CX codeshare with KA to Shanghai?
 

HI!

I'm flying from HKG to PVG on KA flight 808 in First class. I'm booked on this flight from CX stock as it's nowdays codeshare with KA. I'm also oneworld emerald. Can I use CX lounges at Hong Kong, like their Wing or Pier ?

The official word is 'not yet'.

KA does have its own lounges and you might be sent back there if you are to show up at the CX lounge. You may however *try* and see if you will be let in with your Oneworld EM status.

Well, just to be clear have you booked the codeshare (CX6836) instead of KA808? If so I would expect to be allowed access to the F lounges as a (non-CX) OW Emerald.

(CX Diamonds do already get lounge access when flying on the KA code.)

CX Diamonds only get access to the J section of CX Wing/Pier when taking flights operated by KA (ie under the "any airline" rule, not because of KA's association with CX), or the KA lounge...and not the F section of Wing/Pier, right ?

You are right:

* Under OneWorld, with the exception of AA members traveling within North America, the following basically applies - "If you do not have oneworld Emerald or Sapphire tier status you are only eligible to access a lounge if you are travelling in First or Business Class, or if you are travelling in Economy on a domestic or intra-European flight to connect to or from a longhaul segment in a oneworld carrier's First or Business Class." However, there is no mentioning of F or J lounge.

* For CX, DM members have access to J lounges when traveling on any other airlines, and KA is still not CX for that purpose. However, as KA is now a OW airline, theoretically even CX GO (OW SA), not just CX DM, can have access to CX J lounge anyway.

That brings up another point. In HKIA, most flyers will probably prefer CX lounges anyway. So the KA lounge is probably only useful for non-OW (or maybe OW Ruby) flyers traveling on KA business/first classes.

The last two posts are simply wrong as regards Marco Polo benefits on KA.

Members of the Marco Polo club (but not, yet, other OneWorld equivalents) get all benefits on KA exactly as if they were travelling on CX, with effect from 1 January 2007. If you look in the Marco Polo News area of the CX website (login needed) you will find the news item dated 16 November 2006. If you don't have access to this area then please stop pontificating as if you do.

I hope you do check the pages in more details yourself before saying so strong that it's "simply wrong"...

If you look at the footnotes on the benefits chart...footnotes 9-13...access to CX first/business lounges are "Available only to members travelling on flights operated by Cathay Pacific"...while access to KA lounges are "Available only to members travelling on flights operated by Dragonair".

There's no mention of getting all benefits on KA "EXACTLY" as if they were travelling on CX. At least as I understand it, KA lounges and CX lounges cannot be used "interchangeably" - KA lounge when traveling KA-operated flights, CX lounge when traveling CX-operated flights. DM is no exception for this rule (again, unless under the "any airline" rule - DM flying KA can get access to CX J lounge).

To make it clearer...in the benefits table, for lounge access for DM, it says...
Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge(9)

while the corresponding footnote is:
9 Available only to members travelling on flights operated by Cathay Pacific.

and if they're really picky about the wording...they did say "operated"...not "marketed". so codeshares are not a solution either.

please stop pontificating too unless there's some other proof you might have.

The table is in conflict with the words which state:

"From 1 January 2007, Marco Polo Club members will enjoy exclusive Club privileges and convenience when they fly on Dragonair, just like they do on Cathay Pacific (depending on their membership tier and class of travel)."

To me that is unambiguous - if I am on a KA flight as a MPC DM then I get CX F lounge access.

One of the areas where CX is weak is in the quality of their proof-readers - there are a number of points in the MPC documentation where it is inconsistent and/or out of line with reality.

Just to get another data point, I have just called the Marco Polo hotline and their answers (after a fairly considerable time on hold while they went away to consider the question) are as follows:

- KA booked as KA - yes, Diamond can use the CX F lounge (subject to capacity constraint)

- MH operated, booked as CX (a related question that occurred to me) - depends on the ticket stock! If booked on 160 ticket stock then I get F access, if on any other ticket stock then J access. (I have never seen this documented anywhere). Surprisingly (to me) I wouldn't get Club Miles regardless of the ticket stock.

Of course the only datapoint that really matters is reality, so can I suggest we put this on hold until someone actually tries it...

I have checked with the guardian lady of the FC lounge.

MPO DM flying KA (regardless of class, F, J or Y) can only access the KA lounge (with 2 guests) or the CX J lounge (again, with 2 guests, under the "whatever airline" rule). Access to F is only granted when the DM is taking a CX flight, including codeshares.

OW Emeralds, flying KA, get no access to CX lounge until KA becomes an official OW member.

On this occasion though, she let me into F lounge with my Y class KA BP, but only when her colleague stepped away. :p

CX probably has to clarify its relationship with KA. The following quote is subject to discussion:
"From 1 January 2007, Marco Polo Club members will enjoy exclusive Club privileges and convenience when they fly on Dragonair, just like they do on Cathay Pacific (depending on their membership tier and class of travel)."
MPC privileges used to include using of CX lounges with CX flights. It can now mean:
1. Using of CX lounges with CX flights and using of KA lounges with KA flights.
2. Using of CX or KA lounges with CA or KA flights.
According to the table, (1) is true, but the wordings above can mean different things. In any event, the tables are not always correct. I have seen a recent (a few days ago) version of the table on CX web that has a footnote saying DM members can use CX lounges on CX flights only. The footnote was obviously wrong. That footnote was later corrected.

this latest news from the MPO homepage seems to want to reinforce the "operated by" rule for lounge access as described before already - i.e. you get access based on whether your flight is operated by CX/KA, doesn't matter what ticket/codeshare you have. i.e. even for MPO DM holding CX ticket, but operated by KA, you don't get access to F lounge. I guess there's probably enough confusion in the last few months that they want to further clarify this...

https://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en...010d21c39____&
(you might need to login first)

Club benefits on Cathay Pacific / Dragonair codeshare flights

You can now enjoy exclusive Marco Polo Club privileges on all Cathay Pacific / Dragonair codeshare flights. Here's an update of all the latest details:

Lounge access
When travelling on... Silver Gold
Cathay Pacific codeshare flights operated by Dragonair - Dragonair lounges
Dragonair codeshare flights operated by Cathay Pacific - Cathay Pacific Business Class lounges

When travelling on... Diamond
Cathay Pacific codeshare flights operated by Dragonair - Cathay Pacific Business Class lounges or Dragonair lounges
Dragonair codeshare flights operated by Cathay Pacific - Any Cathay Pacific or Dragonair lounges

As you can read in this thread, the policy statements on this are not always clear.

What I can tell you is that CX in the HKG lounges DO NOT allow a OW emerald to enter when flying on a CX numbered KA codeshare flight. Maybe they are supposed to or have implied that they would, but the enforced policy is NO.

I have been meaning to post this piece of good news for all the China roaming DMs out there. Sorry I keep forgetting... until now.

Disregard with utter prejudice what you read on CX's website and the comments/emails from MPO that I have posted on this and other threads.

As of mid-March, following a major internal row (and I am quoting directly from a conversation with a F lounge receptionist), diamond card members flying KA, irrespective of flight number or ticket number, can now access CX F lounge, officially with one guest but a blind eye will be turned on the second.

I know a sample of two is not significant but I spent the last two Monday mornings having breakfast in the F Wing proudly holding a RED KA boarding pass.

I'm beginning to wonder if a worry about overloading the Wing/Pier is one of the reasons now delaying Dragonair's entry into OneWorld. Obviously once that happens Diamonds on KA flights will be in the F lounges.