Nov 19, 2013, 3:20 pm
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)
Dec 21, 2023, 1:15 pm
#3526
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,624
Doing it from an account here, it was instantaneous transfer from American Express to Qatar Airways
Dec 29, 2023, 8:45 pm
#3527
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Kansas City, USA
Programs: AA Gold, Delta Platinum, Marriott Titanium, IHG Plat, AVIS Preferred, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,066
The transfer from AMEX was less than 24 hours. Yes, it was 110K for AA and it was 100K for BA on the return plus $231 in taxes.
Dec 30, 2023, 8:21 am
#3528
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,542
As an aside, BA-ticketed Avios awards do NOT permit upgrading to the Al Safwa lounge in DOH. But if you transfer BA Avios into QR, which is instantaneous, you can. Unsure how taxes change but the miles are the same and it draws from the same inventory. I was an idiot and forgot this, so I have to slum in the business lounge. Furious at self.
Dec 30, 2023, 1:16 pm
#3529
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,624
As an aside, BA-ticketed Avios awards do NOT permit upgrading to the Al Safwa lounge in DOH. But if you transfer BA Avios into QR, which is instantaneous, you can. Unsure how taxes change but the miles are the same and it draws from the same inventory. I was an idiot and forgot this, so I have to slum in the business lounge. Furious at self.
Dec 30, 2023, 7:36 pm
#3531
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: MLB
Programs: DL DM/2.9M, AA EXP, *A Gold
Posts: 245
Correct, 600 QAR. We recently flew DOH-PER in F on the A380. The First Class check-in at Hamad is really nice. The space seems sized to accommodate a massive number of people, but we're often the only ones using the facility, including the private immigration and security area where the agents are just waiting for us to come through so they'd have something to do. The Al Safwa lounge is quite nice, but honestly Al Mourjan works fine for me. It's a little more crowded than Al Safwa, but otherwise I don't find much difference between them. Other than to check it off your bucket list, I wouldn't pay $165 to switch lounges.
Last edited by NecessaryIndulgences; Dec 30, 2023 at 7:45 pm
Jan 3, 2024, 5:23 am
#3532
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 5,475
Has anyone found bookable space online that agents can't see? I can find and hold/book award space in both J and Y for ALA-DOH for an entire week in late September (14 flights total), but phone and Twitter agents can only see a flight here or there. I am holding onto a confirmed DOH-LAX booking and want to add this segment, so can't just book online.
Jan 3, 2024, 6:23 am
#3533
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: NYC
Posts: 9,125
Has anyone found bookable space online that agents can't see? I can find and hold/book award space in both J and Y for ALA-DOH for an entire week in late September (14 flights total), but phone and Twitter agents can only see a flight here or there. I am holding onto a confirmed DOH-LAX booking and want to add this segment, so can't just book online.
Jan 3, 2024, 8:54 am
#3534
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 5,475
Jan 6, 2024, 1:49 pm
#3535
Join Date: Nov 2004
Programs: UA 1K (Million Miler). AA Gold (lifetime 1 Million). TK Elite Gold
Posts: 895
Aadvantage award: N America to SE Asia
Has AA AAdvantage now stopped selling U class award flights from USA through DOH to SE Asia?
I am flying in U class from MIA to CCU and return in late February 2024. I will need an additional U class award ticket from MIA to CEB in November 2024.
All award routings I can see are using AA metal from PHL to DOH. i have searched various connections to DOH over a period of weeks.
By calling the AAdvantage award ticketING desk, might I be able to find business class space flying an itinerary strictly on QR metal?
Suggestions?
Thanks
Jan 6, 2024, 1:52 pm
#3536
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,410
Has AA AAdvantage now stopped selling U class award flights from USA through DOH to SE Asia?
I am flying in U class from MIA to CCU and return in late February 2024. I will need an additional U class award ticket from MIA to CEB in November 2024.
All award routings I can see are using AA metal from PHL to DOH. i have searched various connections to DOH over a period of weeks.
By calling the AAdvantage award ticketING desk, might I be able to find business class space flying an itinerary strictly on QR metal?
Suggestions?
Thanks
I am flying in U class from MIA to CCU and return in late February 2024. I will need an additional U class award ticket from MIA to CEB in November 2024.
All award routings I can see are using AA metal from PHL to DOH. i have searched various connections to DOH over a period of weeks.
By calling the AAdvantage award ticketING desk, might I be able to find business class space flying an itinerary strictly on QR metal?
Suggestions?
Thanks
Jan 6, 2024, 8:21 pm
#3537
Join Date: Nov 2004
Programs: UA 1K (Million Miler). AA Gold (lifetime 1 Million). TK Elite Gold
Posts: 895
Thanks for the prompt reply. Do you mean that U class space from USA to DOH on QR is filled 11 months in advance of desired travel date? All I can see in NOVEMBER 2024 are flights connecting in PHL on AA metal.
Jan 6, 2024, 9:15 pm
#3538
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,410
QR only makes 2-4 (generally speaking) J seats available for partners to redeem. They make those seats available 360 days before the date. For popular routes, including to/from the US, those are often grabbed as soon as possible. Sometimes they're gone before they're even bookable by AA, since AA uses a shorter calendar. And when they hit the AA calendar (e.g. December 2nd right now), they're often grabbed by AA members right away. So if you wanted November 2024 flights, the time to book them was... a month ago, when they first appeared. More may show up, but hard to predict. But if they don't show up now then yes, they've been taken.
Jan 6, 2024, 9:38 pm
#3539
Join Date: Oct 2023
Location: NYC
Programs: I wish :'(
Posts: 219
QR only makes 2-4 (generally speaking) J seats available for partners to redeem. They make those seats available 360 days before the date. For popular routes, including to/from the US, those are often grabbed as soon as possible. Sometimes they're gone before they're even bookable by AA, since AA uses a shorter calendar. And when they hit the AA calendar (e.g. December 2nd right now), they're often grabbed by AA members right away. So if you wanted November 2024 flights, the time to book them was... a month ago, when they first appeared. More may show up, but hard to predict. But if they don't show up now then yes, they've been taken.
Jan 7, 2024, 9:14 am
#3540
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,410
The other thing I want to say is that even if US-DOH isn't available, US-DOH-XXX MIGHT be available, due to married logic. So if you're trying to do, for example, US-DOH-CPT, try also searching for US-CPT, not just the individual routes, in case QR only make the whole itinerary available for redemption, not the individual legs.