Originally Posted by
tsg20
I'm looking at booking a cash flight to the US on AA metal for me (BA silver) and a companion, and I'm pretty confused as to what the difference will be if I book an AA basic economy fare (which is about £100/passenger cheaper than standard economy). I've looked at
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...d.html?2034834 but I am not sure I've understood everything!
It looks like the baggage allowance, tier points and Avios earning are unchanged, and I should be able to select MCE seats. Looking at:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...omy-fares.html it seems that the big difference will be in boarding group, where we would go from group 3 to group 8; but this seems ambiguous according to the table on:
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...ng-process.jsp
In terms of cancellation/change fees under current covid rules, if I understand correctly it's the same for basic economy as other economy, and in particular you can cancel for a voucher (but not a refund); this seems to definitely be the case if purchased as a BA flight, while on AA it looks like basic economy from Europe to the US is currently changeable but perhaps not cancellable, according to:
https://www.americanairlines.co.uk/i...sp#flexibility
Have I understood this correctly (especially boarding priority)? Is there a reason to book as a BA ticket rather than an AA ticket (maybe more flexible?), or vice versa?
It looks to me like you will lose your money if you cancel your ticket with AA - the ability to swap for a voucher on American Airlines ended on 31 March 2021. All bookings after that date that are cancelled will be at the usual rules. That is the main difference between AA and BA, as BA are allowing any booking to be swapped for a voucher as long as the travel dates are prior to 30 April 2022.
All the rest you are correct on, as far as I can tell. When I booked the cheapest cheap fare on AA from Dublin to Seattle, I was able to select Main Cabin Extra as a Silver on the DUB-ORD sector, and I received my BA Avios as usual. I believe I boarded in Group 3, because I have pictures of the cabin as I was one of the first to arrive in economy.
Hope that helps!