Austinrunner

Information as of 1 January 2012 has been moved to a new thread, found here; discussion should be carried out in that thread. This thread is now closed.

Our thanks to Austinrunner for starting, and for nearly seven years maintaining this OP.

/AA Moderator Team



AA offers 3 distinct types of awards:

1. All-Partner Awards,
2. All-AA Awards, and
3. oneworld awards.

The first 2 are the most common. All-Partner Awards are typically for travel to a single destination, possibly with a stopover, using any AA partners including the oneworld alliance. They should be discussed at the following links:

• AA and Partner Airline Award info, rules (NOT for oneworld Explorer Awards)
• New One-Way Flex Award / Awards, Stopover Rule, and Booking Engine (May 9, 2009)

This thread below is reserved for discussion of oneworld awards, which are typically awards used for around-the-world travel or travel to multiple destinations.

The following appears to be the consensus on the applicable rules concerning oneworld awards using American Airlines AAdvantage miles. (The American Airlines oneworld rules, in Spanish, can be found here.)

SECTION 1: ELIGIBLE AND REQUIRED AIRLINES

An award itinerary must include at least two of the following airlines:
Only the airlines listed in this SECTION may be used on an award itinerary. This list is significantly shorter than the list of airlines that may be used on an American Airlines all-partner award. (The following airlines may not be used for a oneworld award but may be used for an all-partner award: Etihad Airways (EY), Air Pacific (FJ), Air Tahiti Nui (TN), Alaska Airlines (AS) / Horizon Air (QX), Air Berlin (AB) / NIKI (HG), EL AL (LY), GOL (G3), Gulf Air (GF), Hawaiian Airlines (HA), Jet Airways (9W), Cape Air (9K), and Kingfisher Airlines (IT). An award on GOL must be ticketed before 13 August 2012.)

The use of an affiliate airline and its parent airline is considered the use of only one airline for purposes of these awards. For example, a person who wanted to use both CX and KA on an itinerary would have to choose one additional airline to satisfy the two airline requirements of this SECTION.

An award itinerary may, but is not required to, include American Airlines (AA), American Eagle (including Executive Air), and American Connection (including Chautauqua Airlines).

A person generally may not use this type of award to book a codeshare, i.e., a flight marketed by a particular airline but operated by a second airline. AA, however, announced on 13 October 2010, that, "Jetstar flights marketed under the Qantas (QF*) code are ... eligible for award redemption" using AA miles. At least one member of flyertalk has reported being allowed to use AA miles to book a oneworld award on Jetstar (JQ)-operated flights with QF flight numbers; however, another member was subsequently unable to do that and was told that it is allowed only for all-partner awards. Although JQ is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas Group, JQ is not part of the oneworld alliance. For a list of QF codeshares on JQ-operated flights, refer to this.

oneworld announced on 3 February 2012 that Kingfisher Airlines is still slated to become a member of oneworld but the joining has been put on hold until the airline addresses its financial difficulties. On 2 February 2012, oneworld announced that Air Berlin will become a member of oneworld on 20 March 2012, along with its affiliate NIKI. On 6 June 2011, oneworld announced that Malaysia Airlines (MH) will become a member of oneworld in late 2012.

SECTION 2: SEGMENT MAXIMUM

An itinerary may not exceed 16 segments.

Each flight number produces one segment, regardless of the number of intermediate stops. Therefore, the number of segments in an itinerary is not necessarily equal to the number of stops in the itinerary.

With one exception, an open jaw counts as a segment for this purpose. For example:
DFW -> LAX -> SYD / CNS -> BNE -> AKL -> LAX -> DFW has 7 segments. An open jaw that exists because the origin and final destination are different does not count as a segment.

A land segment between co-terminals counts as a segment for this purpose, regardless of whether the segment is considered to be an open jaw.

There is no option to exceed the 16 segment limitation by handwriting the ticket.

SECTION 3: STOPOVERS AND CONNECTIONS

(1) The American Airlines English-language website fomerly quoted the applicable stopover rule to be as follows:
(2) A person may stopover in each city 1 time. A person, however, may not stopover in the person's originating or final destination city.

(3) A person may connect through a city not more than 2 times. A person, however, may not connect through the person's originating or final destination city.

(4) For purposes of these limitations, a stopover does not count as a connection. Therefore, a person could stopover in a city once and connect through that city twice. (This was confirmed by andrzej in this thread, where he described his experiences while booking an award itinerary involving two connections through and one stopover in Santiago, Chile.)

(5) The departing city in an open jaw is neither a connection nor a stopover. Therefore, a person could stopover in the city once, connect through the city twice, and depart from that city at the tail end of an open jaw. This paragraph does not apply to an open jaw consisting of the origin and final destination of an itinerary.

(6) A city includes all its co-terminals, which could be a different set of airports than the co-terminals included for purposes of paid revenue tickets. The following are the only co-terminals for this type of award:

SECTION 4: OPEN JAW

One open jaw is allowed anywhere during the itinerary, including in the originating country. For example, the originating city could be Dallas and the final destination could be Miami.

A person may not open jaw between Israel and any Arab League country except Jordan and Egypt.

SECTION 5: ROUTING AND EMBARGOED FLIGHTS

(1) The number of international departures from the originating country is unlimited, so long as the other limitations described in this post are not violated (such as the prohibition against connecting through the originating city).

(2) A person may backtrack from continent to continent. There is no requirement that a person reenter the continent of origin by crossing a different ocean than when the person left the continent of origin. For example, a person could go from North America to Asia then back to North America before heading on to Europe and then returning to North America.

(3) There is no limit on the number of transcontinental segments allowed within the United States.

(4) A person is not required to use the most direct routing for these awards. However, not using the most direct routing could increase the cost of an award. See SECTION 6.

(5) Royal Jordanian's (RJ) flights to and from Iraq may not be used for these awards. RJ's flights from Jordan to either the United States or the United Kingdom from July 15 through September 15 may not be used. RJ's flights from the United States to Jordan from May 15 through July 15 may not be used. RJ's flights from the United Kingdom to Jordan from June 1 through August 1 may not be used.

(6) Finnair's flights 1001-3000 (Finnair Leisure) may not be used for these awards.

(7) Travel between two cities in the United States via a city in Canada is not permitted. Travel between two cities in Canada via a city in the United States is not permitted.

(8) Japan Airlines' flights on the dates listed on its website may not be used for these awards.

(9) Only a U.S. carrier may be used to travel between the United States (including Hawaii) and Guam.

(10) No flight to or from Cuba may be used for these awards.

(11) Although flights on S7 Airlines to and from destinations in eastern Russia may not be booked using an all-partners award, they may be booked using a oneworld award.

(12) A flight sector where the airline does not have traffic rights may not be booked using a oneworld award.

SECTION 6: TOTAL COUNTABLE TRIP MILES

The information in this SECTION applies only to tickets issued on or after 1 September 2008.

American Airlines does not publish its table of distances between airports worldwide. It is possible, however, to get a very close approximation of those distances at the Great Circle Mapper website.

When determining the "total countable trip miles" of an itinerary, the relevant cities are the originating city, the stopover cities, the connecting cities, and the city in which the itinerary ends.

For example, consider the following itinerary:The "total countable trip miles" of this itinerary would be 30,471 miles.

The "total countable trip miles" of an itinerary does not include any land segments.

SECTION 7: COST OF AWARDS

Total Countable Trip Miles = 0 to 1,500
Economy: costs 30,000 AA miles
Business: costs 60,000 AA miles
First: costs 80,000 AA miles

Total Countable Trip Miles = 1,501 - 4,000
Economy: costs 35,000 AA miles
Business: costs 75,000 AA miles
First: costs 100,000 AA miles

Total Countable Trip Miles = 4,001 - 9,000
Economy: costs 60,000 AA miles
Business: costs 80,000 AA miles
First: costs 100,000 AA miles

Total Countable Trip Miles = 9,001 - 10,000
Economy: costs 70,000 AA miles
Business: costs 90,000 AA miles
First: costs 120,000 AA miles

Total Countable Trip Miles = 10,001 - 14,000
Economy: costs 90,000 AA miles
Business: costs 115,000 AA miles
First: costs 150,000 AA miles

Total Countable Trip Miles = 14,001 - 20,000
Economy: costs 100,000 AA miles
Business: costs 130,000 AA miles
First: costs 180,000 AA miles

Total Countable Trip Miles = 20,001 - 25,000
Economy: costs 120,000 AA miles
Business: costs 150,000 AA miles
First: costs 230,000 AA miles

Total Countable Trip Miles = 25,001 - 35,000
Economy: costs 140,000 AA miles
Business: costs 190,000 AA miles
First: costs 280,000 AA miles

Total Countable Trip Miles = 35,001 - 50,000
Economy: costs 160,000 AA miles
Business: costs 220,000 AA miles
First: costs 330,000 AA miles

SECTION 8: BOOKING CODES

The inventory for oneworld awards, all-partner awards, and all-AA awards is the same.

Economy class:Business class:First class:SECTION 9: TICKET VALIDITY AND CHANGES

(1) The ticket is valid for one year from the date of issuance (not from the date of the first flight).

(2) Once the ticket is issued, a change to the date, time, or number of a flight is free. These types of changes may be made even after travel has begun.

(3) Once the ticket is issued, a person is not allowed to change the name of the passenger, the routing (including stopovers or connections) of a segment, or the airline for a segment. (But at least one member of flyertalk has been allowed to convert a stopover at a particular airport to a connection at the same airport, or vice versa, after ticketing.) For example:
(4) holtju2 reported in post #170 of this thread that American Airlines allowed him to change an economy class flight to business class after he began travel on a business class award ticket. holtju2 originally booked the flight in economy class because there was no business class award availability on that flight. The flight was not an American Airlines flight.

SECTION 10: USING A BUSINESS CLASS AWARD ON FLIGHTS THAT DO NOT HAVE A BUSINESS CLASS CABIN

This SECTION applies only to a person who is both using a business class award and taking a flight that does not have a business class cabin.

The person is entitled to first class travel on American Airlines, if there is "Z" availability for that flight. If "Z" is unavailable but "T" is available, then the person must travel in economy class.

For a flight on a oneworld airline other than American Airlines, the person must travel in economy class (assuming that there is "T," "X," or "S" availability, as appropriate).

SECTION 11: RENEWING THE HOLD OF AN ITINERARY THAT HAS NOT YET BEEN TICKETED

American Airlines allows an itinerary to be put on hold for 5 days. There is no absolute right to extend the hold directly. (In unusual circumstances, such as the need to obtain persmission from oneworld carriers to change the passenger name on an itinerary, an American Airlines supervisor may extend the hold.)

If the traveler does not wish to ticket the itinerary within the 5-day period, the traveler may indirectly extend the hold by re-reserving all flights in the itinerary. Each of the flights to be re-reserved is subject to availability, as if the flight had never been reserved. The seats originally on hold are not considered to be available, i.e., do not go back into award inventory, when determining whether the flights may be re-reserved. For example, a traveler who is holding a business class award seat on QF 107 from Sydney to Los Angeles that is currently showing U0 availability will not be able to re-reserve that flight.

SECTION 12: AWARD AVAILABILITY TOOLS

This section does not include the airline's own website.

American Airlines (AA): Expert Flyer; Award Nexus; BA website; QF website
British Airways (BA): Award Nexus; QF website
Cathay Pacific (CX): Award Nexus; BA website; QF website; JL website
Dragonair (KA): Award Nexus; BA website
Finnair (AY): Expert Flyer (economy class only); Award Nexus; BA website; QF website
Iberia (IB): Expert Flyer (business class only); Award Nexus; BA website; QF website
Japan Airlines (JL): Award Nexus; BA website
LAN Airlines (LA): Award Nexus; BA website; QF website
LAN Argentina (4M): Award Nexus; QF website
Malev (MA): Award Nexus; BA website; QF website
Mexicana (MX): Award Nexus; BA website
Qantas (QF): Expert Flyer; Award Nexus; BA website
Royal Jordanian (RJ): Award Nexus; BA website
S7 Airlines (S7): Award Nexus; BA website

The BA website has limitations when checking award availability for airlines other than AA, IB, and BA. The website formerly said, "If you are travelling on a route operated by Iberia or American Airlines, you will be offered available flights on these airlines as well as British Airways. For all other partner airlines, they will only be offered where British Airways is not available on the requested date or does not fly the route." These same limitations apply when using the Oneworld (BA) option on Award Nexus.

Airline Route Mapper, which is a desktop application, is a useful way to visualize routes operated by airlines worldwide. It has some limitations, the most important of which is that it shows routes operated on the last date the application was updated and not routes that will begin or end after that date.

SECTION 13: TAXES, FEES, SURCHARGES, CHARGES, DUTIES, ETC.

Free award tickets are always exempt from the following:
U.S. passenger facility charges (XF)
U.S. flight segment tax (ZP)
U.S. international arrival tax (US)
U.S. international departure tax (US)

Free award tickets are always subject to the following:
U.S. September 11th security fees (AY)
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) fee (XA)
U.S. immigration fee (XY)
U.S. customs fee (YC)

Award tickets that include one or more British Airways (BA) or Iberia (IB) flights are not "free" for purposes of the above taxes, fees, and charges. This is because BA and IB impose a sometimes expensive fuel surcharge (YQ) on award tickets. This results in XF, ZP, and US being charged on those tickets as if they were paid tickets (in addition to AY, XA, XY, and YC).

You can double check American Airlines' calculation of taxes, fees, surcharges, charges, duties, etc. by entering your itinerary on the ITA website.

rogodwin

Austinrunner,

You have a good summary and I would like to add what I have been told.

Your example of a land segment is called an "open jaw" and this is always allowed. I have repeatly been told that can have only one land segment and that you must return to your point of origin.

But, if your travel has no land segments, you do not have to return to your point of origin.

From your example, you can do JFK-LAX-HNL-SYD-CHC-BNE-CNS-HKG-BKK-SIN. I have used this type of itinerary for cruises that start and end in very different foreign cities.

LRD

I'm not sure this is correct - or, perhaps, is no longer correct.

I have just e-ticketed a 16-segment itinerary which includes MEL-LST/HBA-SYD.

Austinrunner

You're using AA miles for a oneworld award, correct? (Sorry if that seems like a dumb or obvious question.) What is your full itinerary?

Several people in older flyertalk threads said that a land segment counts toward the 16 segment limitation. Assuming that your experience was not a fortuitous error on the part of AA, then your information is certainly good news. Anyone else have any thoughts about this?

777lover

Ran into a similar situation and yes I was told that the open jaw counted towards the maximum # of ticketable segments as it required a voided coupon in the ticket book to show that you were surfacing between the two points.

LRD

Most assuredly.

Actually, based on the hot debate over MCI777's thread in the AA forum, I'd rather not post it publicly.

Note that I mentioned an e-ticket for my itinerary... Is it possible the 16-segment limit only applied to hand-written tickets?

Austinrunner

My understanding is that the 16 segment limit was imposed when e-ticketing became the only option for oneworld awards using AA miles. Before that, there was no segment limit.

alamedaguy

I was trying to create an itinerary a few weeks ago (mid-April), and was told landing at SJC and departing from SFO counted as a segment.

jabrams72

Was this with a stopover? I think, although I may be wrong on this that if this transit was <24 hours, they would count as co-terminals, but if you are stopping for more than 24, then they're technically different.

magic111

It is my impression that if the open-jaw is the origin and destination stopovers are not allowed in either.

Austinrunner

Sorry, but I don't understand what you're saying. Could you give an example? Also, could you explain what you mean by "destination"? If "destination" means the last city of an itinerary, then it seems to me that whether the last city is a "stopover" is not relevant. The itinerary has to end somewhere.

oiRRio

I believe magic111 is alluding to comments that quite a few FTers have made regarding stopping over at the end city earlier in the itinerary. You seem to have difficulty following my logic but here goes.

You are allowed one open jaw per itinerary.
Each city on the open jaw is considered a stopover.
The open jaw may also be the origin and destination cities i.e. by having different start and end cities.
If so, the end city is considered a stopover so the 2 stopover rule would prevent you stopping over in this city earlier in the itinerary. So far your summary only covers not being able to stopover at the the originating city (which isn't allowed in any case).

Since I became aware of this I haven't booked any awards so haven't looked into this enough to confirm it personally. But certainly more than one person seems to have encountered it and it does make sense.

Austinrunner

Yep, you're right about my not being able to follow your logic. Here is why. There is no numerical stopover limit on a oneworld award using AA miles, so long as you do not exceed the 16 segment limitation and do not stopover in your originating city. I do not know where you're getting the 2 stopover limit, because it simply doesn't exist.

You're also right about there being a 1 open jaw limit per itinerary. But I specifically covered that in the opening post of this thread, including the possibility that the open jaw would involve the originating and ending city.

Viajero

There is a limit (1) and it does exist (aa.com):

Edited to add AA source link (main AA Oneworld Award page), here.

oiRRio

Would typing my posts more s-l-o-w-l-y help as IMO I explained it clearly in my post. Viajero has helpfully provided the links for the limit on stopovers in each city that "doesn't exist" although you seem to be contradicting yourself on whether there is a limit on the number of stopovers.

From the Stopover and Connections section of your original post (which BTW is correct on this point)
It's clear (to me at least) that this rules out 2 stopovers in the same city.