HOw does FC seating work?
 

I just booked award travel from

outbound:
JFK-LAX on 762 in biz

LAX-OGG on 763 in FC

Inbound:

LIH-LAX on 757 in FC

LAX-JFK on 762 in biz

Now I noticed that my flights b/w NY and lax only got me seats in Business but the ones b/w Hawaii and LA are FC.

Is there a reason why? (rules-wise or class configuration wise? Or is it simply based on availability?)

and if is is jsut based on availability, should I just keep calling back to see if we can move up?

How many miles were you charged per ticket? I'd guess you've come upon transcon premium service, where they charge extra miles to be in F on the nonstops from LAX to JFK, versus other F routings, ans that's why you may be in business. The 757 routing is only two class.

You're on a biz award, it looks like. That means you get 1 class of service better than coach. A 762 is a 3 class plane, so you get biz. A 757 and a 763 are 2 class planes, meaning you get FC (1 class better than coach).

You can get a first class award, to get FC on the 3 class planes. But, it is sort of a waste since you can't get anything more on the 2 class planes.

The 762 in J is about 5 nothches above the 757 in F. The 757 in F will feel like coach after the other 3 segments.

Welcome to FT and the always informative AA forum!

There are two different types of award that involve FC: "First/Business" and "Premium". To Hawaii, the First/Business Plan AAhead award is 75,000 miles and the Premium is 95,000.

"First/Business" gets you a biz seat on a 3-class flight and a FC seat on a 2-class flight. "Premium" gets you a FC seat on a 3-class flight (a flat sleeper) and a FC seat on a 2-class flight.

As one who goes to Hawaii from New York a lot, I always avoid changing in California because of the 757 service to Hawaii from the west coast. Its terrible in FC and the red eye coming back is too short to get any meaningful sleep. I fly out of LGA through DFW or ORD and take a long flight to Hawaii in a 763 in FC which is better, IMO, than the 762 transcon in biz. But I don't think they have DFW/ORD service to LIH.

But, hey, either way you end up in Hawaii so how bad can it be? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

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AA - Home of the best FF program in the world.

Hey inlanikai, we are neighbors, I'm in Babylon, wherbouts are you?

THanks for the replies.

Yes, we are using the 75,000 award ticket so I do understand your replies.

However, riddle me THIS batman: when the agent first told me the above details, she said gave us the above flights.

But then she asked if I was flexible, then then found flights on the same eaxct routing, but for the next day very early in the morning, all booked in FC. And this was on the same aircraft.

So riddle me this Batman, what is that all about? therein lies my confusion!

Beautiful downtown Medford.

Well, Robin, she did not say, that it would be 95K (hey, that rhymes) did she? If you said "yes, give me the best", you would be light 20K more is my guess.

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AA - Home of the best FF program in the world.

Ah, the Medford area, I sometimes cover my friends office hours at the Sams CLub out there.

Yes, Batman, the 90K mile notion did dcross my mind! LOL

Maybe they'll jsut bump us up if there is room on the flight! ;-)

cheers, phoenix

The _Phoenix welcome to FlyerTalk!!
The answer to your topic title is:
FC Seating works very well for me.

I like going JFK-LAX-HNL because it breaks up the flights better for me. I think I would have tried to book an interisland flight back to HNL and went for a 763 back to the mainland. You will like 762 J class and the 757 is just okay in F. Better than coach. IMHO, the extra miles are worth getting into P but that is only if you have them.

Sounds like you got a great award, enjoy.

If we are on award tickets, can upgrades be bought over them?

Afraid not. Award tickets are not upgradable. But nice thought.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

But one can always hope for an operational upgrade. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif Myself and a companion, on business award tickets from ORD to LHR, were upgraded to F on the way home this past summer. I never had this happen in 12 years of international award travel with UA (upgrades on award tix).



[This message has been edited by tom911 (edited Feb 02, 2004).]