CDKing

Here is why i'm skeptical. You know how AS site calls out specific flight numbers as milesage earning. I believe these same flight numbers are also programmed in to block redemption of awards on US airways and other AA partners. Has there been any confirmation of what AA will be using as the flight number? Will they be keeping the AAXXXX (where XXXX = 0400-0899 & 1700-2199) that is not listed on the AS chart as earnig due to them being assigned to AA coded US operated? or is everthing getting moved over to one of the fight numbers currently assigned to AA coded AA operated?

If they are keeping the existing flight number and dropping the 'Operated by US Airways" the AS system may not be set to handle this scanario. Plus there is always the change the change over on the AA side could fail miserably holding up the process.

dayone

There is a lot of pointless speculation and some outright misunderstanding on this thread.

I don't see how AS can make any changes until AA finishes with its changes. I also don't think that AS can immediately update its systems and policies, but maybe we'll all be surprised.

Nothing is going to happen until next week, at the earliest, and it may take until October. This is a textbook case of doing it right being so much more important than doing it fast.

OK, resume the kvetching.

CDKing

What is FT without speculation

ashill

Are they actually programmed to block flight number ranges for redemption? There will be no T/U/Z availability on any AA* flights no operated by AA anyway, so they won't be available for redemption even without a flight number block. (Award flights are only available under the native code in all US- and AA-operated cases.)

That is exactly what will happen; there is no doubt about this. AA* 1234/US 1234 will become just AA 1234. Because all US flights have an AA* flight number that is the same as the US flight number already, that's easy enough. (I don't think they even have enough flight numbers to accommodate all the current US flights in the current AA flight number ranges; they have to pull stunts like making inbound and outbound flights the same flight number to have enough 4-digit flight numbers as it is.)

Possibly, but with the exception of flight numbers for earning, I suspect that they'd have to do work to prevent the AA flights that used to be US from being available for redemption especially rather than the other way around. And for earning, I suspect that the most they have to do is change the eligible flight number tables, and they'll have 90 days to get that done once the schedule change is loaded.

My understanding is that the major drawback for AA's approach is that there is no turning back: once the schedule change is loaded, they have to go ahead on October 17 whether they're ready or not.

Those who say that speculation is relatively pointless are of course right. For redemption, we'll know as soon as (or shortly after) the new schedule change is loaded this weekend; I suspect that current US routes will become available for redemption with AS miles for travel after October 17 next week with minimal-if-any IT work by AS.

I'd be very, very surprised if some AA flights are ineligible for earning AS miles after October 17, and I'd be confident enough about that that I would not hesitate to book a post-October 17 flight that's currently sold as operated by US right now if I needed to and wanted to credit it to AS. But, of course, we may not know for sure about that for a while, possibly not even until October 17.

AA has done this merger very sensibly from an IT point of view, and it seems clear to me that not extending the AS-AA frequent flyer partnership to include US-operated flights was simply a case of not doing IT work that they didn't have to do. (Unlike oneworld partners, AAG was under no obligation to make US flights available for earning and redemption under the AS program, whereas not offering US flights to oneworld partners would violate the premise and rules of oneworld.) But I just don't see why AAG would turn down the revenue for flights they're willing to sell as SAAver awards just because the flight used to be operated by US; otherwise, what's the point of the merger? And once US is gone, the technical hurdles are also, I suspect, gone: with the exception of any flight number restrictions, to reservations system, an AA flight will be an AA flight, period.

And there of course may be a future devaluation not directly related to the merging of the reservations systems at some point in the future. But Doug Parker and the AA team have consistently and wisely said that they'll do integration under current policies first and "innovation" (a scary word for sure) later.

But indeed, we'll know considerably more next week and we'll likely know all in October.

CDKing

I'm getting ready to book a revenue trip to HKG for November but will be avoiding anything US operated. Although mainly because US metal doesn't have MCE installed. That's what I'm going to hate about post 10/XX/15 as it will be harder to avoid PMUS metal. Luckily they can't put US metal on Asia flights due to lack of F seats

ashill

AA is flying 787s with no F to Asia very soon, so lack of F is not a reason for AA not to use US metal on Asia routes. But wide body planes will still be very easy to tell apart: pmUS are A330s, pmAA are Boeing. The only overlapping long haul planes are the 757s, which obviously don't go to Asia. I don't know when widespread cross-fleeting will begin, though.

dayone

Currently.

brarrr

I heard from a VERY reliable source that AS will adopt a FEBO/Tom Douglas type approach to mileage earning and redemption on the old US flights (no change to AA catered flights). Namely that east and southbound flights on US will earn miles, while north and westbound flights will only earn miles if flown backwards. US silverware with AA catering is a different story and you'll have to call in to manually have the mileage posted - but this will be RDM only and no EQM.

ashill

^

This thread can now be closed; nothing more to say.

eponymous_coward

Not to mention that AA's converting their 772s to J, and will fly those to Asia.

I strongly suspect AA will use pmUS A332s on some Asia routes during low season, given how easy it is to redeem in Y on routes like LAX-NRT/PVG in January, and how often they have very low cash prices. Might as well take some of that 772 capacity out of the market...

CDKing

Update. I'm unable to find any former US operated flights avilable with AS miles so business as usual even though US operated flights don't exist as of 10/17 due to the updates done on the AA/US side this weekend. Although i canot tell if this is an AS issue since i also cannot find any saver awards on PMUS flights after 10/17 using AA miles either.

alphaeagle

Here's the thread on the problem in the AA forum:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-airlines-aadvantage-pre-consolidation/1695780-aa-com-glitch-can-not-book-former-us-flights.html

It'll be interesting to see once that's fixed if you can then book those flights using AS miles.

Does anyone have a pmUS flight after 10/17 booked with their AS elite # in the reservation? I'd guess you could get exit row and other preferred seating now but haven't seen anyone confirm or deny that yet.

PWMTrav

I can find at least 1 pmUS flight available on the AS website, although I haven't tried to book it. It even grabs the correct seat map.

Take a look at PHL-MAD in early November. That's a fairly wide open flight (AA 740) for a good stretch of days.

alphaeagle

Cool, I see it too. AA probably just hasn't correctly loaded saver space for most pmUS flights yet. Since the acceptable flight range for crediting AA flights probably takes 5 minutes to change, I'd guess all pmUS operated flights will be allowed after 10/17. Any negotiations between AA and AS would have been done by then.

alphaeagle

Curiosity got the better of me and I did a fake booking on AA.com for a pmUS flight after 10/17. I was able to select the MCE seating (bulkheads and exit rows) by putting in my AS MVPG number ^

I'd be very surprised if flights after that date don't earn AS miles, but as of now they aren't under the eligible flight numbers on alaskaair.com