Justin7894

Attempting to book first class multi-city awards travel and ran into a snag. While trying to determine flight numbers and cost (miles), I was searching using a single traveler, but my wife will be accompanying me on the trip.

I found US3848 (RIC-PHL) and US754 (PHL-CDG) in FC for 50,000 miles when searching for 1 passenger.

After determining all our flight numbers, I called the Platinum Reservation Desk and was told that the "low" award fare of 50,000 miles was only available for one seat on US3848 (RIC-PHL). Looking at the seat map, there are only 6 seats booked thus far. <<angry face>>. The other ticket would be 135,000 miles. My balance is not high enough to support this.

Options:
1) I have enough miles in my AA Advantage account, if they could be combined. Has there been any talk of this, or is the date still up in the air? (2nd quarter, 2015)?

2) I could take US3848 (RIC-PHL) out of the equation and either...

a) fly to PHL on Jet Blue on 7/2 and stay the night in a hotel.
b) drive to PHL on 7/2 the and stay the night in a hotel.

Do I have any other options?

I hate that there is only 1 seat for which they'll honor the 50,000 mile FC fare from RIC (through PHL) to Paris CDG. US754 (PHL-CDG) is wide open with multiple FC seats available for 50,000 miles.


Thanks for any advice! I do not have a ton of experience booking award travel.

JPG3392

Posting the same message in two forums is not permitted.

Looking at the seat map lets you know what seats have been reserved; it does not indicate how many tickets have been sold.

At this time, the miles in AA and US accounts cannot be combined. The accounts will be merged later this year, but that will be too late for your purposes.

Would it be possible for one or both of you to start your travel from an airport other than RIC? Award seats might be available from DCA or even IAD to PHL, and you would still fly together on the transatlantic portion of the flight.

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

First of all, you're talking about a Business Class award, not a First Class award. US only offers two classes of service on its TATL flights.

"I could take US3848 (RIC-PHL) out of the equation and either...

a) fly to PHL on Jet Blue on 7/2 and stay the night in a hotel.
b) drive to PHL on 7/2 ... and stay the night in a hotel.

Do I have any other options?"

Lots:

1) Megabus from RIC to PHL. Six hours on a bus at night, but cheap.

2) Amtrak RIC to PHL. One-way for two on a Regional train should cost $85 with a companion-discount fare. If you take a morning train, you should not need to overnight in PHL before your flight.

3) Check Saver availability for two from nearby airports, like CHO, PHF, ORF, or even DCA.

Even if you do end up starting your trip from some airport other than RIC, you may still be able to fly back to RIC if Saver award seats exist.

guv1976

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If you can find space DCA-PHL-CDG on US (or DCA-JFK-CDG on AA), I would probably take a two-hour Amtrak ride from Richmond (RVR) to Alexandria (ALX), and then just hop on the Washington Metro from the adjacent King Street Station to DCA -- just two metro stops away.

JDiver

As this entails using AAdvantage miles, it belongs in the American Airlines | AAdvantage (Pre-Consolidations) forum at this time; we'll move it there for you.

As FlyerTalki does not allow cross-posting we've closed your thread in the Consolidated forum, which pertains only to those aspects of AA and US that have consolidated after the merger.

/Moderator

guv1976

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I think that the OP actually wants to use Dividend Miles for the trip to Paris. He writes, "I have enough miles in my AA Advantage account, if they could be combined." (Emphasis added.)

Justin7894

Yes, dividend miles will be used.

I suppose the train could be an option, but I've never taken the train from Richmond to DC or Philly. I'd prefer not to drive to an alternate airport for departure, I'd like to return back to Richmond.

Any other options?

JJeffrey

This is an easy one. Looking at aa.com, there are 2 seats open in business on 7/3 RIC-ORD-PHL-CDG as well as space on the nonstop RIC-PHL-CDG if you're willing to take the early morning flight to PHL. I'd book either one of those right now.

JDiver

Ah. Of course, the OP can combine accounts now.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...ounts-now.html

That can be a boon for those with miles in bot AA and DM to perhaps secure an award with combined miles totals they might not have sufficient miles for in each separate account. Just have to learn the differences between a USDM redemption (e.g. round trip) vs. AAdvantage (e.g. one way redemptions).

The OP can "AMP" us and we can move the thread.

Justin7894

Didn't know about booking 1-ways award travel on AA. This will work beautifully. I'll book as soon as my AA miles post.

Thanks!

Justin7894

I'm not sure how to approach reservations with this. I have "combined" my accounts, but of course, the rewards miles haven't been summed up yet.

JonNYC

I missed something big here, obviously-- I know the accounts can be "linked"-- but are people saying they're actually seeing their US and AA mileage balances "combined" to be used as one? Again, obviously slept through this if so!!

Justin7894

No, balances aren't combined. There have been suggestions to use the 1 way award travel option offered by AA to book a US-operated flight to PHL to still secure the "Low" FC/BC option from PHL to CDG.

This is a better option than paying the "High" FC/BC option from RIC-PHL-RIC as the one way travel is only 12.5k AA Advantage miles PP.

JonNYC

I was being sort of "politely rhetorical"