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)
May 27, 2018, 11:34 am
#286
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: SLC/HEL/Anywhere with a Beach
Programs: Marriott Ambassador; AA EXP 3MM; AS MVP, Hilton Gold, CH-47/UH-60/C-23/C-130 VET
Posts: 5,234
Tried searching but could not find an answer. If I book a through flight (ie one flight number but there is a stop), I have a few questions:
1) Can I select seats for each leg individually? You can't seem to do this while booking
2) For an upgrade to clear before the gate (it is all domestic) do both legs need to clear or will it upgrade me for just one leg should space open?
3) Do I earn EQM based on the direct routing or based on each leg?
4) To the extent the answers are unfavorable, can I get around it by fooling the system into a multi-city itinerary and selecting each leg individually?
Thanks
1) Can I select seats for each leg individually? You can't seem to do this while booking
2) For an upgrade to clear before the gate (it is all domestic) do both legs need to clear or will it upgrade me for just one leg should space open?
3) Do I earn EQM based on the direct routing or based on each leg?
4) To the extent the answers are unfavorable, can I get around it by fooling the system into a multi-city itinerary and selecting each leg individually?
Thanks
1. You can only pick seats that are open for the entire routing.
2. Both legs need to clear
3. EQM are earned based on the direct route, without regard to the actual routing or number of stops.
4. Maybe ....
When this is the only option, my upgrades won't normally clear in advance and seat choices will be poor. I immediately go to the AC and ask for help breaking the linkage. I can think of twice this happened last year. The Aangels at the LAX AC clicked around and took care of it. At the CLT AC, they couldn't figure out how to do it.
Jun 7, 2018, 10:48 pm
#287
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP, lowly UA 1K; Hyatt Diamond, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold; National EC, Hertz PC
Posts: 2,215
Quick update:
Booked a through flight as two segments using the multi city trick (mind you this was via a corporate portal so may have different luck if trying to do it via AA). I was able to see both legs and pick seats for both legs separately on AA once it ticketed. I also was able to clear an upgrade for one leg independent of clearing the other (which was good as I would not have cleared the short leg in the end). You could tell when I got the upgrade email this was almost a glitch in the matrix as it didn't send me the right seat details in the email but sure enough I could confirm it all went through once I logged in and ultimately checked-in.
With that said, in terms of miles, I ended up switching to earlier flights, so got credited for the actual routing, so nothing to report on that front.
Booked a through flight as two segments using the multi city trick (mind you this was via a corporate portal so may have different luck if trying to do it via AA). I was able to see both legs and pick seats for both legs separately on AA once it ticketed. I also was able to clear an upgrade for one leg independent of clearing the other (which was good as I would not have cleared the short leg in the end). You could tell when I got the upgrade email this was almost a glitch in the matrix as it didn't send me the right seat details in the email but sure enough I could confirm it all went through once I logged in and ultimately checked-in.
With that said, in terms of miles, I ended up switching to earlier flights, so got credited for the actual routing, so nothing to report on that front.