In just over a week I’m going to once again get on a plane and head to Asia. Next weeks flights are the last in a series of Cathay Pacific flights I booked in late 2018. Likewise, with these flights I’ll finally have earned enough miles to once again qualify for Executive Platinum status.
While I’m excited about the trip, I still have a bit of a problem. See, the flights that I’m taking next weekend actually end in Vietnam. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but it is for me right now as I don’t yet have my return flights booked. I have a flight held as a backup option, but I’d prefer not to take it. Instead, I’d like to do a same-day turn in Vietnam and get back to the US a day earlier.
Finding The Perfect Flights!
For the past few weeks I’ve been frantically searching for flights to get me back home. I’ve been checking OneWorld flights between Hong Kong and New York daily, but so far haven’t found anything that I can use. Instead, I continue to only be able to find flights between Tokyo and various US cities. I can also flights from other Asian cities (Manila, Taipei, Singapore), but I have little interest in flying from Hong Kong to any other city simply to connect back to Hong Kong or Tokyo,
Well, after several days of searching I finally found the perfect flights.
The flights I found left Hong Kong at 10:40AM local time and arrived back in New York on Saturday evening. Although the connection in Narita was a bit shorter than I would have liked, it was still a great option.
Since there was only one seat left I immediately called American to book the ticket. After a few minutes the agent successfully changed my already booked flight to the NRT to JFK flight in JAL First Class. For some reason the HKG to NRT leg wasn’t bookable with American. So, I transferred Amex points to British Airways and booked the HKG to NRT leg on my own.
Then, I Noticed The Issue And Fixed It
Booking these flights happened in about 5 minutes from finding them. Award space can disappear in moments so booking quickly is the key to getting the seats you want. However, a few minutes later as I was trying to piece everything together I noticed a major issue! The issue was that the flights that take me to Asia arrive two days after my departure instead of the typical one. So, instead of arriving in Hong Kong on Saturday morning like I originally though I instead arrive on Sunday morning.
Once I noticed my error I immediately canceled my British Avios award flight (which has a surprisingly generous cancelation policy) and got my Avios back. Next, I again called American to switch back to my original NRT to Chicago flight which departs on Monday. Thankfully, the space on that flight was still available!
After all of that I’m back in the same boat I was in a day before. I get to Asia on Sunday morning, but don’t leave until Monday morning. I also have to find a way to get from Da Nang Vietnam to Tokyo by Monday morning to catch my flight back to Chicago. Then I have to book a flight to get me from Chicago to New York.
Final Thoughts
This situation could have turned out much worse than it has. When I moved my award flight from Monday to Saturday I could have lost my NRT to Chicago flight. That could have left me even more stranded in Asia than I already am. Also, I was lucky to have gotten my Avios back without having to pay a re-deposit fee. Thankfully, British Airways Executive Club has a very generous return policy which isn’t the case with most loyalty programs.
Ultimately I’m still stuck in the same situation. I have to find a way to get from Da Nang Vietnam to Tokyo Narita between Sunday morning and Monday morning. Obviously I can book a flight, but the flights I prefer aren’t cheap and the times aren’t great. So, as it stands the search for the perfect connection continues, but hopefully I’ll find award space from HKG or Vietnam to New York eventually.
Either way, this has been a valuable lesson to always check if your flight arrives +1 or +2 days after departure. This is especially important when booking non-refundable connections.
