Detail on using the AA RTW Desk

[serfty]

Thanks all - you were right. The pricing desk had indeed mispriced it (despite the confident assurances of one of the RTW desk staff) and the actual price is $4167.86 - more than $500 cheaper. ...

Good to see ...

Those

components that get added to the base fare but get included as a tax are weird.

I once had an award booking through Qantas which showed the base fare as $6!

 

[simongr]

The desk is currently closed due to the US Public holiday - another day to wait to book my DONE4 - just hoping QF21 SYD-NRT will not slip from D1...

 

[turtlemichael]

With regard to this question of fines, I booked a DONE5 with AA RTW last night. I had to call back just now as they had put me on the AA codeshare rather than QF107, as happened to Serfty. It was changed to QF107 without any issue, maybe because the Transatlantic is on AA metal.

It's gone back for repricing now but the agent did tell me that the original pricing was 965,000 yen. That means fines of 70K yen (if the oneworld site is correct that the base fare is 895K yen) Thats close to US$700.

I don't have the breakdown but that struck me as a little high for a 16 segment trip starting in Japan followed by Australia, USA, Europe, South Africa to Asia. I only have a transit through LHR, no stopover. Any thoughts or am I just being greedy?

 

[NM]

It's gone back for repricing now but the agent did tell me that the original pricing was 965,000 yen. That means fines of 70K yen (if the oneworld site is correct that the base fare is 895K yen) Thats close to US$700.

For purposes of comparison, my recent DONE4 ex-AU issued by AA shows as:

Fare:  	AUD  	10514.00  	
Taxes/fees/charges
Taxes/fees/charges: 	AUD 	38.00 	AU 	Passenger Movement Charge
Taxes/fees/charges: 	AUD 	312.90 	YQ 	Insurance/Fuel Charges
Taxes/fees/charges: 	AUD 	190.89 	XT 	Combined Taxes
Total: 	AUD 	11055.79

 

[simongr]

Might it be because of the trans-pac AA sector? Maybe being charged fuel surcharge for that flight?

 

[Keith009]

Might it be because of the trans-pac AA sector? Maybe being charged fuel surcharge for that flight?

Transpacific and transatlantic fuel fines will be levied regardless of which airlines are used, IIRC.

FWIW my 20 segment DONE4 ex-MNL with one LHR stopover was about US$750 in +++s.

 

[serfty]

I may need to change some flights - what's the MCT LHR to LGW?

https://ukprepin.custhelp.com/cgi-b...d=1141992213&p_sid=CITd8Q4j&p_li=&p_topview=1

'tis 3 Hours - D*mn!

Flying ORD-LHR am currently booked on BA to depart 8:25pm, arriving 10am. My LGW flight departs at 10am the next day.

I was trying to arrange to stay a day longer in the USA and take a 5:30pm BA flight arriving 7:05am the same day as my LGW flight; 2:55 is five minutes too short!

There is an AA option that departs 5pm and arrives 6:50am but:

• No exit row seats are available on the AA flight (E/F is showing all as pre-allocated)
• BA.com allows me to preallocate exit rows and due to their tight pre-selection rules they are still available.
• AA v. BA in WHY on a 7 hour+ flight? I know who I'd prefer.

Oh Well ... :-|

 

[NM]

Flying ORD-LHR am currently booked on BA to depart 8:25pm, arriving 10am. My LGW flight departs at 10am the next day.

What about routing something like ORD-MCO-LGW and take BA's MCO-LGW flight that arrives around 6:30am into the right airport.

 

[serfty]

What about routing something like ORD-MCO-LGW and take BA's MCO-LGW flight that arrives around 6:30am into the right airport.

My paper ticket already uses 20 "segments" - 17 flight and 3 surface (JFK-LGA, LHR-LGW & LGW-LHR). I would have to cut a segment elsewhere.

More than that it would require a re-issue, I know there should be no charge for that but I am wary of doing so < 4 weeks out. (or indeed asking those it SYD AA to do so - I guess they would need to completely rewrite them?).

If it was an E-ticket, I would not hesitate.

 

[NM]

My paper ticket already uses 20 "segments" - 17 flight and 3 surface (JFK-LGA, LHR-LGW & LGW-LHR). I would have to cut a segment elsewhere.

More than that it would require a re-issue, I know there should be no charge for that but I am wary of doing so < 4 weeks out. (or indeed asking those it SYD AA to do so - I guess they would need to completely rewrite them?).

If it was an E-ticket, I would not hesitate.

isn't ORD-MCO-LGW the same number of segments as ORD-LHR-LGW? One more flight (means SCs) and one less surface.

 

[serfty]

isn't ORD-MCO-LGW the same number of segments as ORD-LHR-LGW?

Of course it is

... however my comments about being wary remotely re-issuing a paper ticket at this late stage stand.

FWIW, when I returned them a month ago for the AA upgrades, Australia Post promptly sent them back to me marked insufficient address. :shock: I resent them, to the same address - this time they arrived but the final turnaround was more than two weeks.

ANother thing about a re-issue is that such an event might cause me to lose my 90 day upgrade requests; exit seat pre-assignments etc.

 

[NM]

ANother thing about a re-issue is that such an event might cause me to lose my 90 day upgrade requests; exit seat pre-assignments etc.

I had no such losses when my DONE4 was re-issued by AA to apply two eVIPs. but its entirely your call. Just trying to throw out another option.

 

[serfty]

I had no such losses when my DONE4 was re-issued by AA to apply two eVIPs. but its entirely your call. Just trying to throw out another option.

No worries; I appreciate all advice given here (and it did make me think ).

As far as applying 2 eVIPs to the booking, I guess I did something similar when upgrading to A class with 60K AAdvantage points.

 

[turtlemichael]

Further to my question concerning fines on a DONE5 booked through AA RTW desk.

At the first go, Dublin priced the +++ at c70,000 yen. With the only change from the AA codeshare to QF107, the +++ have come back 15,000 yen (or $150.00) lower now.

I don't know what conclusion to draw - wrong the first time, wrong the second time, both correct? Maybe it is a factor to look at for those here doing challenges etc. When I have the breakdown I'll happily pass it on to anyone interested.

 

[serfty]

Another consideration I have in respect to changing rouing in NA is that all segments have been upgraded using points. I know not what a reissue would do the the carriage.

 

[simongr]

Well as usual a smoothish experience of the AA ATW desk - apart from the illegal connection in LHR where they then swapped me to the prior night's flight leading to a potential 12 hour layover. Called back today and they happily switched me to the BA flight, so now I have a T5-T5 connection

 

[NM]

Another consideration I have in respect to changing rouing in NA is that all segments have been upgraded using points. I know not what a reissue would do the the carriage.

Providing it was re-issued by AA I do not expect there would be any problems. You are actually now booked into A class and the fare basis for those sectors will have changed to reflect the upgrade.

 

[serfty]

Providing it was re-issued by AA I do not expect there would be any problems. You are actually now booked into A class and the fare basis for those sectors will have changed to reflect the upgrade.

I had 4 segments to upgrade and it required 4 x 15K AA points to do so; this would require a re-route.

e.g. LGA-(AA)ORD-(AA)SEA,SEA-(AA)DFW-(AA)ORD-(BA)LHR to (say) ...,SEA-(AA)DFW-(AA)MIA-(BA)LGA.

Would I require both L class and A class availability if I re-routed so?

 

[NM]

Would I require both L class and A class availability if I re-routed so?

Dunno. A good question for AA.

 

[Dave Noble]

Would I require both L class and A class availability if I re-routed so?

Once issued into A , you can get away with just A availability on a change

I was wanting to make a booking in H class for someone on HNL-LAX-ORD-LHR and upgrade to C. One flight ORD-LHR had H but no C and the other had C but no H. Booked the person into H to enable the booking to be made and then ticketed it. The HNL-LAX-ORD both had A and H available

Phone AA in US and asked to do upgrades the A classes were ok but obviously the ORD-LHR wasn't; he noticed that the later flight had business available and asked if wanted to change to the flight with C; happily agreed and it was booked straight into C despite no H

Dave