no1uknow

My wife and I are heading to Hawaii Aug of 2012 we both want to fly First Class. We both have over 100k (approx 150k each) American Airline miles.

I cannot figure out the best way to get the First class tickets?

a. Do we use the miles to buy the FC tickets outright?
b. Do we buy coach and then upgrade?
- do we upgrade when we book?
- do we upgrade at the gate?
- upgrade how/when?

We both prefer to have the lay flat type of seats.

If AA is not the best choice of Airline can our miles be xferred to another airline?
- Best way of doing so/how to do it?
- when to xfer miles?

I know that we are being picky but this is a special trip for us and want to do it right.

Thanks.

cblaisd

Welcome to FlyerTalk! Since your question is about how to use your AA miles for this special trip, I am going to move there.

cblaisd
Co-Moderator, Hawai`i forum

barelyelite

First, American only flies to KOA via LAX, which would be on a 757, i.e., no lie-flat seats. From DFW and ORD to HNL and from DFW to OGG, AA operates the 763, which has "angled lie-flat" seats in first. Good enough for some--not so much for others. From HNL, you could then take a Hawaiian Airlines flight (an AA partner) to KOA.

You have two realistic choices: redeem for a first-class award or pay for coach tickets and upgrade to first class using miles and a co-pay. The choice is a personal one, based on price, availability, and risk tolerance.

The first-class awards with be 75,000 miles each round-trip. Since getting the routing you want with the lie-flat seats requires a partner (Hawaiian), you'll have to book over the phone, which will incur a ($25?) phone-booking fee per ticket. You could also just book the awards to HNL online and purchase a cheap flight to KOA separately. (If you don't have at least 150,000 miles in a single account, you'll have to buy/transfer miles or book your and your wife's tickets separately.)

Alternatively, you could buy coach tickets and use miles and co-pay to upgrade to first. The upgrade will cost 30,000 miles + $375 per ticket round-trip. Based on availability, they may be able to confirm the upgrade immediately, or you may be waitlisted. If waitlisted, your chances are still very high of scoring the upgrade by the departure date on this routing, but it's not guaranteed.

In any case, to score the lie-flat seats, your routing would likely be DCA/IAD-DFW/ORD-HNL-KOA. Even without the lie-flat seats, flying AA requires at least three flights each way to get to KOA from WAS.

You cannot transfer AA miles to other programs at any reasonable transfer ratio.

BTW, it will be a few months yet until August 2012 flights are available for booking.

Hope this helps. I'm sure someone will speak up if I missed anything .

elmothehobo

Consider flying Alaska Airlines DCA-SEA-KOA as an alternative to IAD-LAX-KOA.

beerup

Unfortunately, based on the current schedule for AS, DCA-SEA-KOA doesn't work out very well for the connection in either direction and would require a 24hr layover on the way out (the time between the inbound and outbound is below the MCT). That could, of course, change by next August. The F seats on AS are not lie flat by any stretch of the imagination.

emma dog

^ Outstanding summary by barelyelite! ^


"Best" is relative. Cheapest in hard dollars is to get an F award. However, buying a ticket and upgrading with miles is also a decent way to go... it all depends on what you want to do with miles.


The only way to guarantee F is to pay for it... either with cash up front or with miles as an award up front. By either calling AA or using programs such as ExpertFlyer, you can go the 3rd route of buying a coach ticket and upgrading at the time of purchase.

All other methods, such as at the gate, have declining chances of success.

Two points... you won't fly direct US-KOA. With the current schedules, you'd have to fly via HNL. Second point... plane types and seats aren't guaranteed. It's possible that you could find a widebody flight between LAX and HNL and that it could be downgauged to a 757.



Good luck!

aaupgrade

But since one overnights in SEA, lie flat seats are not needed. BTW, neither are the 757 seats LAX-KOA that the OP would optimally take.

Get an AS Visa and use the $99 companion cert to get two AS F tickets from DCA-KOA for a total of $1936.99.

Or better yet do the outbound to HNL, stay a few nights there, and then book a separate inter island flight to KOA. No overnight in SEA outbound to HNL, but there will be an overnight in SEA on the return (I do this and prefer it over flying AA's wedgie seats). Prices drop a little to $1891.80 but that does not include the inter island flight.

So for $946-966 for each AS F ticket plus the cost of SEA hotel room one gets about 25026 RDMs, 15015 EQPs, and 10010 EQMs each and a much nicer travel experience IMO. Plus on AS you get Boardroom access in SEA with your F ticket purchase.

JDiver

We all are pretty diverse here, and certainly in opinions.

I disagree AA has "wedgie seats", as I can get a very nice sleep in them on long flights; I also disagree AS has a "much nicer experience" in their 38" pitch, hard F seats (guaranteed to make your butt feel like it needs a vacation when you take long flights in them). The food on AA is far better on most NGBC flights - AS meals are more like domestic coach meals were like a few years ago. The difference between AS coach and AA widebody NGBC - well, the only good thing is that overnighting in SEA would certainly provide one some needed respite.

Context: I use AS Hawai'i flights at least yearly, usually more often; I use AA widebody NGBC flights several times a year.

That having been said, you might find yourself saving significant money (and earning significant miles) with aaupgrade's suggestions and that always comes in handy in Hawai'i.

aaupgrade

I agree with you. Many aspects of the service on AA 763 F is better like food and seat recline.

What I said was flying AS results in "a much nicer travel experience". I guess I should have been more specific, but the key benefit here is that it provides one a good night's sleep in comfy bed as opposed to airplane sleep on AA's sloping OGBC (IMO they're no longer new) seats. That along with the EQPs and little savings in the way of price is enough selling points for me.

I guess we can agree to disagree, but of course differing perspectives is what FT is all about. Folks will have to decide what benefits they value the most. BTW, I still fly to HI on AA when I have SWUs I won't use elsewhere, but I prefer AS as I can't tolerate each SWU being only worth about $200-300 in savings.

I also think that using miles for HI tickets is one of their worst uses. But depending on one's circumstances, it might be better for others. And using miles to upgrade with the copay and prices of tickets is a real rip off IMO; it ends up being about the same price as an AS ticket. An AA ticket is $1383 fare + $350 copay + 30000 miles. So the AA ticket would end up costing $1733 and 30K miles vs. an AS F ticket costs $1794 - and that is just pricing it out for a solo traveler.

tjbrooks

I agree, but will admit I used all of my British Airways Chase miles for 6 tickets to Hawaii. One major advantage is being able to secure high-season tickets far in advance, for those that are date-sensitive (school teachers/honeymooners). Up until a month ago, prices were $1000+ for July/August dates from LAX. Now at $600 each its not a great use of 35K but not bad. But I've had it locked up since November. We're also poor and would not be going without miles.

I know that this is the AA Forum, but the AS $99 Companion ticket is very popular for F to Hawaii. Probably not in this case if no stopover/flat seats are a necessity.

aaupgrade

Now I was speaking of travel from the US mainland to Hawaii, and despite your using BA miles I guess you were too since you referred to 35K miles, but that is a good deal if that is for a return ticket. AA is 37500 x 2 or 75K miles for a return ticket US mainland to HI. I must admit I am not that familiar with the BA scheme so really can't make any educated comments about the use of BA miles.

Hence my comment about each person's circumstances being different. With there being 6 of you, it is not surprising that your financial obligations and priorities are elsewhere. I don't know if you are poor though, as you are very fortunate to have your family (I assume) which IME will bring you much more real happiness than money ever will. Sounds like those miles are going to good use.

Very true.

JDiver

No argument from me either - and I do use AS SJC-KOA, for example.

Miles and SWUs to HI, I agree - not so great. AS First, one gets 1.5 EQP per EQM, pretty reliable transport in those 783s sporting the Aleut with a lei (on all AS ETOPS 737-800s) and more comfort than anyone's Economy I can think of, as well as much better prices.

cblaisd

Did Kona secede?!?

mvoight

Only from Hawaii.. It didn't like the new Five-0.

JDiver

ConUS - KOA might be a better choice of words, at least since 1959. News trickles ever so slowly sometimes...