CX Waitlisting Questions

knick1959

Level 2 Member
Background: with the AA shutdown issues jeopardizing my Feb trip to NZ (I'm not shut down yet but believe I have a target on my back), I've booked an alternate domestic trip (refundable) to fill the potential void. At the same time, I'm still trying to find a way to make this trip happen. Alternate award flights are not to be found ... unless I book a Quantas flight for 1M each, 1 way! I don't have that much. However, it seems that CX will let me waitlist for one of many flights both ways. It's not "cheap" but it's reasonable all things considered. I've waitlisted with them ONCE for some short SE Asia hopper flight and it worked out, but I had a backup plan and only 20k was at stake.

Questions

- How lucky have people been with netting J award flights putting in for them 6 weeks out. Any tips?

- This is a real gamble for me. Apparently I have to put up 70% of the award each way. A one way waitlist entry will cost 133k (I think). That's a lot of miles to strand on the chance the wait clears. Can I make 2 OW waitlist entries (out and back) on the same 133k? In short, is that 70% committed when the first waitlist is made, or do I still have "70%" to waitlist a flight home?

Getting both flights would wipe out all of my MR and I'd have to use some Marriott points for a small deficit. Damn Rakuten for their quarterly and the delayed distributions otherwise I'd have plenty with no games being played. The good news is I'd only have to stretch if both flights cleared and then I would have saved my NZ trip. Which creates another interesting dynamic ... I don't want the return leg if I can't get the outgoing.

I was prepared to fly home in paid coach if AA tried to strand me in NZ. I don't believe they'll even let me get there.

Not committed yet; I just realized this is an option yesterday. Any tips, pointers or ideas would be appreciated. TIA!
 

knick1959

Level 2 Member
Not committed yet; I just realized this is an option yesterday. Any tips, pointers or ideas would be appreciated. TIA!
Maybe booking alternates for the whole trip is going overboard (but I do lose some deposits if I don't make the trip). So. Maybe I want to waitlist a CX outbound award and, if awarded, make sure I get there. I can get back in coach discomfort if need be but I could still gamble on the AA flight home working. In fact, if the AA flights out work at the time (let me check in), what is my penalty for canceling the CX flights on the same day as flight? Well, I should be able to look that up myself.
 

knick1959

Level 2 Member
Maybe booking alternates for the whole trip is going overboard (but I do lose some deposits if I don't make the trip). So. Maybe I want to waitlist a CX outbound award and, if awarded, make sure I get there. I can get back in coach discomfort if need be but I could still gamble on the AA flight home working. In fact, if the AA flights out work at the time (let me check in), what is my penalty for canceling the CX flights on the same day as flight? Well, I should be able to look that up myself.
From an August AwardWallet article (top of the google results list) it appears, if I successfully cancel an award, I'm out $120 or 12,000 miles to have the remaining miles returned. That's not terrible and per the 5k I have in my CX account already, miles stay alive for 3 years. Still pondering (and doing so "out loud"!) ...
 

knick1959

Level 2 Member
I decided not to go this route ... I'm not committing MR points by transferring to CX for this. I'm a plan-it-11-months-out guy, but this will be my opportunity to see how fast I am on my feet. If I get my AA flights canceled at the last minute I will see what's available AT THAT TIME, including checking for CX flights. If I find something, great. If not, I do have a backup trip available and I'll just do that.
 

Refirybo

Silver Member
Waitlisting for J award flights 6 weeks out is risky; success varies. You can't double-use the same 70% miles; each waitlist requires its own. Ensure a strong backup plan as the waitlist may not clear.
 
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