlist confirmed on 23/9 (today) (we confirmed a less preferable flight earlier to do the 6/9 issue, we rebooked on this flight)

Pretty consistent T-6. But both dates are I9 throughout so still frustrated it took this long.

With CX LAX/SFO I'm increasingly forced to confirm less preferable inbound flights on the same class/routing.

Bear in mind there's probably a lot of AA EXPs on these routes with no need to do return flights and free redposits - they need not do our stupid less preferable inbound bookings.