A couple of questions from an AAdvantage newbie

[serfty]

Re: Best way to book an AA (ex US) flight (new thread)

Does anyone know the fare bucket allocation for milesAAver vs AAnytime awards?
http://www.aa.com/i18n/disclaimers/free-ticket-award-chart.jsp. ...

Milesaaver Awards book into Z, U & T for First, Business and Coach respectively.

AAnytime awards book into F, J and Y fare buckets.

From an Antipodean perspective, sometimes, on rare occasions the stars may align, and QFF members might get credit in relation to those fare buckets.

Flight Awards

Inventory Classes and Mileage Eligibility

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Has anyone ever used the Mileage Multiplier?
Looks like there is no limit on these miles, compared to the buy/gift/shareAAmiles features.
However you do need to have your AAdvantage number in at the time of booking - for those of us with QF WP is it possible to have that in at time of booking so we can get OWE seat selection, then change at check-in to get the mileage multiplier bonus miles?

https://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/programInformation/mileageMultiplier.jsp

I booked a US Air flight LAS/LAX & paid the extra $9.00 to earn triple miles & my entry level US DM number was in the pnr (no status of any kind). When we checked in at LAS in order to have our checked baggage waived we had to have our *A Gold (TK) ffn entered into the pnr.

I was hesitant doing that because although the UA checkin agent (flight was UA metal) said she would put the US DM ffn back in the pnr after she'd done the baggage I thought the fiddling may interfere with getting triple miles. Turns out it didn't & the triple miles did in fact post.

Can you maybe call up AA & say you want your AA number in the pnr for the purpose of points accrual but give them your QF WP number for the purpose of elite seat selection. ISTR certain airlines can take more than one ffn in the pnr for different purposes.

 

[Kangol]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Thanks, looks like the best value in AA miles is in milesAAver redemptions, unless you want to gamble with AAnytime awards and see if the stars align.

One thing I notice is that on the chart, there are no AAnytime awards to Australia - presumably because AA metal flights do not come here. Does that mean AAnytime awards are only available on AA metal? (with milesAAver being available on all flights)

Also since AAnytime awards book into full fare revenue buckets, would they be eligible for upgrade awards?
Doesn't say anything about it here:
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/redeemMiles/upgradeAwards.jsp

I'll try the switch to my AA number for the mileage multiplier at the airport, at 3c a mile it's not the best value compared to some of the offers however if you are using it for an OZ-Europe award in J, 60k miles one way is a lot better than what QF offer and certainly a lot better than a revenue fare!

 

[11sjw]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Wow, massive download of AAdvantage info from here.

My flying habits consist of (well for last QF year, this and, most likely, the next):

1. PER-Pilbara-PER in full Y x approx 25/yr
2. PER-TSV-PER partial and full Y x 2 or 3/yr
3. Intl, usually PER-HKG-PER (next time as a JASA, usually cheap Y) once only.

Questions:

1. Is it worth me crediting to AA instead of QF;
2. Is it worth me joining AA just to be able to purchase points towards awards (seem like good value to me);
3. Will this flying give me status with AA?

 

[Rallygirl]

Re: Best way to book an AA (ex US) flight (new thread)

AAnytime F seems to book into F but without the earning capacity.

Milesaaver Awards book into Z, U & T for First, Business and Coach respectively.

AAnytime awards book into F, J and Y fare buckets.

From an Antipodean perspective, sometimes, on rare occasions the stars may align, and QFF members might get credit in relation to those fare buckets.

Hi everyone - I have enjoyed this thread and I believe (fingers crossed) I understood the difference between the different types of awards and really like the idea of the 60K points for J to Europe.

I have read this thread a few times and one thing is confusing me.

Is it correct to say that on all AA award tickets you cannot earn miles or EQM/EQP?

There was discussion about suggesting to take the direct flights with as many stops as possible. If you don't earn any miles or status credits then is that just to maximise the joy of the first class experience? Or do the flights booked as a OW&Other Airline Award qualify but the AA Awards do not?

 

[Hvr]

Re: Best way to book an AA (ex US) flight (new thread)

Is it correct to say that on all AA award tickets you cannot earn miles or EQM/EQP?

Yes. Just like a classic award on Qf.

 

[Kangol]

Re: Best way to book an AA (ex US) flight (new thread)

There was discussion about suggesting to take the direct flights with as many stops as possible. If you don't earn any miles or status credits then is that just to maximise the joy of the first class experience? Or do the flights booked as a OW&Other Airline Award qualify but the AA Awards do not?

You may be confusing that with paid SC runs, where more stops can lead to a greater SC/mileage earn for a similar price than the non-stop direct option.

 

[Rallygirl]

Re: Best way to book an AA (ex US) flight (new thread)

Thanks for confirming that. I have re-read the posts that confused me and found that people were just asking if they could stop in many places to give them a chance to see places they have never been before, so I think I just added some wishful thinking in there.
Thank you for your quick answers Hvr & Kangol.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Another quick question for the experts : looking at purchasing 4 coach MilesAAver 12.5K awards from MIA-JFK. Can get availability on flight I want to EWR cost = 50,000 miles and $50 taxes. I will need to buy some miles for this and using the current promo it will cost ~ $1200 (40K + 15K bonus) for 4 coach seats.
The same flight has KUPPS for sale at $350 each ($1400 total inc tax) so I'm thinking pay the extra $200 and fly First and credit to QF for MIA-EWR?
Am I missing something here ? I have held the KUPPS for 24 hours while I think it through.

 

[drron]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

When are these flights for?I have been looking at the reverse for December-LGA-MIA.They do not appear to be loading premium awards in or out of MIA for that time of year-winter in Florida anyone?
However all i do is go through until i can get the seatmap.If pretty empty I dont bother pulling the trigger.About 3 months out they usually release an F special fare which is usually cheaper than a Y/KUPP but is quaranteed first.Last december it was $298 for LGA-MIA.Have done this over the last couple of years.EG recent MIA-BGI.J fare was ~ $700,YUPP was ~ $500.Special J 3 months out-$421.No F to Carribean.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

When are these flights for?I have been looking at the reverse for December-LGA-MIA.They do not appear to be loading premium awards in or out of MIA for that time of year-winter in Florida anyone?
However all i do is go through until i can get the seatmap.If pretty empty I dont bother pulling the trigger.About 3 months out they usually release an F special fare which is usually cheaper than a Y/KUPP but is quaranteed first.Last december it was $298 for LGA-MIA.Have done this over the last couple of years.EG recent MIA-BGI.J fare was ~ $700,YUPP was ~ $500.Special J 3 months out-$421.No F to Carribean.

This is available on a range of dates I'm currently holding Dec 21. I would love to get 4 seats on the one flight and flying in F would be better than Y of course. The 3 hour mark is about my personal cut-off for Y on AA.

 

[drron]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Have just searched.A few MIA-LGA flights that day that I looked at had no one in F but the YUPPs are $850.
EWR also had virtually no one in F and the special first fare in March/April is $352.So I would go for the KUPP.
Why the price difference.Hmmm.......Brooklyn is closer to LGA.

By the way we will be shopping Sawgrass Mills on 17,18th December.Maybe we should meet up at PF Changs and earn some Aadvantage miles.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Have just searched.A few MIA-LGA flights that day that I looked at had no one in F but the YUPPs are $850.
EWR also had virtually no one in F and the special first fare in March/April is $352.So I would go for the KUPP.
Why the price difference.Hmmm.......Brooklyn is closer to LGA.

By the way we will be shopping Sawgrass Mills on 17,18th December.Maybe we should meet up at PF Changs and earn some Aadvantage miles.

KUPPs it is then And thankyou so much for your help!
PF Changs sounds like a plan

 

[Danger]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

I have an AA award on hold, originating in Canada. It involves CX so can't be booked online. The AAgent in the US told me it would be USD75 plus USD25 but then said he couldn't take a non-US credit card. I asked him to put the booking on hold and I'd call AAustralia and pay that way. So I did that today but was told they'd slug me another AUD80 phone booking fee. Seems I can't win. Any suggestions? Could I call AAnother country and pay with my Australian card? I know the El Segundo method can be used online but I'm not sure if it'll work when speaking directly to an agent over the phone.

(Incidentally, the exact same flights booked through QF would have cost me CAD203.)

Secondly, I know AAwards allow a stopover on the one award at the North American gateway city. So, for example, I can fly YYZ-ORD-HKG with a stopover in ORD but only be charged for one award. Does the same work outside of the US? For example, could I fly, say, HKG-SIN-PER and stop for a few days in Singapore using the one award? Presumably not.

 

[djfuzz]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Danger, from my cursory glance around, it seems like the El Segundo method is the favoured method for phone bookings! I didn't get a chance to try as I wasn't aware when I tried to fix up my first attempt online.

I just tried again with the other method that seems to be mentioned around the traps - putting the city, state and postcode into the "City" field and leaving postcode blank (I'd previously seen it suggested that you put that in "Address Line 2"). Now waiting to see if it was successful.

Just out of interest, how long does a successful AA online award booking take to be ticketed?

 

[Danger]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Thanks for that. My concern is that because I can't do the payment over the internet that providing my address as, for example, 1 Collins St, El Segundo 30000 might trip me up.

To your question, I have previously booked and ticketed an AAward booking over the internet (QF domestic travel) and it was all do in a few hours.

 

[djfuzz]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Again, I'm paraphrasing, but what I've been finding posted elsewhere seems to suggest that you give your regular address but give El Segundo 90245 as the city / ZIP code. Seems like that works for the most part, though I've also seen one or two people mention that it might get flagged by the CC company.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Secondly, I know AAwards allow a stopover on the one award at the North American gateway city. So, for example, I can fly YYZ-ORD-HKG with a stopover in ORD but only be charged for one award. Does the same work outside of the US? For example, could I fly, say, HKG-SIN-PER and stop for a few days in Singapore using the one award? Presumably not.

No cannot stopover except at arrival or departure point from North America.
Another trap I've fallen into is that the operating carrier has to have a published fare for your routing. My example is JFK-YVR-HKG. I cannot book it all on CX as it doesn't appear that CX allows stopovers in YVR ( Cabotage???). Must book the JFK-YVR on AA

 

[Danger]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Again, I'm paraphrasing, but what I've been finding posted elsewhere seems to suggest that you give your regular address but give El Segundo 90245 as the city / ZIP code. Seems like that works for the most part, though I've also seen one or two people mention that it might get flagged by the CC company.

Got it. I'll give it a shot. Thanks.

No cannot stopover except at arrival or departure point from North America.
Another trap I've fallen into is that the operating carrier has to have a published fare for your routing. My example is JFK-YVR-HKG. I cannot book it all on CX as it doesn't appear that CX allows stopovers in YVR ( Cabotage???). Must book the JFK-YVR on AA

Bugger. That's what I thought.

 

[drron]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Had to ring once.My billing address is Caloundra 4551.Online I use a zip of 04551.on the phone I say caloundra 04551.Agent said I dont know that place.04551 is for Bremen Maine so I just say a little village outside bremen,maine.
Interesting place Bremen.Population 806.805 whites,2 hispanics and 4 asians.I think we have actually driven through it.