Waitlisted CX flight

[JohnK]

Trying to earn a few extra SCs I have booked a BKK-HKG-MNL return flight with CX, in K class, through a travel agent in Bangkok. Trying to get information from travel agents in Thailand is almost impossible. There are now 3 flights confirmed and 1 is waitlisted. We have put my QFF number in the booking and I have been allocated forward aisle seats for the 3 confirmed flights.

I have not paid for these flights yet and need to organise further flights, accommodation etc. The flight I am waitlisted on is the only flight that is available for waitlisting on that day.

Cabin class: J9 C9 D9 I9 Y0 B0 H0 K0 M0 L0 V0 S0 N0 Q0

The flight is not until 22 December but what is the likelihood that this flight will clear in the next few weeks? As a Oneworld Emerald would it help if I called CX to ask for waitlisted flight to clear? If flight does not clear will the whole booking get cancelled or would CX put me on an alternate flight, like Philippine Airlines? I don't think so but I think it is worth asking. Most CX flights are already full for the days around this date and I am afraid that if the flight does not clear then I will be stranded in HKG and unable to get back to Australia before Christmas.

If they do put me on another carrier would I still earn SCs and QFF points for the flight? I guess the anwer would be no as overbooking is not the airlines fault like a missed connection or operational problems.

 

[Dave Noble]

If you have no confirmed booking , then they will not reaccommodate you on another carrier since you have no booking

If you do not clear the list, it is up to you whether you buy a ticket and continue to waitlist and change dates if neccessary or whether you just cancel the whole booking

If you are listed , then the waitlist will be cleared in accordance with CXs policies so no point in phoning given the zeroes

Dave

 

[JohnK]

Can I pay for the booking with a flight on waitlist? Will a ticket be issued with a waitlisted flight?

 

[Dave Noble]

Can I pay for the booking with a flight on waitlist? Will a ticket be issued with a waitlisted flight?

Depends on the fare rules

Dave

 

[NM]

Can I pay for the booking with a flight on waitlist? Will a ticket be issued with a waitlisted flight?

In my experience with waitlists, you must have a confirmed alternate before the ticket will be issued. If the waitlist clears then the other confirmed flight is cancelled. So you may have confirm a flight for the following day, but that will depend on whether the fare permits a stopover at that point of the journey.

 

[Dave Noble]

In my experience with waitlists, you must have a confirmed alternate before the ticket will be issued. If the waitlist clears then the other confirmed flight is cancelled. So you may have confirm a flight for the following day, but that will depend on whether the fare permits a stopover at that point of the journey.

It does depend on the rules; on OW ATWs , for example, only flights up to and including the 1st intercontinental sector needs to be confirmed. There are some tickets where there is no need for any sector to be confirmed

Dave

 

[JohnK]

So you may have confirm a flight for the following day, but that will depend on whether the fare permits a stopover at that point of the journey.

No stopover permitted with the cheaper flights offered by travel agents. Normally the airfare for the lowest class is ~A$500 but because of full flights and having to sell K class the travel agent is now quoting ~A$700.

I can book an airfare for the dates I want from the Cathay website but in B class for ~A$1150 or Y class ~A$1275, for which both also allow a stopover. But if I am going to spend that much money in WHY I may as well book in D class for ~A$1380 and plenty of availability.

In trying to save money and at the same time earn QFF SCs and points I am shooting myself in the foot. There are also time constraints so I cannot have a stopover in HKG before MNL as I will have a stopover in HKG after MNL and then return to Australia.

 

[serfty]

I think the biggest problem is trying to book discounted seats for the December Christmas holiday season in October. The earlier you book for that time of year the less issues like this happen.

Given Y0, methinks it is highly unlike any K class availability will become available between now and then.

I'd book it in D class; that way you can begin your auxiliary travel arrangements and get additional SC's (180) and QFF points (880) as well.

 

[JohnK]

Interesting how the Cathay website sells a confirmed Y or B class airfare for the exact flights I want but the travel agent does not have access to these airfares. And also with these travel agents if I book B class going out I have to book B class coming back. Is this a restriction with CX? I don't quite understand the logic but possibly something is getting lost in the translation from English to Thaiglish.

Not sure what I would do with 240 SCs as opposed to the 60 SCs I am trying to earn. My plan is to finish as close as possible to 1200 SCs for the year without going too far over. I may just have to scrap this side trip if I don't hear anything in the next few weeks.

 

[NM]

Interesting how the Cathay website sells a confirmed Y or B class airfare for the exact flights I want but the travel agent does not have access to these airfares.

Its quite common for airlines to use POS (geographic Point Of Sale) to restrict sales of some fare classes. BA do this regularly with D fares. EF generally shows availability in the NA market. CX on-line is selling based on HKG market I would expect. A TA in Thailand may have different availability.

Also note that this far out CX may be willing to oversell the economy cabin, but will only do that for higher fare revenues.

And also with these travel agents if I book B class going out I have to book B class coming back. Is this a restriction with CX? I don't quite understand the logic but possibly something is getting lost in the translation from English to Thaiglish.

This is quite common, especially for international flights. Many fare type are only for return travel, so you cannot book as two one-ways which is what would be needed for different fare types for outbound and inbound.