Originally Posted by goingbananas

Quick question. I will be flying into ORD on an overnight flight with UA. I will be then departing on a UA connection. I will be have a need for a shower.

Will I have an issue getting into the AC with my membership card and only ID (no BP on AA since I will be on UA)?

Thanks

Originally Posted by dstan

Originally Posted by dstan

• How many 500-mile upgrades / stickers do I need?

Each increment of up to 500 miles for a given flight segment requires the use one 500-mile upgrade. Thus, a 1100-mile flight requires three 500-mile upgrades. AA does provide an unofficial ‘grace window’ of 51 miles on the total mileage, so a 1051-mile flight will only require two 500-mile upgrades. EXP upgrades are complimentary and do not require 500-mile upgrades

Originally Posted by cjpark

Forgive me if this is not a proper question for this thread. I will miss meeting the requirements for PLT this year. I have 120, 500 mile upgrades that I will never use since my travel is mostly international. Does anyone know if AA has ever allowed anyone to trade the upgrades for equivelant miles to requalify for status?

Originally Posted by dstan

• What are Preferred seats?

Preferred seats include all exit row seats, and certain window and aisle seats toward the front of each aircraft. The exact number and location of Preferred seats varies depending on the aircraft, flight, and day of week. While preferred seats do not necessarily have any more legroom than standard seats, some exit row seats and MD-80 seats forward of the exit rows do have extra legroom. Also, because those eligible for Preferred seats also receive PriorityAAccess boarding, they can both board first and deplane first from seats near the front of the aircraft.

Preferred seats are available for advance reservation only by AAdvantage elite members, AAirpass members, and full fare passengers (Y, B). Available Preferred seats are shaded in purple on AA.com seat maps, although occupied Preferred seats are not designated. All Preferred seats are released for general assignment when the flight transfers to airport control on the day of departure.

AA.com: View Available Seats
AA.com: Special Assistance: Prereserved Seating
FT: Preferred seat - what does it mean?

Originally Posted by dstan

• How long does it take for miles and points to post to my account?

Miles and points for AA flights generally post to your account within 24 hours after a flight. Previously, it took 2-3 days for AA flights to post, and this new system was phased in beginning in May 2010.

<snip>

FT: Miles now posting right away (May 2010, phasing in)

Originally Posted by dstan

• Will I have lounge access on my itinerary?

FT: ORD / Chicago O'Hare Flagship Lounge Renovations (Nov 2010)

Originally Posted by New England Traveler

Hello,

Looking to sign up 2 friends who are not AAdvantage members currently. They both recently flew 2 AA flights and are eligible for credit. I asked them to hold off signing up in case I can get a referral bonus. Do you know if there is currently one out there? Anyone know if there will be one soon? I believe they have 6 monhts in order to claim past mileage credit...

Thanks!

Originally Posted by miamigrad

Hello New England Traveler,

As noted several times by one of our moderators (and in the OP of this FAQ thread): "Please do NOT post questions here. This thread is reserved for discussing the content of the FAQ itself. If you have a question that is not answered directly by one of the FAQ entries, please find and post to the appropriate thread. Thanks for your cooperation."

There is a consolidated thread that is more appropriate for your question, IMO: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...solidated.html

I've alerted the mods for possible merge/movement of your question to the appropriate thread.

Originally Posted by dstan

• Should I use my miles for an award? / How much is an AAdvantage mile worth?

<snip>

For a detailed analysis of multiple programs by BoardingArea.com blogger Ben Schlappig, see:
InsideFlyer August 2010: The Value of a Point or Mile

For Randy Petersen's take on this question, see these articles:
InsideFlyer October 2010: Opening Remarks
CreditCards.com: Using frequent flier miles on a tax-deductible trip

Originally Posted by dstan

• How can I qualify for AA elite status?

AAdvantage members can qualify for elite status annually based on calendar year butt-in-seat elite-qualifying miles (25K / 50K / 100K), elite-qualifying points (25K / 50K / 100K), or elite-qualifying segments (30 / 60 / 100). All fares on AA earn 100% elite-qualifying miles, 50–150% elite-qualifying points, and 100% elite-qualifying segments, except O fares between North America and Latin America (Central and South America excluding Mexico). Flights on oneworld partner airlines and Alaska Airlines also earn elite-qualifying miles, points, and segments, but may be subject to various fare restrictions and multipliers. Flights on other partner airlines do not earn elite-qualifying miles, points, or segments. Non-flying miles (credit card, dining, etc.) do not count toward annual elite status qualification but do count toward Lifetime Status.

AA is currently running a Triple Elite-Qualifying Miles promotion for LGA-ORD, ORD-LGA, LGA-BOS, and BOS-LGA flight segments ONLY (NYTPL) from Jun 14–Aug 31, 2010. AA is also currently running a Double Elite-Qualfiying Miles promoting for itineraries originating and terminating at BNA, PIT, RDU, and STL from Jul 2–Dec 31, 2010. AA ran systemwide Double Elite-Qualifying Miles promotions from Sep 2–Dec 15, 2009 (DBLEQ) and Mar 18–Jun 15, 2009 (DBEQM).

Wiki: Elite Status
AA.com: Elite Qualification Requirements
FT: NYTPL: Triple EQM LGA-ORD and LGA-BOS
FT: BNATD, PITTD, RDUTD,STLTD Double EQM

Originally Posted by jgor123

Does this post need updating? I see from AA.com that Deep Discount Fares only earn 0.50 EQMs instead of 1.00 EQMs now.

Originally Posted by dstan

• How long can I hold a reservation at a guaranteed price?

Reservations made on AA.com can be held at the current price without payment for a limited time to allow passengers to verify their travel plans and/or monitor price changes. The publicized guarantee is “up to 24 hours”, however, in practice, the hold is valid until 11:59 pm local time on the following day, and this is consistent with the AA Conditions of Carriage, which state: “When you make a telephone reservation with American Airlines or when you make a reservation via AA.com, the fare quoted will be guaranteed for 24 hours or until 11:59 p.m. Central Time the following day, whichever allows you more time. If you elect to make changes to the itinerary within this time-frame, the ticket price may change.”

An important caveat is that if the fare rule expires during that time, the hold will no longer be valid and will automatically reprice. Fares are often structured with advance purchase requirements at 3, 7, 14, or 21 days prior to departure. Reservations including segments marketed by other carriers (non-AA flight number) cannot be placed on hold and must be purchased immediately, although reservations including AA codeshare flights operated by other carriers are eligible for hold.

If you find that AA.com reprices your held reservation when attempting to purchase, and you are sure that the fare rule is still valid, a telephone call to AA Web Services may resolve the problem.

Note that held reservations do remove slots from fare inventory and hold specific seats on seatmaps. The inventory and seats are released automatically when the held reservation is canceled.

AA.com: Hold Your Reservation | Conditions of Carriage: Lowest Fare Availability/Guarantee
FT: Hold / Held Reservation Guarantee - 24 hours or midnight? (consolidated)

Originally Posted by dstan

• How can I qualify for AA elite status?

<snip>

AA is currently running a Double Elite-Qualfiying Miles promotion for itineraries originating and terminating at BNA, PIT, RDU, and STL from Jul 2–Dec 31, 2010 (BNATD, PITTD, RDUTD, STLTD). AA is also running a Double Elite-Qualifying Miles promotion for DFW-SFO or DFW-LAX segments that are part of a roundtrip itinerary (both directions required; AUS-DFW-SFO-DFW-AUS and LGA-DFW-SFO-DFW-LGA have been reported as eligible) from Nov 29, 2010 – Feb 28, 2011 (LASF2).

AA ran a Triple Elite-Qualifying Miles promotion for LGA-ORD, ORD-LGA, LGA-BOS, and BOS-LGA flight segments ONLY (NYTPL) from Jun 14–Aug 31, 2010. AA ran systemwide Double Elite-Qualifying Miles promotions from Sep 2–Dec 15, 2009 (DBLEQ) and Mar 18–Jun 15, 2009 (DBEQM).

Wiki: Elite Status
AA.com: Elite Qualification Requirements
FT: BNATD, PITTD, RDUTD, STLTD: Double EQM on originating/terminating itineraries
FT: LASF2: Double EQM on DFW-LAX and DFW-SFO roundtrip itineraries