Hello and thank you all for your responses. The scenario is this: I would like to use AA or USAir award miles to "design" my own flight itinerary and, if possible get a free layover. I would like to depart from either MDT (preferred), AVP, or PHL with the final destination of HNL or LIH. I would like to put the itinerary together to route through PHX since I have a brother who lives there. I would choose an early afternoon flight to PHX (if available with award miles), fully knowing that there are no connecting flights to HNL/LIH until the next morning. Since there legitimately are no flights from PHX to HNL/LIH until the next morning (on AA or USAIR that I could find anyway) do I qualify for a free layover? Maybe AA will not allow me to use award miles to route thru PHX anyway, but I have enough SPG points to convert to 2 award tickets on other airlines if need be. We have traveled from PA to HNL on AA award tickets many times over the years, routing from PA to either DFW or ORD.

The long, 11.5 hours of airtime alone from the east coast to HI are becoming nearly impossible for my husband and I to tolerate as we have gotten older. We have done the free layover thing in DFW and LAX in the past (it has been at least 4 years since we have done that), but it seems like prolonging the "agony", not to mention the expense of a taxi/hotel room for the night, and enduring security again. If we can route through PHX with award tickets we would have someone to pick us up/drop us off at the airport the next morning and have a free place to sleep. In addition, when we return from HNL/LIH to PHX I thought we could "throw away" the return portion of our award ticket from PHX to PA, purchase inexpensive returns, and stay with my brother for a few days visit. I asked an AA reservation agent about the option of a free layover last year and she told me (not very pleasantly) that there were NO free layovers anymore......? I don't know why, if there are NO connecting flights available until the next morning. Airlines certainly do this themselves (long layover until next morning connection) for their own purposes. After being told by the AA phone reservation agent that there were no more free layovers/stopovers, I opened the SPG card so that I might find more flexibility with other airlines. I thought I would ask the experts here at Flyer Talk for your ideas/recommendations. Thank your very much!