Mar 6, 2016, 10:33 pm
Last edit by: stephem
Fare Rules:
Fare basis code AA J PEN-YVR
Fare basis code AA J PEN-YVR
Code:
FLIGHT APPLICATION
BETWEEN CANADA AND AREA 3
THE FARE COMPONENT MUST NOT BE ON ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING AA FLIGHTS 5100 THROUGH 5249.
AND
THE FARE COMPONENT MUST NOT BE ON ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING AA FLIGHTS 6075 THROUGH 6124.
AND
THE FARE COMPONENT MUST INCLUDE TRAVEL VIA EACH TRANSPACIFIC SECTOR BUT NOT ON ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING AA FLIGHTS 7950 THROUGH 7969.
ADVANCE RES/TICKETING UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED
STANDBY NOT PERMITTED.
OPEN RETURNS PERMITTED.
NOTE -
TEXT BELOW NOT VALIDATED FOR AUTOPRICING.
RESERVATIONS BOOKED 3 DAYS OR LESS PRIOR TO
DEPARTURE MUST BE TICKETED WITHIN 24 HOURS.
RESERVATIONS BOOKED 24 HOURS OR LESS PRIOR TO
DEPARTURE MUST BE TICKETED WITHIN 3 HOURS.
STOPOVERS
UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED NOTE - GENERAL RULE DOES NOT APPLY UNLIMITED STOPOVERS PERMITTED ON THE PRICING UNIT.
TRANSFERS UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED
UNLIMITED TRANSFERS PERMITTED ON THE FARE COMPONENT
FARE BREAK SURFACE SECTORS NOT PERMITTED AND EMBEDDED SURFACE SECTORS PERMITTED ON THE FARE COMPONENT.
PERMITTED COMBINATIONS FOR ONE WAY FARES
ADD-ONS PERMITTED.
END-ON-END
END-ON-END COMBINATIONS PERMITTED. VALIDATE ADJACENT
LINE OF FLIGHT FARE COMPONENTS ONLY. TRAVEL MUST BE VIA
THE POINT OF COMBINATION.
END-ON-END NOTE -
ADD-ONS PERMITTED
OPEN JAWS/ROUND TRIPS
FARES MAY BE COMBINED ON A HALF ROUND TRIP BASIS
-TO FORM SINGLE OR DOUBLE OPEN JAWS/ROUND TRIPS.
PROVIDED -
COMBINATIONS ARE WITH ANY FARE FOR ANY CARRIER IN ANY
RULE IN TARIFF
IPRP - BETWEEN THE USA/CANADA-AREA 2/3 VIA PAC
IPRPC - BETWEEN AREA 1-AREA 2/3 VIA PAC
IPRSAAS - BETWEEN AREA 1-AREA 3 VIA PAC
IPRSAPN - AREA 1-SOUTH WEST PACIFIC VIA PAC AND N.
AMERICA
OR RULE 7100/8005 IN TARIFF
PAMAAR - BETWEEN AREA 1-AREA 3 VIA PAC.
CIRCLE TRIPS
FARES MAY BE COMBINED ON A HALF ROUND TRIP BASIS WITH
ANY FARE FOR ANY CARRIER IN ANY RULE AND TARIFF
-TO FORM CIRCLE TRIPS.
PROVIDED -
COMBINATIONS ARE WITH ANY FARE FOR ANY CARRIER IN RULE
7100/8005 IN TARIFF
ATMAAR - BETWEEN AREA 1-AREA 2/3 VIA ATL
OR ANY RULE IN TARIFF
IPRA - BETWEEN USA/CA-AREA 2/3 AND GUAM-AREA 2
IPRAI - BETWEEN THE USA/CANADA-AREA 2/3 VIA ATL
IPRP - BETWEEN THE USA/CANADA-AREA 2/3 VIA PAC
IPRPC - BETWEEN AREA 1-AREA 2/3 VIA PAC
IPRSAAS - BETWEEN AREA 1-AREA 3 VIA PAC
IPRSAA2 - BETWEEN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE-AREA 2 VIA
ATL
IPRSAA3 - BETWEEN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE-AREA 3 VIA
ATL
IPRSAPN - AREA 1-SOUTH WEST PACIFIC VIA PAC AND N.
AMERICA
OR RULE 7100/8005 IN TARIFF
PAMAAR - BETWEEN AREA 1-AREA 3 VIA PAC.
SURCHARGES BETWEEN CANADA AND MALAYSIA
IF INFANT UNDER 02 WITHOUT A SEAT.
OR - CONTRACT BULK INFANT WITHOUT A SEAT UNDER 02.
OR - MILITARY INFANT WITHOUT A SEAT UNDER 02.
OR - INCLUSIVE TOUR INFANT WITHOUT A SEAT UNDER 02.
A SECURITY SURCHARGE OF HKD 45 PER COUPON WILL BE ADDED
TO THE APPLICABLE FARE FOR DEPARTURE FROM HKG AIRPORT.
NOTE -
THIS SECURITY SURCHARGE APPLIES TO -
1/ INFANTS.
2/ PASSENGERS TRANSFERRING/TRANSITING HONG KONG.
3/ PASSENGERS TRAVELLING ON INDUSTRY/AGENCY
DISCOUNT /ID/AD/ TICKETS.
4/ PASSENGERS HOLDING DIPLOMATIC PASSPORTS.
THE PROVISIONS BELOW APPLY ONLY AS FOLLOWS -
TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON AA OR US.
OR - TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON AA OR AY.
OR - TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON AA OR BA.
OR - TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON AA OR IB.
OR - TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON AA OR JL.
OR - TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON AA OR QF.
THERE IS NO CHARGE PER FARE COMPONENT FOR TRANSPACIFIC
SECTORS.
NOTE -
YR FEE MAY APPLY
AND - AN AIRPORT/TERMINAL SURCHARGE OF CAD 15.00 PER
COUPON WILL BE ADDED TO THE APPLICABLE FARE FOR
DEPARTURE FROM CANADA.
NOTE -
THIS NAVIGATION SURCHARGE APPLIES TO ADT/CNN
AND IS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY DISCOUNT.
AND - AN AIRPORT/TERMINAL SURCHARGE OF CAD 15.00 PER
COUPON WILL BE ADDED TO THE APPLICABLE FARE FOR
ARRIVAL IN CANADA.
NOTE -
THIS NAVIGATION SURCHARGE APPLIES TO ADT/CNN
AND IS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY DISCOUNT.
AND - A SECURITY SURCHARGE OF HKD 45 PER COUPON WILL BE
ADDED TO THE APPLICABLE FARE FOR DEPARTURE FROM
HKG AIRPORT.
NOTE -
THIS SECURITY SURCHARGE APPLIES TO -
1/ PASSENGERS TRANSFERRING/TRANSITING HONG KONG.
2/ PASSENGERS TRAVELLING ON INDUSTRY/AGENCY
DISCOUNT /ID/AD/ TICKETS.
3/ PASSENGERS HOLDING DIPLOMATIC PASSPORTS.
AND - ORIGINATING MALAYSIA -
A SURCHARGE OF USD 134.00 PER FARE COMPONENT WILL BE
ADDED TO THE APPLICABLE FARE FOR TRAVEL FOR
TRANSPACIFIC SECTORS.
NOTE -
THIS SURCHARGE APPLIES IN ADDITION TO ALL OTHER
CHARGES AND IS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY DISCOUNT.
THIS SURCHARGE WILL NOT APPLY TO PASSENGERS
TRAVELLING ON FREE TICKETS.
AND - AN AIRPORT/TERMINAL SURCHARGE OF CAD 15.00 PER
COUPON WILL BE ADDED TO THE APPLICABLE FARE FOR
DEPARTURE FROM CANADA.
NOTE -
THIS NAVIGATION SURCHARGE APPLIES TO ADT/CNN
AND IS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY DISCOUNT.
AND - AN AIRPORT/TERMINAL SURCHARGE OF CAD 15.00 PER
COUPON WILL BE ADDED TO THE APPLICABLE FARE FOR
ARRIVAL IN CANADA.
NOTE -
THIS NAVIGATION SURCHARGE APPLIES TO ADT/CNN
AND IS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY DISCOUNT.
AND - A SECURITY SURCHARGE OF HKD 45 PER COUPON WILL BE
ADDED TO THE APPLICABLE FARE FOR DEPARTURE FROM
HKG AIRPORT.
NOTE -
THIS SECURITY SURCHARGE APPLIES TO -
1/ PASSENGERS TRANSFERRING/TRANSITING HONG KONG.
2/ PASSENGERS TRAVELLING ON INDUSTRY/AGENCY
DISCOUNT /ID/AD/ TICKETS.
3/ PASSENGERS HOLDING DIPLOMATIC PASSPORTS.
SALES RESTRICTIONS UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED
TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED BY ELECTRONIC TICKETING.
TICKETS MAY NOT BE SOLD IN VENEZUELA/ARGENTINA.
TICKETS MAY ONLY BE SOLD IN AREA 1/AREA 2/AREA 3.
PENALTIES UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED
NOTE -
FOR TRAVEL AGENCY BOOKINGS MADE IN MEXICO / THE
CARIBBEAN / CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA - AA WILL
ASSESS A USD 25.00 FEE ON ANY UNTICKETED
RESERVATION NOT CANCELED BEFORE DEPARTURE.
CHILDREN DISCOUNTS BETWEEN CANADA AND AREA 3
ORIGINATING AREA 3 -
ACCOMPANIED CHILD 2-11 - CHARGE 67 PERCENT OF THE FARE.
TICKETING CODE - BASE FARE CODE PLUS CH
OR - INFANT UNDER 2 WITH A SEAT - CHARGE 67 PERCENT OF
THE FARE.
TICKETING CODE - BASE FARE CODE PLUS CH
OR - INFANT UNDER 2 WITHOUT A SEAT - CHARGE 10 PERCENT
OF THE FARE.
TICKETING CODE - BASE FARE CODE PLUS IN
OR - UNACCOMPANIED CHILD 5-14 - CHARGE 100 PERCENT OF
THE FARE.
NOTE -
UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN 5 6 AND 7 YEARS OF AGE WILL
ONLY BE TRANSPORTED OVER THE LINES OF AA NON-STOP
OR THROUGH PLANE SERVICE.
FOR J- TYPE FARES
ACCOMPANIED CHILD 2-11 - CHARGE 100 PERCENT OF THE FARE.
TICKETING CODE - BASE FARE CODE PLUS CH.
MUST BE ACCOMPANIED IN SAME COMPARTMENT BY ADULT 16 OR
OLDER
OR - INFANT UNDER 2 WITH A SEAT - CHARGE 100 PERCENT OF
THE FARE.
TICKETING CODE - BASE FARE CODE PLUS CH.
MUST BE ACCOMPANIED ON ALL FLIGHTS IN SAME
COMPARTMENT BY ADULT 16 OR OLDER
OR - 1ST INFANT UNDER 2 WITHOUT A SEAT - CHARGE 10 PERCENT
OF THE FARE.
TICKETING CODE - BASE FARE CODE PLUS IN.
MUST BE ACCOMPANIED ON ALL FLIGHTS IN SAME
COMPARTMENT BY ADULT 16 OR OLDER.
NOTE -
WHEN TRAVEL INCLUDES BOTH DOMESTIC AND
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE AND DIFFERENT
INFANT FARES APPLY - THE FARE NEED NOT
BE MORE THAN THE SUM OF THE APPLICABLE
FARES FOR THE DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL
PORTIONS.
OR - UNACCOMPANIED CHILD 5-14 - CHARGE 100 PERCENT OF THE
FARE.
NOTE -
UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN 5 6 AND 7 YEARS OF AGE WILL
ONLY BE TRANSPORTED OVER THE LINES OF AA NON-STOP
OR THROUGH PLANE SERVICE.
TOUR CONDUCTOR DISCOUNTS UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED
NOTE -
DISCOUNTS APPLY. INFORMATION IS NOT AVAILABLE
AT THIS TIME...CONTACT CARRIER FOR DETAILS.
THIS RULE DOES NOT APPLY FOR TRAVEL ON OTHER
AIRLINE OPERATED CODE SHARE FLIGHTS.
AGENT DISCOUNTS UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED
NOTE -
DISCOUNTS APPLY. INFORMATION IS NOT AVAILABLE
AT THIS TIME. CONTACT CARRIER FOR DETAILS.
THIS RULE DOES NOT APPLY FOR TRAVEL ON OTHER
AIRLINE OPERATED CODE SHARE FLIGHTS.
ALL OTHER DISCOUNTS UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED
THE PROVISIONS BELOW APPLY ONLY AS FOLLOWS -
TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON AA. SALE IS RESTRICTED TO
SPECIFIC AGENTS.
FARES MAY ONLY BE SOLD BY AA AND MAY NOT BE SOLD BY TRAVEL
AGENTS.
PASSENGER OCCUPYING TWO SEATS. ID REQUIRED - CHARGE 100
PERCENT OF THE FARE.
TICKET DESIGNATOR - SEAT.
NOTE -
APPLICATION---
FARES APPLY TO A PASSENGER PERMITTED THE
EXCLUSIVE USE OF TWO ADJACENT SEATS.
SENIOR CITIZEN 65 OR OLDER. ID REQUIRED - NO DISCOUNT.
NOTE -
RULE 1810 - SENIOR CITIZEN DISCOUNT DOES NOT APPLY
[FARE GONE] J PEN-YVR $1758CDN o/w One World and friends. F option available.
Jan 16, 2017, 9:32 am
#526
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: GEG (Spokane, WA)
Programs: Delta Plat, MM, AS MVP, Lifetime Skyclub, HHonors Lifetime Diamond, National Exec Elite, IHG Gold
Posts: 808
It really was fantastic. I think that SQ First was probably the highlight of the trip. The private room was also really cool. JL First was good but the evening departure from HND to SFO and lack of a proper meal sucked. Other than that, I'm glad that i was able to do it.
Jan 16, 2017, 4:00 pm
#528
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: TPA
Programs: WP
Posts: 372
How long was your transit in KUL? Domestic to Intl is usually pretty quick unless the immigration line is long
Jan 16, 2017, 5:16 pm
#529
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,900
Wasn't the problem. The issue was Cathay dragon canceled the Pen flight and AA didn't reissue the ticket properly. Cx couldn't get in touch w AA and every AA agent was being an idiot.
Jan 18, 2017, 8:16 pm
#530
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 356
sorry to hear that. mine was quite smooth, I had enough buffer in between flights. I had a small problem MH agent only gave me the boarding pass till CGK, but checked my luggage all the way to yyz. I had to go out security to check in at JAL counter in CGK, but I had 6 hours to do all those things. so I was lucky.
Jan 18, 2017, 8:17 pm
#531
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 356
It really was fantastic. I think that SQ First was probably the highlight of the trip. The private room was also really cool. JL First was good but the evening departure from HND to SFO and lack of a proper meal sucked. Other than that, I'm glad that i was able to do it.
Mar 19, 2017, 1:15 pm
#532
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Lafayette, LA
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, BA Gold, UA Gold MM, DL SM MM, Hyatt Glob, HH Diam, Marriott Ti/LT Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 274
Thanks for a wonderful trip
My wife and I returned from our annual Asia trip a few days ago using the PEN-KUL-HKG-JFK-YYZ tickets we had booked last May with help and encouragement from several contributors to this thread. $2200 per ticket, HKG-JFK in F (and with booking code F) on a CX-operated AA code-share. All other flights in Business. 28K+ EQMs, 3739 EQDs, and 30K+ RDMs.
A few highlights for anyone who might be interested:
-- Our intended destination was Washington DC rather than Toronto, so we scheduled an overnight stop after arrival in JFK and then an LGA-YYZ flight on AA the next morning. We were then going to book a separate same-day flight from YYZ to DCA. But a couple of months out we received notice of a schedule change: our morning LGA-YYZ flight was canceled and we were downgraded to Economy on an afternoon flight, which meant we would have to spend the night in Toronto before flying to Washington. Called the AA EXP line and was told that all AA flights NYC-YYZ are now on one-class aircraft, and that no flights were available until afternoon. I asked her whether, since AA could no longer take us to our destination in the class of service and/or time of day for which we had paid, they might be able just to forget about trying to get us to YYZ and substitute a JFK-DCA flight. To my amazement, the agent immediately said she thought this was fair, and she worked for 30 minutes or so to convince her colleagues on the rate desk to make the change without the $4000 extra charge that would normally have resulted from a change of destination. So our itinerary became PEN-KUL-HKG-JFK-DCA.
2) We also received notice of another schedule change: our CX flight KUL-HKG had become "Cathay Dragon" with the number changed to KA. We had originally booked the stop in KUL rather than nonstop PEN-HKG precisely in order to fly on Cathay rather than Dragon. But we decided not to try to make any further changes to our itinerary, especially because the KUL stop gave us a chance to have a long and sumptuous lunch in the wonderful MH First Class lounge.
3) We arrived in HKG late in the evening after the boring but uneventful PEN-KUL (MH) and KUL-HKG (KA) flights. Having previously tried the Marriott HKG airport hotel and found it unimpressive, we decided to take the train into town and stay at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, which we love. (We had only light luggage because most of our bags had been checked all the way from PEN to DCA.) We missed the evening cocktail hour in the Grand Club, but the sleep, the breakfast, and the view were all very nice.
4) Took the train back to HKG the next afternoon. We were disappointed that CX has no fast-track security and/or immigration arrangements for its departing First Class passengers -- I guess we had thought departing from HKG in CX F would have been something like taking SQ F from SIN or TG F from BKK -- but spent several hours in The Pier which is always really nice. We were again mildly disappointed to learn that our departure gate was a 20-minute walk away and that there were no shuttles. (Maybe we should have lounged at The Wing which turned out to be right next to our departure gate, but the gate wasn't announced until a couple of hours after we had arrived at the airport, and anyway we like The Pier better.)
5) The comfort, ambience, and service on our long-haul CX flight in F were magnificent. We chose two window seats (1A and 2A) rather than the center-and-window combination that some travel blogs recommend for couples. The flight attendants set up a dinner table for two in my wife's suite. We watched some movies and got six hours of sleep. We enjoyed this flight even more than our outbound flights (JFK-AUH-DEL) in the Etihad Apartments.
6) Arrived JFK late evening. The Hilton JFK is nothing special but way better than the Courtyard next door, where we had stayed on our outbound trip. We spent some time the next morning/afternoon at the very nice AA First Class lounge in JFK before taking our final flight to DCA.
Thanks again to the OP and to everyone whose helpful hints made this itinerary possible for us.
A few highlights for anyone who might be interested:
-- Our intended destination was Washington DC rather than Toronto, so we scheduled an overnight stop after arrival in JFK and then an LGA-YYZ flight on AA the next morning. We were then going to book a separate same-day flight from YYZ to DCA. But a couple of months out we received notice of a schedule change: our morning LGA-YYZ flight was canceled and we were downgraded to Economy on an afternoon flight, which meant we would have to spend the night in Toronto before flying to Washington. Called the AA EXP line and was told that all AA flights NYC-YYZ are now on one-class aircraft, and that no flights were available until afternoon. I asked her whether, since AA could no longer take us to our destination in the class of service and/or time of day for which we had paid, they might be able just to forget about trying to get us to YYZ and substitute a JFK-DCA flight. To my amazement, the agent immediately said she thought this was fair, and she worked for 30 minutes or so to convince her colleagues on the rate desk to make the change without the $4000 extra charge that would normally have resulted from a change of destination. So our itinerary became PEN-KUL-HKG-JFK-DCA.
2) We also received notice of another schedule change: our CX flight KUL-HKG had become "Cathay Dragon" with the number changed to KA. We had originally booked the stop in KUL rather than nonstop PEN-HKG precisely in order to fly on Cathay rather than Dragon. But we decided not to try to make any further changes to our itinerary, especially because the KUL stop gave us a chance to have a long and sumptuous lunch in the wonderful MH First Class lounge.
3) We arrived in HKG late in the evening after the boring but uneventful PEN-KUL (MH) and KUL-HKG (KA) flights. Having previously tried the Marriott HKG airport hotel and found it unimpressive, we decided to take the train into town and stay at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, which we love. (We had only light luggage because most of our bags had been checked all the way from PEN to DCA.) We missed the evening cocktail hour in the Grand Club, but the sleep, the breakfast, and the view were all very nice.
4) Took the train back to HKG the next afternoon. We were disappointed that CX has no fast-track security and/or immigration arrangements for its departing First Class passengers -- I guess we had thought departing from HKG in CX F would have been something like taking SQ F from SIN or TG F from BKK -- but spent several hours in The Pier which is always really nice. We were again mildly disappointed to learn that our departure gate was a 20-minute walk away and that there were no shuttles. (Maybe we should have lounged at The Wing which turned out to be right next to our departure gate, but the gate wasn't announced until a couple of hours after we had arrived at the airport, and anyway we like The Pier better.)
5) The comfort, ambience, and service on our long-haul CX flight in F were magnificent. We chose two window seats (1A and 2A) rather than the center-and-window combination that some travel blogs recommend for couples. The flight attendants set up a dinner table for two in my wife's suite. We watched some movies and got six hours of sleep. We enjoyed this flight even more than our outbound flights (JFK-AUH-DEL) in the Etihad Apartments.
6) Arrived JFK late evening. The Hilton JFK is nothing special but way better than the Courtyard next door, where we had stayed on our outbound trip. We spent some time the next morning/afternoon at the very nice AA First Class lounge in JFK before taking our final flight to DCA.
Thanks again to the OP and to everyone whose helpful hints made this itinerary possible for us.
Last edited by Assimilated Cajun; Mar 19, 2017 at 8:43 pm Reason: Typographical error
Mar 21, 2017, 9:15 pm
#533
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 356
My wife and I returned from our annual Asia trip a few days ago using the PEN-KUL-HKG-JFK-YYZ tickets we had booked last May with help and encouragement from several contributors to this thread. $2200 per ticket, HKG-JFK in F (and with booking code F) on a CX-operated AA code-share. All other flights in Business. 28K+ EQMs, 3739 EQDs, and 30K+ RDMs.
A few highlights for anyone who might be interested:
-- Our intended destination was Washington DC rather than Toronto, so we scheduled an overnight stop after arrival in JFK and then an LGA-YYZ flight on AA the next morning. We were then going to book a separate same-day flight from YYZ to DCA. But a couple of months out we received notice of a schedule change: our morning LGA-YYZ flight was canceled and we were downgraded to Economy on an afternoon flight, which meant we would have to spend the night in Toronto before flying to Washington. Called the AA EXP line and was told that all AA flights NYC-YYZ are now on one-class aircraft, and that no flights were available until afternoon. I asked her whether, since AA could no longer take us to our destination in the class of service and/or time of day for which we had paid, they might be able just to forget about trying to get us to YYZ and substitute a JFK-DCA flight. To my amazement, the agent immediately said she thought this was fair, and she worked for 30 minutes or so to convince her colleagues on the rate desk to make the change without the $4000 extra charge that would normally have resulted from a change of destination. So our itinerary became PEN-KUL-HKG-JFK-DCA.
2) We also received notice of another schedule change: our CX flight KUL-HKG had become "Cathay Dragon" with the number changed to KA. We had originally booked the stop in KUL rather than nonstop PEN-HKG precisely in order to fly on Cathay rather than Dragon. But we decided not to try to make any further changes to our itinerary, especially because the KUL stop gave us a chance to have a long and sumptuous lunch in the wonderful MH First Class lounge.
3) We arrived in HKG late in the evening after the boring but uneventful PEN-KUL (MH) and KUL-HKG (KA) flights. Having previously tried the Marriott HKG airport hotel and found it unimpressive, we decided to take the train into town and stay at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, which we love. (We had only light luggage because most of our bags had been checked all the way from PEN to DCA.) We missed the evening cocktail hour in the Grand Club, but the sleep, the breakfast, and the view were all very nice.
4) Took the train back to HKG the next afternoon. We were disappointed that CX has no fast-track security and/or immigration arrangements for its departing First Class passengers -- I guess we had thought departing from HKG in CX F would have been something like taking SQ F from SIN or TG F from BKK -- but spent several hours in The Pier which is always really nice. We were again mildly disappointed to learn that our departure gate was a 20-minute walk away and that there were no shuttles. (Maybe we should have lounged at The Wing which turned out to be right next to our departure gate, but the gate wasn't announced until a couple of hours after we had arrived at the airport, and anyway we like The Pier better.)
5) The comfort, ambience, and service on our long-haul CX flight in F were magnificent. We chose two window seats (1A and 2A) rather than the center-and-window combination that some travel blogs recommend for couples. The flight attendants set up a dinner table for two in my wife's suite. We watched some movies and got six hours of sleep. We enjoyed this flight even more than our outbound flights (JFK-AUH-DEL) in the Etihad Apartments.
6) Arrived JFK late evening. The Hilton JFK is nothing special but way better than the Courtyard next door, where we had stayed on our outbound trip. We spent some time the next morning/afternoon at the very nice AA First Class lounge in JFK before taking our final flight to DCA.
Thanks again to the OP and to everyone whose helpful hints made this itinerary possible for us.
A few highlights for anyone who might be interested:
-- Our intended destination was Washington DC rather than Toronto, so we scheduled an overnight stop after arrival in JFK and then an LGA-YYZ flight on AA the next morning. We were then going to book a separate same-day flight from YYZ to DCA. But a couple of months out we received notice of a schedule change: our morning LGA-YYZ flight was canceled and we were downgraded to Economy on an afternoon flight, which meant we would have to spend the night in Toronto before flying to Washington. Called the AA EXP line and was told that all AA flights NYC-YYZ are now on one-class aircraft, and that no flights were available until afternoon. I asked her whether, since AA could no longer take us to our destination in the class of service and/or time of day for which we had paid, they might be able just to forget about trying to get us to YYZ and substitute a JFK-DCA flight. To my amazement, the agent immediately said she thought this was fair, and she worked for 30 minutes or so to convince her colleagues on the rate desk to make the change without the $4000 extra charge that would normally have resulted from a change of destination. So our itinerary became PEN-KUL-HKG-JFK-DCA.
2) We also received notice of another schedule change: our CX flight KUL-HKG had become "Cathay Dragon" with the number changed to KA. We had originally booked the stop in KUL rather than nonstop PEN-HKG precisely in order to fly on Cathay rather than Dragon. But we decided not to try to make any further changes to our itinerary, especially because the KUL stop gave us a chance to have a long and sumptuous lunch in the wonderful MH First Class lounge.
3) We arrived in HKG late in the evening after the boring but uneventful PEN-KUL (MH) and KUL-HKG (KA) flights. Having previously tried the Marriott HKG airport hotel and found it unimpressive, we decided to take the train into town and stay at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, which we love. (We had only light luggage because most of our bags had been checked all the way from PEN to DCA.) We missed the evening cocktail hour in the Grand Club, but the sleep, the breakfast, and the view were all very nice.
4) Took the train back to HKG the next afternoon. We were disappointed that CX has no fast-track security and/or immigration arrangements for its departing First Class passengers -- I guess we had thought departing from HKG in CX F would have been something like taking SQ F from SIN or TG F from BKK -- but spent several hours in The Pier which is always really nice. We were again mildly disappointed to learn that our departure gate was a 20-minute walk away and that there were no shuttles. (Maybe we should have lounged at The Wing which turned out to be right next to our departure gate, but the gate wasn't announced until a couple of hours after we had arrived at the airport, and anyway we like The Pier better.)
5) The comfort, ambience, and service on our long-haul CX flight in F were magnificent. We chose two window seats (1A and 2A) rather than the center-and-window combination that some travel blogs recommend for couples. The flight attendants set up a dinner table for two in my wife's suite. We watched some movies and got six hours of sleep. We enjoyed this flight even more than our outbound flights (JFK-AUH-DEL) in the Etihad Apartments.
6) Arrived JFK late evening. The Hilton JFK is nothing special but way better than the Courtyard next door, where we had stayed on our outbound trip. We spent some time the next morning/afternoon at the very nice AA First Class lounge in JFK before taking our final flight to DCA.
Thanks again to the OP and to everyone whose helpful hints made this itinerary possible for us.
Mar 22, 2017, 8:00 pm
#534
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Lafayette, LA
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, BA Gold, UA Gold MM, DL SM MM, Hyatt Glob, HH Diam, Marriott Ti/LT Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 274
:-: