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oneworld / AA Explorer award with AA Miles (discuss, questions) [ENDED 8 APR 2014]

Old Jan 28, 2014, 12:14 am
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oneworld / AA Explorer award with AA Miles (discuss, questions) [ENDED 8 APR 2014]

N.B. new oneworld/AA Explorer awards are no longer available as of the end of the day on April 7th, 2014.

Existing awards will be honored.


This thread is ONLY to inquire or add about existing oneworld Explorer awards;
to comment on the loss of this booking option, please follow the discussion on:
Oneworld Explorer Awards Eliminated -- Effective Immediately [8 Apr 2014]


See the first post, below, for the rules that prevailed through 7 April 2014 and apply to those who booked Explorer awards prior to the end of these useful award tickets.
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oneworld / AA Explorer award with AA Miles (discuss, questions) [ENDED 8 APR 2014]

 
Old Mar 7, 2012, 6:57 pm
  #256  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVPG 75K
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Originally Posted by FlyerMC
So, I had booked my 1st Class 280,000 mile $453 surcharges (34,790 countable miles 16 segments exactly) around-the-world itinerary.

MIA-DFW-NRT-PEK-HKG-MNL-HKG-JNB-CPT/LVI-JNB-MAD-RAK-MAD-TLV-MAD-MIA

I just called American Airlines and Iberia announced it has cancelled my May 31st JNB-MAD flight. The reservation agent said that the matter has been referred to the American Airlines Liaison Desk (never heard of them) and for me to call back tomorrow.

If I had already booked and paid for the ticket can American Airlines Liaison route me through London (on British Airways) without me having to pay extra miles (over 35,000 countable) or surcharges? Does anybody have experience with flights being cancelled in the middle of an around-the-world and how this is handled?

Thanks.
I have had this happen on a paid around the world ticket, but not an award, so can't give you specific advice. I was allowed to have a 17 segment ticket (which was really two tickets for a while due to technical requirements). They may just cancel your award and refund the miles, but I would push for the routing through LHR. I did not have to pay any additional surcharges.

If the flight is available a day or two before or after they may be talking to the liaison to open up award space on that, which is pretty reasonable IMO. Moving my flight date around wasn't possible as the route was cut.
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Old Mar 7, 2012, 9:54 pm
  #257  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Miami
Programs: AA LT Gold SPG Gold ($30K AMEX)
Posts: 112
Cancelling the ticket would be disastrous ...

... as I have already paid about $10,000 in tours and done tons of other planning.

My hope is the AA Liaison Desk finds another way ...
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Old Mar 7, 2012, 10:07 pm
  #258  
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Originally Posted by FlyerMC
... as I have already paid about $10,000 in tours and done tons of other planning.

My hope is the AA Liaison Desk finds another way ...
That's why travel insurance is advisable.

Before you talk to AA, you should have a good idea of how you want to be accommodated. Change your flight date but remain on IB? Route through London (and Cape Town)? If you want a BA flight, check availability so you can suggest a concrete plan to AA.

EDIT: It appears that IB is discontinuing MAD <-> JNB, with the last flight on 29 April 2012. This is very bad news, indeed. But this development increases the chances that AA will book you on a BA flight. Whether you will have to pay the BA fuel surcharge is a big unknown. Be firm that you should not have to pay it because it's not your fault that IB discontinued the route.
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Old Mar 7, 2012, 11:27 pm
  #259  
 
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Thanks

Agreed. I wish I would have had trip insurance. Hopefully, this will not be necessary.

Assume that American Airlines only offers a refund because they say there is no way to now do the itinerary in under 17 segments or under 35,000 miles, do I have any recourse or do I have to accept the refund? Is there a listing of terms and conditions once a flight is ticketed that someone can point me to?

If American Airlines offers to allow me to go above the 35,000 miles and have a second open jaw (and 17th segment) with JNB-HRT/LGW-RAK (BA) does anybody have any idea how much in extra surcharges that would amount to? Is there any precedent supporting my being firm about not paying surcharges or am I negotiating (but without solid backing)?

Also, brainstorming do I have any other options to still keep the itinerary at 16 segments or under 35,000 miles:

The beginning part is MIA-DFW-NRT-PEK-HKG-MNL-HKG-JNB-CPT (the part after Marrakesh is RAK-MAD-TLV-MAD-MIA). I could always purchase a local flight from Livingstone to somewhere (even on another airline) and use my open jaw to get from that place to somewhere else to RAK on Oneworld and still be at 16 segments (and hopefully under 35,000 total miles).

Presently, the customer service agent says I am waiting for the AA Liaison Desk. I know these are a lot of questions, but I am trying to be prepared as possible to offer alternatives should this be necessary.

Thank you everybody for your help.
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Old Mar 8, 2012, 1:23 am
  #260  
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MIA -> DFW -> NRT -> PEK -> HKG -> MNL -> HKG -> JNB -> LVI, LUN -> LHR -> TLV -> MAD -> RAK -> MAD -> MIA (15 segments, 33,862 flown miles) http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=MIA-DFW...ad-RAK-MAD-MIA

MIA -> DFW -> NRT -> PEK -> HKG -> MNL -> HKG -> JNB -> LVI, NBO -> AMM -> TLV -> MAD -> RAK -> MAD -> MIA (15 segments, 29,052 flown miles) http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=MIA-DFW...ad-RAK-MAD-MIA
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Old Mar 8, 2012, 8:23 am
  #261  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Miami
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Thanks

Has Iberia cancelled any of the other African cities to Madrid flights as well?

I have been chatting with American Airlines and now have a supervisor who is functioning as a single point-of-contact with the AA Liaison Desk. She said that they currently do not have "protection" in place (another Oneworld carrier picking the ticket up) but the AA Liaison Desk is working towards that end and hopes to have this by Monday (the AA Liaison Desk does not work weekends). I let her know that an "involuntary refund" would be disastrous ($10,000 in lost tours, $10,000+ in consulting contracts I have given up, etc.) and she said that is not even being considered. I told her that I have flexibility in that my tour ends in Livingstone on the 29th and my next tour begins on June 2nd in Marrakesh.

So, for now, I will wait and see what American Airlines comes up with as a solution and go from there.

Thanks again for all of your help.
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Old Mar 8, 2012, 12:12 pm
  #262  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Virginia
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum - 2M miles
Posts: 216
Any suggestions?

After booking what was available on my first OW ticket to return from AKL- HKG-JFK -DCA on January 2 - I have been waiting for the new CX award system to become operational so I could re-book my return to about 2 weeks later when I want to return - so we have max time in NZ. Of course, while I have no problem with CX availability for mid-January 2013 - no AA award seats have been released for last leg from JFK-DCA. The only way I got this leg originally was to make a special request and the AA fairies granted the award seats - allowing me to book the OW ticket. I once again asked the agent to place a special request for award seats for this same flight about 2 weeks later thru an appeal. Unfortunately, it was denied.

Any suggestions on how to proceed? Would speaking to a supervisor help ? I would love to get my dates settled as I want to start making reservations for accomodations.

Thanks

Joyce
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Old Mar 9, 2012, 1:11 am
  #263  
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Originally Posted by Jwerking
After booking what was available on my first OW ticket to return from AKL- HKG-JFK -DCA on January 2 - I have been waiting for the new CX award system to become operational so I could re-book my return to about 2 weeks later when I want to return - so we have max time in NZ. Of course, while I have no problem with CX availability for mid-January 2013 - no AA award seats have been released for last leg from JFK-DCA. The only way I got this leg originally was to make a special request and the AA fairies granted the award seats - allowing me to book the OW ticket. I once again asked the agent to place a special request for award seats for this same flight about 2 weeks later thru an appeal. Unfortunately, it was denied.

Any suggestions on how to proceed? Would speaking to a supervisor help ? I would love to get my dates settled as I want to start making reservations for accomodations.

Thanks

Joyce
Based on my experience, an appeal is the final resort - if it is denied, it is final.

Given that yield management has released a seat for you once, and you have no status with AA, chance of getting an exception again is not good.
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Old Mar 9, 2012, 1:33 am
  #264  
 
Join Date: May 2009
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Like FlyerMC I am also caught up in the IB issue from JNB. Slightly different scenario though in that I am already half way through a 50,000 mile J ticket. Have completed:CPT-JNB - HKG - PNH - HKG - YYZ - JFK - MAD - JNB and am currently in South Africa. In September I was due to continue with JNB - MAD - SJO - MIA/JFK - HEL - JNB - CPT

LIke FlyerMC using all 16 available sectors. Will be interesting to see if they now allow 18 or so sectors by rerouting through LHR. And hopefully will have no fights over the ridiculous BA/LHR surcharges and taxes.

In a statement released in SA yesterday they were saying that all IB pax would be reprotected on BA. AA have said I need to wait 3 working days and they will have the new details for me.

So all well and good if they do reprotected onto BA. But any idea now what happens if I want to change dates at a later stage? Will they then hit me with BA surcharges?
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Old Mar 9, 2012, 3:28 am
  #265  
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tool(s) to find award availability on AY, RJ and AB?

So far BA site does not seem to show many direct flights AY operates from HEL.

RJ and AB are not any better, though AB seems to show up more often than either AY or RJ.

Does anyone know other tool(s) for search purpose other than subscription to pay sites? which I believe pull their info from the BA's anyway - just that it is sort of one-stop "shopping" so the subscribers can see everything in one single place. But if BA does not work well, I can't imagine the pay sites would work for those partner airlines' award seats?

On the same note, how do one find availability on S7?

(Unrelated subject - Oneworld website still display Mexicana as member... unbelievable because the airline ceased to exist for 2 years by now... )
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Old Mar 9, 2012, 4:07 am
  #266  
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Originally Posted by Happy
Does anyone know other tool(s) for search purpose other than subscription to pay sites? which I believe pull their info from the BA's anyway

On the same note, how do one find availability on S7?
Unlike the others, Expert Flyer does not scrape airline websites.

You can use Award Nexus or the BA website for S7 availability.

Refer to SECTION 12 in the first post of this sticky for tools to use for oneworld airline availability.

Refer to the following post for how to search AA partner, non-oneworld airline availability: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...ld-awards.html
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Old Mar 9, 2012, 4:29 am
  #267  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jwerking View Post
After booking what was available on my first OW ticket to return from AKL- HKG-JFK -DCA on January 2 - I have been waiting for the new CX award system to become operational so I could re-book my return to about 2 weeks later when I want to return - so we have max time in NZ. Of course, while I have no problem with CX availability for mid-January 2013 - no AA award seats have been released for last leg from JFK-DCA. The only way I got this leg originally was to make a special request and the AA fairies granted the award seats - allowing me to book the OW ticket. I once again asked the agent to place a special request for award seats for this same flight about 2 weeks later thru an appeal. Unfortunately, it was denied.

Any suggestions on how to proceed? Would speaking to a supervisor help ? I would love to get my dates settled as I want to start making reservations for accomodations.

Originally Posted by Happy
Based on my experience, an appeal is the final resort - if it is denied, it is final.

Given that yield management has released a seat for you once, and you have no status with AA, chance of getting an exception again is not good.
I do have AA Platinum status - does that make a difference on how I can proceed?
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Old Mar 9, 2012, 10:17 am
  #268  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
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wijibintheair

wijibintheair (and anybody else affected),

Let's keep each other (and anybody else affected) updated on this board as to our progress (especially with BA surcharges & fees along with segment and mileage cap waivers). This information would be useful if AA/OW is inconsistent in how they are handling this.

Moderators, if you think we should start a separate thread for those on AA around-the-world tickets affected by IB cancellations, please use your judgement accordingly in deciding whether to break this off into its own thread.

Thanks.
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Old Mar 9, 2012, 11:50 am
  #269  
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Originally Posted by Jwerking
I do have AA Platinum status - does that make a difference on how I can proceed?
Your status should have already been viewable in your booking, so the yield management would already take it into account on your initial request for releasing seat.

You can ask again if you can find an agent willing to submit an request again, after 2 denials including one on the appeal - because request and appeal is 2 different thing and appeal is generally viewed as final.
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Old Mar 9, 2012, 11:57 am
  #270  
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Originally Posted by Austinrunner
Unlike the others, Expert Flyer does not scrape airline websites.

You can use Award Nexus or the BA website for S7 availability.

Refer to SECTION 12 in the first post of this sticky for tools to use for oneworld airline availability.

Refer to the following post for how to search AA partner, non-oneworld airline availability: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...ld-awards.html
Thanks a lot, Austinrunner, for the above info.
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