BOShappyflyer

Recently I booked a award flight from BOS-JFK-HKG using AA miles. I'm not an elite member at all, as I've only flown 20k miles on AA last year.

BOS-JFK was on AA metal (non-elite), yet my boarding pass from JFK to HKG via partner airline (CX - Cathay Pacific) says I'm a Ruby. I couldn't figure out why. I had flown BA earlier this year but it was also on award ticket. I thought it was a fluke. On the flight back, it was the same thing. The HKG-NRT leg via Cathay, I'm showing a Ruby status. Is qualification different for Ruby status in the oneworld alliance? I didn't think so...

I searched for Ruby on this site to see if anyone had come across this before, but I couldn't find any relevant results. I'm just a tad puzzled why that's the case. Any thoughts or ideas?

Supersonic Swinger

In your AA account, does your Lifetime Program To Date Miles total exceed 1,000,000? If it does, you'd have lifetime Gold with AA, equivalent to OW Ruby.

Although that doesn't explain why your AA boarding pass was non-elite...

BOShappyflyer

Thanks for the response. I'm not a lifetime gold (if only!) I've only got a quarter of a million mile so I still got a long way to go to get there. I guess I won't worry about it and see how things look the next time I fly. I just thought it was really strange since I thought I'm relatively well-versed in the frequent flier world, having come to this site all the time.

tauphi

There were some double EQM promotions last year, which might have pushed you over the 25k threshold for AA Gold. So the question is if you log onto the AA website what does it say about your status?

BOShappyflyer

Nothing. Just my name and my FF number. No AA Gold when I login to my account. And I've had AA gold some years before, so I know I definitely don't have it. (Not to mention it wasn't on my AA boarding pass for the AA-metal segments of the trip).

I had registered for the double EQM last year, but the 20k is inclusive of that. I was lamenting that I was only a cross-country trip short of making elite last year, but travel plans didn't pan out as expected. My brother, who was traveling with me, is an elite as well, but we're not on the same booking/itinerary. He booked separately and has his own PNR so I even ruled that out as a possibility. It was just puzzling, that's all.

toyotaboy95

Possibly you booked the award ticket while you were still an elite OR a system glitch.

fhben

That would be my guess too.

Himeno

I earnt OW Ruby (QF Silver) from an LONE4 in 2007. Due to when I could get leave and my QFF membership year, I didn't earn enough status credits and lost Ruby a few days before an LONE4 in 2008.
My boarding pass for my first flight on AA in that trip said I was still Ruby. Simply because the system hadn't updated the status change yet.

CMK10

I knew someone who was AA Plat in 2003-2004 then AA Gold through 2005. He took some BA flights in 2007 and 2008 and the BP still showed him as Ruby.

mkjr

my wife was given some promotional AA gold card many many years ago...not sure why but she was flying them a little but not a lot...she recalls she did not even sign up for the same....she also got 16 up grade stickers at the same time...we never manged to use any and she still has them....we have not flow AA much other than on award tix since 2005...that said, back in Feb. 2008, after she had not flown with AA for years, her CX bording pass for a J flight came up with Ruby...very odd...she thought...chalked it up to a mistake...fast forward to a few weeks ago....flying again on CX in J....sure enough, status shows Ruby again....no status shown in AA's log in page though. this is very odd and perhaps a glitch notes her AA number as Ruby in perpetuity. she did fly AA a lot for a year or two some time ago.

Paulchili

I find this discussion somewhat rhetorical, on OW forum anyway, as OW Ruby is TOTALLY meaningless in the OW alliance since it is not recognized by any other OW partner outside of AA. It has some value (as does AA Gold) for domestic travel on AA (seats, boarding, etc) or when using AA metal internationally, but is without any value whatsoever when using any other OW partner.
I find the designation particularly ironic as Ruby is the most precious of all gemstones but has no sparkle in OW (a cruel joke perhaps?).
I wonder what will happen to OW Ruby after the ATI approval?

thadocta

Complete and utter rubbish - BA is the only OW member to not have a Ruby tier, and you can rest assured that QF, CX and JL have all afforded me what I am entitled to as a QF Ruby.

Dave

Paulchili

I stand corrected.
My most extensive dealings outside of AA have been with BA - maybe that's where I got the idea.
Good to know - thanks!

CMK10

As others have stated, this is not true. A friend of mine who is OW Ruby reported very good treatment from QF.

mkjr

...and an op up on CX in HKG when checking in at the J check in and the person doing the check in needed to op up someone....

i really wish I knew why my wife is still Ruby...so odd.