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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 Jul 18, 2020, 10:27 pm
  #1246  
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Originally Posted by Flying for Fun
DOH does have a transit hotel. You won't be able to enter Qatar but you can transit. QR provides hotel accommodation on revenue flights if the onward flight is at least 8 hours from arrival. I am not sure if awards are eligible.
iirc, Only tickets issued by QR are eligible so, no AA issued tickets are eligible - also it has to be a case that there is no flight option that would allow connection in < 8 hours
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Old Jul 18, 2020, 11:01 pm
  #1247  
 
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Originally Posted by Dave Noble
iirc, Only tickets issued by QR are eligible so, no AA issued tickets are eligible - also it has to be a case that there is no flight option that would allow connection in < 8 hours
Both true! Thanks for the reminder, clarification. I was looking at ORD-DOH-EBB-KGL and the next flight option from DOH is >15 hours so it is something to keep in mind for revenue QR ticketed flights.

James
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Old Jul 19, 2020, 2:12 am
  #1248  
 
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Originally Posted by Flying for Fun
Visa Exemptions:
  • Nationals of USA with a normal passport traveling as tourists for a maximum stay of 30 days. They must have a passport valid for a minimum of 6 months from the arrival date...
I believe the quoted text is applicable in normal times. If there are emergency entry restrictions in place, they will preempt all exemptions.
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Old Jul 19, 2020, 8:16 am
  #1249  
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Originally Posted by Flying for Fun
DOH does have a transit hotel. You won't be able to enter Qatar but you can transit. QR provides hotel accommodation on revenue flights if the onward flight is at least 8 hours from arrival. I am not sure if awards are eligible. If your flights include a stopover paid by carrier, you can leave the airport, see below.

Transit Qatar

Visa, Visa required.

Visa Exemptions:
  • Nationals of USA with a normal passport traveling as tourists for a maximum stay of 30 days. They must have a passport valid for a minimum of 6 months from the arrival date.

TWOV (Transit Without Visa):
  • Passengers with a confirmed onward ticket for a flight to a third country within 24 hours. They must stay in the international transit area of the airport and have documents required for the next destination.

Additional Information:
  • Passengers in transit with a pre-arranged Stopover Paid by Carrier (STPC) and a passport valid for a minimum of 3 months are permitted to leave the airport.

James
Those are the processes during regular times.

The current entry restrictions supersede these.
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Old Jul 19, 2020, 8:54 am
  #1250  
 
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If you are transiting in DOH, I would post over in the QR forum. There is not a specific thread on this but the discussion of others transiting at DOH recently have all indicated they had to stay in the airport. The only airside hotel is expensive and with limited facilities.
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Old Jul 19, 2020, 11:02 am
  #1251  
 
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Originally Posted by cheltzel
If you are transiting in DOH, I would post over in the QR forum. There is not a specific thread on this but the discussion of others transiting at DOH recently have all indicated they had to stay in the airport. The only airside hotel is expensive and with limited facilities.
That’s what I was told by QR too. Expected to be lifted in 4 phases but sounds unlikely to allow entry from the US for a long while.
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Old Jul 20, 2020, 11:04 pm
  #1252  
 
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Is QR not releasing J award space for DOH-SYD/AKL in 2021? Was randomly checking some dates in May 2021 and while I can see Y awards using the AA & BA search engines, J is not available.
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Old Jul 21, 2020, 11:50 am
  #1253  
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Originally Posted by iluvdoco
Is QR not releasing J award space for DOH-SYD/AKL in 2021? Was randomly checking some dates in May 2021 and while I can see Y awards using the AA & BA search engines, J is not available.
Well, I see DOH-HKG-SYD in J on QR/CX in May 2021.

I"m also seeing AKL-DOH in J via HKG or KUL, with the first legs being on either Cathay Pacific or Malaysia Airlines, connecting to Qatar Airways.
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Old Jul 21, 2020, 1:50 pm
  #1254  
 
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Originally Posted by MrAnonymous
Well, I see DOH-HKG-SYD in J on QR/CX in May 2021.

I"m also seeing AKL-DOH in J via HKG or KUL, with the first legs being on either Cathay Pacific or Malaysia Airlines, connecting to Qatar Airways.
I was referring to the direct flights (DOH-SYD-DOH/DOH-AKL-DOH), which as far as I can tell, are still in service. Y availability but not J.
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Old Jul 21, 2020, 2:51 pm
  #1255  
 
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Really impressed by how fast AA liaison worked with QR to open space for me when they cancelled PHL-DOH routing. Took then under a week to get new tickets issued. Hopefully entry into Qatar will be possible by October or at least some better lounge options.
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Old Jul 21, 2020, 3:55 pm
  #1256  
KVS
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Arrow

Originally Posted by iluvdoco
Is QR not releasing J award space for DOH-SYD/AKL in 2021? Was randomly checking some dates in May 2021 and while I can see Y awards using the AA & BA search engines, J is not available.
There are 4 C Award Seats on the 4th:

[KVS Tool 9.9.9/Diamond - Awards/JL-OneWorld/US]
Code:
DOH  Doha Hamad Intl QA [OTHH]
AKL  Auckland Intl NZ [NZAA]
TUE  04 May 2021 | 1 Seat

Carrier    Flight  From  Depart    To    Arrive    A/C  St  Award Availability
---------  ------  ----  --------  ----  --------  ---  --  ------------------
QR         920     DOH   02:35     AKL   04:05 +1  77L  0   CS4  YS9
QR         818     DOH   02:25     HKG   15:05     77W  0   CS4  YS9
 -> CX     113     HKG   21:05     AKL   11:55 +1  359  0   CS4  YS9
QR         848     DOH   02:00     KUL   15:00     77W  0   CS4  YS9
 -> MH     145     KUL   21:30     AKL   11:45 +1  332  0   CS1  YS2
QR         844     DOH   19:30     KUL   08:25 +1  359  0   CS4  YS9
 -> MH     145     KUL   21:30 +1  AKL   11:45 +2  332  0   YS2
QR         668     DOH   18:10     CMB   01:45 +1  359  0   CS4  YS9
 -> UL     314     CMB   07:40 +1  KUL   14:00 +1  32B  0   CS1  YS9
 -> MH     145     KUL   21:30 +1  AKL   11:45 +2  332  0   YS2
QR         662     DOH   19:10     CMB   02:45 +1  359  0   CS4  YS9
 -> UL     314     CMB   07:40 +1  KUL   14:00 +1  32B  0   CS1  YS9
 -> MH     145     KUL   21:30 +1  AKL   11:45 +2  332  0   YS2
UL         218     DOH   22:30     CMB   05:45 +1  333  0   CS1  YS9
 -> UL     314     CMB   07:40 +1  KUL   14:00 +1  32B  0   CS1  YS9
 -> MH     145     KUL   21:30 +1  AKL   11:45 +2  332  0   YS2
UL         222     DOH   05:05     CMB   12:20     321  0   CS1  YS9
 -> UL     604     CMB   00:20 +1  MEL   14:40 +1  333  0   CS1
 -> QF     155     MEL   17:45 +1  AKL   23:20 +1  73H  0   CS1  YS9
QR         818     DOH   02:25     HKG   15:05     77W  0   CS4  YS9
 -> QF     128     HKG   19:30     SYD   06:40 +1  789  0   YS9
 -> QF     143     SYD   09:30 +1  AKL   14:35 +1  333  0   YS9
QR         816     DOH   07:55     HKG   20:35     77W  0   CS4  YS9
 -> QF     118     HKG   22:35     SYD   10:00 +1  333  0   YS9
 -> QF     145     SYD   11:35 +1  AKL   16:40 +1  333  0   YS9
QR         816     DOH   07:55     HKG   20:35     77W  0   CS4  YS9
 -> QF     118     HKG   22:35     SYD   10:00 +1  333  0   YS9
 -> QF     147     SYD   16:15 +1  AKL   21:20 +1  73H  0   YS9
QR         942     DOH   20:05     SIN   09:05 +1  351  0   CS4  YS9
 -> QF     2       SIN   19:30 +1  SYD   05:10 +2  388  0   YS9
 -> QF     141     SYD   07:10 +2  AKL   12:15 +2  73H  0   YS9
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Old Jul 21, 2020, 5:22 pm
  #1257  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,724
Originally Posted by KVS
There are 4 C Award Seats on the 4th:
Thank you for verifying!
iluvdoco is offline  
Old Jul 22, 2020, 2:23 pm
  #1258  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,724
I wonder if the lack of J award availability on the DOH-SYD direct flight is related to the Australian government's 50-passenger cap. Would make sense that QR is favoring business class revenue fares instead.

https://liveandletsfly.com/qatar-airways-australia/

Last edited by iluvdoco; Jul 22, 2020 at 2:34 pm
iluvdoco is offline  
Old Jul 26, 2020, 3:42 am
  #1259  
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 489
Trying to piece together an award
MLE-DOH-JFK

MLE-DOH shows up in economy and DOH-JFK in J when searching multi city
17.5k + 70k

when searching separately MLE-DOH doesn't show up at all.
However if searching One way it's shows up all the way through only in Eco (40k)

will AA be able to book it as a mixed cabin and only charge 70k?

Also a little off topic: flight is in about 2 weeks
Can I still place a 5 day hold?
If not are there still any waivers for free award redeposit?
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Old Jul 26, 2020, 3:52 am
  #1260  
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Posts: 44,624
Depends on whether it is not available due to married segment availabiliy means that it isn't available or whether it si due to the AA site not finding it

Only way to know for certain is to phone, try booking and getting a price
Dave Noble is offline  


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