FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - BA Tier Point Runs

Jan 2, 2017, 6:05 pm

KARFA

Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend

Join Date: Apr 2012

Location: Leeds, UK

Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond

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AA booking classes - changes from 11 January 2017
Travel in the US on domestic AA flights has long been an efficient way to earn TPs since the front cabin on two cabin flights has been branded as domestic first and earned first class TPs - so 210 for > 2,000 mile sectors and 60 TP for shorter flights. However, with the introduction of premium economy to AA they have now significantly changed the booking classes used for domestic flights meaning that, although it is still branded as domestic first, business booking classes are used and therefore TP earnings are now 140 for > 2,000 mile sectors and 40 TP for shorter flights.

These changes take effect for any flights departing on or after 11 January 2017. Whereas domestic first on two cabin domestic services used to be in booking classes F, A, and P, they will now be in J, D, I, and R. AA have already run these changes back in November 2016 to update existing bookings which have affected flights on and beyond 11 January 2017.

This does mean TP earnings for runs within the US or exEU runs to the US are going to earn less, but even with the changes they are still an efficient and relatively cheap way to earn.

For three class AA domestic flights (e.g. JFK-LAX and JFK-SFO) there still will be the potential for earning first TPs if you are in the first cabin.

It was always the case that for an I class fare which included a three class A321 transcon you should have gone in the business cabin and earned business TPs. It was also the case that if there was no I available on that specific flight A class was permitted so you would find yourself in the first cabin and earn first TPs. This trick of getting first on the transcon will be dead from 11 January. Going forward a BA fare will only look for I class, and the equivalent AA I class fare will only look for I or D.

For more information on these changes see this thread, and see this post for the updated earning tables on ba.com.

Starting your run from Continental Europe
Here are a few popular examples to give you a flavour of what can be achieved at a relatively respectable price. Note, any fare prices shown in this post are indicative and reflect the rates checked at the time of writing. Fares do vary considerably, so check this thread from time to time for prevailing fares/offers/promotions etc.

Staring from Continental Europe is typically referred to as an exEU - so this includes starting from anywhere in Europe but excludes bookings starting from the UK which are termed exUK. Typically good places to start are Dublin (DUB) and Copenhagen (CPH) if going to the US, and Oslo (OSL) or Stockholm (ARN) if heading to the Far East or Australia. However, sales from these and other starting points often come up and you should check this thread for up to date information.

Naturally, to get to the most cost advantageous origin, positioning flights (and most likely, overnight accommodation) is an inevitable factor. Dublin has been the flavour of the moment over the last few years for cheap (I class) transatlantic flights in business class. Thanks to the BA/AA/US Joint Business Venture, it is now possible to construct connections within the United States for very little extra. However, the lowest I class fares usually come with stop over and Saturday night stay restrictions, but it is possible to spread out your itinerary by constructing connections of up to 24 hours, if you prefer a trip that is gentler on the body.

The example above would earn 40+140+140+40+40+140+140+40 = 720 TPs in total.

The general principle to maximise your points here are to do a run along the lines of:

DUB-(HEL)-LON-EEE-WWW-DES

HEL is optional and will get you an additional 80 TPs for the HEL-LHR flight but is much more time consuming. If you do want to fly via HEL consider starting from somewhere like CPH as the CPH-HEL flight will be much shorter than DUB-HEL and both earn 40 TPs.

EEE is any connection on the East Coast of the US, WWW is a connection on the West Coast of the US, and DES is whatever destination you want with those in Hawaii being particularly preferred (HNL, KOA, LIH, and OGG). Also make sure that EEE and WWW are more than 2,000 miles apart so that you get 140 TPs. There is a list of > 2,000 mile routes further down this thread. Doing a run like this would allow earnings of:

DUB-HNL (exc. HEL) = 40+140+140+140+140+140+140+40 = 920 TPs

DUB-HNL (inc. HEL both ways) = 40+80+140+140+140+140+140+140+80+40 = 1,080 TPs

1,080 TPs is the maximum you can generally earn on an exEU run to the US as the fare rules typically allow two connections in each region only (i.e. two in Europe and two in the US).

Where to Book
A question which come up many times is where to price up these more complex itineraries and where to book them. There are a few options and these include aa.com (multi-city tool), itamatrix, and google flights. The latter two don’t allow for booking but once you have them priced up you can book on aa.com or call BA to book over the phone. There are some notes on itamatrix and google flights further down.

If booking over the phone just tell the agent what flights you want, the dates, and the booking classes. The advantage of booking with BA rather than with AA online is that only BA tickets (those starting 125-…) can be upgraded with avios and you get 3x avios for BA spend if you have a BA Amex Premium Plus credit card.

BA.com is not a good option for pricing up or booking these kinds of itineraries unless you are doing something very simple like DUB-LHR-JFK-LHR-DUB. The multi-city tool on ba.com is very limited.

North American domestic first/business class runs
Central America and the Caribbean have become hot spots for TP earning frenzies out of the United States in recent years. AA's fares from the west cost to Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama amongst many other destinations in the region deliver excellent Tier Point yields. So much so, that with a little bit of planning and of course time, it is possible to rack up TPs at an alarming rate.

The following diagrams illustrate AA routes greater than 2,000 miles. Note, the forward cabin on AA flights serving Canada and the Caribbean are marketed as business class whereas the forward cabin on AA two cabin domestic flights is marketed as domestic first. In both cases you now will earn business TPs due to the changes noted at the top of this thread.

AA non-stop 2,000+ mile routes (140 TPs with a J booking class)
East US
BDL - LAX
BOS - LAX, PHX
CLT - LAX, PDX, SAN, SEA, SFO, SJC, SMF
DCA - LAS, LAX
EWR - PHX
IAD - LAX
JFK - LAS, LAX*, PHX, SAN, SEA, SFO*, TUS
MCO - LAX
MIA - LAS, LAX, SAN, SEA, SFO, SLC
PHL - LAS, LAX, PDX, PHX, SAN, SEA, SFO
PIT - LAX
RDU - LAX
TPA - LAX

West US & Alaska
ANC - DFW, LAX, PHX
LAS - DCA, JFK, MIA, PHL
LAX - ANC, BDL, BOS, CLT, DCA, HNL, IAD, JFK*, KOA, LIH, MCO, MIA, OGG, PHL, PIT, RDU, TPA
PDX - CLT, PHL
PHX - ANC, BOS, EWR, HNL, JFK, KOA, LIH, OGG, PHL
SAN - CLT, JFK, MIA, PHL
SEA - CLT, JFK, MIA, PHL
SFO - CLT, JFK*, MIA, PHL
SJC - CLT
SLC - MIA
SMF - CLT

Mid-US
DFW - ANC, HNL, OGG

Hawaii
HNL - DFW, LAX, PHX
OGG - DFW, LAX, PHX
KOA - LAX, PHX
LIH - LAX, PHX

* these are three class transcon services so you would earn 210 TPs if booked in to the first cabin under the BA/AA flight number and with F/A selling class, and you would earn 140 TPs if booked in the business cabin with J/D/I selling class

DFW to/from ANC, SJU, HNL, and OGG

Note that the DFW-SJU route is branded and booked as a business cabin and not a domestic first cabin.

JFK to/from SEA, LAS, SAN, PHX, SFO*, LAX*, and TUS

* these are three class transcon services so if booked in to the first cabin under the AA flight number you would earn 210 TPs or 140 TPs if booked in the business cabin

LAX to/from ANC, BOS, BDL, JFK*, MIA, DCA, PHL, CLT, IAD, RDU, MCO, TPA, PIT, Hawaii (HNL, OGG, KOA, LIH)

* only if in the F cabin on a three class A321, if in the business cabin only get 140 TPs

PHL to/from SEA, PDX, SFO, LAS, LAX, PHX, and SAN

PHX to/from BOS, EWR, ANC, JFK, PHL, and Hawaii (HNL, OGG, KOA, LIH)

Something to be aware of with premium cabins on flights operated by AA - flights operating entirely within the US are marketed as domestic first class; those operating outwith the US are marketed as business class.

The example above would earn 40+140+40+40+140+40 = 440 TPs in total.

I've highlighted the LAS-LAX-MIA-SJU routing not because it is the best earner. There are other routings that yield a greater sum of TPs and invariably at a better price but because this is a gentle itinerary. The outbound legs can be accomplished in a single day, albeit with an early start. The inbound is even easier and a noon start is possible, a beneficiary of the westerly routing where the changing time zones work in our favour.

The flights between MIA and SJU are sold as business class and thus accrue 40 Tier Points. For those planning a trip from the Midwest or East Coast to San Juan, it is worth considering DFW as a connection point, since DFW and SJU are in excess of 2,000 miles apart and therefore accrue 140 Tier Points.

AA stopping 2,000+ mile routes
Sometimes routes which are not non-stop like SEA-PHX-ATL will code as the same flight number for both segments, which results in a 2,000+ mile segment, i.e. 140 TPs in First. For more information and a list of these stopping routes see here courtesy of EsherFlyer, and for those starting and ending at a station that doesn't otherwise have accessible > 2,000 mile segments see here.

Other tips for AA travel planning

A321 (32B) - These AA narrow-bodies ply Transcon routes between JFK and LAX/SFO with business and first class. Well equipped, they are a very comfortable way to travel between coasts
757 - As fantastically racy as these aircraft are, the first class seat requires a health warning. Think very carefully before committing yourself to a 5 hour red-eye 757 flight. Row 1 on the 757 is also worth avoiding.
777 - Yes the big birds do operate on a few domestic routes (eg. MIA-LAX). Unlike their senior, and more petite 767-300 siblings, seats on the 777 aircraft are sold as business as well as the usual first and economy classes
MD-80 - Once the workhorse of AA's fleet but numbers are dwindling fast. Its first class cabin provides a reassuringly quiet ride
MCO - As American Airlines' low yield focus city, Orlando is your friend
Schedule changes - AA routinely gives its domestic timetable a jolly good shake (twice a year) so if you've booked your flights with plenty of advanced notice, expect a few changes to happen between now and the date of departure

AS routes on BA codeshares
In terms of AS, as noted n post #1, any combination of AS metal/codeshare and AA metal/codeshare would not earn TPs so AS has been avioded on US routings. However, BA have now launched codeshares on a number of AS routes from SEA to Hawaii, Alaska, and a few other destinations. These BA codeshares are only available if connecting to or from a BA longhaul flight, but it does mean if you book AS metal on a BA codeshare you will earn avios and TPs at the normal BA rates.

The routes currently available as BA codeshares are:

SEA - Honolulu (HNL), Kailua-Kona (KOA), Kahului (OGG), and Lihue (LIH)
SEA - San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), and Portland (PDX)
SEA - Salt Lake City (SLC), Anchorage (ANC), Boise (BOI), Fairbanks (FAI), and Spokane (GEG)
SJC - Santa Ana (SNA)

More information and examples
For some more information on intra-US TP runs please see this useful guide written by EsherFlyer.

Examples US internal TP runs from 2015 - pre booking class changes so some of the TP calculations are based on 210/60:

Last edited by KARFA; Aug 31, 2017 at 7:05 am