Dec 19, 2016, 12:10 pm
Last edit by: missydarlin
Technical Issues:
We've discovered that using the award calendar isn't always displaying the lowest level award for return flights. If you look at the same cities/date as one-way, or in schedule view, it's working correctly.
We've discovered that using the award calendar isn't always displaying the lowest level award for return flights. If you look at the same cities/date as one-way, or in schedule view, it's working correctly.
Cheaper Award Tickets (12/19/2016 Announcement)
Dec 19, 2016, 1:00 pm
#31
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: PDX
Programs: AS 75K, BW Plat, Marriott Gold, IHG Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 10,724
Interesting to note that all the saver first awards stayed the same and in some cases, PDX-Mexico is 10K cheaper if you find saver First/Business on AA flights instead of AS flights (30K vs. 40K).
Dec 19, 2016, 1:11 pm
#32
Join Date: May 2013
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVP Gold 100K
Posts: 2,030
Looking at this more, it appears that some cities simply have no 5,000 mile level awards at all ever. For example, YKM-SEA has none for the entire year of 2017. Really that doesn't bug me that much, what does bug me is up until today there were lots of 7,500 mile intra-state awards, now the cheapest award is 10,000.
Dec 19, 2016, 1:19 pm
#33
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,720
Sweet! The new Mexico and short-haul charts will definitely save some miles (though to be fair the short-haul advance purchase fares from SFO/OAK-SEA are normally so low that I was not likely to use miles). No doubt AS would prefer people use miles on AS metal rather than EK, JAL, etc. which will cost them money.
Of course this assumes saver award inventory is actually available, which I can never seem to find for peak dates to Mexico much less Hawaii.
Of course this assumes saver award inventory is actually available, which I can never seem to find for peak dates to Mexico much less Hawaii.
Dec 20, 2016, 5:09 pm
#37
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: HH Silver
Posts: 2,400
Flights to Hawaii went down from 20,000 to 17,500. Avios still better though. I wonder if they are done tweaking yet. Some of it doesn't make much sense. Example, SEA-EUG, 5k flights are wide open, but only in April and May...during other months, not a single date. SEA-RNO was wide open yesterday, now there are a lot of flights that have gone to 7.5k and 12.5k. Either they sold a ton of flights, or its a work in progress I think.
Last edited by tatterdema; Dec 20, 2016 at 5:21 pm
Dec 20, 2016, 5:52 pm
#38
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Posts: 120
It looks like AS is requiring 21 day advance purchase for discounted Saver awards. (Today, Jan. 9 and earlier SJC-SEA and SJC-PDX is 12,500 miles, Jan. 10 and later offers lots of 5.000 mile flights. Yesterday Jan. 9 was available for 5,000 miles.)
Dec 27, 2016, 11:00 pm
#40
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Sacramento, CA, US
Posts: 2,229
I immediately jumped on this even though I already have a WN booking for May 2017 SEA-SMF at 7820 points. AS offered better departure times than WN and had seats available for 5000 miles. We'll move the WN points to a more productive use later in the year, such as SMF-ELP.
Turns out SEA-SMF is close to the mileage limit (700) for the 5000-mile option, so a good deal all the way around.
Turns out SEA-SMF is close to the mileage limit (700) for the 5000-mile option, so a good deal all the way around.
Jan 8, 2017, 10:46 pm
#42
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: PetCo Pals Rewards
Posts: 531
Was looking at award tickets from SFO-SEA. It looks like AS is following Delta's pattern on this route and only offering the 5K seats at greater than 3 weeks out.
However even < 3 weeks, they have changed how availability worked at the 12.5K level. It used to be that 12.5K meant there was W class award space, however now on some days there are 12.5K awards and some flights have W and some do not. They haven't simply made N the same price as W, since there are flights with N7 W0 and sometimes they cost 12.5K and sometimes they cost 20K. Very bizarre.
However even < 3 weeks, they have changed how availability worked at the 12.5K level. It used to be that 12.5K meant there was W class award space, however now on some days there are 12.5K awards and some flights have W and some do not. They haven't simply made N the same price as W, since there are flights with N7 W0 and sometimes they cost 12.5K and sometimes they cost 20K. Very bizarre.
Jan 10, 2017, 7:21 pm
#43
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SEA (the REAL Washington); occasionally in the other Washington (DCA area)
Programs: DL PM 1.57MM; AS MVPG 100K
Posts: 21,371
not sure if 20k is "cheaper" ... but when the flight is in less than 72 hrs and coach seats are $527, yeah, it's pretty cheap ... better, I could select PC at no charge
the funny thing is that the confirmation screen says I have to pay for a checked bag
the funny thing is that the confirmation screen says I have to pay for a checked bag
Jan 10, 2017, 8:22 pm
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,637
20K vs $527 is a good trade off. who knows you might even get upgraded. i'm considering 20K (albeit rt) versus $350 for some possible travel in April. however, DL has an itinerary for 14K round trip.
Jan 10, 2017, 8:49 pm
#45
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
Not a glitch, just the fare rule for baggage--it's on all my AS Y reservations, even the ones where I've been upgraded. That part of the page doesn't change according to status, since our bag benefits are just waivers of the economy fare rules.