FWIW

I recall that there is sometimes a good H fare for EWR-HKG, if that is the case I would opt for that for it gets you ~24,000 eqms which is only 1,000 away from silver elite.

i've booked a few times on continental.com but i don't recall seeing an option to upgrade using my miles...is this something i have to do by call a customer service rep?

can anyone give me an estimate as to my chances of getting an upgrad in July/Aug from EWR to HKG...

thank you!

Yes, you have to call.

Very good chance for July/Aug. That's high season for coach, relatively low season for business.

Very good reasoning there, I'm probably going to try to book at H fare class with 150% of mile earning power...when is the best time to book a fight if i'm traveling in July/Aug to get the best price?

just one more thing...the fee and miles to upgrade is one way only right?

Keep in mind that H fare earns 150% EQM, but only 100% spendable miles.

H fares are fairly stable. I checked some dates and they're all around $1,950 + tax, except for next July, which goes down to $1,700 + tax. Except for peak Christmas period when on some dates, only R fares in BusinessFirst are left.

You won't find a sale for H fare, so there's no reason to book early. In fact, you can wait until last minute and you may still get the same H fare.

Yes, the fees and miles are one-way.

since H fares are pretty stable it probably makes sense to book the tickets sooner rather than later and get added to the wait list sooner...i'm assuming that the sooner I get added to the list the chances of me getting upgraded are better...

i checked CO's website and went to the advance search and put in H class as my option but it only gave me a B class for around 1500...

does this mean i probably need to call to purchase my ticket and have to paid for the service charge?

Yes, the sooner you go on the list the better.

What route are you searching on that will not give you an H fare? I cannot remember seeing a route without one.

i think i might not have click the "Enter Specific Class..." radio button before...
they should look into fixing that...if some is putting in a specific class then it should also automatically check the "Enter Specific Class..." option...

by anyhow...I just tried it again...it came back with an H class for 1970 from ewr to hkg in early july of 09

Use the +/- 3 day search if you're flexible. I get fares of $1,804 + $70.8 for several days I searched for.

Yeah...that is an annoyance of the site. Glad you found the fare. It is definitely higher than it was last year, and I'd look closely to see what the fee difference is for a cheaper flight to make sure you are spending the money in the most appropriate manner.

when should I start looking to book a fare outside of H? trying to get the best final cost here...

it's about 1507 for a B class now...

I'm think i should start checking around march/april...

Yes, too early right now. April or so and you should find cheaper fares. My family and I usually don't go to HK in summer, but expect fares around $1,000-$1,100.

Yes, I agree is a little confusing. They should make it more clear on the Service Fees page that if a waitlist doesn't clear the fee will be refunded.

The "real" nonrefundability more likely comes into play when you cancel your trip, or change your flight and are unable to confirm an upgrade on the new flight. In that case you don't get the fee back.