Originally Posted by
uavking
I've had alot of success buying Military Fares from AA. (They're usually the same price as a regular ticket for me anyways) The chief advantage is that change fees are waived so if your plans change then you'll have a full credit that you can apply to another ticket, no questions asked. Oh, and also, the advance purchase is only something like a day, so that's nice too.
That said, you could also go ahead and buy a standard ticket as you had proposed. My understanding is that you can change or cancel that ticket without penalty so long as you have a copy of your orders in order to demonstrate a conflict caused by the military. I've only ever had to do that once, but it's definitely doable.
Honestly, I'd call the reservations line and get a quote on that military fare before you make your final call. Good luck.
Thanks for the info. I am pretty sure (although not 100% positive) that they don't offer the military fare on this route. I was surprised to learn that not every route has them (i.e. ordinarily I would fly VPS-DCA for this trip, and a military fare isn't available on that route on AA; that fact is moot, however, as I need to pick up some things from my brother's house in ATL when I get back from my deployment). I've used military fares A LOT over the past few years for the very reason that they are changeable without a fee; usually they are slightly more expensive than the cheapest fare but I think they're def. worth it.
As for everyone else, thanks for all the input. I put a $198 RT fare on hold. Quite frankly, that kind of fare in this day and age is so ridiculously cheap, that I feel irresponsible buying it -- kind of like I will singlehandedly bring about the downfall of the US airline industry by underpaying for the trip. I'm not complaining though. I will see what the military fare would be for a similar itinerary. I'm going to pass on the idea of using an award ticket since I actually will probably need the miles or points to maintain status. Would appreciate any further input if any insiders know of an AA policy that applies in this situation.
-z