new AA buy miles promotion

[anat0l]

Thank you for going all the way to look this up for me. But TBH, I don't understand what it means....... Does it mean BNE-HKG-TYO is within the 25% MPM?

Beta4Me punched in both BNE-SYD-NRT (or TYO, doesn't matter) and BNE-HKG-NRT into the MPM finder in KVS (works also for ExpertFlyer).

Basically, the progressive mileage travelled (cough) is calculated, along with the progressive MPM (MPM). For example, in the first line of BNE-HKG, that is a distance of 4318 mi on the map. The MPM for travelling between BNE and HKG is 5181 mi. The 25M (MPM+25%) for the same routing pair is 6476 mi.

What will be the most interest is really the last line. If the coughulative mileage exceeds the 25M, then your routing is likely to fail when you call up (or you will end up being charged two awards instead of one). In ExpertFlyer, exceeding the 25M is usually displayed with the abbreviation EXC in the 25M column, showing that your proposed routing has exceeded the 25M amount.

In summary for you, BNE-HKG-TYO is just fine.


As for "Hidden City Tricks", any tricks in AA rarely exist. You're essentially trading off tricks, fast ones, misroutings and rather tight rules for one of the most competent cohort award staff in North America, indeed perhaps even in the global commercial aviation industry (with the slight exception of paying up with a non-US payment device). Something like SYD-YVR-NRT will easily fail; along with the 25M rule, AA has tight rules on whether a transit through a zone which isn't your origin or destination is given to you for free.

 

[Beta4Me]

Thank you for going all the way to look this up for me. But TBH, I don't understand what it means....... Does it mean BNE-HKG-TYO is within the 25% MPM?

No worries. As far as I can tell, yes.

 

[VAG newbie]

Thank you for all your input. Unfortunately I am a bit of a newbie with AA and have focused more on LM and *A as AA's previous promotions weren't as good.

Looks like I will go for it. Hopefully AUD can bounce back to close to 80 cents by 30 Apr!

 

[TheEmu]

I'm looking to make my first booking with AA. Just a simple SYD-HKG-SYD. QF isn't available. CX shows availability on AsiaMiles. Is there any issue in booking on CX with AA miles? I assume it has to be over the phone? Any idea what the taxes are like?

I'm not sure if it's worth buying 90k and getting 140 (two people so 70k each) or just forking out for the 100k + 60k for future use

Need to book on the phone, taxes are next to nothing ( double figures, tops in $ on CX IME).
It's definitely worth buying the full 160K IMO.

CX is ok, JL is good too. I'd start with BA, cross reference with JL. Should be good to go.

Anyone done this (phone booking when AA has zero but CX shows availability) recently?
I've booked several like this in the past with no issues but today the agent just stonewalled: "There's nothing showing - if I can't see it, I can't book it".
I was calling the AAdvantage desk (I think - 1800 882 8880 rather than the AA Reservations No. 1800 433 7300) and the agent was US.
I will HUACA but am interested to hear if someone has booked lately.
Thanks.

 

[N860CR]

I've today found one showing available on CX, BA and QF but AA said no availability. Funnily enough, they had availability on another flight that didn't appear anywhere else (although I haven't booked to confirm)

 

[ChasingDaylight]

A couple of queries from me -

I've got a booking coming up for DRW-SYD-SIN-LHR-ZAG on one ticket/PNR, operated by QF and BA. There's a 20 hour 55min gap between arriving in SYD on QF and the BA flight to SIN. As it's within 24 hours, what are the odds of my bags being interlined straight from DRW through to ZAG? And if I OLCI with BA and print out the BP, is that sufficient for customs etc- or would I need an actual BP printed at SYD?

If there is a misconnect or similar on an Aadvantage booking - is it the responsbility of the operating carriers (in my case QF and BA) to fix things/ensure I get to my destination or would I have to contact AA?

 

[VAG newbie]

I've today found one showing available on CX, BA and QF but AA said no availability. Funnily enough, they had availability on another flight that didn't appear anywhere else (although I haven't booked to confirm)

Sometimes BA and QF may show phantom space. CX has a different inventory as they give more to AM members.

Did you check JAL? If JAL has it then it's not phantom.

 

[VAG newbie]

A couple of queries from me -

I've got a booking coming up for DRW-SYD-SIN-LHR-ZAG on one ticket/PNR, operated by QF and BA. There's a 20 hour 55min gap between arriving in SYD on QF and the BA flight to SIN. As it's within 24 hours, what are the odds of my bags being interlined straight from DRW through to ZAG? And if I OLCI with BA and print out the BP, is that sufficient for customs etc- or would I need an actual BP printed at SYD?

If there is a misconnect or similar on an Aadvantage booking - is it the responsbility of the operating carriers (in my case QF and BA) to fix things/ensure I get to my destination or would I have to contact AA?

As far as I understand, if it's all in one PNR, then it's the operating airline's responsibility. If it's 2 separate booking, then you are on your own.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

If there is a misconnect or similar on an Aadvantage booking - is it the responsbility of the operating carriers (in my case QF and BA) to fix things/ensure I get to my destination or would I have to contact AA?

As a general rule... after you've checked-in... operating airline. Before check-in contact ticket issuer.

(In most cases anything that happens close to departure will be handled by the operating airline.)

 

[Beta4Me]

Is this really the right thread for all these questions? There's the whole subforum for new questions or http://www.australianfrequentflyer....couple-questions-aadvantage-newbie-59133.html.

 

[serfty]

Sure ... Not the thread for these questions ... Hovever:

... There's a 20 hour 55min gap between arriving in SYD on QF and the BA flight to SIN. As it's within 24 hours, what are the odds of my bags being interlined straight from DRW through to ZAG? ...

Almost nil!

Qantas will want to check luggage only as far as SYD in such a circumstance.

You may or may not get all the BP's at DRW but given the above you are likely to need to recheck you luggage with BA at SYD in any case.

 

[N860CR]

Sometimes BA and QF may show phantom space. CX has a different inventory as they give more to AM members.

Did you check JAL? If JAL has it then it's not phantom.

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

For interests sake, 160K points appeared immediately after purchase.

 

[Alanslegal]

Saw some flights SYD-JNB-MRU for 50K in J .... now I am tempted, very tempted and make it an excuse to go there

 

[boomy]

Saw some flights SYD-JNB-MRU for 50K in J .... now I am tempted, very tempted and make it an excuse to go there

Sounds like a good deal, which carrier?

 

[N860CR]

It all seemed too easy... Points appeared immediately, called then call centre and they took my credit card details and said it was as good as done. Although the booking no longer appears on AA.com? Would they have picked It up when I called if the seats didn't actually exist? Or am I likely to get a "computer says no" email in 24 hours?

Interestingly... The agent said there was no later flight available SYD-BNE than 1605... JAL/QF show all as being available. I didn't want to argue, so took the 8 hour connection in BNE

 

[ChasingDaylight]

Is this really the right thread for all these questions? There's the whole subforum for new questions or http://www.australianfrequentflyer....couple-questions-aadvantage-newbie-59133.html.

Entirely correct - I had meant to post in that thread instead of this one but evidently got the wrong tab in firefox. By the time I had realised people had already begun responding to my post.

 

[ChasingDaylight]

It all seemed too easy... Points appeared immediately, called then call centre and they took my credit card details and said it was as good as done. Although the booking no longer appears on AA.com? Would they have picked It up when I called if the seats didn't actually exist? Or am I likely to get a "computer says no" email in 24 hours?

I would hazard a guess that the AA Rep wouldn't have been able to see the flights if they didn't have availability.

To check the booking with AA check up here for the booking. Note if you have the AA PNR/Locator you can also put that into Qantas MMB and it will load up and then show you the Qantas PNR and allow you to select seats etc.

 

[N860CR]

I would hazard a guess that the AA Rep wouldn't have been able to see the flights if they didn't have availability.

To check the booking with AA check up here for the booking. Note if you have the AA PNR/Locator you can also put that into Qantas MMB and it will load up and then show you the Qantas PNR and allow you to select seats etc.

Yep. All ticketed ok ! Very surprised to be honest but a good result.

A little annoying that they couldn't find any later QF SYD-BNE. Would that likely have been a lazy agent? There are heaps of seats available on all of the evening flights. I guess I can go for dinner in Bris or something!

 

[Alanslegal]

Sounds like a good deal, which carrier?

Example; 12/02/2016 QF63 SYD-JNB, and BA6399 JNB-MRU (says operated by Comair)

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Example; 12/02/2016 QF63 SYD-JNB, and BA6399 JNB-MRU (says operated by Comair)

It looks like the JNB-MRU flight is a good 4.5 hours sitting in 34' pitch converted economy seats as per the old club europe (3+3 economy converting to 3+2 'club')

(actually... according to this youtube video it looks like it might be even worse... with the modern 'club' configuration on some flights as well! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-3F6BeRNWo)