Hookani

If this is true, I'd go for this. Anyone can confirm others being offered this?

Thanks,
Ho'okani

al613

No, I'm lying Just call AA.

Hookani

Sorry, wasn't implying you were lying. Just was thinking maybe that agent was having a good day or something and was doing something out of the ordinary. But I will call when it gets close to my travel dates.

One more question. Does the challenge have to be initiated before you book your flights?

Thanks,
Ho'okani

pandaperth

No. But flights taken before you intitiate the challenge and/or before the agreed start date of the challenge will not count.

(Last year, when I phoned to enrol in the PLT challenge, the agent checked the flights I had booked and she confirmed that I'd 'easily complete the challenge')

al613

1. No problem. I guess, there are no official rules for it, but this incident shows the agents have this power if they want to use it.

2. You have to call them before the flights post in your account, even after you flew them.

allset2travel

Just want to consult the experts here before taking the plunge.
I am Gold, and DW has no status. Plat challenge and RTW will apply to both of us.

Currently planning a DONE4 for mid year 2010, see my thread here ----- http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...rtw-done4.html

Before the RTW, we have a trip to BKK coming up. We want to include this trip as part of the Plat challenge. I want to get this sanitized in this forum before booking. Here is the plan and my understanding of earned EQP. We will be taking 2 trips during the challenge period:

Itin 1: SFO-JFK round trip on Q (fare rules said: QA14LQKN, on AA metal). Flown miles 5,127, therefore EQP=2,563.5

Itin 2: JFK-NRT-BBK-NRT-JFK, round trip on W (fare rules said: WLXPRT for all segments, on AA metal and AA codeshare flights combined). Flown miles 19,268, therefore EQP=9,9634

Here are my questions:
1. Based on Itins 1 &2, am I correct in the calculation of EQP?
2. Following my flights sequence of SFO-JFK; JFK-NRT-BKK, by the time I arrive at BKK, my earned EQP would be just over 10,000. Can I count on AA posting that and showing Plat status in 2 or 3 days after the date of arrival?
3. Should I be able to enjoy the bennies of Plat on my return flights (BKK_NRT_JFK)?

Appreciate your comments and suggestions.

pandaperth

Q1 - Your computation for Itin 1 appears correct; but for Itin 2 since the booking class is 'W' you get 1 EQP per mile flown not 0.5 (as you seem to have assumed - just what is the number 9,9634?). So on the outbound you'll get 0.5*2563 + 1.0*9634 = 10,915 so you'll complete the challenge

Q2 - You can expect the posting of EQP from a codeshare flight (i.e. your NRT-BKK) to take a bit longer than from an AA-metal flight. In my experience (codeshare on QF) it did however post within 3 days

Q3 - If the EQP have posted, then yes. Your Platinum status (and more importantly your OW Sapphire status) will be printed on your boarding pass, which will get you into the lounges at BKK and NRT

Gamecock

No. In the last year everyone in my family of 5 has done a PLT challenege. (5 challenges on two seperate TATL bookings) All trips were booked/paid for before I signed us up for the challenge.

Gamecock

^
But, certain airlines, and I'm thinking of BA, are known for wanting to see the card to gain entry. (A YMMV thing, as I have gotten into out stations without the card)

allset2travel

Thank you for straighten out my math. I knew W fare yields 1 EQP per mile, but somehow did not come out that way. Thanks for catching it and confirming.

The NRT-BKK leg will be on JL. Any idea how many days it takes them to post? I can always stretch out my stay in BKK to ensure Plat status is attained.

Would there be any difference between miles calculated by AA/JL from mileagemonkey or circle mapper?

pandaperth

According to the AA timetable (pdf version):
SFO-JFK: 2583mi
JFK-NRT: 6736mi
NRT-BKK: 2889mi
I would expect AA to use its own mileage computation even for codeshares

allset2travel

These numbers seem to be different, in my favor Thanks.
But where can I find this AA timetable? A link perhaps? ^

miamigrad

On AA.com

Specifically, the PDF version is here

allset2travel

The direct link to pdf is very helpful. I downloaded it . ^Thanks

m1k3

I’m getting ready to do my first challenge and wanted to run things by all you experts before I call in.

My itinerary:
GND – MIA (L) = 1537
MIA – SFO (L) = 2585
SFO – MIA (L) = 2585
MIA – GND (L) = 1537
Grand Total = 8244 EQP

Seeing that I am so close to 10000, I have two choices: be satisfy with Gold or upfare the top half (which would give me 10305) for Platinum. Would the best number to call AA to upfare my ticket the same as the challenge line? I considered a MR but decided against it. Is platinum worth the extra cost? TIA