Taam

Hi just have a concern about the CX238 operation.

I have managed to have a F ticket booked by using AA miles, and it is CX238 from LHR to HKG in June. Soon I realised that CX238 has only three cabins according to my experience. Having a look of CX's website and then found out that it seems like CX238 operates four cabins on Saturday only and in June only, not in May or July. I have never met this situation before and not sure if it happened perviously.

I am now worrying a greater possibility of downgrade and have no clue of what CX and AA will do in that case? If it happened days before departure, will CX be able to put me on another CX25X flight regardless of the award availability, or I can only deal it with AA? And what if it happens at LHR on the day?

Any thoughts or shares is appreciated. Thank you all in advance.

sxc

If it happens in advance you’ll have to deal with AA.

If it happens on the day, you can claim EU261 downgrade compensation as the flight is departing the EU. As an award ticket, I’m not sure how they will value 75% of the sector fare though.

TravelwhileyouEat

Article 3 paragraph 3 does state "... it shall apply to passengers having tickets issued under a frequent flyer programme or other commercial programme by an air carrier or tour operator."

The wording on downgrade compensation directly from EU261 is "75% of the price of the ticket" for type C flights. Airlines will argue that the seat fare is 0.00 since it was paid with miles and only the difference of miles should be returned; however, the argument made is that frequent flyer miles/points are a form of currency under the airline program and as such it should be 75% cost of the miles for the sector downgraded which according to the AA partner chart is 90,000 x 75% = 67,500. I believe there are cases when this has happened only after contacting the airline and asserting your EU261 rights (as airlines will obviously not have any incentive to be proactive about this). Though I don't know who you would be dealing with CX or AA given that AA issued the miles but CX was the one who downgraded you. You should also be entitled to any carrier surcharge and tax difference between J and F if there is any.

kaka

most airlines already stand by refunding 75% of miles of sector (or pro rata by miles flown is how asiamiles assess it - not sure about AA)

sxc

CX is the operating carrier and is responsible for the compensation. However, the mileage came from AA. I'm not sure how CX gets AA to refund the miles.

number_6

Any downgrade due to equipment substitution will be known the day before (the plane flies into LHR from HKG) so you will be dealing with AA and EU261 does not apply. It would apply if F was somehow overbooked but CX has never done this in my experience. More likely to have flight cancelled than downgraded, in any case this is 0.0..1% chance as LHR is a flagship high-revenue F route for CX so other routes will suffer first if planes are reshuffled.

TravelwhileyouEat

EU 261 applies to all carriers operating out of an EU airport not just EU community carriers. Since this flight is LHR to HKG, EU 261 applies; it will not apply for the reverse HKG to LHR though.