AA and Alaska Airlines - Need Advice
Aug 22, 2010, 10:10 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: CMH
Programs: DL Silver Medallion, UA, Chase UR, AMEX MR
Posts: 198
AA and Alaska Airlines - Need Advice
I am considering switching to AA but need to get some advice from AA gurus here before I decide eitherways. AA doesnot fly to my home airport but Horizon/Alaska does. Can I book award tickets using AA miles to travel on Alaska metal? How good or bad is AA about offering award tickets for partner airlines? I tried doing this online but AA website showed me no availability as they donot fly to one of the airports. I see when I try through Alaska website, they give me options of AS/AA combinations.
I get so many offers of AA/Citi CC but I keep ignoring them. If this works, i may be tempted to give it a shot.
Thanks!
I get so many offers of AA/Citi CC but I keep ignoring them. If this works, i may be tempted to give it a shot.
Thanks!
Aug 22, 2010, 12:08 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Hotlanta.
Programs: I've gone underground!
Posts: 4,604
Yes you can book to fly on AS metal but you have to call American to book this award since you can only book AA, AE, or American Connection via the website.
How's their redemption on partners? Not bad but YMMV.
How's their redemption on partners? Not bad but YMMV.
Aug 22, 2010, 1:31 pm
#3
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Wenatchee, WA
Programs: Lifetime AA Gold-1MM
Posts: 4,909
Just remember that you can only book super-saver coach and first class awards on AS using AA miles, you can't book the full-flex coach or full-flex first awards even if you're willing to spend the miles. Also, if you end up flying AS a lot, you can open an AS FF account and credit your AA miles (as well as DL miles) to it.
Aug 23, 2010, 8:57 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: CMH
Programs: DL Silver Medallion, UA, Chase UR, AMEX MR
Posts: 198
Just remember that you can only book super-saver coach and first class awards on AS using AA miles, you can't book the full-flex coach or full-flex first awards even if you're willing to spend the miles. Also, if you end up flying AS a lot, you can open an AS FF account and credit your AA miles (as well as DL miles) to it.
Aug 23, 2010, 10:12 am
#5
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,731
Can we transfer the miles (earned through CC or other promos) from DL/AA account to AS? or do you mean that when we fly DL or AA, we can have miles for that flight segment credited to AS ff account? I know later is possible and but if former is possible, that will be really nice..
Aug 23, 2010, 10:44 am
#6
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: AA EXP 3MM
Posts: 1,773
Collecting miles with AAdvantage is certainly doable, but at the current state of the program, requesting AS/QX awards will require calling and having a limited availability of award times (as stated above).
If you are planning to gain elite status on AAdvantage, you should consider the following:
Do you regularly check begs? How many EQMs will you credit a year to your account? How many of your domestic flights are to cities served better by AA than AS? How many international flights (paid and award) do you fly? Can you buy flights originating from your home airport on AA.com, i.e. that include the AS/QX connection?
One important thing to note is that if you do check bags often, then as an AA elite you will be paying bag-check fees every time your itinerary starts with an AS/QX flight, regardless of whether it is an AA codeshare.
MVP and MVP Gold (plus the new MVP Gold 75k) are pretty good if you are flying mainly domestic within the AS network. Most people I know who are MVP Gold have a high percentage of upgrades clear. A big advantage of the MVP program is that miles can be collected on both AA and DL offering a lot of flexibility. The additional international partners give reasonable coverage too (inc BA, AF, KLM, CX and LAN).
On the other hand, if you rarely check bags, fly enough to make EXP and fly a lot of international, then AA is a good program. Under these circumstances, I personally think its worth the inconvenience of not having all of the elite benefits for your connecting flights to have the SWUs and high percentage of domestic complimentary upgrades clear on AA metal (assuming you will be flying a lot of miles on AA metal booked as AA coded).
However, if you are just asking about collecting AA miles from credit card offers etc (and crediting fewer flying miles than required to qualify for elite status), you should be able to get AS/QX flights with the limitations mentioned above. On deciding which is the best card to get for your flying habits, that is a whole other set of threads!
If you are planning to gain elite status on AAdvantage, you should consider the following:
Do you regularly check begs? How many EQMs will you credit a year to your account? How many of your domestic flights are to cities served better by AA than AS? How many international flights (paid and award) do you fly? Can you buy flights originating from your home airport on AA.com, i.e. that include the AS/QX connection?
One important thing to note is that if you do check bags often, then as an AA elite you will be paying bag-check fees every time your itinerary starts with an AS/QX flight, regardless of whether it is an AA codeshare.
MVP and MVP Gold (plus the new MVP Gold 75k) are pretty good if you are flying mainly domestic within the AS network. Most people I know who are MVP Gold have a high percentage of upgrades clear. A big advantage of the MVP program is that miles can be collected on both AA and DL offering a lot of flexibility. The additional international partners give reasonable coverage too (inc BA, AF, KLM, CX and LAN).
On the other hand, if you rarely check bags, fly enough to make EXP and fly a lot of international, then AA is a good program. Under these circumstances, I personally think its worth the inconvenience of not having all of the elite benefits for your connecting flights to have the SWUs and high percentage of domestic complimentary upgrades clear on AA metal (assuming you will be flying a lot of miles on AA metal booked as AA coded).
However, if you are just asking about collecting AA miles from credit card offers etc (and crediting fewer flying miles than required to qualify for elite status), you should be able to get AS/QX flights with the limitations mentioned above. On deciding which is the best card to get for your flying habits, that is a whole other set of threads!