AA launches Australian AA.com page

[JonNYC]

it's aa dot com / content / au / index dot jhtml
(board won't let me post proper link)

 

[moa999]

http://www.aa.com/content/au/index.jhtml


Very slow
Aussie credit cards?

Love the non-nett fares

 

[straitman]

it's aa dot com / content / au / index dot jhtml
(board won't let me post proper link)

JonNYC,

Here is the link. American Airlines Australia Tickets and Airline Reservations

I believe you need in excess of 10 posts before you can post links.

Thanks for the info.

 

[JonNYC]

JonNYC,

Here is the link. [..

I believe you need in excess of 10 posts before you can post links.

Not a bad policy! As long as you guys got the gist of it.

 

[aus_flyer]

Also interesting is that it appears the booking system is Amadeus

 

[Mal]

Also interesting is that it appears the booking system is Amadeus

That's the one they use for most of their recent "Outside US" booking sites - eg Japan. It's nowhere near as flexible as the SABRE one they use on the AA.com/AA.co.uk type sites (esp. for mileage running fare creation), but for simple A-B type itins works well.

It's nice that Australia now has a mini-site which bills in $A. Should help with booking simple itins. Not sure how changes/refundability works though - for the JP site you need to contact AA Reservations JP if wanting to do changes/refunds. Probably the same with the AU site - ie will need to call up AA AU.

 

[futaris]

American Airlines | Use AAdvantage Miles | AA.com Australia

 

[Lendav Orav]

This is odd. I just checked the fare DFW-IAH in first on an instant upgrade on a date I'm looking at for next year and the AUD price is $737.10. The US site gives the same as the German site (equivalent USD/EUR), which as I mentioned elsewhere, I normally use as it takes credit cards from any country: EUR245.81. Since when (even with the cough current exchange rate) does EUR245.10 equal AU$737.10? Something strange is happening here as it's still supposedly the same "instant upgrade" fare. So my suggestion is still to go via the German site (haven't checked it but the Japanese might allow all countries' cards too) or do the UK-workaround on the US site as others have mentioned elsewhere. Or at least compare the price on the other sites before booking.

 

[drron]

Well I am going to take this developement as good news.It indicates to me that AA recognises it now has quite a few Aussie customers.I think I will send customer service a congratulatory email but stating I am looking forward to the time i can use my Aussie CC anywhere in the AA system.

 

[JohnK]

It may be useful to some but for me it is almost identical to the AA German site. Only appears to cater for AA flights.

I wish AA would accept Australian credit cards on the main AA site or even the UK AA site then I can book BKK-SYD airfares till my heart is content....

 

[serfty]

The Sabre search engine is for more useful than the Amadeus one the Oz site uses for my purposes.

Now if I could create and hold a reservation on AA.com, then pay for it using the Oz portal then we're talking ...

 

[Platy]

This is odd. I just checked the fare DFW-IAH in first on an instant upgrade on a date I'm looking at for next year...Or at least compare the price on the other sites before booking.

Yes, I found the same thing comparing the Australian site and US site fares for instant upgrades HNL-BOS in March 2009.

The Australian site was showing fares significantly more expensive for the same flights in instant upgrade fare categories...:shock: :evil:

Clearly, it is necessary to check the US (and maybe other) AA sites and not simply assume the Australian site is giving a comparable fare!

 

[JohnK]

Now if I could create and hold a reservation on AA.com, then pay for it using the Oz portal then we're talking ...

Or even be able to hold a non AA reservation and pay for it using an Australian credit card. Oh well can't expect too much....

 

[Lendav Orav]

The German site lets you hold (AA ops) flt AND pay by Aus CC.

 

[Flashback]

Alright, tried to get a price for a PER-SYD return in May (11-14); but errors out. Possibly only available to do international bookings ?

 

[Connected1]

It's nowhere near as flexible as the SABRE one they use on the [US/UK] type sites (esp. for mileage running fare creation), but for simple A-B type itins works well.

FWIW, the US & UK sites use an ITA faring engine and create bookings in Sabre. None of the flexibility on those sites is due to any handywork of Sabre. The Amadeus-powered sites, as you point out, are built to book "normal" tickets although they do multi-stop itineraries as well. What type of flexibility do you like on the US/UK site that you would want on the AU site?

It's nice that Australia now has a mini-site which bills in $A. Should help with booking simple itins. Not sure how changes/refundability works though - for the JP site you need to contact AA Reservations JP if wanting to do changes/refunds. Probably the same with the AU site - ie will need to call up AA AU.

You can call either the DUB Res office or the recently-opened BNE Res office that handles all of Asia/Pacific. You could call the US as well, but the beforementioned two are generally better at handling non-US customers.

 

[Connected1]

I am looking forward to the time i can use my Aussie CC anywhere in the AA system.

This could be as much as a couple of years away. Hopefully you'll find the new AU site is a decent stopgap measure in the meantime.

 

[Connected1]

It may be useful to some but for me it is almost identical to the AA German site. Only appears to cater for AA flights.

Well-spotted. All of the Amadeus-powered sites are effectively the same, except that the point of sale, currency, language, and backend fulfillment processes vary. Those that are still using the German site need not continue any longer.

 

[Connected1]

Now if I could create and hold a reservation on AA.com, then pay for it using the Oz portal then we're talking ...

Though the system is not designed to do so today, that wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility. What types of bookings would you make on the US site that you would want to pull over to the AU site?

 

[Connected1]

Alright, tried to get a price for a PER-SYD return in May (11-14); but errors out. Possibly only available to do international bookings ?

An AA-marketed segment must appear somewhere in the itinerary. So American's AU site isn't the place to be booking AU-domestic travel.