I was very lucky last year, and able to book a business class seat on a OW award using AAdvantage miles on CX 882 HKG-LAX twice (once for a July trip, and once for a November trip). Both times I was traveling on a Circle Pacific fare, and booked an award for my partner to accompany me. Both were booked around January of last year.

I'm trying to book another trip, this time using a DONE3 for myself, and a OW award for my partner. We've got decent flights and dates for SAN-YVR, YVR-LHR-OSL, OSL-HEL-AMS, and AMS-LHR-HKG. But trying to get home from HKG is a problem. The only business award seat I could get is HKG-YYZ (with a stop in ANC). This is annoying because it's an A340 instead of a 747 (so there is no quiet upstairs cabin) and the HKG-ANC leg is too short to get any sleep.

I've been checking the CX web site for award availability from HKG to SFO (which would be ideal as we could visit friends there), LAX, and even JFK and YVR. I've tried searching far past our desired return date of September 10, even as far away as December and even January and February 2008. In all cases, the web site tells me there is no availability.

I'm going to have to book the award within a couple of weeks, and once I do, no route changes are permitted.

Any advice? Would it be possible (and if so, advisable) to book HKG-SFO for any available date (assuming a seat can be found), and then keep checking for availability for the actual date after booking?

I am assuming this is an AAdvantage one world award. Different FFPs have different rules even though the award may be called the same thing.

Check the AA NRT-LAX flight on the dates you want. If its open then connect in NRT from CX.

It is open, but I'm being greedy -- I don't want to fly on AA's current-generation business seats for a long flight. Flights out of NRT use 777s; they won't get the NGBC until after the 767s are done.

I called just to check, and the AAngel managed to find a seat HKG-YVR on the A340 flight the next day! I grabbed it because changes to dates/times are allowed after ticketing an AAdvantage OW award, so I can keep trying for the 747, and the previous day.