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No int'l. AA saaver or SWU availability 11+ days out – Being resolved? (Nov 2014)

No int'l. AA saaver or SWU availability 11+ days out – Being resolved? (Nov 2014)

Old Nov 30, 2014, 6:03 pm
  #121  
 
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One of the first signs of this not being a glitch will be if AA throttles back partner award availability with blocking, or with higher redemption rates as UA implemented.
Right now one can still attempt to get around this with partner awards.
236Dakota is offline  
Old Nov 30, 2014, 6:27 pm
  #122  
 
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Originally Posted by Phoenixtinct
I'm not sure there is a need for this thread. You answer your own question in the short post - milesaver awards are available but for connecting flights with huge layovers. Summer season is busy season, so why would AA give away seats on non-stop flights so far in advance when it can probably sell them? I would pick a connecting itinerary and keep checking until a seat on the non-stop becomes available and then you can change free of charge (if you're an elite). Thus, to answer your rhetorical question - NO, milesaver awards have NOT become a thing of the past.
Agreed. Book the least offensive connection, invest $10 per month in an Expert Flyer subscription, set alerts for more desirable options.

Also worth a call to AA for possible partner options not shown on the website; still involve a connection, but without the huge layovers.
diver858 is offline  
Old Nov 30, 2014, 6:29 pm
  #123  
 
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Have Milesaver Awards Become a Thing of the Past?

Or a schedule change that you can have switched to a nonstop.
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Old Nov 30, 2014, 8:10 pm
  #124  
 
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Originally Posted by 236Dakota
One of the first signs of this not being a glitch will be if AA throttles back partner award availability with blocking, or with higher redemption rates as UA implemented.
Right now one can still attempt to get around this with partner awards.
Except if the only other partner who can get you to your desired destination is BA. Does anyone actually redeem for those awards and pay the ridiculously high fuel surcharges? In all these years of accumulating and redeeming Aadvantage points for my vacation travel, I have never redeemed for a BA award.
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Old Nov 30, 2014, 8:11 pm
  #125  
 
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Originally Posted by susiesan
Except if the only other partner who can get you to your desired destination is BA. Does anyone actually redeem for those awards and pay the ridiculously high fuel surcharges? In all these years of accumulating and redeeming Aadvantage points for my vacation travel, I have never redeemed for a BA award.
Plenty of people who don't know any better or have no other choice certainly do.
linglingfool is offline  
Old Nov 30, 2014, 8:44 pm
  #126  
 
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Originally Posted by Big_Foot
I think this "strategy" has been pretty much non-existing for a while now
and - on every airline. A few exceptions like partners, CX or EY - although
the new trend is clear - AA agents have a lot of trouble "seeing" partners' seats.
The last existing option - book awards for tomorrow or after tomorrow
Not true for UA and it's partners. I just returned from a vacation in Myanmar and Japan using UA miles on OZ, NH, and UA flights. The whole trip was p,annex 11 months out, booked entirely online on UA Web site.

Next award vacation trip is to Africa in April, again used UA miles to fly on UA and partners, also booked 11 months in advance when the seats became available.

And my last award trip using AA miles , in Aug. 2013, was also booked 11 months in advance. Went to Bali and Java flying AA, CX, and JR flights. For all 3 of these trips I was able to get the exact date so wanted on the flights I wanted by booking at 330 days.

Having to plan a vacation 1 to 2 months in advance is going to be tricky, especially with work schedules and getting time off last minute.
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Old Nov 30, 2014, 8:54 pm
  #127  
 
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Originally Posted by susiesan
Except if the only other partner who can get you to your desired destination is BA. Does anyone actually redeem for those awards and pay the ridiculously high fuel surcharges? In all these years of accumulating and redeeming Aadvantage points for my vacation travel, I have never redeemed for a BA award.
Exception noted, no need for AA to throttle back BA awards.
236Dakota is offline  
Old Nov 30, 2014, 9:05 pm
  #128  
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Merged with existing thread discussing paucity of MileSAAver award availability. /Moderator
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Old Nov 30, 2014, 11:08 pm
  #129  
 
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Originally Posted by 236Dakota
One of the first signs of this not being a glitch will be if AA throttles back partner award availability with blocking, or with higher redemption rates as UA implemented.
Right now one can still attempt to get around this with partner awards.
LAN's longhaul business availability is just as bad as AA's right now. I can't find a single seat to anywhere in Biz.

I fear this is only the beginning of the end. I predict there will be a devaluation for Business and First awards on AA metal right after AA and US merge. This is possibly why they're all unavailable after 4/14/15.
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Old Dec 1, 2014, 3:34 am
  #130  
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Originally Posted by linglingfool
From an accounting standpoint, I don't see how a stealth devaluation on their own metal helps them. The miles still sit on their books as a liability, and if you make it impossible to redeem, they'll sit that way.
They may not sit for long.

"Normal" people (not FTers) may simply tire of waiting for standard award availability, or face the 1 year (or whatever it is right now) expiration policy, or need to travel at the last minute and don't have the $$ to pay cash, so give up on finding a standard award and just redeem the for double or triple-miles. And people die as well.

If it stays this way, it's a devaluation plain and simple. AA's version of SkyPesos: disAAdvantaged miles.
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Old Dec 1, 2014, 8:24 am
  #131  
 
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Originally Posted by Phoenixtinct
I'm not sure there is a need for this thread. You answer your own question in the short post - milesaver awards are available but for connecting flights with huge layovers. Summer season is busy season, so why would AA give away seats on non-stop flights so far in advance when it can probably sell them? I would pick a connecting itinerary and keep checking until a seat on the non-stop becomes available and then you can change free of charge (if you're an elite). Thus, to answer your rhetorical question - NO, milesaver awards have NOT become a thing of the past.
If your reasoning is that airlines shouldn't give away seats that they can sell, then they shouldn't give away ANY award seats, which of course would mean the end of frequent flier programs. If airlines didn't think frequent flier programs helped get them more business, they would do exactly that, now wouldn't they? Clearly, there's a benefit to the airlines from these programs, which have value to customers only if they are likely to be able to use miles to obtain free seats on the flights they desire. It's definitely a balancing act for the airlines to give you just enough to make you want the miles, but no so much that it cuts into paid ticket sales.
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Old Dec 1, 2014, 8:29 am
  #132  
 
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Originally Posted by Phoenixtinct
I'm not sure there is a need for this thread. [. . .] milesaver awards are available but for connecting flights with huge layovers.
Either you're (a) much better at finding sAAver awards than me or (b) wrong. Please try and find a sAAver fare from NYC-LIM any day past April 14, 2015. I'm not seeing anything - long connection or not, and pre-11/22, the schedule had something nearly every day for 2 people via both MIA and DFW.
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Old Dec 1, 2014, 8:32 am
  #133  
 
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Originally Posted by diver858
Agreed. Book the least offensive connection, invest $10 per month in an Expert Flyer subscription, set alerts for more desirable options.
That's what I did for the LHR-NYC leg. Booked a BA flight using AA Milesaver miles (which I have plenty of) with a hefty fee. Long layover in LHR, but hoping AA flights that leave earlier open up using Milesaver. I've an ExpertFlier alert open for those flights for months now.

Here's a related question: Suppose we walk up to the AA counter for one of their earlier LHR-NYC flights and they have space in Biz. Would they switch us to that flight for no charge?
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Old Dec 1, 2014, 9:23 am
  #134  
 
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Originally Posted by Long Islander
Here's a related question: Suppose we walk up to the AA counter for one of their earlier LHR-NYC flights and they have space in Biz. Would they switch us to that flight for no charge?
Very YMMV. There have been reports of success here, but generally seems to be only if the later flight is oversold or the agent is in a good mood. I wouldn't make plans assuming you'll be able to.
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Old Dec 1, 2014, 9:33 am
  #135  
BLG
 
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Originally Posted by susiesan
Except if the only other partner who can get you to your desired destination is BA. Does anyone actually redeem for those awards and pay the ridiculously high fuel surcharges? In all these years of accumulating and redeeming Aadvantage points for my vacation travel, I have never redeemed for a BA award.
You're in the fortunate position of not having to go to London if you don't want to. For some of us it's not vacation travel. And if we want to fly J or F, as I certainly do for all my long haul travel, it's still a lot cheaper to grab a Saver, even on BA metal, and pay the fees.

FWIW I'm still not seeing any changes in availability of AA metal Saver J/F inventory on this route. Still none.

Last edited by BLG; Dec 1, 2014 at 10:57 am
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