Building a complex AA award on Oneworld partners

[bernardblack]

[Cross-posted from FlyerTalk]

I'm looking to book 4 pax MEL-LHR/DUB in J on primarily JL with QF and maybe BA or AY. The relevant dates will open on the AA calendar next week.

Availability is pretty consistent through AA, and the relevant dates are available through QF and CX.

If I search for a single itinerary, I don't get the JL options, but if I search multicity MEL-TYO then TYO-LON/DUB I can get:

MEL-SYD QF (layover overnight; same-day also available but SYD connection is risky)
SYD-HND JL (layover overnight)
HND-LHR/CDG/HEL JL plus maybe short connection on BA/AY

I believe this is valid, since the overnight stops are less than 24 hours each and Oceania-Asia-Europe is a permitted routing.

The earlier flights will become available a day or two before the HND departure.


So what's my best strategy for getting these booked, as a single through itinerary for 85k per pax?

1. Hold itinerary for MEL-TYO, then the next day hold itinerary for TYO-LON/DUB, and call to combine and ticket?
2. Hold itinerary for MEL-TYO then just call in when TYO-LON/DUB becomes available and get phone agent to construct it?
3. Wait until all available and build a multicity itinerary online, then call and get agent to reprice as single through itinerary?

 

[hossein_au]

I believe the itinerary is valid (I have done a very similar itinerary a number of times using AA).

Option 2 is the safest; put the first one on hold; then call the next day to add the second flight; and so on. You can call AA and adjust/amend/change the itinerary as many times as you like within the few days* you have between creating the PNR and having to have the itinerary sent for ticketing.

* from memory, I think you are given five days. If the time's up and it is not sent for ticketing, the complete itinerary is dropped.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

AFAIK you can't combine reservations, so the way to do it is to create one booking and then add to it.

 

[bernardblack]

Thanks, both. FlyerTalk consensus is also #2 (if there's a risk of early sectors being taken by someone else) backed with #3.

For #2: Do you know whether I can modify a held partial award itinerary online, so I can get started one day then add the later sectors when they become available, before calling in for repricing and to pay to ticket? Or can held itineraries only be managed by agents?

 

[anabolism]

For #2: Do you know whether I can modify a held partial award itinerary online, so I can get started one day then add the later sectors when they become available, before calling in for repricing and to pay to ticket? Or can held itineraries only be managed by agents?

AA's web site has never let me modify an award itinerary on hold. But you can keep calling and adding flights as they become available. Currently, AA is waiving change fees on ticketed awards as well.

 

[bernardblack]

Thanks, all. I eventually booked this. I held the SYD-HND flight then was good to go with the HND-LHR the next day but it autocompleted my wife with the wrong name and when I called to fix it before ticketing the seats were unavailable.

So we're now going SYD-HND-CDG, still in J the whole way for all four of us, and 77Ws for both sectors.

Meanwhile, I couldn't include MEL-SYD because Qantas aren't taking bookings beyond 27/03/21 yet. Their normal calendar would be a month beyond that by now but it would seem the current situation is giving them some pause for their Northern Summer 2021 scheduling.

 

[hossein_au]

...
Meanwhile, I couldn't include MEL-SYD because Qantas aren't taking bookings beyond 27/03/21 yet. Their normal calendar would be a month beyond that by now but it would seem the current situation is giving them some pause for their Northern Summer 2021 scheduling.

Just call AA once the QF flights become available and add them in. You might need to pay some change fee (and some change in tax difference), but it'll be peanuts compared to the price of MEL-SYD flights in J.