Vietnam to US mistake fare discussion - 2019 Cathay New Year's gift
#541
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: NYC/SIN
Programs: CX DM, SQ KF
Posts: 2,178
Good Luck! Just be firm, yet polite and they should reinstate, unless the flight is being cancelled and they’re working through reservations gradually.
JOC, how do you know that the original flight was oversold by 1?
JOC, how do you know that the original flight was oversold by 1?
#542
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC E50K
Posts: 132
A bit of an update. I called the US number this morning and the agent was pretty sympathetic but sounded like she didn’t have much power to fix it because there were no seats available. FWIW I got them to link me and my buddies ticket, something I should’ve done when we originally booked the tickets. She said they would have to ask Hong Kong to place me back onto the original flight. My fear here is Hong Kong knows this is a mistake fare and will tell me to pound sand. FWIW the morning flight I’m on looks full at the moment too so I don’t think they can even get my friend onto it. It sorta sounded like they would place me on standby for the flight so I’m hoping they’ll be able to get back to me in the morning. Otherwise, what would my options be if they refuse to put me back on the flight I booked? There is a VN flight 3 hours before which I would be ok with taking as a last resort so long as they move my friend onto that flight for free. Otherwise is standing firm calling this an IDB the best bet here (seeing as they confirmed the move without consulting me)?
Thanks
Last edited by C-FMWQ; Sep 16, 2019 at 6:42 pm
#543
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 4
Was just checking my booking for 08 December and noticed CX has cancelled my HKG to JFK in first and rebooked me in business from HKG to EWR. Called and they have changed me to another JFK flight the same day but will only confirm Business class, and waitlist for F, not the F I paid for. What are the chances of the waitlist clearing, and if not should I be getting some compensation or refund for the downgrade?
#544
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,709
Was just checking my booking for 08 December and noticed CX has cancelled my HKG to JFK in first and rebooked me in business from HKG to EWR. Called and they have changed me to another JFK flight the same day but will only confirm Business class, and waitlist for F, not the F I paid for. What are the chances of the waitlist clearing, and if not should I be getting some compensation or refund for the downgrade?
Is it maybe an A to F upfare issue? And A isn't available?
I still don't think I've ever encountered this situation, and I've bought my fair share of CX F tickets. Where they just shove me over to J class and then tell me to pound salt.
Update immediately after: I will let my ignorance stand above. But now I know why. I forgot what thread I was posting in.
It is almost 100pct guaranteed due to the fact you're on a Vietnam mistake A fare. CX has completely changed inventory ex-Vietnam to deal with you folks it seems. So A fare availability ex-HKG or other places can be wide open but ex-Vietnam Point of Sale is often 0. I'm pretty sure this is why you're in trouble. They don't have to open up a seat for you if A share ex-Vietnam point of sale isn't available on the flight you want. And the fare difference very well could mean you owe CX money not the other way around.
Others might have a better idea or more optimistic way of thinking about it. I'm not totally sure but read above, the point of sale issue is definitely your problem here.
My experience which I was initially referring to is about "normal" A fare, which CX in my experience is normally very flexible and liberal with. But ex Vietnam this year is a different story due to the mistake fare.
Last edited by QRC3288; Sep 17, 2019 at 5:44 am Reason: I completely forgot the thread!!
#545
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: NYC/SIN
Programs: CX DM, SQ KF
Posts: 2,178
Don’t have any skin in the game for these fares, besides general interest (well, that, and anguish at what these did to upgrade availability!).
Do think that CX will reaccomodate in F, irrespective of VN PoS availability. They could have effectively cancelled all the mistake tickets by pulling off a stunt like this beginning of the year- renumbering the flights/tweaking schedules etc, to trigger en-Masse rebookings and cried ‘sorry, no A availability for your PoS’- but, they didn’t.
suspect that what the poster above experienced was a general /algorithmic rebooking (‘no A available, rebook next lower available fareclass’), and manual intervention by someone suitably higher up in the booking chain, with insistence on class of service booked, will resolve things.
Do think that CX will reaccomodate in F, irrespective of VN PoS availability. They could have effectively cancelled all the mistake tickets by pulling off a stunt like this beginning of the year- renumbering the flights/tweaking schedules etc, to trigger en-Masse rebookings and cried ‘sorry, no A availability for your PoS’- but, they didn’t.
suspect that what the poster above experienced was a general /algorithmic rebooking (‘no A available, rebook next lower available fareclass’), and manual intervention by someone suitably higher up in the booking chain, with insistence on class of service booked, will resolve things.
#546
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Programs: OWEmerald; STARGold; BonvoyPlat; IHGPlat/Amb; HiltonGold; A|ClubPat; AirMilesPlat
Posts: 38,186
Was just checking my booking for 08 December and noticed CX has cancelled my HKG to JFK in first and rebooked me in business from HKG to EWR. Called and they have changed me to another JFK flight the same day but will only confirm Business class, and waitlist for F, not the F I paid for. What are the chances of the waitlist clearing, and if not should I be getting some compensation or refund for the downgrade?
#547
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 4
@grc3288. Thanks. I get the point of origin and point of sale issue with A class issues and have followed this thread. Its not a matter of them not confirming a flight I want to be on, I wanted to be on the flight I was booked and confirmed into First class on, which the airline has decided to cancel. If it was the other way around and I had asked Cathay to change my booking from a flight in first to a flight in Business and to Newark instead of JFK, I would have been asked for a change fee, a difference in fare etc and etc. I never asked CX to undercharge for tickets out of Vietnam, They offered the fare and took my money. Then 2 days later confirmed it was a genuine booking. They then can't 9 months later after allowing countless people to travel on this fare just cancel my flight and downgrade me, and then claim they don't have seats in first class, just because they are hoping someone will pay more money for them. In my opinion.
Last edited by Iain nz; Sep 17, 2019 at 5:16 pm
#548
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Hong Kong, France
Programs: FB , BA Gold
Posts: 15,616
@grc3288. Thanks. I get the point of origin and point of sale issue with A class issues and have followed this thread. Its not a matter of them not confirming a flight I want to be on, I wanted to be on the flight I was booked and confirmed into First class on, which the airline has decided to cancel. If it was the other way around and I had asked Cathay to change my booking from a flight in first to a flight in Business and to Newark instead of JFK, I would have been asked for a change fee, a difference in fare etc and etc. I never asked CX to undercharge for tickets out of Vietnam, They offered the fare and took my money. Then 2 days later confirmed it was a genuine booking. They then can't 9 months later after allowing countless people to travel on this fare just cancel my flight and downgrade me, and then claim they don't have seats in first class, just because they are hoping someone will pay more money for them. In my opinion.
Cancellations 3 months ahead do happen and POS availability is what it is.
With so few F seats, It is hard to predict if waitlist will clear.
If F does not get full on your flight, your waitlist will clear. Hard to know what priority they will give to you, but I assume that you will be before awards (including upgrade with miles).
I doubt that you will get much financial compensation if in J.
IMO, you should call again and talk to some supervisor.and try to get them to open a seat.
You have not started your trip yet, so CX could simply volunteer to refund you if you are not happy.
Last edited by brunos; Sep 17, 2019 at 8:28 pm
#549
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 4
To update, I called again and was told again that there was no availability in first, I politely but firmly said that there is availability as I can still make a new booking onto the flight, and that I understood that it might not be in the same fare class, but that I still felt it was unfair. I was put on hold for about 9 minutes and when she returned she told me I have been rebooked into first on the same flight. Can't ask for more than that really. I have worked for three different airlines over 20 years in both reservations and operations so I understand these things happen, and have had the pleasure of travelling premium on both staff travel and as a paid passenger. I am incredibly grateful that I was able to take advantage of this fare, and that Cathay Honoured it. I just know that when a flight is cancelled through no fault of the passenger then the passenger should be re-accommodated fairly.
#550
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,709
To update, I called again and was told again that there was no availability in first, I politely but firmly said that there is availability as I can still make a new booking onto the flight, and that I understood that it might not be in the same fare class, but that I still felt it was unfair. I was put on hold for about 9 minutes and when she returned she told me I have been rebooked into first on the same flight. Can't ask for more than that really. I have worked for three different airlines over 20 years in both reservations and operations so I understand these things happen, and have had the pleasure of travelling premium on both staff travel and as a paid passenger. I am incredibly grateful that I was able to take advantage of this fare, and that Cathay Honoured it. I just know that when a flight is cancelled through no fault of the passenger then the passenger should be re-accommodated fairly.
#551
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: somewhere
Posts: 99
Question
I would like the board to comment on my situation. I flew the inbound flight already and my flight to Vietnam from JFK scheduled for late October was cancelled. I was moved to Business out of EWR flying the same day. I was supposed to arrive to JFK 2.5 hrs before the HKG-bound flight take-off and definitely would be unable to make the JFK to EWR hop barring NYC traffic and any plane delays, say nothing about the downgrade to Business.
I called Cathay whether I can fly out of Toronto/Boston/Chicago instead of EWR a month later. I spoke with a very nice agent who checked all the options and told me that there should available tickets in the A bucket and we found a date that would work for me. However, since we are changing the routing, now this is up to the head office in HKG to decide how much do I need to pay extra in change fees. I asked the agent to check the availability out of JFK in First and there is none a week before and a week after for my dates, thanks to all of you ;-)
What are my options when the big wigs in HKG come back with $$$$ in change fees or tell me to go in Business out of EWR? The agent was referring to this change as a voluntary but I see it as involuntary as they cancelled the original flight from JFK and there are no options in the same class out of JFK for the dates that work for me.
What should I do?
I called Cathay whether I can fly out of Toronto/Boston/Chicago instead of EWR a month later. I spoke with a very nice agent who checked all the options and told me that there should available tickets in the A bucket and we found a date that would work for me. However, since we are changing the routing, now this is up to the head office in HKG to decide how much do I need to pay extra in change fees. I asked the agent to check the availability out of JFK in First and there is none a week before and a week after for my dates, thanks to all of you ;-)
What are my options when the big wigs in HKG come back with $$$$ in change fees or tell me to go in Business out of EWR? The agent was referring to this change as a voluntary but I see it as involuntary as they cancelled the original flight from JFK and there are no options in the same class out of JFK for the dates that work for me.
What should I do?
#553
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,184
I would like the board to comment on my situation. I flew the inbound flight already and my flight to Vietnam from JFK scheduled for late October was cancelled. I was moved to Business out of EWR flying the same day. I was supposed to arrive to JFK 2.5 hrs before the HKG-bound flight take-off and definitely would be unable to make the JFK to EWR hop barring NYC traffic and any plane delays, say nothing about the downgrade to Business.
I called Cathay whether I can fly out of Toronto/Boston/Chicago instead of EWR a month later. I spoke with a very nice agent who checked all the options and told me that there should available tickets in the A bucket and we found a date that would work for me. However, since we are changing the routing, now this is up to the head office in HKG to decide how much do I need to pay extra in change fees. I asked the agent to check the availability out of JFK in First and there is none a week before and a week after for my dates, thanks to all of you ;-)
What are my options when the big wigs in HKG come back with $$$$ in change fees or tell me to go in Business out of EWR? The agent was referring to this change as a voluntary but I see it as involuntary as they cancelled the original flight from JFK and there are no options in the same class out of JFK for the dates that work for me.
What should I do?
I called Cathay whether I can fly out of Toronto/Boston/Chicago instead of EWR a month later. I spoke with a very nice agent who checked all the options and told me that there should available tickets in the A bucket and we found a date that would work for me. However, since we are changing the routing, now this is up to the head office in HKG to decide how much do I need to pay extra in change fees. I asked the agent to check the availability out of JFK in First and there is none a week before and a week after for my dates, thanks to all of you ;-)
What are my options when the big wigs in HKG come back with $$$$ in change fees or tell me to go in Business out of EWR? The agent was referring to this change as a voluntary but I see it as involuntary as they cancelled the original flight from JFK and there are no options in the same class out of JFK for the dates that work for me.
What should I do?
#554
Ambassador: Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 7,390
In reading between the lines the OP booked on the 1:35am flight out of JFK (that was recently cut from daily to 4x week) and was rebooked onto the 1:55am flight out of EWR. 2.5 hours is not really enough time to transit from JFK to EWR.
With that said - All nonstop JFK-HKG flights on 10/29, 10/30, and 10/31 has at least F1 so I would push CX to rebook the OP on a JFK-HKG flight of your choice since this schedule change is on CX’s end not yours regardless of the fact this was booked on a mistake fare.
Last edited by golfingboy; Sep 21, 2019 at 6:23 pm
#555
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 643
I also got a change, with JFK-HKG in F changed to EWR-HKG in J. It seems an automated choice based on NYC and nearest timing (15 mins later).
Called and was moved to JFK-HKG in F later in the day. It showed me as waitlisted for a few minutes, but was soon confirmed and new seats selectable.
I guess I was lucky with availability.
Called and was moved to JFK-HKG in F later in the day. It showed me as waitlisted for a few minutes, but was soon confirmed and new seats selectable.
I guess I was lucky with availability.