How to get award tickets on CX using AA miles

[Riverroad]

Can you frequent fliers advise on how I might get 2 award biz seats on CX, SIN-HGK-JFK, using AA miles? I know you can’t book them on AA.com. How do I find out if there’s any award availability before calling AA? Don’t have to be “Saver” since I have a lot of AA miles I’d like to burn before things get worse with AA. TIA.

[FlyerTalker]

Searches can be done through KVS tool, though they are not 100% dispositive.  Also by searching the CX website directly, though they may have availability for their own members and not make it available to partners, such as AA.

 

Be aware that CX makes limited number of award seats available.  You may find greater availability flying JAL, another oneWorld partner.

[fbgd]

Sign up for British Airways Executive Club. You can search many partners (which includes CX) on their tool even if you don't have any miles.

 

You'll need a lot of luck finding two J/F seats on CX flights between HKG and JFK. CX often don't open up availability until a few days beforehand.

[Riverroad]

Thank you both for your replies.

[Riverroad]

Fingers crossed but we seem to have gotten our desired CX flights in business using AA miles through an award booking service. Waiting for confirmation that it really happened. Will let you know.

[GeezerCouple]

12 hours ago, Riverroad said:

Fingers crossed but we seem to have gotten our desired CX flights in business using AA miles through an award booking service. Waiting for confirmation that it really happened. Will let you know.

 

This is how we ended up getting wonderful F tickets, on CX, and also LH, among other carriers.

 

In some cases, we held J until closer to departure date, so we at least knew we could fly when we were planning to fly.  Thus far, we've been able to get late availability F, although a few times, we needed to change the departure by one day - which was quite fine.

 

www.FlyerTalk.com has a list of these award services.

 

GC

[Riverroad]

47 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

This is how we ended up getting wonderful F tickets, on CX, and also LH, among other carriers.

 

In some cases, we held J until closer to departure date, so we at least knew we could fly when we were planning to fly.  Thus far, we've been able to get late availability F, although a few times, we needed to change the departure by one day - which was quite fine.

 

www.FlyerTalk.com has a list of these award services.

 

GC

Thanks GC. I believe we used the same service that you have been using. Think I saw you reference them on FT. Neither of the CX flights is configured with F seating, only J, 

Premium Economy and Economy. 

[GeezerCouple]

7 minutes ago, Riverroad said:

Thanks GC. I believe we used the same service that you have been using. Think I saw you reference them on FT. Neither of the CX flights is configured with F seating, only J, 

Premium Economy and Economy. 

 

Ah, yes... there have been a few times that we changed the routing so that we could get the specific flight and class (F) that we wanted, keeping in mind that there could always be equipment changes.

 

The first time was when we were looking for return tix from Japan, having tickets outbound on JL.  But we had heard so much about CX ! 

And they have rather restricted routes, usually involving Hong Kong.

So... OKAY! Time for a trip to Hong Kong "en route home" 

That gave us a wonderful few days in Hong Kong AND... 15+ hours on CX F.  

Both were wonderful.

 

But on some trips, there just isn't any reasonable routing such that F would be included.

Although I admit... at first, we thought seriously of coming home via HKG, withOUT stopping there.  And then we thought better of it, figuring if we are right there in the airport... So we made it a stop rather than a connection.

A lot of it depends upon just our whims at the moment, and also if we've heard anything special about certain carriers/planes/classes/etc.  We now try, when possible, to make the to/from travel portion a special part of the trip.  Like I said, "when possible".  Often, it's not really...

 

One remaining goal is Singapore Suites, with the "double bed".  But now, there is at least one airline (forgetting which) that has double beds in J!  (The ad shows what appears to be a mother & young daughter pair.)

 

We had a fun trip outbound last month, in LH F.  We happened to be on a 747, and we got the two front seats.  It looks a bit like a private cabin sitting right there, with a wall in front of both, with two TV screens, etc.  There is a narrow doorway in the middle, and one could "pretend"  that our private pilots were in there.  But in reality, that's the linen closet for the night time bedding!

We are having fun, and that's very important to us!

 

GC

[fbgd]

1 hour ago, GeezerCouple said:

One remaining goal is Singapore Suites, with the "double bed".  But now, there is at least one airline (forgetting which) that has double beds in J!  (The ad shows what appears to be a mother & young daughter pair.)

 

Qatar Airways QSuites. I flew it a couple of months ago with the wife from DOH-ORD and it was excellent. 

 

https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1422899

 

ANA have today announced a similar product.

https://onemileatatime.com/ana-new-first-business-class/

 

Edited July 11, 2019 by fbgd