Long Haul Business Class for under $2K (Long Post)

[stealth96]

Thanks, that's what I'll do. I read a couple of posts back that you waited till midnight to call for availability. Was that east or west coast time that it changed for the next day? It looks like they get taken fast because there is nothing before the 14th then the days after there is plenty of space.

 

You only have a few days left (do it by March 21) - book your return on a day that you can find availability, then change it to the return date you need after it opens up (which is what I ahve done).  My understanding is the same route does not incur change fees.

 

Business class is much more available than first, so you should be in luck. 

 

I'm waiting until my return date opens, then jumping on it right away to lock it in.

[stealth96]

One more question. How is Business class compared to first class on cathy? I'm about 2k miles short of being able to take first on the way back. They look pretty similar, the bed is the most important part for me. Would it be worth it to buy the miles and book first?

[Little Evil]

First off, CX has one of the better hard and soft product business class on the market, so you're in good shape if that's already locked in. That being said, Cathay F class is easily my favorite First class for that route. The seat is nearly 3 feet wide. Better food and drink options. Turn down service with PJs and mattress pad. Dine anytime. Oh, and the HKG Wing F class lounge is the best lounge I've personally ever experienced. A frigging champagne and caviar section!

 

I know you're trying to make the award before devaluation, but this is a good time to mention that all the little filler methods of point earning come in handy in times like these. Restaurants, surveys and shopping portal would get you 2k easily. Even some utility program sign ups go as high as 10k. Because you're in a crunch, maybe check out just buying the points. $93 bucks for 2k.

[Luv2Phuket]

I agree with LE -- the Cathay First seat is absurdly nice.  AND the food is nothing to sneeze at -- some pretty damn good stuff on order whenever you want it (had a recent flight where crab cakes -- something I love -- was offered as a snack....I killed a few of those on my flight!)

 

I am perfectly happy in Cathay biz class, but, if I had the opportunity to book Cathay first, I would jump on it (as I did).  At only 12,500 miles more than business class (pre-devaluation), it is an absurd bargain, as pointed out in frequent flier blog after blog.  After devaluation, it will be a whopping 40,000 more miles.  Don;t know that I can justify 110,000 miles each way (especially when I'm now booking RT biz class at that! 555)

 

The problem lies in the fact that Cathay reportedly opens only 1 or 2 first class seats on each long haul flight, and those seats are open to Cathay and BA frequent fliers (among others) long before they open up for AA, Alaska, etc.  I love Cathay first, but rarely find it on the travel dates I need, so I haven't been able to wear it out.

 

A HUGE problem that you face lies in the final date to book at current rates -- assuming you could dig through a find a BKK-ORD flight with oneworld availability in first on Cathay, your ability to just change the date once your return date opens will be very limited, because you very well may find out that there is NOTHING in first that you can switch it to later.  

 

I could be wrong here, but, in that case, I think you would have to refund the first booking, get the 67.5k miles deposited back into you AA account, THEN book biz at the new rate of 70,000 miles.

 

That concern led me to book a biz class return flight and mark my calendar for the date that the flight I want will open up, so I can make the change.

[Little Evil]

Just an FYI - I have seen CX-J availability in Feb 2017. Specifically, BKK-HKG-ORD on Feb 24th appears open with two options for the shorthaul leg. I'd personally just book J at this hour if you haven't already done so.  While F is a steal at 67.5k, I don't think you'll find it today. You also run into the problem Footy mentioned above. 

 

CX-J is really nice, particularly if you aren't used to flying in J/F. Very private, with the bonus of also having guaranteed isle access from every seat with their Zodiac reverse herringbone seats. IFE has the same selection and similar monitor size. No PJ's or mattress pad, but the seat does lie flat at over 6' long. I do find it a tad bumpy when flat. My sweet spot with that seat is just a pinch before flat. Try to book the mini cabin right behind the F suites. Even more private with possibly even more attentive service.  

[bgtp]

^^^ Unfortunately Feb 24 can't be booked with AA miles, yet. Today's the last day before the devaluation, and the 331 day rule means you can only book flights up to 15 Feb 2017.

 

Got the return of my next trip confirmed in CX J. Was hoping to be able to upgrade before the deval, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. I knew it was a long-shot. Can't really complain as I do have the exact date/flights I wanted. Gotta remember to save my slippers from my flight over on KAL though, since CX skimps on them in their business class.

[Little Evil]

^^^ Unfortunately Feb 24 can't be booked with AA miles, yet. Today's the last day before the devaluation, and the 331 day rule means you can only book flights up to 15 Feb 2017.

 

Got the return of my next trip confirmed in CX J. Was hoping to be able to upgrade before the deval, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. I knew it was a long-shot. Can't really complain as I do have the exact date/flights I wanted. Gotta remember to save my slippers from my flight over on KAL though, since CX skimps on them in their business class.

 

Didn't know about the 331 day rule. Good to know.

 

With CX-J, you get those cheap socks with the treads on the bottom. I tried using them as actual socks one day when I was laundry-desperate. They just don't work well with shoes. Felt like I was wearing feety PJ's all day long.

[Luv2Phuket]

Gotta remember to save my slippers from my flight over on KAL though, since CX skimps on them in their business class.

 

I actually prefer the "socks" to the slippers -- the slippers always seem too narrow for my fat ass feet!

 

With CX-J, you get those cheap socks with the treads on the bottom. I tried using them as actual socks one day when I was laundry-desperate. They just don't work well with shoes. Felt like I was wearing feety PJ's all day long.

 

Hey now....watch that talk!  Ain't nuthin' worng with wearing some footypjs!  555

[Little Evil]

555! How long have we been talking on this thread and I am just now putting together your handle?!#! I always thought it was a soccer reference.

[boxershrimp]

Oh fuck no. I've made the mistake before of thinking "Hey, these things I got in my amenity kit actually look a little like real socks..."

Toss them in the bin the second you see them, I say.

 

On that note, not so long ago I ran out of toothpaste, so had to scrounge through all my kits I got from flying business. And the toothpaste in those lasted about two months

 

On another note, I tried flying monkey+ class this weekend. And since it was a day flight, I actually survived. Premium Economy to HKG and Business back. (My gold card was in danger, so I had to do a sort of milage run.)

[Little Evil]

Oh fuck no. I've made the mistake before of thinking "Hey, these things I got in my amenity kit actually look a little like real socks..."

Toss them in the bin the second you see them, I say.

 

On that note, not so long ago I ran out of toothpaste, so had to scrounge through all my kits I got from flying business. And the toothpaste in those lasted about two months

 

On another note, I tried flying monkey+ class this weekend. And since it was a day flight, I actually survived. Premium Economy to HKG and Business back. (My gold card was in danger, so I had to do a sort of milage run.)

 

Holy crap....I've done that with the toothpaste. Too funny.  I have a drawer filled with about 16 mostly unused amenity kits from EVA, United, Cathay, JAL, and American. I'll never run out of eye masks, lip balm, or ear plugs. 

 

What airline did you use for the premium economy mileage run? I was about to take CX premium economy this past Feb to HKG, but got a last minute Asia Miles upgrade to J. The prices are right for premium economy, so I'm keeping my eye on it for future travels. 

[boxershrimp]

What airline did you use for the premium economy mileage run? I was about to take CX premium economy this past Feb to HKG, but got a last minute Asia Miles upgrade to J. The prices are right for premium economy, so I'm keeping my eye on it for future travels. 

It's not really anything you would use, this was with SAS. The thing is that they have a deal where if you dump a lot more points than for regular awards, you get to choose from the normal ticket stock. And you earn points for those flights, unlike actual award flights. Which was of course the important bit for me here.

 

Part of the reason was also that I hadn't tried the new cabin they have now for long haul. (That also being the main reason why i flew eco+ one way and business the other.) I have to report that it was actually pretty nice. Staff is still usually weird and old, food ranges from OK to relatively terrible, but at least the hardware is quite competitive nowadays.

 

It's a good thing no one at work knows what I spent my weekend on, though. "Yeah, so I like flew to Hong Kong, took a shit and had a Tsingtao in the lounge, then flew back." They just don't understand the things us points whores have to go through

[navidnavid]

Nothing else soothes my Pattaya Blues better than sleeping in  CX pajamies on a cold winter night.  ....the girls love them too 

[Little Evil]

PSA: Possibly targeted, but AA is offering the Fidelity investment bonus again. Actually, maybe they offer it all the time, but I've never noticed.  

In any case, the deal is open to new or existing customers. Just need to transfer net new money into the account (meaning if you also draw money, the difference between the two is what counts). I read the fine print and I don't see anything that says you have to actually invest in anything.  $25k gets you 15k miles. $50k for 25k and $100k for 50k. Sounds like free miles to me if you have the liquidity to temporarily move money around. 

 

Definitely re-read the fine print again if you're looking into this, as I'm not entirely familiar with the rules. 

 

https://rewards.fidelity.com/offers/aa

[bgtp]

Yeah, the Fidelity offer is pretty much available all the time. Besides AA, it's also available on DL and UA. I do it every year. You're only allowed one bonus every rolling 12 months. Fidelity is my primary brokerage anyhow and what I put in there stays. I love getting miles for saving for the future, as opposed to spending money. In fact, it's kind of encouraged me to save more as I like to get the most miles possible. Their cash management account has a debit card similar to Schwab's (no ATM fees anywhere in the world, no foreign transaction fees, etc.).

[Little Evil]

PSA 2: Targeted Amex bonus offer for Amazon.com. 2X points through July 2016. Log into the website and look at the bottom of the page to see if you have the offer to "add" to your card. I assume this means on all Amazon purchases through July, but I could be mistaken. 

 

Already trying figuring out ways to potentially double and triple dip. Wondering if I can buy a gift card to then use through a shopping portal.

[bouncewithme]

Hey Guys,

 

Been almost a few years since I've been on here, am newly single, and looking to come back to Patts! I currently have 113K Delta Skymiles. Does anyone have any thoughts on how I might be able to best make use of these for a business/first class on the long haul portion or more of the trip? I am on the west coast USA. Thanks in advance!

 

 

[Luv2Phuket]

PSA 2: Targeted Amex bonus offer for Amazon.com. 2X points through July 2016. Log into the website and look at the bottom of the page to see if you have the offer to "add" to your card. I assume this means on all Amazon purchases through July, but I could be mistaken. 

 

Already trying figuring out ways to potentially double and triple dip. Wondering if I can buy a gift card to then use through a shopping portal.

 

I don't think Amazon is available via any portals.

 

My "Amazon method" on miles is to buy Amazon gift cards at Staples (5 times spend on Ink card), then use them for purchases.

[Luv2Phuket]

I was about to take CX premium economy this past Feb to HKG, but got a last minute Asia Miles upgrade to J. The prices are right for premium economy, so I'm keeping my eye on it for future travels. 

 

How/when did you get the upgrade to business?  Did you do it at the ticket counter or prior to arrival at the airport?

 

Also, did the upgrade require a purchased ticket in a certain class of service?

 

I think it's moot for my trip in CX premium next month, but I'm going to have a number Citi TY points that I could move to Asia Miles for upgrade purposes.

 

One more question -- I assume you STILL get the mileage credit in the premium economy ticket after the miles upgrade?  That really reduces the "net cost"....

[Little Evil]

How/when did you get the upgrade to business?  Did you do it at the ticket counter or prior to arrival at the airport?

 

Also, did the upgrade require a purchased ticket in a certain class of service?

 

I think it's moot for my trip in CX premium next month, but I'm going to have a number Citi TY points that I could move to Asia Miles for upgrade purposes.

 

One more question -- I assume you STILL get the mileage credit in the premium economy ticket after the miles upgrade?  That really reduces the "net cost"....

 

Should have clarified above. Meant, go to Amazon for 2X Amex points, but buy gift cards for other companies (Bestbuy, Home Depot, etc) from Amazon. Then, use said gift cards on a shopping portal for 1-10X AA miles. That's one way to double dip. However, if I had an ink card, I'd be using your method. 

 

I upgraded using Asia Miles.  Had a hell of a time finding award tickets last summer for travel this past Feb. I found an F class award for a return flight and pounced on it before I figured out how to get there. Long story short, I found a great deal on an up-gradable premium economy CX itinerary there. Paid cash. It was maybe $100 more expensive for the upgrade option. I then immediately went on the CX waitlist for upgrades, even though at the time I didn't have enough Asia miles. I eventually transferred enough in from Amex, and about 9 days out, I got an email saying my waitlist was approved to J. They don't cash out the miles until you get confirmed. Also, from what I understand, CX never offers check-in upgrades, paid or otherwise. Keep in mind, I'm the lowest status Asia Miles member. Asia Miles members are also behind every tier of Marco Polo Club members too, so I kind of got lucky with the upgrade. I imagine that's because J was only about 60% full for my trip. I ended up with about 10k Asia Miles for the paid portion of my trip. Oddly, AA was not an option for award miles for the paid portion. Not sure why. Maybe WS+ isn't allowed to accrue AA miles on CX? 

 

Anyway, they upgraded me to J for 27.5k Asia Miles. They only do one-class upgrades. They also are very stingy on the upgrade, in that they only upgraded the long haul, not the 3 hour HGK to BKK.  At least they did give me a lounge pass for HKG.

[Luv2Phuket]

Interesting -- I'm going to look into that down the road.  I won't have any Asia Miles by the time I take this flight.

 

I'm actually pretty excited about the trip to Cebu because it gives me the chance to check out Cathay Premium economy on somebody else's dime.  I've always thought, once my miles stockpile starts to dwindle, that would be the direction in which I would move.

 

The pickings are getting slim on credit cards!  I need to start narrowing my cards and setting myself up for another round of applications in 18 months.  

 

Instead, I'm doing the opposite - just got 2 new cards (Chase business Marriott and personal Citi Premier) in the past 2 days.  

 

Confirmed prior to the application that I was eligible for Marriott bonus (80,000 points), so jumped through the hoops to try to lock it down (still not confirmed due to HUGE # of Chase I have, but woman on reconsideration line was recommending it).  It's another hotel card that I will likely hold, given the free room certificate each year (which more than offsets the annual fee).  

 

I just hope the Pattaya Marriott doesn't leave Marriott, which is a rumor that has been floating around for years.

[wash747]

I am thrilled with grabbed 85k (preAAdevalution) for first class ride on Etihad and Qatar a380 toward swampy!

 

quick question on fidelity - I hold fidelity account for last few years .. So I understand rules correctly, I gotta save and dump $25k or more into existing account to qualify for bonus mileage?

 

I'm debating .. Renew citi prestige and Amex platinum. Honesty I can't justify $900 AF because I don't stay at BKK almost anymore and I stay at regular hotels around Pattaya so kinda pointless to hold those cards. Sure $250 air travel credit + $200 airlines gift card (Amex) is nice but I am sitting with too many miles.. And I'm happy with chase sapphire, Amex premier golf rewards, AA Barclays..

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bgtp]

quick question on fidelity - I hold fidelity account for last few years .. So I understand rules correctly, I gotta save and dump $25k or more into existing account to qualify for bonus mileage?

 

Yes, that's correct. You register an eligible nonretirement account for one of the promotions (AA, DL or UA). Any money you add to the account over the next 60 days counts towards the bonus mileage. Minimum to get any miles is $25K. Everything's pretty well spelled out in the offer rules.

[Luv2Phuket]

Just had my first "post-AA devaluation" booking experience....

 

As noted above, I booked a business class ticket on a random date prior to devaluation, with the intention of swapping it to my preferred date of travel (which was not available until POST-devaluation) once it opened up.  I assumed there might be a little more availability, since AA customers wouldn't be beating down the doors to snag the flights....well...I was WRONG!  555

 

When my date of travel opened up, there were VERY few choices (granted I called late - about 16 hours after the flights opened up).  I ended up getting the last business class award seat on a flight that leaves BKK at 11:40 a.m., with only one hour for my connection in HKG.  

 

I prefer to have a 2 hour layover, so the 1 hour connection time has me more than a little nervous.  Plus, I always try to leave mid to late afternoon, so I can have a relaxing morning on my last day.  Guess that won't be the case on this one (I'll leave the hotel by 7 a.m., if not earlier).  I guess I can hope that better flights open up closer to my departure date, but, in my experience, the BKK-HKG legs are problematic and tend to keep that from happening.

 

In any event, I now HAVE a seat on my preferred date of travel, so I guess that's something to be happy about!

 

 

EDIT:

 

More details that I found kinda interesting.

 

I just called back at 12:15 a.m. Central time, hoping to move to the afternoon flight on my day of departure that connects to the 12:15 a.m. departure from HKG to LAX.  Because it leaves at 12:15 a.m. on 2/21/17, it had NOT opened up when I called earlier in the day.

 

Tried about 4 times, each time with no luck - "sorry, it's not open yet."  One long time reservation agent (she told me she'd been there 11 years, yet I seem to know the system better than her! 555) told me that it opens up based upon Hong Kong time.  I pointed out that it's almost 1:30 in the afternoon there, and then realized I just needed to try with someone else.

 

Got a helpful lady in Phoenix and she noted that it wasn't midnight yet where she was (Mountain time), so maybe her system hadn't updated yet.  She attempted to connect me with someone in the Dallas reservation office.

 

Once the Dallas Rep was on the line, the flight was open and got the ones that I wanted to move to (not my first choice, but that was gone long before I started this odyssey earlier today).  Now it may have opened up right at that moment in the Phoenix call center, too, but I suggest asking to be transferred to the Dallas call desk if you are as OCD as I am about getting the flight you want!  555

 

I found it interesting that the HKG-LAX leg that I wanted (leaves at 12:15 a.m.) was open but NOT the BKK-HKG leg that I really like (leaves at 5:40 p.m. instead of 4:35, and cuts the layover to a far more manageable 3 hours).  I think BKK-HKG is booked as a short regional flight by Chinese travelers, making it all the harder on us poor US-based schmucks to get a good connecting leg.

 

Until I get the actual Cathay record locator, I am never really at ease.  It wasn't available tonight, so still a little nervous, BUT, assuming it comes through, I now leave BKK at 4:35 p.m. instead of 11:40 a.m.  Not that big of a difference, but it means I get to sleep in and leave Pattaya around 12:30 p.m. instead of around 7:30 a.m. (my math above was off - I generally leave about four hours pre-flight; NOT five hours! 555).  

 

Many would have preferred my earlier itinerary, which only had a 1 hour layover, but I'm okay having to tolerate a longer layover rather than worry about a missed connection....that said, my now 4 hour layover in HKG IS a little brutal!  Thank goodness for lounge access!

 

Here's the capper - I am spending a 24 hour layover in Hong Kong next month, with plans to check out the 141 scene....if I REALLY like it, I may end up wanting to change my return flight AGAIN to give me time in Hong Kong on that trip!  LOL

[Little Evil]

AA Miles sale is on again. I didn't even get an email. Just happened to check on the AA website, as I do from time to time (I really am a miles nerd). It started today apparently.  This one is geared towards the deep pocketed folk, apparently, as the sweet spot is the max purchase of 150k miles with a whopping 115k bonus (and a whopping $4,786.88 price tag).  While I don't think I'll speculatively buy nearly $4,800 worth of miles this time around, I can see the value in nearly two RT business class tickets for $2,400 each.  I already did the math on the entire chart.  Here are the top ten values:

 

1. 150k & 115k bonus. $4,786.88 (taxes & fees added) = $0.01806 cents/mile
2. 125k & 75k bonus. $3,994.06 = $0.01997
3. 100k & 60k bonus. $3,201.25 = $0.02001
4. 126k & 75k bonus. $4,025.78 = $0.02003
5. 101k & 60k bonus. $3,232.96 = $0.02008
6. 127k & 75k bonus. $4,057.49 = $0.02009
7. 128k & 75k bonus. $4,089.20 = $0.02014
8. 102k & 60k bonus. $3,264.68 = $0.02015
9. 85k & 50k bonus. $2,725.56 = $0.02019
10. 129k & 75k bonus. $4,120.91 = $0.02020

For those who are unfamiliar with this type of system, you might be scratching your heads over the difference of just a penny or so between #1 and #10's per-mile value.  The significance is that we're talking about potentially hundreds of thousands of miles, so even a fraction of a penny counts.  For instance, if the net miles for #10 (204k) used the #1 rate, it would be approximately $436.67 cheaper at $3,684.24.Those pennies add up!