Originally Posted by
RedPanda5
where are you getting good value out of AA? I have 600K+ AA miles from bask bank (back when interest rates where basically 0%) and I struggle to get any value out of them, it's not usual to see domestic biz/first requiring well over 100K miles and international premium is almost always 300-500K other than the same partners like JAL that AS also has reasonable close in inventory pricing
I am getting value on domestic coach ( non-trancon) . About 3 cents a mile.
Also same in coach within North and Central America. While these are hardly aspirational redemptions, they are trips that I would have actually paid for.
International Business and even 4 hour+ , domestic 48 states, central American and caribbean, forget first class redemptions.
With the massive wealth created since 2008 meltdown, there are enough consumers happy to pay for First class within North America. I'm seeing mileage redemption rates 8X that of coach. , i.e. 737 one aisle , Y is 30K miles and First 240K miles..
And cash fares at 6X the price of for domestic first
If you are willing to fly coach ( and I am if I have main cabin extra ) them it's a decent program.
The irony is that the BA-AA partnership which was blocked for years and years by justice department has really weakened the Advantage mileage program.
The value proposition of European redemptions were obliterated.
1- Massively reduced non -stops
2- hassle of transiting through LHR
3- BA metal "surcharges"