Last edit by: Prospero
Covid-19 Update:
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:
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.
- 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
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.
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.
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.
Qatar Airways / QR: Redeem AA Miles for Award (master thd)
#2521
Join Date: May 2022
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: AA EP/LT Plat, UA1K, DL DIA, Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 33
#2522
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: LAX_AMS_MNL
Programs: AS MVP, AA EXP - 1MM, BAEC BRZ, BVY GLD, Hilton DIA, Hyatt GLB
Posts: 749
Is it me or has QR reduced the number of award seats available? I use to see (booked previously) 4 J seats available to and from USA 330+ days out, now it seems they only load 2 J for each flight. Is there a particular US station with 4 seats in J?
Has anyone tried booking 2 J seats and another 2 would pop up?
also does QR open up inventory close in like what CX use to do?
Thanks
Has anyone tried booking 2 J seats and another 2 would pop up?
also does QR open up inventory close in like what CX use to do?
Thanks
#2523
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 552
Is it me or has QR reduced the number of award seats available? I use to see (booked previously) 4 J seats available to and from USA 330+ days out, now it seems they only load 2 J for each flight. Is there a particular US station with 4 seats in J?
Has anyone tried booking 2 J seats and another 2 would pop up?
also does QR open up inventory close in like what CX use to do?
Thanks
Has anyone tried booking 2 J seats and another 2 would pop up?
also does QR open up inventory close in like what CX use to do?
Thanks
#2524
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: So Cal
Posts: 935
I can concur with this assessment. It has been two J seats for quite some time. Best bet these days is to move points to Qatar/BA as you’ll have access a couple of weeks before AA does. Prices are the same on some routes, though you’ll likely pay a couple hundred more in fuel surcharges.
#2525
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 8
I can concur with this assessment. It has been two J seats for quite some time. Best bet these days is to move points to Qatar/BA as you’ll have access a couple of weeks before AA does. Prices are the same on some routes, though you’ll likely pay a couple hundred more in fuel surcharges.
#2526
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 12
Adding lap infant to AA award ticket that has Qatar Airways leg.
Just recently booked a award ticket through AA which has Qatar Airways leg too. While trying to add lap infant to the reservation, AA recommends to call Qatar Airways, but Qatar Airways says they can't add infant to award ticket issued through AA. Any recommendation from pros here to get this resolved?
#2527
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Just recently booked a award ticket through AA which has Qatar Airways leg too. While trying to add lap infant to the reservation, AA recommends to call Qatar Airways, but Qatar Airways says they can't add infant to award ticket issued through AA. Any recommendation from pros here to get this resolved?
#2528
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 12
QR ticketing desks — including QR’s contracted ticketing counter desks — at the airports can issue lap-child tickets even when the prospective accompanying adult is already with an AA or BA-issued award ticket booking commencing with the QR flight. How they price the lap child ticket can be inconsistent and the time it takes them to arrange for and issue the lap child ticket can vary, so budget extra time — maybe even a lot of extra time — to go in-person to do this well in advance of travel date/time if you can’t get AA or QR to do it over the phone.
#2529
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,152
No QR Award avail MLE-IAH in early Aug with my AA miles.
Tons of avail in late Aug. but none so far in Aug. Wondering if I can pay double miles just to have something, then rebook if saver opens up? or does that take away my saver chances ?
Paid fares are $1.8k+ OW Have to 2 book on QR for kids with my free healthcare hero's flight. If nothing opens up soon I might have to try to extend to March year (which would be hard since they've extended it twice for me)
Thanks!
Tons of avail in late Aug. but none so far in Aug. Wondering if I can pay double miles just to have something, then rebook if saver opens up? or does that take away my saver chances ?
Paid fares are $1.8k+ OW Have to 2 book on QR for kids with my free healthcare hero's flight. If nothing opens up soon I might have to try to extend to March year (which would be hard since they've extended it twice for me)
Thanks!
Last edited by Microwave; Jul 7, 2022 at 4:39 am Reason: Duplicate threads merged, so duplicative OPs merged
#2531
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,580
You can only book if award availability is present - it is only on AA where other options exist for AA miles use
You can extend miles for another 18 months by making a booking somewhere and then cancelling it
You can extend miles for another 18 months by making a booking somewhere and then cancelling it
#2532
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: DFW
Programs: AAdvantage LT GLD 1.806MM
Posts: 260
Do you have BA Avios miles? Or AMEX MR points or Chase UR that can be transferred to BA? If so, QR now uses Avios and you can move Avios from BA to QR. Citi ThanYou points can transfer directly to QR.
QR might have better award availability directly through their own program than through AA as a partner award.
QR might have better award availability directly through their own program than through AA as a partner award.
#2533
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,152
Do you have BA Avios miles? Or AMEX MR points or Chase UR that can be transferred to BA? If so, QR now uses Avios and you can move Avios from BA to QR. Citi ThanYou points can transfer directly to QR.
QR might have better award availability directly through their own program than through AA as a partner award.
QR might have better award availability directly through their own program than through AA as a partner award.
Have 64K Chase UR and my in laws have about the same. Is this How the QR+BA accounts are linked:
https://www.avios.com/us/en/signin
QR Seems to show Econ. avail, but not when I select the dates
https://www.qatarairways.com/en/Privilege-Club/postLogin/dashboardqrpcuser/redeem-Avios.html#beTId_qatar-flight|
Last edited by vickh; Jul 7, 2022 at 2:24 pm
#2534
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: DFW
Programs: AAdvantage LT GLD 1.806MM
Posts: 260
Here is a blog article on how to link BA and QR Avios accounts:
https://thepointsguy.com/news/qatar-launches-avios/
I can’t see the QR award availability you found since it requires logging in to QR’s website. Can you post a screenshot of what you are finding?
https://thepointsguy.com/news/qatar-launches-avios/
I can’t see the QR award availability you found since it requires logging in to QR’s website. Can you post a screenshot of what you are finding?
#2535
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,152
Here is a blog article on how to link BA and QR Avios accounts:
https://thepointsguy.com/news/qatar-launches-avios/
I can’t see the QR award availability you found since it requires logging in to QR’s website. Can you post a screenshot of what you are finding?
https://thepointsguy.com/news/qatar-launches-avios/
I can’t see the QR award availability you found since it requires logging in to QR’s website. Can you post a screenshot of what you are finding?
Tried to Link my wifes BA+QR accounts. Looks like it's not instant/failed. Might try again. Hopefully chase allows UR transfers to family?
Consolidated 100k UR pts and registered my BA acct on Chase. Hope it's quick. Also 30% bonus this month helps!
Last edited by vickh; Jul 7, 2022 at 5:00 pm