Austinrunner

Possibly, but you need to figure out the exact routing (including all connections) before this can be answered definitively.

zznoname

Getting mixed answers on this question:

When an an Explorer AAwared is ticketed you have limited options for changes, so if you want to change the routing you have to reinstate your miles.

Question:

Do you lose the whole itinerary or can reservations hold what flights you had and simply go in and make the changes after reinstatement?

ckpeter

My understanding is that if you want to reinstate your miles and create a new explorer award with a different routing, you will lose all existing reserved seats.

This would make sense from a rules perspective. Otherwise, if you could hold existing space while paying a redeposit fee to change parts of it, then you would have circumvented the no-routing-change rule.

ulzimates

I never had problems searching award availability via Qantas until today:

"We are having difficulties with one or more of the frequent flyer numbers that you have entered due to a mismatch between the frequent flyer name and number. Check the frequent flyer numbers you entered and try again. If you continue to have difficulties remove the frequent flyer numbers and call your local Qantas Office on completion of your booking"

Anyone else experience these problems?

lovetotravel

I got the same error even before getting any flight info. Sounds like some operational or system error rather than anything else. Probably will clear up once they realize what's happening.

skunker

I had that same error today and posted about it in the oneworld thread.

ulzimates

Seems like glitch was fixed. Everything okay again

zznoname

It's been 24 hours and our 11 leg RTW Explorer One World AAward is still "ON REQUEST".

We were told it would take longer to clear than normal, but that was quoted in hours not day(s).

Just wondering what experiences other have had with this type of AAward and itinerary.

Thanks.

Austinrunner

Call back.

zznoname

AA said it's queuing, but no errors have been reported.

It's the first time we've been through the RTW "wringer" and we're looking forward to the assembling/ticketing process to finish.

While putting the trip together, some agents were not as comfortable with the large itinerary as others and an IB flight disappeared twice.

But AA made it work seamlessly. Really stood behind their product.

To their credit... It's amazing that AA or One World Airlines would make the OW Award available considering all the resources assembling/ticketing takes up.

Having said all that, is 24 hours usual?

Austinrunner

Not unusual. But be aware that during the ticketing process, a new and thorough review of the itinerary is done to make sure it complies with all the award rules. Itineraries are occasionally rejected at this stage. You're not in the clear until you have a ticket number. Refer to the tips at the blog linked in my signature.

zznoname

Yes, very good stuff here Austin. Thank you.

The, not in the clear until ticketed, is the scary part because we had to give up CX F ORD-BKK for the miles.

The ticketing came through, but it turns out, the MAD-ORD was missing on the itinerary AA sent out, but it's still there at AA.com and IB.

The tax was way off what they told me and after AA checked again, they decided to refund $200. and allow one of the tickets to slip by short $40.

As I write this, none of the above has posted yet, so we'll see.

-------------------

Another thing.

The tax for the OW RTW was quoted at $220. But, when I check at ITA the YQ surcharge for MAD-ORD is $220.

We have 10 other legs. So I'm wondering how the numbers worked out.

-----------------

Also.. where do I go to find the ticketing numbers for our flights?

Found the ticketing number at the end of the confirmation letter. Is this number for all the tickets?
Is it available anywhere other than the email AA sent out?

Thanks.

Austinrunner

Congratulations on the ticketing!

The ticket number is the same for all flights on your itinerary. Every airline you're flying can see and use that ticket number. Don't lose it, although if you do, you can get it again by calling AA or at the AA refunds website. Subsequent AA emails will not include the ticket number. Few realize that a reservation is not a ticket, and a ticket is not a reservation. You need both to fly. The ticket number is how AA's partners get paid. Some flyertalk members have encountered problems when they showed up for their flights, only to be told that, yes, there are reservations, but there are no tickets to back it up. The airlines were unwilling to transport the members without a guarantee of being paid, i.e., the ticket numbers. AA partners get paid to transport people who use AA miles to fly. The amount of the payment is a closely guarded trade secret.

You can't use ITA to confirm the amount of the fuel surcharge when using AA miles to fly on IB. The amount is far less than if you had purchased a seat on IB, which is what ITA is showing.

zznoname

Thanks for clearing thing up.

If we run into problems at the airport, you're saying just having the ticket number will smooth things out?

Can I have the tickets printed out before we leave instead of the electronic ticketing?

zznoname

This is truly crazy. The last agent blew off the fact ORD-MAD was not at the end of one itinerary in the AA confirmation emails with the ticket numbers - "It's in the reservation."

Now, after checking back. another agent is saying it's a big problem (like Austin wrote) that ORD-MAD is not on the ticket, as in, does not have a ticket number.

She's saying, the problem would have been found at the airport of the first leg (huh?) but it's better to fix now.

So after adding ORD-MAD the taxes are pricing out $200 more than the other identical itinerary and they are working on figuring out why.

The quoted taxes and fees have been all over the place and the itinerary has not changed.

This is very troubling. At the very least this shows the taxes and fess are open to error and if you don't have another itinerary, an idea of the amount you should pay or some baseline, you could be seriously overcharged.

Everyday, two or three times a day I'm on the phone for extended wait times (hours) and this is all AFTER the reservations have been made. This is just getting the taxes and flights on the ticket number.

What a mess.

Now, having said all that, most agents have been courteous, but far too many have giving me incorrect information and/or not spent the time to get it correct even when I have emphatically raised problems.