Vietnam to US mistake fare discussion - 2019 Cathay New Year's gift
Jan 4, 2019, 1:17 am
#196
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Hong Kong, France
Programs: FB , BA Gold
Posts: 15,545
It appears any attempt to change the dates of these tickets WILL require a reprice:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mile...l#post30607409
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mile...l#post30607409
Jan 4, 2019, 1:23 am
#197
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC GGL/GFl, HH Diamond, BW Diamond, Virgin Voyages Deep Blue Extra, Blue Peter Badge Holder
Posts: 3,937
This is my biggest concern (but only if you care about trans pacific routes).
I don't understand why Cathay is even honoring these tickets. But if that's the decision they've made, they can reduce their exposure by converting these mispriced tickets to award tickets and not offer any redeemable miles/segment credit. They should also only honor one mispriced ticket per passenger name and cancel the rest.
I don't understand why Cathay is even honoring these tickets. But if that's the decision they've made, they can reduce their exposure by converting these mispriced tickets to award tickets and not offer any redeemable miles/segment credit. They should also only honor one mispriced ticket per passenger name and cancel the rest.
Put yourself in CX’s shoes, why would they do that? It isn’t honouring the contract, it would unilaterally be changing it and for what purpose, for most the miles earned are small fry to them and like someone said mostly not going to be on their own programme.
Jan 4, 2019, 1:30 am
#198
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: CX Green, QF Platinum, BAEC Silver, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 10,780
Are you saying that because it will benefit you personally?
Put yourself in CX’s shoes, why would they do that? It isn’t honouring the contract, it would unilaterally be changing it and for what purpose, for most the miles earned are small fry to them and like someone said mostly not going to be on their own programme.
Jan 4, 2019, 1:36 am
#199
Join Date: Sep 2008
Programs: A3 *G, AA exePlat, AS MVP 75k Gold, JL sapphire, UA silver
Posts: 4,035
@navylad I don’t begrudge you taking advantage of the deal. But one thing you probably need to see in context is that CX Diamonds fly A LOT to get there. And to get their upgrade passes they fly even more. Way way more than is required to get emerald in any other oneworld program.
So if CX honouring this will truly affect the ability to use their upgrade vouchers, then I think being upset is a valid sentiment.
So if CX honouring this will truly affect the ability to use their upgrade vouchers, then I think being upset is a valid sentiment.
i know a few other diamonds who booked these fare too.
Jan 4, 2019, 1:38 am
#200
Join Date: Nov 2017
Programs: MPC-DM, Enrich-Plat
Posts: 1,310
I think, not only the award space to NA is scarce, though also regular J/F tickets as well as award/regular tickets to EUR. The latter, because it can be expected a lot of CX flying Asians wanting to go to NA for leisure trips, now go to EUR ..... I just booked a ticket EUR-HKG-BKK 9 months out and there were only a few seats available. For 4-5 months out, nothing (or at least not much) reasonably priced available.
Jan 4, 2019, 1:55 am
#201
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: MNL
Programs: CX MPO DM, Le Club Accor Platinum, World of Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 2,284
Jan 4, 2019, 5:20 am
#202
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 481
Just a couple data points from friends who booked the "special" fare re: impact on redemptions --
1. one booked April CX 888/9 HKG-JFK with the intention of a friend from Vancouver joining him on the YVR-JFK segments. that friend was able to redeem Z on those shorter segments.
2. another booked December CX 840/5 HKG-JFK in J. he was able to get a standard award to ugprade the 840 to Z. 845 was also available but at a higher category.
While surely impacted, seems there is still decent availability in Z.
1. one booked April CX 888/9 HKG-JFK with the intention of a friend from Vancouver joining him on the YVR-JFK segments. that friend was able to redeem Z on those shorter segments.
2. another booked December CX 840/5 HKG-JFK in J. he was able to get a standard award to ugprade the 840 to Z. 845 was also available but at a higher category.
While surely impacted, seems there is still decent availability in Z.
Jan 4, 2019, 6:46 am
#203
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 173
Jan 4, 2019, 7:21 am
#204
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 3,208
Exactly, DAD-HKG-JFK return in J will generate over 50,000 redeemable miles if credited to AS. Assuming a low-ball valuation of US$0.01 per mile and to keep things simple, that's USD500 per ticket. Even if no cash changes hands, those 50k miles represent another one-way J class award flight on CX in the future (assuming the AS award chart doesn't change).
Jan 4, 2019, 7:32 am
#205
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 3,208
Are you saying that because it will benefit you personally?
Put yourself in CX’s shoes, why would they do that? It isn’t honouring the contract, it would unilaterally be changing it and for what purpose, for most the miles earned are small fry to them and like someone said mostly not going to be on their own programme.
With all the pain inflicted on shareholders and employees over the past few years, I don't understand why management decided to give in so easily. Everyone knew it was a mistake fare. There's no contract for mistake fares. No one knows how many tickets were sold at the sub-$1000 fare, but it was on every blog for hours. Assume 10000 tickets. Even if we haircut that figure by 50% because some of that inventory would have been "sold" as partner reward redemptions anyway, that's still USD 50-100mn in lost top-line revenue (which flows straight to pretax profit). Maybe not as bad as fuel hedging losses, but I don't see why management thinks they can absorb this. As others have stated, it also plays havoc on yield management for transpacific flights over the next 11-12 months.
Jan 4, 2019, 7:41 am
#206
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: HKG
Programs: CX DM, SPG Pt, Le Club Accor GO, Shangri-La GC Jade
Posts: 1,327
It appears any attempt to change the dates of these tickets WILL require a reprice:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mile...l#post30607409
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mile...l#post30607409
But I doubt how many of those VERY special fare tickets will need changes once first segment is flown
Jan 4, 2019, 7:50 am
#208
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC GGL/GFl, HH Diamond, BW Diamond, Virgin Voyages Deep Blue Extra, Blue Peter Badge Holder
Posts: 3,937
Exactly, DAD-HKG-JFK return in J will generate over 50,000 redeemable miles if credited to AS. Assuming a low-ball valuation of US$0.01 per mile and to keep things simple, that's USD500 per ticket. Even if no cash changes hands, those 50k miles represent another one-way J class award flight on CX in the future (assuming the AS award chart doesn't change).
Jan 4, 2019, 7:55 am
#209
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: HKG
Programs: BA(GGL) QF LTS CX AM, Hilton Diamond, PPL(A)
Posts: 1,654
CX certainly isn’t paying anywhere near this for the miles, your using a figure in the region it would cost a member of the public to purchase the miles, such as for Avios, average around 1.3 US cents per Avios would cost £336 to purchase and would get you a return ticket to a European destination from London, nowhere near a J ticket one-way.
put another way assuming crediting to AS, CX is lumping in a free one way J redemption Asia to NA (50k AS miles).
Go Army Beat Navy
Jan 4, 2019, 9:01 am
#210
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,949
Yes, exactly. I was planning for a long time to book TPE-HKG-YVR in Business and use the Diamond mid-tier benefit to upgrade HKG-YVR and YVR-HKG sectors to First in A. Was checking this for a month by doing dummy bookings; the "A" fare was available for my flights (in late-March) for both sectors, but after this "surprise sale", "A" fares have been wiped out and only "F" available.