Alaska Mileage Plan has just added online bookings for another partner, which is a positive development.
In this post:
Cathay Pacific awards bookable on Alaska’s website
Last week Alaska Mileage Plan announced that some major changes are coming to partner awards later this year. We don’t yet know the details, but it’s probably not good news. There was one positive aspect to this development — Alaska committed to making Cathay Pacific and LATAM awards bookable on alaskaair.com.
The first part of that is live, as you can now redeem Alaska miles for travel on Cathay Pacific online. This means that LATAM is the only Alaska redemption partner that’s not bookable online, but that should change soon (meanwhile we’re still waiting for award redemptions on EL AL to be added, even though that partnership launched in 2019).
Cathay Pacific award space will show up if there’s availability when checking the “use miles” box. Furthermore, you can book a stopover on a one-way award at no extra cost by using the multi-city feature.
Cathay Pacific redemptions offer among the best uses of Alaska miles. You can expect to pay the following number of miles for one-way premium cabin awards originating in the United States:
- Between the United States and Asia costs 50,000 miles in business class, 70,000 miles in first class
- Between the United States and Africa, India, South Asia, and the Middle East, costs 62,500 miles in business class, 70,000 miles in first class
- Between the United States and Australia and New Zealand costs 60,000 miles in business class, 80,000 miles in first class
The timing here isn’t exactly great…
On the one hand, the timing of this is pretty good, as Hong Kong is finally starting to reopen. Hong Kong is now open to visitors with restrictions and testing, and is expected to open on a more widespread basis soon.
Unfortunately that’s where the good news ends when it comes to redemptions on Cathay Pacific:
- Currently Cathay Pacific has exclusively scheduled Airbus A350s on flights to the United States, as there are no Boeing 777s in the schedule; that means Cathay Pacific isn’t offering first class to & from the United States, which is my favorite use of Alaska miles (though in other cabins the A350 offers a better experience)
- Cathay Pacific has hugely decreased the amount of partner award availability it releases in the past couple of years, and there’s very little premium long haul award space
So Cathay Pacific redemptions are finally available online with Alaska Airlines, but there has probably never been a less exciting time for that in terms of award availability and product options from the United States.
Bottom line
It’s finally possible to redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles for travel on Cathay Pacific online. It’s great to see this development, though it doesn’t exactly come at a great time. Cathay Pacific has cut first class on routes from the United States, the airline has become much stingier with award availability, and before the end of the year Alaska will be making award chart changes.
What do you make of Alaska adding Cathay Pacific awards online?
I think something has changed in the last few weeks, I've been watching HKG-DXB which had plenty of J availability, especially towards the end of the open calendar, but now it's zero availability, some dates you can find economy class avail, or J on SQ.
Literally, it is almost impossible to find Cathey Pacific from North American to HKG business flight with Aleska mileage
Any chance you think Cathay Pacific will return to Johannesburg? I find it interesting that the chart shows to Africa but if I am not mistaken, they only flew to JNB and nowhere else in Africa, and it appears JNB has completely dropped from their flight schedule with no sign of return...
Lucky- When changing planes in HK, are there testing and/or additional requirements? And how about the Cathay lounge there, any word on whether it’s back to full speed or not?
With the article you posted the other day about Cathay giving away 500,000 flights to promote tourism from the lowest level in decades, I would think they'd want to open up partner availability as the restrictions are rolled off. What am I missing?
It's not Cathay giving away 500,000 tickets but the Hong Kong SAR government via the Tourism Board. I assume most of these tickets are on Cathay, but not all. I think the issue is that CX is adding flights back slowly (as an example, I searched last week and they still have HKG-LAX at about 5X weekly in much of 2023. I am guessing they haven't load the new additional flights yet) but there's a...
It's not Cathay giving away 500,000 tickets but the Hong Kong SAR government via the Tourism Board. I assume most of these tickets are on Cathay, but not all. I think the issue is that CX is adding flights back slowly (as an example, I searched last week and they still have HKG-LAX at about 5X weekly in much of 2023. I am guessing they haven't load the new additional flights yet) but there's a sudden surge of demand in HK for flights (can you blame them? HK people basically were imprisoned in their home for almost 3 years). Also, if you look at prices (economy) to/from HKG roundtrip and USA for the next few months, they are significantly higher than they used to be. American Airlines are not returning to HKG; United (rumor) to restart HKG-USA flights in January 2023 to SFO. I am hoping CX and UA to add more flights before the end of the year, and hopefully that will result in more reward availability.
Thanks Ben for the update! I was wondering exactly when in Oct the CX reward becomes searchable online when I first heard the news. I just did a quick search and found a business class reward in Sep 2023 and snatched it. 50,000 miles is a great bargain!
I'd say that CX hasn't added back the flights to North America to anywhere close to the frequencies they used to have yet. They are bringing back...
Thanks Ben for the update! I was wondering exactly when in Oct the CX reward becomes searchable online when I first heard the news. I just did a quick search and found a business class reward in Sep 2023 and snatched it. 50,000 miles is a great bargain!
I'd say that CX hasn't added back the flights to North America to anywhere close to the frequencies they used to have yet. They are bringing back the 777-300ER in the dessert, so I am guessing that by mid-2023, you will see the return of the 777 in North America with more frequencies (at least daily to LAX and SFO) and hopefully First Class as well.
nice to know . . . let's wait and see if it really works that way with ALASKA AIRLINS Mileage Program, as i think it's one of teh WORST programs all over OneWorld and also in terms of partners that this Airline Program has.
Try to book partner CONDOR on a flight from Frankfurt (HUB) to Palma de Mallorca/Spain, or Hurghada/Egypt, Mombasa/Kenya or simply from Mauritius via Frankfurt to Las Vegas, NON of these...
nice to know . . . let's wait and see if it really works that way with ALASKA AIRLINS Mileage Program, as i think it's one of teh WORST programs all over OneWorld and also in terms of partners that this Airline Program has.
Try to book partner CONDOR on a flight from Frankfurt (HUB) to Palma de Mallorca/Spain, or Hurghada/Egypt, Mombasa/Kenya or simply from Mauritius via Frankfurt to Las Vegas, NON of these routes work online of via the Callcenter with Alaska Airlines Mileagel Program.
Same with OneWorld Partner QATAR Airways: good luck, trying to book ANY flight outside the US. e.g. Doha-Seychelles, can't be booked, but wide open as award on AA, CX, BA or even QF as an award, if you call . . . the answer is from AS, sorry no inventory. BUT if you try to book Seychelles-Doha-Philladephia on QATAR Airways, then it's possible for the same day and the same flight as there is only 1 flight a day from the Seychelles. If you try to book Seychelles-Doha-London or Frankfurt or Paris or Zurich, it does NOT work, same result, if you call Alaska, sorry no inventory or availability.
What a lame program and i can just tell everybody, to use AA instead to collect miles as i have big trouble using my 135k Miles on the program now on a route even within the OneWorld Alliance and so far, in 5 years NO LUCK!
CONDOR, forget it!
Finnair, good Luck!!
Avoid if possible and all those NEWS and articles soudn nice, BUT in reality it is an Airline that is focused on the US and should NOT be part of any Alliance or Partner with ANY international Airline.
Try Air Tahiti Nui from Paris to Papeete . . . no luck! From LAX-Papeete, it looks all good.
Korean Air from Seoul (HUB) to Paris, does not work!
Over the phone, don't try it, the same answer as all the time, if you can't book it online, we can't book it over the phone either, we all know, THAT'S NOTHING BUT A LIE as some airliens are just not bookable online on that lousy Airline Program!
Consider decaf.
Someone’s grumpy because they’re not based in the US and bought some Alaska miles when they were on sale and didn’t READ UP ABOUT THE PROGRAM, I see. A lot of those routes you mentioned aren’t bookable on the PUBLIC AWARD CHARTS you could have looked up any time.
Alaska miles are not great for people based outside the US… but that’s not surprising since they barely fly outside North America.
PS: I must have...
Someone’s grumpy because they’re not based in the US and bought some Alaska miles when they were on sale and didn’t READ UP ABOUT THE PROGRAM, I see. A lot of those routes you mentioned aren’t bookable on the PUBLIC AWARD CHARTS you could have looked up any time.
Alaska miles are not great for people based outside the US… but that’s not surprising since they barely fly outside North America.
PS: I must have imagined my Finnair and Condor J redemptions on Alaska this past summer.
PPS: did you notice Lucky posted HKG-LHR redemptions on Cathay?
@ STEFFL
Basically, you are talking absolute shite!
For starters go back and study the partner redemption pages on the airline's website.
And when you're all calmed down and have digested that information, come back with specific questions for the good folk herein can offer guidance...
...I'll happily use up your miles for a CDG-MLE at 50,000 one way business class, or a LAX/SEA-PPT//PPT-AKL at 60,000 milestone way business class...both of those routes...
@ STEFFL
Basically, you are talking absolute shite!
For starters go back and study the partner redemption pages on the airline's website.
And when you're all calmed down and have digested that information, come back with specific questions for the good folk herein can offer guidance...
...I'll happily use up your miles for a CDG-MLE at 50,000 one way business class, or a LAX/SEA-PPT//PPT-AKL at 60,000 milestone way business class...both of those routes are available next month...;)
I have faced similar issues with my miles on Alaska. I would like to fly from Asia to West coast USA. While there are several dates available on the Alaska website, it just doesn’t ticket it.
These dates are cross checked on AA, and Qatar website to ensure they are available on all three websites. Calling alaska call centre doesn’t help as well.
That's nice but who really wants to go to HKG right now?
I would love to...
Hong Kong is amazing!