AA53

We give Airpass to anyone who flies more than 10 roundtrips a year. A roundtrip to LGA is about $1100 in Y or YUP. These people who fly 10 RT or so are not EXP. So once a month traveler will be EXP. Fine with me as they are spending as much or more than many others who are. I am to the point that the only benefit I see to EXP is the VIPs. I may be different than many here as I only fly LGA and ORD from DFW in addition to 4-5 international flights a year. I book full fare tickets using Airpass so upgrades mean nothing to me. If I were a discount flyer, I would be concerned. 10 grand is nothing to a business traveler.

Fly AA J all the way

Here is analogy: A current EXP who wants to buy the card to try and get 8 more eVIPs is no different than a current EXP who does 200k BIS miles in a year feeling they should also get 8 extra VIPs. And we know how AA responds to the latter (in light of this year's offer for those flying upwards of 125k).

What you could probably do is buy the card for a friend/family member who doesn't fly very much but wanted to do one or two F/J int'l trips on the condition that they "gift" you the VIPs, and they, for example, only pay you back for part of the card.

Hoc

I would assume that the eVIPs will expire at the end of February, 2007, just like the EXP status does. If you qualify by then, then you get another set of eVIPs for 2007, as well as EXP status through February, 2008.

shawbridge

Thanks, elitetraveler. Do these eVIPs also help if you are flying business class to Europe or Asia or Australia? Can you get upgraded to first?

Do the eVIPs expire? Can they be used by other people than the original recipient?

elitetraveler

Since they automated them, i dont have a hard copy in front of me but generally - and somebody who knows better can add in --

- you can upgrade one class of service - Y to C or C to P on three class and Y to F on two class aircraft. They are valid systemwide (needs to be AA metal - no code shares). The expire one year from when they are issued - so generally Feb of the following year as the status requal year is based on Feb. You can give them to other people - I give them to my gf all the time so it doesn't have to be within the family.

ijgordon

Correct.
Correct.
Incorrect, partly. They expire when the EXP status expires. They apparently used to expire after one calendar year, when the certs were paper. I qualified for 2006 EXP in July 2005, so my VIPs, as well as my EXP status, were valid from then until Feb 2007. Nineteen months!
Correct.

FWAAA

Don't things happen in threes?

My prediction: Some form of E+

oklAAhoma

Big, big "if". The offer states you will receive EXP status until Feb 2007 for 10K upfront. Why do you think AA would double the perks for anyone who is already an EXP?

Fly AA J all the way

They already have it. Haven't you sat in rows 1-6 on a 757?

elitetraveler

Actually, my understanding from talking to the EXP desk this evening is there are NO eVIPs for anyone on this deal - they could not find any mention of them but are calling me back to confirm.

JonNYC

Maybe they just meant no eVIPs for you.

brp

To expand upon the answer already given- the status qualifying year is not based on Feb., but on Jan-Dec. The eVIPs are given as soon as one qualifies, whenever that is. There was talk of having them expire one year from the date issued when (now if) they were viewable online. Since they are not, the expiration is when EXP terminates, giving them a life of between 14 and 25+ months.

Cheers.

3544quebec

When you go to the purchase page the only options for delivery are US/Puerto Rico/USVI/Canada. Can you and if so how can you purchase if from elsewhere?

Would it be a reasonable proposition with the following travel plans?

A B Class return GRU-SYD costs about $2500 on AA with taxes and excess mileage surcharges and allows the following GRU-MIA-YUL-DFW-YYC-DFW-HNL-SYD and return all on AA with HNL-SYD being on the QF operated codeshare. This is 38000 miles return and as its B class it earns 1.5 EQMs per mile.

So as an AA Gold planning on doing 2 trips before end of Dec 07 and 2 trips in Jan-May 08 by buying this card (and paying the extension surcharge on $2500) I would :

1)Earn 150200 miles plus 150200 EXP bonus (currently on 1.3 million lifetime miles therefore that much closer to lifetime Plat)

2)Earn 114000 EQMs before Dec 31 and qualify for EXP for 2008

3)Earn 114000 EQMs before May 31 08 and qualify for EXP for 2009

4)If eVIPS come with this, then getting upgraded to Business from GRU to MIA on the 2 trips in 2007

5)Getting free complimentary upgrades on all the North American segments from MIA until HNL in 2007 once EXP as B class is considered full fare.


I suppose numbers 4) and 5) above and lounge access on the 1st trip GRU-SYD until I would normally have achieved Plat status are the only things specific to this pass.

Does it look worthwhile and can I buy the pass outside of North America?

IceTrojan

A "enhanced" phone reservation system that exposes different cultures to its callers, as part of the "We know why the world flies" campaign. First stop, South Asia....

bedelman

I was surprised by this provision: "All travel purchased with the Card must be completed, and all funds in your Account must be used, by February 28, 2007" (emphasis added).

As to the "all funds in your account must be used by..." clause -- yes, that makes sense. On the predetermined date, they'll check your account and begin the specified penalties / extension.

But how exactly do they check whether purchased travel has been completed? A traveller is entitled to use the card to buy fully flexible tickets, valid for a year from purchase, with unlimited changes. And as a practical matter, how does AA even cross-check this with card balance information?

Seems like the rule really "ought" to be that the travel must be purchased by the specified date, but that it can be flown at any time. Not that "used by" wouldn't match AA's business objectives, but it's just such a rat's nest to investigate and enforce, that they're better not even purporting to impose this rule. How does United handle this issue? (Both in theory, according to their stated rules, and in practice?)