AAdvantage Oneworld Award Flight planning

[simongr]

Hi all

OK - I finally might actually get to plan an award flight on AA! Mrssimongr and I have been asked to be in the UK in Jul 2008 (long way but a lot of planning involved as these are Int'l J awards) for a family celebration. We are thinking of linking it in to a trip to visit Italy and New York for ourselves.

We need to be in the UK by 29 July (at the absolute latest) and need to be back as soon as possible after that.

I am thinking of the following routing:

syd-jfk(4 days)-fco(4 days),vce(4 days)-lgw,lhr-hkg-syd

By my reckoning that is 25,514 miles - which means I will need a OW190C award - so will need 360K points for this (an extra 60k points for 500 miles is annoying). By end May I will only have 280K points. Given that I will have to book this 330 days out - by my reckoning that will be roughly 18 August 2007. So I need to earn abother 80K points by then (may not be too much of a struggle)..

Just a couple of questions on a OW award.

1. I believe that for awards AA calculates the miles/points on the "point to point" distance of requested rather than distance travelled. I assume using a OW award though they base on distance travelled - so if due to availability I had to fly SYD-HKG-LAX-JFK it would use hiigher mileage?
2. I have cehcked teh routing rules and just discovered that i cant add on some extra trips at the end - so these excess miles are going to go to waste
3. In order to sneak under the 25K miles - could I book an itinerary something like syd-jfk-lhr,vce-lgw,lhr-syd and buy (or use points separately) a flight LHR-FCO that connected with my JFK-LHR flight? That itinerary would only be 24,688 miles. Ithink the routing rules allow for one open jaw segment.
4. Given that QF have an embargo on QF 11/12 all year for 2006 and 2007 I am assuming that it will be embargoed in 2008 also - so I only have QF149 and QF107 to choose from?

Obviously I will be a bit more planned closer to the dates but I just need to be able to committing to being the UK and start planning/budgeting for it ASAP.

cheers

S

 

[NM]

I am thinking of the following routing:

syd-jfk(4 days)-fco(4 days),vce(4 days)-lgw,lhr-hkg-syd

By my reckoning that is 25,514 miles - which means I will need a OW190C award - so will need 360K points for this (an extra 60k points for 500 miles is annoying).

Unlike Qantas, AA do not count the surface sector of an open-jaw in the mileage calculation. But they only permot one open-jaw. LGW-LHR is considered the same city so it not open-jaw.

By the way, 2 x OW190C awards will cost 380K miles.

You could use 2 x OW150C awards and route SYD-JFK-LHR-SYD (23,974 miles), and add a separate Intra-Europe award for 20K in economy or 40K in business class to cover LHR-FCO//VCE-LGW. Given the minor variation between BA's EuroTraveller and Club Europe product, 20K for economy on those routes may be better and makes the total outlay 340K instead of 380K miles.

Just a couple of questions on a OW award.

I believe that for awards AA calculates the miles/points on the "point to point" distance of requested rather than distance travelled. I assume using a OW award though they base on distance travelled - so if due to availability I had to fly SYD-HKG-LAX-JFK it would use hiigher mileage?

They use distance between stopovers. Do you want a stopover in HKG between LHR and SYD? If not, then the mileage is LHR-SYD.

See here under Routing Restrictions:

Routing Restrictions
oneworld awards are based on actual miles flown. Connections of less than 24 hours are not included in the mileage calculation.

I have cehcked teh routing rules and just discovered that i cant add on some extra trips at the end - so these excess miles are going to go to waste

Correct. Only way to use extra miles is to return via a different city such as MEL and buy your own SYD-MEL ticket.

In order to sneak under the 25K miles - could I book an itinerary something like syd-jfk-lhr,vce-lgw,lhr-syd and buy (or use points separately) a flight LHR-FCO that connected with my JFK-LHR flight? That itinerary would only be 24,688 miles. Ithink the routing rules allow for one open jaw segment.

Yes, that is probably the best way to go.

Given that QF have an embargo on QF 11/12 all year for 2006 and 2007 I am assuming that it will be embargoed in 2008 also - so I only have QF149 and QF107 to choose from?

No, you also have QF25, QF73, QF93, and QF175 to work with. Remember they will measure mileage as SYD-JFK even if you route SYD-MEL-LAX-DFW-JFK or SYD-SFO-JFK. CX, JL or AA routings over the north Pacific could also be used if you can meet the stopover rules (which are different to other products like OneWorld Explorer):

Stopovers

• One stopover is allowed per valid city. There is no limit to the number of stopovers.
• Stopover not permitted at the origination or destination city.
• Stopover is defined as more than four hours for domestic flights, and six hours for international flights.
• If there are no scheduled flights within this timeframe, regardless of availability, you must take the next scheduled flight but may not exceed 24 hours. If the connection exceeds 24 hours, it will be considered a stopover.

 

[simongr]

Thanks NM - confirming most of what I thought.

By the way, 2 x OW190C awards will cost 380K miles.

You wouldnt think I was an accountant would you

Correct. Only way to use extra miles is to return via a different city such as MEL and buy your own SYD-MEL ticket.

Great idea - I will assess this as the time for bookings gets closer - if I have the points (380K) I might think about adding in an extra overseas trip onto this if possible. WIll need to crunch the numbers to see if there is any net benefit.

In order to sneak under the 25K miles - could I book an itinerary something like syd-jfk-lhr,vce-lgw,lhr-syd and buy (or use points separately) a flight LHR-FCO that connected with my JFK-LHR flight? That itinerary would only be 24,688 miles. Ithink the routing rules allow for one open jaw segment.

Yes, that is probably the best way to go.

Just need to research teh cost of the extra trip - likely though that we would aim for business class as we will have business class amounts of luggage :|

No, you also have QF25, QF73, QF93, and QF175 to work with. Remember they will measure mileage as SYD-JFK even if you route SYD-MEL-LAX-DFW-JFK or SYD-SFO-JFK. CX, JL or AA routings over the north Pacific could also be used if you can meet the stopover rules (which are different to other products like OneWorld Explorer):

No planned stopovers outbound or inbound except for NYC, LON, FCO, VCE

 

[drron]

Do you have to go to Italy before london.If no backtracking then you will come in just under the 25000 miles.
When booking our AA awards-2 business awards-the agent was very helpful.The mileage is point to point even though you may have to go the long way round.We were trying for BNE-LAX and ended up with BNE-SYD-HKG-NRT-LAX.With JAL joining oneworld it should be a little easier.
As to timing the only QF flight that would be great to get is flying back into Australia so only have to book last leg 330 days out which is what we did and we were away 7 weeks.

 

[simongr]

Thanks - yeah the Italy trip has to be before the UK trip. We have to minimise time away during school terms and we have to be in UK on July 30 - so that means UK last

Cheers

S