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Qatar Airways / QR: Redeem AA Miles for Award (master thd)

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Old Nov 19, 2013, 3:20 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: Prospero
Covid-19 Update:
  • Sapphire+ status pax are temporarily allowed to use the Al Mourjan Business Lounge
  • Only tickets issued on QR 157 stock are eligible for the Extending Our Commitment (EOC) rebooking policy
link to QR Travel Alerts)

For further information on AA awards see:

HELP DESK: MileSAAver / SAAver Award Availability - Help, Assistance & Discussion

and

AA oneworld and Other Airline Partner Award information, rules (2015 on)

N.B. Upgrades on QR book into fares not granted EQD/EQM by AA. If you're upgraded on QR, be prepared for pushback from some AA agents. You may have to submit a formal request with accompanying documentation reflecting you purchased an eligible fare class.

NOTE:AA has removed most EY and QR award access from aa.com due to a glitch booking these:

From One Mile at a Time (link)

Bottom Line

For the time being you’ll have to call American if you want to ticket AAdvantage awards on Etihad & Qatar that aren’t for travel to & from the US or Canada. It makes sense that American took these awards “offline,” and now it also makes sense why so many passengers have been having issues with checked bags on awards.
If you experience difficulties with the AA reservations system, you may be able to book by calling AA Australia (+61 2-9101-1948 ) then press 4 - or the New Zealand number (+64 09-308-4014) as an alternative - although the call center is actually in Suva, Fiji (South African agency Mindpearl) - as they can often see the inventory more reliably, and you can book.

NOTE: USA Canada travel on QR will earn EQ miles etc. in accordance with the fare class purchased.

Links:

Link to AA.com Qatar miles earning etc.

AA miles earning on QR changed 1 May 2016 (Link):

Minimum miles guarantee applies.

Checking QR award availability:

You can check QR availability on AA's site, BA's site, QF's site, www.awardnexus.com (which pulls from BA and/or QF), or the KVS tool. (A certain number of searches are free to FlyerTalk members at AwardNexus; click the "more signup options" link under the green Purchase button to sign up as a FlyerTalk member.)

When checking QR award availability, you have to check each segment individually. Both BA and QF can generate very misleading information if you try to check QR award availability all the way through [xxx-(DOH)-yyy] in one step. Be aware AA can only book 330 days out, even if you see availability farther out.

Awards on QR may not be visible to AA agents if a multi-segment itinerary is requested; broken into individual segments will generally reveal availability, however.

As well, AA Australia or New Zealand (actually MindPearl in Fiji) can often see and book AA awards on QR US-based ones might not be able to.

From danger: For AA awards, Economy is X, Business is U, First is Z. NOTE: Those with Z (First) awards may see "Z (Business Class)" shown on the QR website; this is a known glitch.

As well, QR sells intra gulf two class service as First and Economy, as AA does domestically. This can cause some issues with a Business flight including a Gulf "First" flight potentially incurring an F award redemption.

From hotelmotel: "Got my QR PNR from AA. Popped over to QR and selected seats." (AAdvantage award.)

Days of the week: To/from the USA, especially in business class, Qatar often only offers awards seats for Mon..Thu departures, not Fri..Sun departures. So makes sure you check different parts of the week, and not just always weekends (if you're not finding anything on weekends).

NOTE: At DOH / Hamad International Airport, lounges as follows:

Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Lounge (not a oneworld lounge): only accessible to those flying First Class on Qatar or oneworld airlines and QRPC Platniums flying in ticketed Business (not oneworld Emeralds flying other lower classes of service)

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge (not a oneworld lounge): only accessible to those flying Business Class on Qatar or oneworld (not oneworld Sapphire flying lower classes of service)

Oryx Lounge: Third party lounge.

Qatar Airways HIA First Class Lounge (oneworld lounge): First Class ticketed customers, Emerald members, as well as their accompanying guests, travelling on Qatar Airways and other oneworld member flights.

Qatar Airways HIA Business Class Lounge (oneworld lounge): First and Business Class ticketed customers, Emerald and Sapphire members, as well as their accompanying guests, travelling on Qatar Airways and other oneworld member flights.

Arrivals Lounges (not oneworld lounges): only accessible to those arriving in First or Business Class on Qatar Airways (not oneworld Sapphire flying other oneworld airlines or other classes of service)

See FT: QR Lounges at HIA

Selecting Qatar Airways Seats
If you want to assign a seat after booking an award, you should first try the Qatar website or app. If you experience issues, please try a partner site like Royal Jordanian, Malaysia Airlines, or Sri-Lankan. You can also reach out to the QR Twitter team to fix your record in order to be able to select seats on their own site.
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Qatar Airways / QR: Redeem AA Miles for Award (master thd)

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Old Mar 31, 2022, 11:09 pm
  #2236  
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)
Posts: 8,937
Originally Posted by Happy
What we want to know is, HOW the agent did this when there was no T inventory shown online? I think that is the burning question we all want to have an answer, as in just how he find a way to secure a T inventory when all of them were Web Specials?
Impossible to know for sure, of course, but there are a few possibilities. If you were only going by what the AA web site/app showed, it might have been hard to tell that 'T' was there. EF is usually the best way to see for sure what AA has available. If you're an AA EP/CK, there might have been expanded availability. It's possible you lucked onto a CK agent who did you a favor, perhaps using the old RM tool that would sometimes open SAAver inventory to complete an itinerary/party, or possibly even overbooked you into 'T' despite there not being justification (if so, a brave move on the agent's part).

Originally Posted by Happy
The irony thing is, after all these endeavors, a better routing popped up the next day after this ticket was issued, albeit leaving 2 days later. I want the DOH-AMM leg in F hence take the 2 days later option. As the F ensure access to sleep room at QR DOH AS lounge. Previous dates only have X inventory in the DOH-AMM leg.
It's pretty sweet getting access to Al Safwa due to an artifact, QR using F RBCs on short regional flights. (There's no guarantee a sleep room will be available of course, but hopefully you get one.)
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Old Apr 1, 2022, 1:16 pm
  #2237  
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,763
Originally Posted by anabolism
Impossible to know for sure, of course, but there are a few possibilities. If you were only going by what the AA web site/app showed, it might have been hard to tell that 'T' was there. EF is usually the best way to see for sure what AA has available. If you're an AA EP/CK, there might have been expanded availability. It's possible you lucked onto a CK agent who did you a favor, perhaps using the old RM tool that would sometimes open SAAver inventory to complete an itinerary/party, or possibly even overbooked you into 'T' despite there not being justification (if so, a brave move on the agent's part).
The agent himself did not see T inventory either hence he told me it might not work but said “let me try something else first”. I suspect this is an experienced agent who is also nice enough to use his skills to help. I think it might be the old “complete an itinerary” technique is in play. Not a thing we can count on.

Originally Posted by anabolism
It's pretty sweet getting access to Al Safwa due to an artifact, QR using F RBCs on short regional flights. (There's no guarantee a sleep room will be available of course, but hopefully you get one.)
We used the sleep room in the past, IIRC before the 6 hours limitation put in effect. I am not sure whether we should go to reserve the sleep room as soon as we get to the lounge and pay the extra 6 hours. Our arrival is 5:35pm. It probably takes at least 30 min to clear the transit security then head to AS. My plan is to get a leisurely dinner first…. Our departure is 8:35 next morning. I remember at AM there is a family corner at one end of the lounge. After that family area (equipped with kids’ play area), there are a few “rooms” without doors but have long sofas and TVs, plus quite dark. That can be an option too. It has been so long ago since we last passed through DOH. I need to brush up at the relevant threads in QR forum. LOL
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Old Apr 2, 2022, 4:01 pm
  #2238  
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Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
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Posts: 17,405
Originally Posted by friedablass
Yes I checked on their site as well and it still said I need to call. I think maybe it was because the leg that was added didn't have the taxes and fees recalculated correctly, but I honestly don't know and it wasn't that big of a deal to call.
Maybe next time I'll be lucky and will be able to ticket online.

I couldn't book the middle seats the day after ticketing. But I waited a few days and tried again and then I was able to select 2 middle seats on QR site.
Funny - the app still has the middle seats blocked out but the website does indeed let me pick them. Good tip!
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Old Apr 2, 2022, 4:39 pm
  #2239  
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,702
web specials book into J on AA

Originally Posted by WannaTheater
Thanks for the clarification- This is really what I expected. What confused me is seeing a mileage ticket showing up as being coded with "J." I expected something other, since the AA "earnings" descriptions show J tickets are business-fare, and mileage eligible:
https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...cial-fares.jsp
777lover is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2022, 2:18 pm
  #2240  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,349
Originally Posted by 777lover
web specials book into J on AA
I also see non-web special business class seats booking into J class code on AA metal.
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Old Apr 4, 2022, 6:51 am
  #2241  
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)
Posts: 8,937
Originally Posted by friedablass
I also see non-web special business class seats booking into J class code on AA metal.
Those would be AAnytime awards, costing two or three times the SAAver award level. Neither Web Special nor SAAver awards are combinable with partner awards,
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Old Apr 11, 2022, 6:20 am
  #2242  
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 288
Originally Posted by anabolism
I used to mix QR and EY on a single award quite often up until the embargo eliminated direct DOH-AUH flights. AA slapped a four-segment maximum on international awards about the same time, which made it extremely difficult, as I'd need two of the four just to get between DOH and AUH.

I haven't done it since the embargo was lifted.
They put a request for me but it came back as invalid next day saying some Gulf law and says need two separate tickets. Now my original DOH-India on QR is gone too.
AA says they can not do anything about it.
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Old Apr 13, 2022, 9:52 am
  #2243  
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)
Posts: 8,937
Originally Posted by kcdude
They put a request for me but it came back as invalid next day saying some Gulf law and says need two separate tickets. Now my original DOH-India on QR is gone too.
AA says they can not do anything about it.
That seems very strange, considering that there are direct flights between AUH and DOH. I wonder if someone at the review desk was still applying the old embargo-era rule? Sorry you lost your QR flight to India.
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Old Apr 13, 2022, 11:01 pm
  #2244  
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 613
If QR has a schedule change with AA award ticket, do they generally reaccommodate on desired QR flight even if no award space is available or just offer refund? Re: QR703 DOH-JFK appears to be gone
lovefly88 is offline  
Old Apr 14, 2022, 4:12 am
  #2245  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Austin
Posts: 4,629
Originally Posted by lovefly88
do they generally reaccommodate on desired QR flight even if no award space is available
No.
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Old Apr 14, 2022, 2:38 pm
  #2246  
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 613
Originally Posted by odie11
You appear to be right. Eight days later and me having to follow up with AA Twitter, I get the same response as I initially got. I can cancel or see if there is anything else available.
Curious if this ever got resolved? Possible similar situation with flight appearing to be axed. No availability on QR showing but haven’t been rebooked yet.
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Old Apr 14, 2022, 3:10 pm
  #2247  
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Join Date: May 2015
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Posts: 17,405
Checked my booking, QSuites gone and replaced with the regular/old A350-900. Womp womp.

There's always that small chance it gets changed back again...
Smiley90 is online now  
Old Apr 16, 2022, 10:14 am
  #2248  
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: BOS
Programs: DL GM, AA Gold, MB Platinum, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 63
Woke up this morning to find my DFW-DOH flight tomorrow was downgraded from the QSuite to 2-2-2 business. Has anyone had any luck changing to another flight with QSuites when flying on AA miles? If so, how? There is an earlier departure tomorrow out of DFW.
NickTN01 is offline  
Old Apr 16, 2022, 11:57 am
  #2249  
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,619
Originally Posted by NickTN01
Woke up this morning to find my DFW-DOH flight tomorrow was downgraded from the QSuite to 2-2-2 business. Has anyone had any luck changing to another flight with QSuites when flying on AA miles? If so, how? There is an earlier departure tomorrow out of DFW.
Is there award availability on the earlier flight? If so, then should be easy to change. If not, then I think that you will have to enjoy the product in use.
Dave Noble is offline  
Old Apr 16, 2022, 12:10 pm
  #2250  
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: BOS
Programs: DL GM, AA Gold, MB Platinum, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 63
Originally Posted by Dave Noble
Is there award availability on the earlier flight? If so, then should be easy to change. If not, then I think that you will have to enjoy the product in use.
Thanks. I don't think there is any availability at this point. So like many others before me, I face the Qatar equipment swap. At least I'm traveling with someone I like a lot.

But hey, the plane coming over hasn't left Doha yet...
NickTN01 is offline  


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