A couple of questions from an AAdvantage newbie

[sergeyvzn]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Have never booked through EY using AA before, but I'm getting conflicting answers as to how many points is actually required from Europe to Aus in F?. Some say it's 90k (need to be booked separately) others say it's as per the AA Award chart (80k). Anyone recently done this? What's the actual answer? Thanks in advance.

No need to book it separately, it can be a one booking but will be charged as a sum of Australia to Middle East and Middle East to Europe (60k + 40K = 100 k) as opposed to Australia to Europe (80K) if we are talking First all the way. Where's 90 K from? Unless its First + business? Etihads short haul planes don't have first, maybe that's why

 

[Danger]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Thank you. I'm very pleased I'm not the only one who has trouble with this!

I will have a PER-xSYD-CBR in B that will net me 3810 EQP (3061 plus 750). I will then be just 651 EQP shy of EXP requal. So I need to be super accurate as to what I'm earning.

It would appear as though I can do that with a PER-xSYD-CBR in NGS as that would get me 510 plus 250 EQP.

As far as I can tell my N class fare PER-xSYD-CBR did earn 510 and 250 EQP. To book it I had to do it through a phone agent. The first one I spoke with wasn't particularly helpful. It took her some time to understand I wanted a particularly fare class and for me to point out to her that the Red E-Deal online isn't necessarily N. When she finally said what I knew - that it couldn't be booked online - she was reluctantly offered to waive the phone fee "but if you're going to be doing this a lot I don't know that we'll be able to waive it every time". So I told her not to worry, I'll go to Flight Centre and book it with them.

 

[Hvr]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

<snip> So I told her not to worry, I'll go to Flight Centre and book it with them.

And did she laugh hysterically at this point? I mean seriously, using Flight Centre as a threat can only be the sign of desperation.

 

[serfty]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

And did she laugh hysterically at this point? I mean seriously, using Flight Centre as a threat can only be the sign of desperation.

Actually I read it as an insult to the agent's abilities/attitude ...

 

[Digger11]

Hello,
i have recenttly signed up to AAdvantage but would like to get over 100,000 miles. Can only buy this amount per year (+ bonuses) but would like 160,000 for obvious reasons.
Does the 100,000 limit reset 1 January each year, or 12 months after my sign up date ?

cheers Digger

 

[Hvr]

Hello,
i have recenttly signed up to AAdvantage but would like to get over 100,000 miles. Can only buy this amount per year (+ bonuses) but would like 160,000 for obvious reasons.
Does the 100,000 limit reset 1 January each year, or 12 months after my sign up date ?

cheers Digger

January 01 each year so not long to wait.

 

[Digger11]

January 01 each year so not long to wait.

Excellent, thankyou

 

[wandering_fred]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Actually I read it as an insult to the agent's abilities/attitude ...

Or more likely an insult to the web designers/implementers that feel there is no need for the masses to know the fare class associated with the ticket.

Really, why should the customer know the terms of partner frequent flyer earning or the rules regarding changes and cancellations? :shock::evil:

Happy wandering

Fred

PS As an aside, when Sri Lankan recently redesigned their flight selection page, they removed access to the fare class information. I emailed them pointing out that partner earn was based on fare class and that I would be unlikely to purchase via the web site without it. Coincidence or not, there is now a link to fare basis data.

 

[Danger]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

And did she laugh hysterically at this point? I mean seriously, using Flight Centre as a threat can only be the sign of desperation.

Actually I read it as an insult to the agent's abilities/attitude ...

Admittedly, it was never my intention to go to Flight Centre; it was my intention to make the agent think a little beyond the computer they were sitting in front of, particularly in light of the most recent changes where the importance of fare class is heightened.

As it was I waited 15 minutes, phone back, got a different agent, went through the whole process again and this agent had no issue waiving the fee. No 'Just this once' or 'You should count yourself lucky' but an acknowledgement that I needed a particular fare class for FF earning on another program and an understanding that it can't be done from the website. Not hard.

If that had failed I would indeed have gone to Flight Centre where, presumably, I would have got exactly the same price Qantas quoted me but the airline itself would have got just a little less.

 

[ChasingDaylight]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Quick query - can award flight bookings be made that run overnight 31 December to 1 Jan?

I want to go from DRW to WLG, can't do it whole in one booking - I can do DRW-SYD-MEL on the 31st, with a MEL-WLG flight on the 1st of Jan. I can book both separately online, but not as one. I can make the time in MEL less than 24 hours so that doesn't seem to be an issue. Anyone have any ideas before I give AA a call?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Quick query - can award flight bookings be made that run overnight 31 December to 1 Jan?

I want to go from DRW to WLG, can't do it whole in one booking - I can do DRW-SYD-MEL on the 31st, with a MEL-WLG flight on the 1st of Jan. I can book both separately online, but not as one. I can make the time in MEL less than 24 hours so that doesn't seem to be an issue. Anyone have any ideas before I give AA a call?

Yes. Provided there is a published fare for the route you want.

 

[The Flying Brick]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

With less than a 24hr stopover there should be no problems booking DRW to WLG as one AA award. Not sure why you cant book it online though as all QF flights show up in the AA booking engine in my experience. With overnight bookings remember that AA use American Central time not our local times.
If you do call AA because you cannot access a single booking make sure that you tell the call centre of this, otherwise the phone booking fee is $35 or $40 (can't quite remember) for bookings that could have been done online.
FWIW I am travelling MEL - WLG via SYD on 31/12 on QF with AA points - booked online as one Award no problems.

 

[ChasingDaylight]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Thanks to you both. End result (and rookie mistake!) - it was phantom availability DRW-SYD. :/

I had a working route a few days ago but it's either been put on hold or taken whilst I was dithering. That will learn me!

 

[The Flying Brick]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

QF Award seats to NZ are really tight over Xmas/New year, even in Y. If you see any thing at this late stage grab it with a reservation hold on AA which will give you a few days to think about it and to see if anything better pops up

 

[ChasingDaylight]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Very true. I've put on hold something at present but am considering an initial Y-flight and then two J flights after that as one award..

 

[LittleFokker]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Halp!

I have a J AA award flight SYD-HEL-LHR-GLA and I want to change it to QF1 SYD-DXB-LHR-GLA a couple of days earlier. I can see the flight on AA.com so called up to make the change. Twice I've been told that SYD-DXB is only available in Y despite what I see on online. Sure enough if I play with AA.com and search SYD-DXB it only shows economy which is obviously what the reps are seeing.

Is there a "magic phrase" that I can use on the call to make them search SYD-LHR rather than SYD-DXB-LHR ? (apart from obviously saying exactly that - which I've tried)

(BTW probably not phantom availability since I can click all the way through to payment)

thanks

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

Halp!

I have a J AA award flight SYD-HEL-LHR-GLA and I want to change it to QF1 SYD-DXB-LHR-GLA a couple of days earlier. I can see the flight on AA.com so called up to make the change. Twice I've been told that SYD-DXB is only available in Y despite what I see on online. Sure enough if I play with AA.com and search SYD-DXB it only shows economy which is obviously what the reps are seeing.

Is there a "magic phrase" that I can use on the call to make them search SYD-LHR rather than SYD-DXB-LHR ? (apart from obviously saying exactly that - which I've tried)

thanks

You might want to cross reference the flight on the QF tool. The agent should be searching SYD-LHR anyway, just that it will be coming back as 'economy' for the flight to DXB.

Might be be a case of phantom availability.

 

[dalereardon]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

One trick I've used to show the agents that the flights exist and avoid losing them is to put them on hold inside your account. So do the search, find the booking you want and put it on hold online.

Then ring up and say you want to swap the booking to the one you have on hold.

I guess the risk is they might try and charge you a cancel fee and do a new booking but if they can't find it, you may have no choice.

It worked for me and they didn't charge a cancel fee, just swapped the booking over for me.

Dale.

 

[LittleFokker]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

One trick I've used to show the agents that the flights exist and avoid losing them is to put them on hold inside your account. So do the search, find the booking you want and put it on hold online.

Then ring up and say you want to swap the booking to the one you have on hold.

I guess the risk is they might try and charge you a cancel fee and do a new booking but if they can't find it, you may have no choice.

It worked for me and they didn't charge a cancel fee, just swapped the booking over for me.

Dale.

I just tried that - put the booking on hold, called the call centre, explained what I was up to and asked to swap. Nothing doing - quite insistent on a $150 change fee. Thanked the nice lady and went back online and cancelled the hold. The J SYD-LHR on QF1 is still there. meh.
That's enough for one day, will try calling again tomorrow. Interestingly QF shows no J for that date on QF1.

thanks folks,

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: Couple of AAdvantage questions from a newbie to it

I just tried that - put the booking on hold, called the call centre, explained what I was up to and asked to swap. Nothing doing - quite insistent on a $150 change fee. Thanked the nice lady and went back online and cancelled the hold. The J SYD-LHR on QF1 is still there. meh.
That's enough for one day, will try calling again tomorrow. Interestingly QF shows no J for that date on QF1.

thanks folks,

Then it's almost certainly phantom availability. Expect the AA system to update at some stage.