New York (JFK) to Hong Kong (HKG) to Bangkok (BKK) .... Please Help
Jan 31, 2012, 3:57 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: New York
Programs: AA, BA, CO
Posts: 402
New York (JFK) to Hong Kong (HKG) to Bangkok (BKK) .... Please Help
Hi guys .... so trying to get that trip of a lifetime on CX going to Thailand through Hong Kong .... staying in Hong Kong for 2-3 days. Then just going straight Thailand to JFK (NYC).
Travel dates ..... anytime in March and early April.
Called AA Reservations and not much luck. They got a CX flight going through Vancouver. Not good. Any thoughts, ideas? I know that if I call again I might get a different agent getting better deals. Who knows.
Travel dates ..... anytime in March and early April.
Called AA Reservations and not much luck. They got a CX flight going through Vancouver. Not good. Any thoughts, ideas? I know that if I call again I might get a different agent getting better deals. Who knows.
Jan 31, 2012, 4:16 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: USA
Programs: AA EXP, UA GLD, Bonvoy Titan, HH Dia, WoH Exp
Posts: 2,673
You didn't specify class of service. You may have better luck getting seats in certain class than others. You also need to be flexible in your dates for award booking.
CX flies non-stop to HKG from JFK, but also stops at Vancouver on some flights. CX also flies from Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto. So you have additional gateways cities to fly from.
Good luck with the award booking.
CX flies non-stop to HKG from JFK, but also stops at Vancouver on some flights. CX also flies from Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto. So you have additional gateways cities to fly from.
Good luck with the award booking.
Jan 31, 2012, 5:45 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: most of them
Posts: 3,283
what's wrong with going through YVR?
I thought AA only allowed stopovers at certain places (like the NA gateway you are going out from, which could be Vancouver for example). Do they allow a stopover in HKG? You could do an open jaw though and just buy a ticket HKG-BKK if you need to. I am actually planning to do that. Fly CX to HKG, stay there a week and then fly on the EK A380 suites to BKK. Then come back from BKK somehow. But if I can just build in a stopover that would save me some money, obviously.
Of course award space changes frequently. this might be better placed in the CX or AA forum.
I thought AA only allowed stopovers at certain places (like the NA gateway you are going out from, which could be Vancouver for example). Do they allow a stopover in HKG? You could do an open jaw though and just buy a ticket HKG-BKK if you need to. I am actually planning to do that. Fly CX to HKG, stay there a week and then fly on the EK A380 suites to BKK. Then come back from BKK somehow. But if I can just build in a stopover that would save me some money, obviously.
Of course award space changes frequently. this might be better placed in the CX or AA forum.
Jan 31, 2012, 6:00 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: New York
Programs: AA, BA, CO
Posts: 402
You didn't specify class of service. You may have better luck getting seats in certain class than others. You also need to be flexible in your dates for award booking.
CX flies non-stop to HKG from JFK, but also stops at Vancouver on some flights. CX also flies from Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto. So you have additional gateways cities to fly from.
Good luck with the award booking.
CX flies non-stop to HKG from JFK, but also stops at Vancouver on some flights. CX also flies from Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto. So you have additional gateways cities to fly from.
Good luck with the award booking.
I have no problem of buying a ticket from BKK to HKG ... specially since coming back she didn't have any award flights from BKK to HKG.
I also have miles with Delta, BA, CO .... so I can use those miles to go from BKK to HKG.
My issue is that it seems there are no flights JFK to HKG WITHOUT routing through Vancouver in the entire March and beginning of April.
Jan 31, 2012, 6:23 pm
#6
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AA EXP 5MM
Posts: 399
It's not correct that there are no non-stops in all of March from JFK to HKG. Every March day I checked (I only checked a few) has the regular three CX non-stops. There may be no availability in First, but the flights exist (and availability may develop later). CX business is quite good; have you thought of booking that and then moving to first if it becomes available later?
Jan 31, 2012, 6:59 pm
#7
Join Date: Jul 2004
Programs: Priority Club Platinum & Ambassdor, Hilton Honors Diamond, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 505
I just checked JFK-HKG from about mid-March to early April and found First Class available on April 5 and 6. Obviously AA doesn't allow stopovers of more than 24 hours so you would have to use add'l miles or buy ticket on another carrier to BKK.
Jan 31, 2012, 7:06 pm
#8
Join Date: May 2008
Location: BOS/SIN
Programs: SQ
Posts: 2,704
You need to check all the gateways for availability, not just JFK. ORD should have availability since it's a new service. I've read SFO is pretty good, but I also read there's no more F from YYZ?
If you got F on the CX JFK-YVR-HKG I'd go for it! A lot of FTers do this because they (believe it or not) want a longer ride in F because CX F is that good!
If you got F on the CX JFK-YVR-HKG I'd go for it! A lot of FTers do this because they (believe it or not) want a longer ride in F because CX F is that good!
Jan 31, 2012, 10:22 pm
#9
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: MIA
Programs: AA EXP 1M, SPG PLT
Posts: 165
Wife just flew this route (JFK-HKG-BKK) on Cathay in first using redemption miles. We reserved business (all that was available on initial call) and just checked back every week. We were more flexible than you on carrier (just wanted a One World carrier in 1st class) and routing (would have been fine with NRT route) but less flexible than you for dates. Key is find and maximize flexibility and keep calling back each week. OW partner airlines release reward seats in some kind of phasing model different than AA.
Feb 1, 2012, 7:25 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: New York
Programs: AA, BA, CO
Posts: 402
Thanks guys for the info.
I now have on hold 2 kinds of flights ......
1. Going through Vancover .... 67K miles and will have to use 12K CO (will use US Airways miles) to fly HKG to BKK (AA charges 22K for business that I don't need).
2. Going straight to HKG from JFK and then to BKK but it's a day time flight. Really wanted to fly at night to get some sleep. I mean that's why we fly First, no? :-)
So ..... all in all ... since I want to stop in HKG it'll be 135K AA miles ... plus 12K CO miles for between HKG and BKK one leg.
Anyone wants to come along? :-)
I now have on hold 2 kinds of flights ......
1. Going through Vancover .... 67K miles and will have to use 12K CO (will use US Airways miles) to fly HKG to BKK (AA charges 22K for business that I don't need).
2. Going straight to HKG from JFK and then to BKK but it's a day time flight. Really wanted to fly at night to get some sleep. I mean that's why we fly First, no? :-)
So ..... all in all ... since I want to stop in HKG it'll be 135K AA miles ... plus 12K CO miles for between HKG and BKK one leg.
Anyone wants to come along? :-)
Feb 1, 2012, 8:52 am
#11
Join Date: May 2009
Location: DCA
Programs: US Chairman, Marriott Platinum, PCR Platinum, and SPG Gold
Posts: 1,244
Enjoy! CX F is wonderful!
Feb 1, 2012, 9:02 am
#12
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: NYC
Posts: 511
I agree with ejh25. If you just want to sleep and are somebody who just can't in economy class why not split the difference and go with business? You can save a nice chunk of mileage and you still get great service with comfortable seats.
But I am somebody who has never flown anything but economy and falls asleep rather quickly on planes.
Why does it matter if its a day flight. It doesn't change the fact you will have plenty of time to sleep on the plane...
But I am somebody who has never flown anything but economy and falls asleep rather quickly on planes.
Why does it matter if its a day flight. It doesn't change the fact you will have plenty of time to sleep on the plane...
Feb 1, 2012, 9:05 am
#13
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: CVG
Programs: AAdvantage, Delta Skymiles, CapOne Venture, Citi ThankYou
Posts: 486
My last flight in Cathay first was just after Thanksgiving ORD-HKG. I couldn't sleep as it was so damn hot in the cabin. Have you noticed that Cathay does not have air nozzles anywhere in first or business to allow you to adjust the temperature? Put a fat duvet on top of that and it was an oven for me. I sat up drinking Johnnie Walker Black Label and reading most of the way to Hong Kong. One of my few criticisms of Cathay's premium products.
Feb 1, 2012, 9:09 am
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
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Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.601 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)
"Going through Vancover .... 67K miles and will have to use 12K CO (will use US Airways miles) to fly HKG to BKK "
Can you explain the last part? You cannot convert US miles to CO miles, and US charges the roundtrip mileage for a one-way award.
"Going through Vancover .... 67K miles and will have to use 12K CO (will use US Airways miles) to fly HKG to BKK "
Can you explain the last part? You cannot convert US miles to CO miles, and US charges the roundtrip mileage for a one-way award.
Feb 1, 2012, 9:37 am
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: New York
Programs: AA, BA, CO
Posts: 402
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.601 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)
"Going through Vancover .... 67K miles and will have to use 12K CO (will use US Airways miles) to fly HKG to BKK "
Can you explain the last part? You cannot convert US miles to CO miles, and US charges the roundtrip mileage for a one-way award.
"Going through Vancover .... 67K miles and will have to use 12K CO (will use US Airways miles) to fly HKG to BKK "
Can you explain the last part? You cannot convert US miles to CO miles, and US charges the roundtrip mileage for a one-way award.
Yea, not converting. Will call US Airways and use their miles for CO flights. AA is having issues finding me flights between HKG and BKK .... especially considering that on one leg I want to stay in HKG for 2-3 days. So .... 135K AA miles for the long flights and US Airways miles to use for economy HKG to BKK and return. I know ... loosing pretty much about 25K USAir (CO) miles.
I agree with ejh25. If you just want to sleep and are somebody who just can't in economy class why not split the difference and go with business? You can save a nice chunk of mileage and you still get great service with comfortable seats.
But I am somebody who has never flown anything but economy and falls asleep rather quickly on planes.
Why does it matter if its a day flight. It doesn't change the fact you will have plenty of time to sleep on the plane...
But I am somebody who has never flown anything but economy and falls asleep rather quickly on planes.
Why does it matter if its a day flight. It doesn't change the fact you will have plenty of time to sleep on the plane...