Have a travel related question? Post it here, and I’ll do my best to answer it as quickly as possible.
While anyone can comment on regular blog post, registration is required in order to post a question in this space. Creating your account is free, and you'll be able to see when your question is answered, as well as like comments from other users. And of course, you'll earn status points for offering helpful answers!
This space is intended to be more of a community as well, so please jump in and share tips!
Cathay (and JAL) last minute F availability
Has anyone found out when Cathay releases First Class seats closer to departure from JFK? I have a first classAA award (pre-devaluation) on Cathay from JFK to Manila for the end of June with the first leg in business and the second in first. Is there a specific day/time they load the space?
What about for JAL? If F becomes available from JFK to NRT, will I be able to change my ticket to JFK-NRT in F and then NRT-MNL in J without having to pay post-devaluation miles?
Anyone has an opinion of F-J in JAL vs. F-F In Cathay? (It’ll probably ultimately depend on availability, though)
Thanks a lot!!!
C
Here is the general trend for CX
[URL]http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/08/05/cathay-pacific-first-class-award-availability-trends/[/URL]
although there are exceptions:
[URL]http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/10/25/cathay-pacific-first-class-awards/[/URL]
You should be able to change the award to JAL without any issues since it would also be a partner award with the same origin and destination. In general I’d think that all else being equal F/F on CX would be better than F/J on JAL.
Great thanks a lot! Any idea of what the trends for JAL are?
Hi [USER=1895]@Camilo[/USER] — JAL isn’t as great at releasing space prior to departure these days, but they do release more space in advance. They’re not as predictable as Cathay, so it’s harder to say.
I am not so sure CX is still predictable. I’ve been checking on expertflyer for the past few weeks and there were plenty of occasions when 3 or more seats 1st class seats were available for sale less than 24 hours out and still no availability on the ba website. Anyone else see this same trend?
Checking right now, I see 2 seats for May 20th and 27th of JFK and5(!!!!!!!) seats on May 24th out of BOS.
So space is sporadic but there. I also saw JAL F.
[QUOTE=”David W, post: 16784, member: 29″]Checking right now, I see 2 seats for May 20th and 27th of JFK and5(!!!!!!!) seats on May 24th out of BOS.
So space is sporadic but there. I also saw JAL F.[/QUOTE]
That’s not the point, I do realize sporadic space is there. But previously, you could bank on every unsold ticket (apart from one) to be released for award space around the 48 to 24 hour mark. I booked two suck tickets last minute in December and January. Seems like this trend has very much changed, which is a setback.
Trends change all the time. CX could very well be less generous now but could be more generous a half a year from now. There isnt a way to tell. One of the things to keep in mind in this hobby is the make the best of changes, such as this one.
I think the only thing you can do is to keep monitoring the space. Also, check availability via JL and QF’s tools. BA’s website, while mostly reliable, does sometimes display incorrectly. I called to book a J seat since no F was showing on BA only for the AA agent to tell me she can see an F seat on the flight and date I want. I was ticketed 15 minutes later.
Lastly, youre flying at the end of June JFK-HKG – its a popular time to fly, especially since the Asian population in the area like to fly CX. It could very well be that CX is overbooking Y, and saving F and J space for some op-ups
[QUOTE=”Ajay, post: 16798, member: 587″]That’s not the point, I do realize sporadic space is there. But previously, you could bank on every unsold ticket (apart from one) to be released for award space around the 48 to 24 hour mark. I booked two suck tickets last minute in December and January. Seems like this trend has very much changed, which is a setback.[/QUOTE]
This happened last spring as well, so I wouldn’t be [I]too[/I] worried yet. Keep in mind this is one of the peak periods for business travel, so CX might be holding back more seats in case of last-minute sales or IRROPS.
Your feedback is important in helping us keep our community safe.