Originally Posted by
LinLant
Thank you JY1024, that is an interesting option. Why do they do this?
AAVacations is essentially treated as a third-party travel agency, which can get access to bulk/consolidator fares from AA. But AAV can't just sell you the airfare; as part of their deal, they have to sell you hotel and/or car rental. But there's nothing forcing you to actually check-in for the car/hotel portion.
If you're interested in this option, read the wiki in the thread I linked. That's the beginner's crash course.
Intermediate level notes:
- remember you can call in and adjust the hotel portion down to 3 nights (which is the minimum to book a package). That'll save you a few bucks if you plan on throwing away the hotel portion.
- most AAV fares accrue AA miles slightly differently (distanced-based instead of fare-based). If you're not interested in chasing status on airlines, don't worry about this nuance.