SLF

New version is out (finally!). Including US, UL, JJ and QR. No rule changes done at this point, please feel free to point out anything which needs updating

pandaperth

Thanks for the update SLF
Found two omissions - QR flies PHL-DOH daily and MIA-DOH 4 times a week

Whoops - still had the old version open
The new version show these flights just fine

pandaperth

Whilst this is a rule change, I suspect the changes necessary in the validator are merely defining which continent various points are in.
(They all used to be in Europe and are now all in Asia.)

SLF

I may have done this (a couple of months ago) and forgotten to update. Fairly recent flight data is included too ...

zoombee

Oh hello, didn't realise you were active in here. Glad to have the opportunity to say thanks for maintaining such a useful tool which I use very often. So impressed by how much nitty gritty detail it understands. Thanks!

Just in case you weren't aware, jnb-lhr-lax-nrt-doh-jnb barfs with the following error: "Rule violated!!!! [DOH-JNB] Max 1 segment(s): Ghana/Nigeria/Kenya/Uganda/Tanzania transit (second EUR entry?)" when it's actually OK courtesy of rule 3.2.3. Rule 3.2 states:

For travel originating in Africa:
One of the following backtracks is permitted

3.2.1 Africa-Europe-RTW-Europe-Africa
One of the visits to Europe must be a transfer without stopover between Africa and the previous/next continent. Travel may not include Mauritius/South Africa

3.2.2 Africa-Middle East-RTW-Middle East-Africa
One of the visits to Middle East must be a transfer without stopover between Africa and the previous/next continent.

3.2.3 Africa-Europe-RTW-Middle East-Africa or Africa-Middle East-RTW-Europe-Africa
Travel may not include any flown or surface sector Between Europe and Middle East


source: http://www.oneworld.com/documents/10...9-d346ec820edf linked from http://www.oneworld.com/flights/roun...world-explorer

hauteboy

Good to see this is still going

Thanks for all your additional work SLF!

Calchas

A very nice tool, thanks for all the work this must have taken. Just found it this evening.

I noticed a couple of "bugs" with the tier points calculator on BA. Apologies if this has been noted before.

On most US/AA domestic flights under US/AA codes, business fares book into the A booking code, not J/C/D/R/I. (On the three-class transcons, currently operating between JFK-LAX and JFK-SFO this does not happen.) Thus business fares booked onto those services will still earn 60/210 TP per sector instead of 40/140 TP. The same rule applies for QR in the Middle East and Near East, which also brands its single premium product there as "First".

This seems to be understood in the US/AA case by the red highlighting, but it doesn't appear to be reflected in the total at the end.

Now, that is admittedly only with the US/AA/QR codes; on codeshares they are mapped into a business class booking code and receive the attendant tier points, so I understand why perhaps you didn't parcel it out. However, under the joint venture agreement and on the oneworld explorer tickets it is always possible to book the US/AA code on TATL fares instead of the codeshare, so it might be worth noting for those of us looking to optimize our tier points.

Also, is the the validator correct in not counting a final surface sector (e.g., start in CAI and finish in MCT) against the total sectors permitted?

Dr. HFH

You sort of hinted at the explanation already. Nearly all U.S. AA domestic service is two class, so J will book into F. The three class transcons are, well, three class; so J books into J.

Calchas

Yes. But that means the total for tier points at the bottom is incorrect.

I am not sure if that is deliberate, but thought it worth mentioning.

Dr. HFH

I'm sure you're right. I know nothing about tier points.

anabolism

The tool still says such flights don't exist. It took a bit of digging, but I did find QF 11 PER-AKL which operates only Fridays and Saturdays and only during some months. Not sure how the tool handles seasonal flights, or how it should. Perhaps permit them but with a warning?

anabolism

By the way, AA changed the rules starting this year so that business class flights now earn the same 50% class-of-service bonus as first class flights. It would be worthwhile to update the tool for that.

(There's also a "currency" promotion on AAdvantage where AA-coded flights booked in higher fare classes earn an extra bonus, but I suspect it's not worth updating the tool for it.)

Would there be interest in adding a column for elite-qualifying criteria? If so, you could calculate AA EQP in the same way you calculate miles earned, just with a different multiplier for class of service (1.5 EQP/mile for D and A fares).

pandaperth

I believe this is only on AA marketed flights, so it would be difficult for the tool to handle this given that some segments could be flown with AA or with another carrier

anabolism

I had not realized that the class-of-service bonus was only 25% rather than 50% on non-AA coded flights.

ajnaro

From what I could understand, it's only SOME, not ALL, AA marketed flights, i.e., the higher rate is NOT valid for AA marketed CX, LA and some other flights. The change seems to be valid only for AA or joint venture partners.