Airline changed my award ticket schedule
 

I booked a flight on Cathay Pacific using AA miles. The flight had a 2 segments, thru Hong Kong with a 4 hour layover. We booked about 10 months out since award tickets are hard to come by. We had many award options when we booked, but went with this one.

Now, 6 months out - Cathay changed segment one of our flight to depart 10 hours earlier. That's fine, but they didn't change segment 2, so now we have an almost 15 hour layover! We are traveling with our two young kids, so this really isn't ideal at all. Cathay does have almost hourly flights from HK to BKK (our destination), so there are earlier flights we could take for our 2nd segment, but no award space available (of course, since now we are just 6 months out).

I called American, and they made a request through the Alliance Liaison to get an earlier flight from Hong Kong to BKK, but they liaison apparently could only get the flight switched to one that departs about 20 minutes earlier (so now we have a 14 hour layover). This seems crazy! Anyone have any ideas of any recourse or what I can do? We don't want to cancel the entire trip (deposits already paid) but a 14 hour layover is horrible, especially since we had other award options when we booked the ticket (that are obviously unavailable now).

Airline changed my award ticket schedule
 

In terms of "recourse", other than hanging up and calling a different agent, none.

You could also ask AA if they will open up seats on their own flights to get you a better routing into HKG. Use the BA award site to see what options on other OW carriers are. you still have 6 months, so something should come up.

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It sounds like AA is doing everything it can with CX, so you may be stuck. AA cannot force CX to open up award space on flights that you find more desirable.

Have you asked about award availability HKG-BKK on either RJ or UL? (Don't know if those flight times are any better for you.)

Are there any better award routings available via TYO on JL?

Respose
 

No - no other award space at all is available from LAX to BKK. When we booked the tickets, there were a few options, but nothing now.

This just feels wrong. It's not that I've decided that an earlier flight is more desirable. Cathay changed us to a much earlier segment 1, so it just seems like they should also change us to a similarly earlier segment 2 rather than leaving us stranded in an airport for 14 hours with two toddlers. Especially since they have almost hourly fights from HK to BKK. Or at least pay for a hotel for the day for us. Or do something.

The basic issue is that AA did not change anything. CX changed its schedule and you are being offered the next available flight with award space. CX can't be forced to do anything by either you or by AA.

Calling AA back is useless on the CX front as you have already had the Liaison Agent (or Desk) call CX and CX has said no.

But, what you can do as others have suggested is do some research as to other OW routings from your origin to BKK and check availability on those. AA will force space for you on its own metal, but can't force it elsewhere.

Having the research in hand, e.g., dates and flight #'s will be very helpful.

Beyond that, your options really are to lump it for 14 hours at HKG (day rooms?) or to cancel for a refund (to which you are entitled).

Any suggestions on how to get the details/research in hand? I looked on the JAL site for OW partners and it aid no availability at all. I also looked on BA and found no availability. I don't think AA itself goes on its own metal from from lax to BKK, so no options there (maybe I'm wrong, but I didn't see it and the AA agent didn't mention it). Am I missing something that I should be doing?

You're still 6 months out. Worst case, wait for a better HKG-BKK flight to have award space open up, and call AA to change to it. AA doesn't charge for change of date/time as long as origin, destination, and class stay the same. CX opens up a lot of space close-in.

You might be able to drop the HKG-BKK award segment and pay for a flight segment that suits you. If it turns out that you really do need to spend a few hours in HKG, there is a Marriott that has a free shuttle and is not too expensive. There is also a hotel right in the terminal, but in my experience it is more expensive.

I don't think I can drop the Hkg to BKK segment though without having to reissue the award ($150/ticket for four tickets, so $600 total and then I'd have to buy tickets from Hkg to BKK myself). And if I just don't get on the flight, won't the airline just automatically cancel the rest of my ticket (which is my return flight)?

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"No - no other award space at all is available from LAX to BKK."

How did you determine this? Did you independently research this on third-party websites, or are you relying on what an AA agent told you?

Since AA flies LAX-NRT on its own metal, you can request that AA open up award space for you on that flight if there is award space available on a well-timed JL NRT-BKK connecting flight.

Also, as noted upthread, CX may yet open up award space on a better-timed LAX-HKG flight, and/or on a better-timed HKG-BKK, so do not abandon all hope just yet.

I have researched other OW routes with award space, and there isn't any.

The agent told me there wasn't award space, and I also look at the JAL and BA sites for award space. I'll look into your proposed option now though.

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This is incorrect. On a LAX-HKG-BKK award, AA will permit you to lop off the HKG-BKK segment without charge, since the award's country of origin is not changing and HKG and BKK are in the same award zone.

Even in cases where the change fee would apply, if all miles came from a single AAdvantage account, the change fee would come to $225, not $600, as long as all four award tickets were changed at the same time ($150 for the first ticket; $25 for each additional ticket). But as noted, there would be no fee due just to drop the HKG-BKK segment.

And AA will not likely charge you a reissue fee if you drop the segment in this circumstance.

But, do make certain that when that happens, that AA does not inadverdently cancel anything else and then confirm with CX that its segments remain intact as you don't want your xBKK going sideways.

Ask AA to try again and ask for a specific flight. If that doesn't work complain with the DOT, that will end up higher on the food chain with CX.