Trying to make executive platinum on AA

[dragonman]

I know this is difficult but the rewards are good. I am wondering if my DONE5 at the end of the year will qualify me. Just not sure; here is the routing (the plan is to attribute as many of the flights as possible to AA ff points)


SYD-SIN: 1st of 1 (intercontinental entry to Asia without immediate transit & departure)
2: SIN-NRT: 1st of 4 (Asia)
3: NRT-DEL: 2nd of 4 (Asia)
4: DEL-NRT: 3rd of 4 (Asia)
5: NRT-HKG: 4th of 4 (Asia)
6: HKG-JFK: 1st of 1 (intercontinental entry to North America without immediate transit & departure)
7: JFK-LAX: 1st of 1 (North America Transcon)
*7: JFK-LAX: 1st of 6 (North America)
8: LAX-DFW: 2nd of 6 (North America)
9: DFW-YVR: 3rd of 6 (North America)
10: YVR-DFW: 4th of 6 (North America)
11: DFW-YUL: 5th of 6 (North America)
12: YUL-DFW: 6th of 6 (North America)
13: DFW-FRA: intercontinental
14: FRA-HEL: 1st of 4 (Europe)
15: HEL-DXB: 2nd of 4 (Europe)
16: DXB-HEL: 3rd of 4 (Europe)
17: HEL-LHR: 4th of 4 (Europe)
18: LHR-CPT: intercontinental
19: CPT-JNB: 1st of 4 (Africa)
20: JNB-SYD: intercontinental
Congratulations!! Valid itinerary!!! - (61297 miles)

Any of the experts who had the time and can offer advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[aus_flyer]

Possible way to get more points - does anyone know whether it's possible to go JNB-HKG-SYD without stopover in HKG?

Obviously this makes 21 sectors on the OP's itinerary, but surely a Europe leg could be trimmed

 

[Dave Noble]

61297 miles is a bit short of the required level to get EXP on its own. On a business ticket, you earn 1.5 qpoints per flown mile. 61297 * 1.5 = 91946 ; you need 100,000 for Executive Platinum so a few more flights this year ( remember each flight earns min 500 qpoints ) and you will be there

Dave

 

[dragonman]

61297 miles is a bit short of the required level to get EXP on its own. On a business ticket, you earn 1.5 qpoints per flown mile. 61297 * 1.5 = 91946 ; you need 100,000 for Executive Platinum so a few more flights this year ( remember each flight earns min 500 qpoints ) and you will be there

Dave

Do any of the USA flights count as first class seeing as AA do not have business on domestic routes?

 

[Dave Noble]

Do any of the USA flights count as first class seeing as AA do not have business on domestic routes?

Regardless of 1st or business class ( or even B/Y economy fares ), the qpoint earning is 1.5 mile per mile flown

Dave

 

[dragonman]

Regardless of 1st or business class ( or even B/Y economy fares ), the qpoint earning is 1.5 mile per mile flown

Dave

Thanks for the help. I also have a flight syd-lax-syd in october. this was bought on the QF website. Can I switch the points to AA? How can this be done?

cheers

 

[Mwenenzi]

15: HEL-DXB: 2nd of 4 (Europe) and 16: DXB-HEL: 3rd of 4 (Europe) are listed as Finnair leisure flights which I think means economy only. You will need to check if they offer C/D

SYD-BOM(Mumbai) then land for DEL-NRT will give about the same miles as SYD-SIN-DEL but 1 more segment to use

Depending on season a flight to ANC will boost the miles

 

[Mwenenzi]

Thanks for the help. I also have a flight syd-lax-syd in october. this was bought on the QF website. Can I switch the points to AA? How can this be done?

Just phone QF to have your AA ff number put in the PNR. Not sure how many EQM's this will get you.

 

[dragonman]

15: HEL-DXB: 2nd of 4 (Europe) and 16: DXB-HEL: 3rd of 4 (Europe) are listed as Finnair leisure flights which I think means economy only. You will need to check if they offer C/D

thanks for the heads up - you are correct but need to be in Helsinki so might get to LHR and do DXB and back from there. Will use points to go HEL-LHR.

thanks again

 

[dragonman]

Just discovered another problem - from what I am reading this must be done in a calendar year (jan-dec). Since my trip starts on dec 15 2007 and ends in feb 2008 it seems i have no chance anyway.

 

[QF WP]

Correct, your flights will span over two (earning) years (as AA use calendar years). So depending on your AA balance prior to the DONE5 and the accumulated flights prior to 1 Jan 2008, then I presume you'll probably have made Plat (via Plat Challenge) or BIS.

For flights taken after 1 Jan 08, they'll help you along the way to re-qualify the hard way (BIS).

 

[drron]

Providing you do as many AA codeshares as you can starting off the DONE5 you will make platinum with the challenge this year and as long as 33,334 miles of the trip are in January 08 you will requalify plat next year.This year with JAL in oneworld I will have 96993 Q points by the end of the year as my Jan 8th flight back from JFK wont count.I think I feel a mileage run coming on.

 

[simongr]

Part of me really regrets not doing the mileage run late last year (of finding a fraud I needed to investigate in Tokyo ) - I was 9K points short last year and am really paying the price now.

How much flying do you have planned for 2008 - after you make PLAT in 2008 will you go on to make EXP during the year? There is no earning loss compared to QF but there is he old F lounge access that you miss out on - depends what's important to you