econ

I can enter any FF# or leave blank, but the FF program can't be changed from AS. (with a normal cash booking, there's a drop-down were you can select from multiple FF programs, but with an award booking there's no other option but AS)

Interesting. I tried the AY website but it didn't seem to recognize the AS confirmation code.

JIMCHI

Well then, OW status has no real benefits. tt's simply not the "seamless" alliance they claim it is. The only benefits I would get flying on AS with my AA Platinum status would be if I booked a cash reservation, used my AA FF number, and miles would accrue to my AA account. Not such a great deal. My OW status can never be used when using a miles award on another OW carrier.

eponymous_coward

Oh, what you're doing won't work because AY is Amadeus. AA and AS are SABRE. What I'm talking about is:

- book a partner flight on an Amadeus airline (in my case, CX miles on BA)
- Go to AY
- stick the AS number in there to replace the CX one
- go back to BA and confirm "yes, I'm using the AS number"

Boom, seat selection on BA.

Maybe give AS a call and see what a phone rep says?

"But officer, why can't I speed my sports car at 150 MPH down the freeway and not get ticketed for speeding? Otherwise this car is USELESS!"

Your problem is with how AA (or AS, I guess) is running the program and writing their rules, not necessarily with oneworld. That being said, it's possible to have one program for earning, one for status. Singapore Air does this; KrisFlyer and PPS are two different programs, it's possible to use a Star Alliance status and credit PPS on an SQ flight. There's also specific ways to do this in PNRs, there's FQTV (frequent flyer account to credit), FQTS (frequent flyer status to use) and FQTR (frequent flyer program used for redemption).

The problem is AA isn't keen on letting you do what they want, it's their rules. It doesn't seem AS is either, if what you want is upgrades or whatever based on one program status and crediting to a different one. My BA redemption using CX miles seems to allow different FQTS and FQTR settings.

Also, what you're saying is not entirely true: you could credit paid flights on AS and redeem on AS using AA miles and your AA FFN (and status) could come along for the ride.

But "I can't do what I want ergo the status is useless"... well, I suppose. How often do you plan to be flying AS and not crediting AA, but still want to qualify and retain for status on AA? I mean, if it's going to cost you untold thousands upon thousands of miles... maybe you should status match to AS?

(Truth be told people flash the card to get into the lounge, while having the BP credit another airline, and do various trickeries like change the FFN at the gate minutes before departure all the time. Caveat emptor.)

Oh yeah, I remember back in the day I've stuck my AS FFN on a BA redemption with a phone call... maybe see what they can do for you?

channa

Did you select "Myself" as the traveler? Maybe try to make a new traveler with your name/info manually, with your desired OA FFN.

eddiehuang97

Think about it in reverse, for a cash reservation can you earn AS miles and at the same time use oneworld benefits from your AA Plat? You can't.

JIMCHI

That's my point. OW status is useless. I'm Lifeitime Platinum with AA and that status gives me nothing with other OW carriers. OW means nothing to me. Does it to anyone else other than being able to accrue miles on one carrier while flying on another.?

tom911

Are we flying the same alliance? I rather enjoy priority boarding and lounge access when flying international partners. Are you not taking advantage of those AA Platinum/One World Sapphire benefits when you travel outside the U.S.? Having lounge access across Australia has been particularly valuable to me, from small airports like Tamworth, midsize ones like Cairns and Perth, to larger ones like Melbourne and Sydney. Now that I have One World Emerald though Alaska versus my One World Sapphire through AA, I'm looking forward to first class lounge access again when departing airports like Sydney and Hong Kong plus AA arrivals lounge access at LHR.

teemuflyer

The LT AA PLT gives you all the OWS benefits worldwide, per applicable rules, as long as you 1) credit your cash flights to AA, or 2) use AA miles for awards travel. Even though many of the OW airlines have partnerships outside of the OW framework and thus might offer reciprocal benefits to each other, a mix of them also compete with each other on many routes.

econ

So this is what I ended up doing. Spent some time on hold listening to AS's version of the Safety Dance, then a friendly agent answered the phone and also greeted me by saying "Thank you for being a Oneworld Emerald". I told her that I was having trouble adding my AA FFN to a reservation, and she was able to add it with no problems.

Eastbay1K

For those of us AS regulars that haven't been preferred members of a global alliance, I would suggest that expecting seamless travel and benefits will lead only to gross disappointment at times. I've got experience with this, both on *A and OW. Issues from "we won't check your bag through on separate tickets (even though that was permitted when you purchased the tickets) to "you can't get your connecting BP until you get to the transit point in vastly overcrowded and chaotic European airport."

Nonetheless, I'm sure we'll all appreciate the lounge and seating benefits, not to mention having shiny stone names next to our own names.

JIMCHI

Just to clarify-- are you using AS miles for the flight, like I'm doing? And they will change your FF number once the reservation is ticketed and you were then able to get priority seating?

econ

Yes, although I never put in any FFN in to begin with when making the booking. (when it comes to OW award bookings, my experience is that it is much more straightforward to have a FFN added rather than to change an existing one).

Was able to immediately choose preferred seating. Got an email a few hours later that I was upgraded to Premium Class.

JIMCHI

I'm sorry, but I still don't understand. How could you make a booking using AS miles without entering your AS FF number ???

eponymous_coward

See post 91 above.

JIMCHI

But I asked him in post #101 if his was an award booking and he responded "yes". Post #91 seems to apply to cash bookings.