AS Changes Award Charts: Distance- and Zone-Based from March 2024
Nov 15, 2023, 2:20 pm
#61
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
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Huh. Looks like the March '24 pricing is already live in some places. 15k for JX TPE-NRT in J. That's not... terrible for three hours on an A330neo that actually has a longhaul-ish J?
Nov 15, 2023, 2:23 pm
#62
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Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS 75k, AA Plat, Bonvoyed Gold, Honors Dia, Hyatt Explorer, IHG Plat, ...
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I am currently experimenting with AA status, and I suspect I will ultimately earn fewer RDM than if I stuck with AS, but I will earn mid tier elite status easier (and cheaper). And since I am currently sitting on more than a million OneWorld miles across AA, AS, and BA, I really need to focus on my spending (redemption) problem.
Nov 15, 2023, 2:38 pm
#63
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Can you elaborate? How do LP generate miles by the bucket? There are many ways to earn LP, and often they come with miles. AA Hotels, Shopping Portal, Avis/Budget rentals come to mind. But AS has those same partners to earn RDM (alas, not EQM), and a quick comparison for AA Hotels for an upcoming stay tells me that you may be able to get more redeemable miles if you choose AS than if you choose AA (which really isn’t surprising since they have to pay for the LP somehow). AS has a shopping portal and the mileage earnings are similar if not identical.
I am currently experimenting with AA status, and I suspect I will ultimately earn fewer RDM than if I stuck with AS, but I will earn mid tier elite status easier (and cheaper). And since I am currently sitting on more than a million OneWorld miles across AA, AS, and BA, I really need to focus on my spending (redemption) problem.
I am currently experimenting with AA status, and I suspect I will ultimately earn fewer RDM than if I stuck with AS, but I will earn mid tier elite status easier (and cheaper). And since I am currently sitting on more than a million OneWorld miles across AA, AS, and BA, I really need to focus on my spending (redemption) problem.
Nov 15, 2023, 2:42 pm
#64
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There's extra from SimplyMiles on top of the Shopping Portal.
Nov 15, 2023, 3:22 pm
#65
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Clinging to the edifices of a decadent past from the biggest city in America nobody really cares about.
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Likewise, if you have a flight within 72hrs but need to push it back, can you do so? What are the restrictions? For example, the new flight must be 72hrs out?
Nov 15, 2023, 3:38 pm
#66
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SAN
Programs: Lots of faux metal
Posts: 6,425
Nov 15, 2023, 3:42 pm
#67
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 25K, AS MVP Gold, BA Bronze, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,472
Here's is my regular usage for AS miles:
I've also booked KE J; 105k RT to ICN or 120k RT to southeast Asia; those are now going to be 150k (+42%) and and 170k (+41%).
And finally to get to Europe; LAX-HEL-FCO (7003 miles; ouch) 70k -> 85k (+21%). This could be reduced to 75k by changing the origin or destination slightly to get it under 7k miles. Available for 57.5k on AA with no stopover, or 80k as 2 awards.
So basically, for my travel patterns, this devalues AS miles pretty significantly. I'm going to estimate it at about 35% overall.
An AA mile is now clearly far more valuable to me than an AS mile -- it's no longer even close. Even stopovers don't save AS here, because I can just book 2 AA awards for about the same price or less.
I'm probably going to try to burn off the rest of my AS miles (by booking future trips) before this takes effect. I have about 320k left so it should be doable. After that, my switch to AA will be complete.
- SFO/LAX - TYO in J: 60k -> 75k (+25%). Available on AA for 60k.
- SFO/LAX - TYO in F: 70k -> 110k (+57%). Available on AA for 80k.
- SFO/LAX - BKK w/ TYO stopover in J: 65k -> 85k (+30%). Available on AA as 2 awards for 90k (70k as 1 award w/ no stopover)
- SFO/LAX - BKK w/ TYO stopover in F: 75k -> 130k (+73%). Available on AA as 2 awards for 110k (also 110k as 1 award w/ no stopover) Would be 160k on AS as 2 awards.
I've also booked KE J; 105k RT to ICN or 120k RT to southeast Asia; those are now going to be 150k (+42%) and and 170k (+41%).
And finally to get to Europe; LAX-HEL-FCO (7003 miles; ouch) 70k -> 85k (+21%). This could be reduced to 75k by changing the origin or destination slightly to get it under 7k miles. Available for 57.5k on AA with no stopover, or 80k as 2 awards.
So basically, for my travel patterns, this devalues AS miles pretty significantly. I'm going to estimate it at about 35% overall.
An AA mile is now clearly far more valuable to me than an AS mile -- it's no longer even close. Even stopovers don't save AS here, because I can just book 2 AA awards for about the same price or less.
I'm probably going to try to burn off the rest of my AS miles (by booking future trips) before this takes effect. I have about 320k left so it should be doable. After that, my switch to AA will be complete.
Nov 15, 2023, 3:45 pm
#68
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...and as a follow-up: if you have an existing ticket booked prior to 72h before departure but need to change it to a new flight less than 72hours out, is this permitted?
Likewise, if you have a flight within 72hrs but need to push it back, can you do so? What are the restrictions? For example, the new flight must be 72hrs out?
Likewise, if you have a flight within 72hrs but need to push it back, can you do so? What are the restrictions? For example, the new flight must be 72hrs out?
Nov 15, 2023, 3:50 pm
#69
Join Date: May 2006
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SE, UA Silver, Bonvoy LT Titanium, Accor Diamond, Hilton Gold
Posts: 417
I'm curious as a Canadian. The award charts for EMEA and Asia Pac both say "Includes travel from US to..." Does this mean we'll have to add on an Americas connection to the US point of departure? Does this also mean we won't be able to depart from Canada on a direct flight to the appropriate region (i.e. KE from YYZ to ICN) anymore?
Nov 15, 2023, 3:54 pm
#70
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Programs: IHG Plat(Ambssdr on occasion), Hyatt Explr(2023), AS Mileage Plan, Rapid Rewards, Bonvoy Plat
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Hopefully, the Earth hasn't changed or Alaska recalibrated their tape measures, and SJC-SEA is still a couple miles under 701.
SFO to East Coast goes up 5,000 miles, no more 25K round trips, now 35K round trip?
Never mind, partners only. I'll go back to my cave.
SFO to East Coast goes up 5,000 miles, no more 25K round trips, now 35K round trip?
Never mind, partners only. I'll go back to my cave.
Last edited by archstenton; Nov 15, 2023 at 4:17 pm
Nov 15, 2023, 4:22 pm
#71
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: AS MVPG
Posts: 2,209
I wonder how distance will actually be calculated. I'd assume segment by segment for a total of x amount of miles then matched to the award chart. But if each segment is counted individually on the award chart and the added on to the next segment like how Avios works, this would be much worse. If it's simply A airport to B airport with no regards for connections, this would likely be make it far more attractive to most people but that seems unlikely.
Last edited by alphaeagle; Nov 15, 2023 at 4:30 pm
Nov 15, 2023, 4:41 pm
#72
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I wonder how distance will actually be calculated. I'd assume segment by segment for a total of x amount of miles then matched to the award chart. But if each segment is counted individually on the award chart and the added on to the next segment like how Avios works, this would be much worse. If it's simply A airport to B airport with no regards for connections, this would likely be make it far more attractive to most people but that seems unlikely.
Nov 15, 2023, 4:54 pm
#74
Join Date: May 2012
Location: HNL
Programs: AS MVPG, HA Plat
Posts: 1,268
Also wondering if they'll do anything to mitigate the geography that puts some of the PNW-Europe nonstops in one band and CA-Europe NS in the next band up. That doesn't seem like the message they're trying to send to CA.
Nov 15, 2023, 5:01 pm
#75
Join Date: Aug 2012
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Doubtful. LAX always seems to get shafted in these distance charts. AC recently shifted it 12 miles further from SYD as well. LAX-HKG is also a different band than SEA-HKG when that comes back.