Mar 6, 2013, 10:37 am
Last edit by: JDiver
[B]Through / direct with same flight number on multiple segments credit as single non-stop
Through or direct flights are those that use one flight number but may not be nonstop. Takeaway: all nonstop flights are direct; direct flights might not be non-stop. When speaking to agents and you want a nonstop flight, specify nonstop.
AAdvantage Terms and Conditions (link):
If one takes a through / direct flight consisting of two or more segments operated as one flight number, the miles earned are as if the flight was a nonstop. E.g. AA111 FCO-ORD (772) and AA111 ORD-LAX (738) would render miles and segment credits as if you had flown nonstop FCO-LAX, even if you had a change of aircraft, terminals and gates in ORD.
It's not uncommon to have different aircraft carry out different segments, even different "gauges" (narrow and wide bodied) and different terminals. Normally, passengers flying both segments must disembark with cabin / hand baggage at the intermediate stops.
The exception is for round trips using same flight numbers, e.g. a mileage run using AA 123 SMF-DFW-SMF would credit separately and properly.
Seat selection will normally be for seats offered on all segments (as opposed to being able to select different seats on different segments.
Upgrades must normally clear on all segments to clear.
There are other peculiarities (affecting upgrade requests, Five Star Services, etc.) discussed in this thread. Booking through / direct flights can cause challenges one doesn’t experience on connections ting flights with different flight numbers or nonstop flights.
Through or direct flights are those that use one flight number but may not be nonstop. Takeaway: all nonstop flights are direct; direct flights might not be non-stop. When speaking to agents and you want a nonstop flight, specify nonstop.
A direct (or through) flight in the aviation industry is any flight between two points by an airline with no change in flight numbers, which includes one or more stops at an intermediate point(s).
For any flights that earn mileage credit based on a percentage of distance flown, the distance is determined on the basis of nonstop distances between the airports where your flight originates and terminates. On connecting flights with different flight numbers, the distance of each segment will be used. On single-plane, through, or change of gauge flights, the nonstop origin-destination distance will be used and credit for a single elite qualifying segment will be given.
[*]AAdvantage flight mileage credit is determined on the basis of nonstop distances between the airports where your flight originates and terminates. On connecting flights with different flight numbers, you'll receive mileage credit for each segment of your trip; on single-plane, through, or change of gauge flights, you'll receive the nonstop origin-destination mileage credit and credit for a single elite qualifying segment. On American Airlines and other AAdvantage airline participants, you'll receive AAdvantage mileage credit only for the class of service on which your fare is based when you are ticketed. American Airlines is the final authority on the methodology used to calculate mileage and the amount of flight credit for a particular flight or routing. American Airlines is the final authority on qualification for mileage credit and reserves the right to deny or revoke mileage credit at any time if American Airlines determines that mileage credit was improperly given.
[*]AAdvantage flight mileage credit is determined on the basis of nonstop distances between the airports where your flight originates and terminates. On connecting flights with different flight numbers, you'll receive mileage credit for each segment of your trip; on single-plane, through, or change of gauge flights, you'll receive the nonstop origin-destination mileage credit and credit for a single elite qualifying segment. On American Airlines and other AAdvantage airline participants, you'll receive AAdvantage mileage credit only for the class of service on which your fare is based when you are ticketed. American Airlines is the final authority on the methodology used to calculate mileage and the amount of flight credit for a particular flight or routing. American Airlines is the final authority on qualification for mileage credit and reserves the right to deny or revoke mileage credit at any time if American Airlines determines that mileage credit was improperly given.
It's not uncommon to have different aircraft carry out different segments, even different "gauges" (narrow and wide bodied) and different terminals. Normally, passengers flying both segments must disembark with cabin / hand baggage at the intermediate stops.
The exception is for round trips using same flight numbers, e.g. a mileage run using AA 123 SMF-DFW-SMF would credit separately and properly.
Seat selection will normally be for seats offered on all segments (as opposed to being able to select different seats on different segments.
Upgrades must normally clear on all segments to clear.
There are other peculiarities (affecting upgrade requests, Five Star Services, etc.) discussed in this thread. Booking through / direct flights can cause challenges one doesn’t experience on connections ting flights with different flight numbers or nonstop flights.
One or multi-stop, single flight numbers: through / direct flights (master thd)
Jan 10, 2016, 8:18 am
#136
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: ONT/FRA
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 878
As has been mentioned before - LUS TAs and GAs apparently haven't received very comprehensive training on AA's systems. They are having a terrible time with upgrade and standby lists. I have seen GAs inadvertently make such horrible messes of both that the issue was unfixable. They had to manually create boarding passes for standby passengers to get the flight out.
I'm not at all surprised you ended up with manual/bogus BP because of a botched upgrade.
I hope AA gets these folks properly trained soon. Until that happens, I am actively trying to avoid pmUS stations, because I like my upgrades
and I do like to make use of SDS.
I'm not at all surprised you ended up with manual/bogus BP because of a botched upgrade.
I hope AA gets these folks properly trained soon. Until that happens, I am actively trying to avoid pmUS stations, because I like my upgrades
and I do like to make use of SDS.
Jan 10, 2016, 9:44 pm
#138
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: FNT, but DTW if I can't help it
Programs: AAdvantage Former EXP/Current PLT / Total Rewards - Diamond / Hilton HHonors - Gold
Posts: 757
I checked my AAdvantage account, and the two segments posted separately instead of as a direct flight for EQM, RDM, and Million Miler. They pulled two stickers even though the only flight their system showed as upgraded was <500 miles.
I don't think US Airways employees are necessarily to blame. Today I was #2 on the UG list for SFO-ORD, didn't have enough stickers at checkin, asked the gate agent to add me back. He said I could pay for the stickers if I get the upgrade. He came back into coach, pulled me into the front of the plane and said "I don't know why but it didn't ask me to take any stickers from you" and he handed me my new BP. I'm sorry to whoever was #2 until 45 minutes prior to departure, but I assure you I was on the list months ago!
We'll see how it pans out, but sometimes clueless employees can be a good thing, I guess!
What seems weird here, though, is that it APPEARS as though the reason your seat has to be the same for both segments of a direct flight is so they can credit miles properly based solely on my single data point.
Jan 11, 2016, 5:55 am
#139
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MDE
Programs: AA-PLT, HH-GLD, PP
Posts: 1,511
I had always thought that you had to be in the same seat for both legs, but on a recent direct flight ATL-MIA-MDE even though the seat selection portion of the site only showed one leg, I was somehow in 8A for one and 8C for the other. I had also not expected to be able to UG ATL-MIA with stickers, but they let me do it.
Jan 11, 2016, 11:07 am
#140
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Columbia, SC
Programs: AA Plat, SPG/Marriot Gold, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Expl
Posts: 2,363
My last chat with a TA while trying to get checked in (unrelated issue) was that their training was months prior to the cut-over. Having training that far off from the switch to using the new systems day-to-day is not very effective, so it's no wonder they're having trouble. I wouldn't blame the agents necessarily, and kudos to them to getting the OP into F as per his/her elite benefit. They could've just said, no can do, sit in your assigned Y seat.
Jan 11, 2016, 3:38 pm
#141
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: DL DM; AS 75K; Marriott Titanium Elite
Posts: 126
Slightly off topic, but is the standard practice for a thru flight to credit both segments separately? I've got an upcoming trip DEN-PHX-SEA with the same flight number and I'm wondering if it'll be ~1020 EQMs (n/s Den-SEA) or 1695 (DEN-PHX, PHX-SEA).
Jan 11, 2016, 5:47 pm
#142
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MDE
Programs: AA-PLT, HH-GLD, PP
Posts: 1,511
Sorry, you just get the DEN-SEA. On the through flight I mentioned in my previous post, I only got credit for ATL-MDE rather than ATL-MIA-MDE. The good news for me though was that the difference was only six miles.^
Jan 11, 2016, 6:40 pm
#143
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: DL DM; AS 75K; Marriott Titanium Elite
Posts: 126
Yeah, I was kinda worried about that. Thanks for the response!
Jan 19, 2016, 4:01 am
#144
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 981
"direct" flight question
I want to fly pek-dfw-lga, but it's flight #262 for all segments. will i get credit for 1 segment or 2 (and miles for the "through" or segment 1 + segment 2)? any way to not get stuck with "direct" problems?
Jan 19, 2016, 4:16 am
#145
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,417
Most programs (you don't specify whether you plan to credit to AA or not, nor are your FF programs listed under your username) would give credit for one segment and through miles.
Jan 19, 2016, 5:12 am
#146
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 981
Jan 19, 2016, 5:12 am
#147
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
Your status won't matter for this specific situation. The only option available to you is to book another DFW-LGA flight, one with another flight number. This route is reasonably well served–hopefully another hour or so at the lounge in DFW will be worth the miles.
Jan 19, 2016, 5:59 am
#148
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 328
Seems an odd route to be concerned about one segment credit.
Do you foresee qualifying on segments this year?
Oh. It's the through miles.
Do you foresee qualifying on segments this year?
Oh. It's the through miles.
Last edited by Microwave; Jan 19, 2016 at 6:23 am Reason: Merged consecutive posts and removed manual signature
Jan 19, 2016, 6:45 am
#150
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
If the miles are key, I can think of three realistic options...
1) Route PEK-ORD instead of PEK-DFW, as that flight gets in much earlier in the day and would allow for more onward connections. You could even do PEK-ORD-DFW-LGA if the fare's routing rules permit it (or PEK-ORD-MIA-LGA, or however else you want to get creative).
2) Route PEK-DFW-PHL and take the train home. Not even close to ideal, I know...
3) Keep the routing the same and overnight in DFW (again, assuming the fare rules allow the overnight to remain a connection).
You could also hope for a flight number change later, if your flights are a ways in the future... that's just a hope, but AA do monkey with flight numbers quite a bit these days.
1) Route PEK-ORD instead of PEK-DFW, as that flight gets in much earlier in the day and would allow for more onward connections. You could even do PEK-ORD-DFW-LGA if the fare's routing rules permit it (or PEK-ORD-MIA-LGA, or however else you want to get creative).
2) Route PEK-DFW-PHL and take the train home. Not even close to ideal, I know...
3) Keep the routing the same and overnight in DFW (again, assuming the fare rules allow the overnight to remain a connection).
You could also hope for a flight number change later, if your flights are a ways in the future... that's just a hope, but AA do monkey with flight numbers quite a bit these days.