ticket LAX - HKG
Jun 27th, 2005, 07:53 PM
#1
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ticket LAX - HKG
I am somewhat surprised to find out how much more a LAX - HKG ticket cost these days.
First of all, the cheapest AA partner is CX - around $1070 booking from their site/Travelocity/Orbiz for early Sept. For the same flights, AA site charges $2800! When did CX become the cheapest?? Anyway I have to fly with AA or its partners in order to get AA miles. I have an AA voucher. If I could fly with AA for the CX price, I would be happy...
Any suggestion of how to get a cheap ticket? Thanks.
First of all, the cheapest AA partner is CX - around $1070 booking from their site/Travelocity/Orbiz for early Sept. For the same flights, AA site charges $2800! When did CX become the cheapest?? Anyway I have to fly with AA or its partners in order to get AA miles. I have an AA voucher. If I could fly with AA for the CX price, I would be happy...
Any suggestion of how to get a cheap ticket? Thanks.
Jun 27th, 2005, 08:26 PM
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The cheap CX fares will not earn you AAdvantage miles. Check aa.com for the exact fare class, but I'm sure the fares you see don't qualify.
Airline pricing is mostly about inventory and availability. CX may not be giving AA many seats to sell on the LAX-HKG flights, or AA think it's too early (or too late) to put the discount fares.
If you can't find good fares on a AA ticket for non-stop LAX-HKG, to earn maximum AA miles (and to use your voucher), you can fly AA or JL (AA codeshare) to NRT, and connect on JL to HKG. Most of the discount fares on JL earn 70% AAdvantage miles, compared to 0% on CX.
Airline pricing is mostly about inventory and availability. CX may not be giving AA many seats to sell on the LAX-HKG flights, or AA think it's too early (or too late) to put the discount fares.
If you can't find good fares on a AA ticket for non-stop LAX-HKG, to earn maximum AA miles (and to use your voucher), you can fly AA or JL (AA codeshare) to NRT, and connect on JL to HKG. Most of the discount fares on JL earn 70% AAdvantage miles, compared to 0% on CX.
Jun 28th, 2005, 06:48 PM
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<b>rkkwan</b>,
is mostly correct but not totally.
Any flight with AA coding will earn full elite qualifying miles and points according to AA rules, so it is possible to fly CX but it has to be AA flight number.
In this case it doesn't make any difference because of the fare difference, but I just want you to know for future use.
JL - same thing. You will earn 70% of actual miles flown on cheap JL fares, BUT these miles are not elite qualifying miles, only spendable miles. If you fly through Tokyo and connect on the same exact JL flight, BUT with AA flight number (it has to be on your boarding pass, just flying on that plane doesn't count), will give you full AA EQMs and EQPs according to AA mileage earning rules not JLs.
And finally, you are correct. AA does not have any good fares to HKG for the next couple of months. No way getting around it.
AA is just not very competative in the Asian market. Occasionaly AA will have a nice sale, but overall they are not the cheapest into Asia. It seems to me that BKK has a better chance of a nice fare, but HKG is pretty much controlled by CX from US and they dictate the rules.
So again, if you want to earn elite qualifying miles make sure it's an AA codeshare. Anything else and you have to watch what fare codes you are buying. <b>rkkwan</b> is correct in that the cheaper CX fares DO NOT earn ANY AA miles. If you fly CX it has to be H fare or better to earn AA miles. With CX an H fare or better will also earn you elite qualifying miles. With JL, an AAdvantage partner, not OneWorld partner, you will earn only spendable miles regardless of which fare or class you purchase unless it's AA coded.
is mostly correct but not totally.
Any flight with AA coding will earn full elite qualifying miles and points according to AA rules, so it is possible to fly CX but it has to be AA flight number.
In this case it doesn't make any difference because of the fare difference, but I just want you to know for future use.
JL - same thing. You will earn 70% of actual miles flown on cheap JL fares, BUT these miles are not elite qualifying miles, only spendable miles. If you fly through Tokyo and connect on the same exact JL flight, BUT with AA flight number (it has to be on your boarding pass, just flying on that plane doesn't count), will give you full AA EQMs and EQPs according to AA mileage earning rules not JLs.
And finally, you are correct. AA does not have any good fares to HKG for the next couple of months. No way getting around it.
AA is just not very competative in the Asian market. Occasionaly AA will have a nice sale, but overall they are not the cheapest into Asia. It seems to me that BKK has a better chance of a nice fare, but HKG is pretty much controlled by CX from US and they dictate the rules.
So again, if you want to earn elite qualifying miles make sure it's an AA codeshare. Anything else and you have to watch what fare codes you are buying. <b>rkkwan</b> is correct in that the cheaper CX fares DO NOT earn ANY AA miles. If you fly CX it has to be H fare or better to earn AA miles. With CX an H fare or better will also earn you elite qualifying miles. With JL, an AAdvantage partner, not OneWorld partner, you will earn only spendable miles regardless of which fare or class you purchase unless it's AA coded.
Jun 28th, 2005, 08:20 PM
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AAFF - can you clarify this for me? Are you saying one can earn AA EQM on a cheap CX ticket with CX flight number? [All 3 LAX-HKG flights have AA codeshare flight numbers.] Even with cheap fares that don't earn spendable miles?
I thought you don't earn any miles, EQM or regular ones, with those kind of fares.
I thought you don't earn any miles, EQM or regular ones, with those kind of fares.
Jun 28th, 2005, 09:23 PM
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You can earn AA miles and EQMs on CX economy, but only on specific fare classes which are currently H (one of the discount economy fares) and B and Y (both full fare economy fares).
You book on CX, but make sure you get the right fare class. Typically I've found that the H fare (cheapest fare that earns AA points and miles) is approx $200-300 more than the cheapest discounted economy fare.
It is worth it to me (YMMV) to spend the additional monies as I get double miles as an AA Plat for these flights and its a bunch of miles. So in my case the value of the miles justifies the incremental difference in the fare cost that I incur by buying miles /points earning fares.
I have also discovered that CX often has "Seat Sales" on H fares where by they discount the H fare to you and its still an H. The only trick to these is to ask whether or not they happen to have a Seat Sale available in H class on the flights you are interested in. I've had $1400 H fares discounted back to $1000 - 1100 on seat sales.
I buy these fares 2-3 times a year and have never had an issue with miles and points posting to my Advantage account. And yes, for these fares you get your status bonus just like you would on AA
Always be sure to check the carriers website for the fare classes that earn miles as they can change things over time.
You book on CX, but make sure you get the right fare class. Typically I've found that the H fare (cheapest fare that earns AA points and miles) is approx $200-300 more than the cheapest discounted economy fare.
It is worth it to me (YMMV) to spend the additional monies as I get double miles as an AA Plat for these flights and its a bunch of miles. So in my case the value of the miles justifies the incremental difference in the fare cost that I incur by buying miles /points earning fares.
I have also discovered that CX often has "Seat Sales" on H fares where by they discount the H fare to you and its still an H. The only trick to these is to ask whether or not they happen to have a Seat Sale available in H class on the flights you are interested in. I've had $1400 H fares discounted back to $1000 - 1100 on seat sales.
I buy these fares 2-3 times a year and have never had an issue with miles and points posting to my Advantage account. And yes, for these fares you get your status bonus just like you would on AA
Always be sure to check the carriers website for the fare classes that earn miles as they can change things over time.
Jun 29th, 2005, 12:33 AM
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CX metal -
If you bought a ticket with CX flight number then it has to be H fare or better to earn AA elite qualyfing miles.
Same flight but you bought the ticket with AA flight number(codeshare) - you will earn AA miles per AA rules not CXs, so pretty much all published fares will earn elite qualyfing miles.
VERY IMPORTANT - the ticket has to reflect the AA flight number. Just flying on the metal that has AA flight number will not do.
JL metal -
If you bought the ticket with JL flight number then you will earn at least 70% of actual miles flown on all deeply discounted fares, BUT these miles are NOT elite qualyfing, only spendable miles.
Same flight but you bought the ticket with AA flight number - same as the CX example above. AA flight number on your ticket will not only earn full miles on all published fares but the miles will also count towards elite status.
Another way to make it simple for yourself -
buy AA coded tickets and you are assured full elite qualyfing mileage on all published fares, regardless of the metal flown.
Buy a partner coded ticket and you better pay attention to which fares do what if AA miles are important to you.
If you bought a ticket with CX flight number then it has to be H fare or better to earn AA elite qualyfing miles.
Same flight but you bought the ticket with AA flight number(codeshare) - you will earn AA miles per AA rules not CXs, so pretty much all published fares will earn elite qualyfing miles.
VERY IMPORTANT - the ticket has to reflect the AA flight number. Just flying on the metal that has AA flight number will not do.
JL metal -
If you bought the ticket with JL flight number then you will earn at least 70% of actual miles flown on all deeply discounted fares, BUT these miles are NOT elite qualyfing, only spendable miles.
Same flight but you bought the ticket with AA flight number - same as the CX example above. AA flight number on your ticket will not only earn full miles on all published fares but the miles will also count towards elite status.
Another way to make it simple for yourself -
buy AA coded tickets and you are assured full elite qualyfing mileage on all published fares, regardless of the metal flown.
Buy a partner coded ticket and you better pay attention to which fares do what if AA miles are important to you.
Jun 29th, 2005, 03:36 AM
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AAFF - That's exactly how I've always understood it, and I don't think my original post contradicts what you said. If you fly a AA ticket with a AA flight number, then of course you earn AA EQM, regardless of who operates it. Problem is that the OP finds that will cost him/her $2,800...
Jun 29th, 2005, 06:46 AM
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<b>rkkwan</b>,
I didn't mean to be argumentative. I just wanted to clarify my own first post. If you notice in my first post I also pointed to the fact that the fare difference did not justify buying AA coded flight in the OPs case.
CX flight number- OneWorld partner - when it is a mileage earning fare the miles are EQMs.
JL flight number- AAdvantage partner only - earning spendable miles only regardless of fare. No EQMs.
That's true for all AA partners with the only exception being Alaska Airlines. Not OneWorld, AAdvantage partner only, but regardless of whose flight number you fly, the miles are EQMs.
I hate for people to miss out on some of that stuff, especially on Asian routing as it means many miles when done right.
I didn't mean to be argumentative. I just wanted to clarify my own first post.
If you notice in my first post I also pointed to the fact that the fare difference did not justify buying AA coded flight in the OPs case. CX flight number- OneWorld partner - when it is a mileage earning fare the miles are EQMs.
JL flight number- AAdvantage partner only - earning spendable miles only regardless of fare. No EQMs.
That's true for all AA partners with the only exception being Alaska Airlines. Not OneWorld, AAdvantage partner only, but regardless of whose flight number you fly, the miles are EQMs.
I hate for people to miss out on some of that stuff, especially on Asian routing as it means many miles when done right.
Jun 29th, 2005, 08:17 AM
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AAFF - No, I understand what you're saying. And they confirm what I've understood all along. Just a little bit of confusion I have about your first post.
Frankly, I haven't paid enough attention to all the EQM details with the AAdvantage program in recent years. [Used to fly AA60/61 DFW-NRT quite a bit in the 747SP days.] But now that my sister lives in Dallas and flies AA a lot, I'm starting to learn more about the issues...
Frankly, I haven't paid enough attention to all the EQM details with the AAdvantage program in recent years. [Used to fly AA60/61 DFW-NRT quite a bit in the 747SP days.] But now that my sister lives in Dallas and flies AA a lot, I'm starting to learn more about the issues...
Jun 29th, 2005, 07:32 PM
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Thanks for all the discussions! And thanks to rkkwan for reminding me to check out the fare class. I always assumed that if I buy directly from an airline website, I would be good to get the miles. It has not been proved to be wrong.
I called CX. The cheapest fair they quote is H, which is good for 100% AA miles. However what she quoted on the phone is $50 cheaper than the website. Apparently CX doesn't promote their website as much.
I called CX. The cheapest fair they quote is H, which is good for 100% AA miles. However what she quoted on the phone is $50 cheaper than the website. Apparently CX doesn't promote their website as much.
