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 9, 2020, 12:48 pm
#1441
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,625
Not AA's responsibility to rebook you at its expense
What I see is that the agent left you in the best position by ensuring that you can get to your destination ; if you don't like what the agent has given you, then you can always cancel or look for another valid routing to your destrination which has award availability
If you were using AA miles for a redemption on AA, and AA cancelledone of its flights, then AA has a lot more options on how it can assist , including making additional award availability
Dec 9, 2020, 2:33 pm
#1442
Join Date: Jul 2001
Programs: AA EP
Posts: 2,203
I really don’t understand your logic. If the flight is completely full doh mle how would waiting for checkin to resolve the issue open up a non existent seat?
well it was aa's fault that they reissued the ticket without my approval. If they did not do that 24 hrs before takeoff it would have gone to airport control which would have put me on any open seat award or revenue. I would have been able to get on IAD-DOH-MLE all in biz and not mess with call centers. I wish that is what happened
Dec 9, 2020, 3:39 pm
#1443
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,625
It is not even that - the person would have been trying to check in for a non existent flight for ATL-DOH with it being almost certainly too late to find something else
Dec 9, 2020, 5:59 pm
#1444
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Chicago
Programs: AA Gold, UA Gold, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 342
i recently booked ORD-JFK-DOH-MLE with DOH-MLE in Y since nothing is available in J for march (i hope this changes but im not holding my breath). anyone know whether i can access Al Mourjan in DOH since my flight from DOH-MLE is in Y?
Dec 9, 2020, 7:26 pm
#1445
Join Date: Jul 2001
Programs: AA EP
Posts: 2,203
I believe they will accept the incoming flight in J. Plus if you are Emerald you would get Al Mourjjan as the ow lounge is currently closed.
Dec 11, 2020, 7:36 am
#1446
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 1,437
Guys to piggyback from my previous question. I saw that there is avail on the DOH-MAA-CMB all in award biz instead of me flying DOH-MLE in Y. Tickets from CMB - MLE are $180 a pop and that would make much more sense. Do you think QR or AA would allow to merge the PNRs so that I do not have to recheck the luggage(I have a connection time of 2:30 in CMB - never been there so unsure on what to expect). That certainly beats flying 5 hrs in Y!
Dec 11, 2020, 7:47 am
#1447
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 1,019
Guys to piggyback from my previous question. I saw that there is avail on the DOH-MAA-CMB all in award biz instead of me flying DOH-MLE in Y. Tickets from CMB - MLE are $180 a pop and that would make much more sense. Do you think QR or AA would allow to merge the PNRs so that I do not have to recheck the luggage(I have a connection time of 2:30 in CMB - never been there so unsure on what to expect). That certainly beats flying 5 hrs in Y!
In that case, you will not be allowed to Board DOH-MAA segment, unless you qualify to be on India's bubble flight arrangements:
India's air bubbles: is transit travel allowed - FlyerTalk Forums
If your flights are several months from now...then the rules may change, etc.
At this moment, the concept of International-to-International transit is close to non-existent in Indian airports due to Covid rules.
Dec 11, 2020, 8:02 am
#1448
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 1,437
From reading upthread, it appears your flights are in 3 weeks from now?
In that case, you will not be allowed to Board DOH-MAA segment, unless you qualify to be on India's bubble flight arrangements:
India's air bubbles: is transit travel allowed - FlyerTalk Forums
If your flights are several months from now...then the rules may change, etc.
At this moment, the concept of International-to-International transit is close to non-existent in Indian airports due to Covid rules.
In that case, you will not be allowed to Board DOH-MAA segment, unless you qualify to be on India's bubble flight arrangements:
India's air bubbles: is transit travel allowed - FlyerTalk Forums
If your flights are several months from now...then the rules may change, etc.
At this moment, the concept of International-to-International transit is close to non-existent in Indian airports due to Covid rules.
oh boy did not know that thank you very much for sharing. They also have the nonstop DOH-MLE as well with the caveat that the layover from ORD - DOH and DOH - MLE is an hour so a slight chance that I might miss it. Does that apply to CMB as well?
Dec 11, 2020, 8:07 am
#1449
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 1,019
Check the QR forum - there may be new rules for an antigen test prior to boarding MLE flights from DOH. So, one hour may not be sufficient in that case.
CMB - connections are very straightforward. It is a small airport compared to DOH.
Dec 11, 2020, 4:24 pm
#1450
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,625
Guys to piggyback from my previous question. I saw that there is avail on the DOH-MAA-CMB all in award biz instead of me flying DOH-MLE in Y. Tickets from CMB - MLE are $180 a pop and that would make much more sense. Do you think QR or AA would allow to merge the PNRs so that I do not have to recheck the luggage(I have a connection time of 2:30 in CMB - never been there so unsure on what to expect). That certainly beats flying 5 hrs in Y!
You cannot merge PNRs , so you would have to clear customs/immigration, collect bags and then go through the rigmarole of a check in in Colombo.
Last edited by Dave Noble; Dec 11, 2020 at 4:30 pm
Dec 16, 2020, 12:44 pm
#1451
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 1,437
On my return trip I am booked on the QR677 MLE - DOH and then on the QR 707 DOH - IAD. qr707 has been operating normally however the qr677 has been cancelled since the pandemic began. QR has only one flight operating currently the QR675 which departs an hour after my scheduled booked flight.
Now just like the outbound I really fear that they are going to cancel the flight that I am on and leave the itin as is. What do you think will happen if I just ignore calling AA and just show up at the airport? Again the entire award is 2 QR flights and no AA legs in the US booked with AA miles. They are selling seats on all three flights however I do not anticipate droves flying in on January all of a sudden.
Edit: Seems as of the last few days QR now operates two flights daily MLE-DOH so that may be a good sign!
Edit2: https://flightaware.com/live/flight/QTR677 is now operating. I will be good it seems
Now just like the outbound I really fear that they are going to cancel the flight that I am on and leave the itin as is. What do you think will happen if I just ignore calling AA and just show up at the airport? Again the entire award is 2 QR flights and no AA legs in the US booked with AA miles. They are selling seats on all three flights however I do not anticipate droves flying in on January all of a sudden.
Edit: Seems as of the last few days QR now operates two flights daily MLE-DOH so that may be a good sign!
Edit2: https://flightaware.com/live/flight/QTR677 is now operating. I will be good it seems
Last edited by libuser; Dec 18, 2020 at 5:58 am
Dec 28, 2020, 7:02 pm
#1452
Join Date: Nov 2015
Programs: AAdvantage EXP, Marriott Ambassador (LT Titanium)
Posts: 94
AAdvantage Award, Operated by Qatar - Schedule Change = Canceled flight?
Honeymoon was booked MIA-DOH-DPS on Qatar using AA miles. Qatar just cut a lot of their MIA-DOH non-stop schedule, and instead of rebooking us through another hub, they just canceled our itinerary completely - didn't even get a notification, the reservation just stopped refreshing. Called the ExecPlat desk and they said Qatar is not obligated to rebook me even if it is their schedule that has changed, and that I would need to find a routing with award space open (there are none). I have heard that Qatar is not the most friendly OneWorld airline when it comes to partner awards, but this seems extreme.
Does anyone have experience in this situation? Thanks in advance.
-S2
Does anyone have experience in this situation? Thanks in advance.
-S2
Dec 28, 2020, 7:55 pm
#1453
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,035
Honeymoon was booked MIA-DOH-DPS on Qatar using AA miles. Qatar just cut a lot of their MIA-DOH non-stop schedule, and instead of rebooking us through another hub, they just canceled our itinerary completely - didn't even get a notification, the reservation just stopped refreshing. Called the ExecPlat desk and they said Qatar is not obligated to rebook me even if it is their schedule that has changed, and that I would need to find a routing with award space open (there are none). I have heard that Qatar is not the most friendly OneWorld airline when it comes to partner awards, but this seems extreme.
Does anyone have experience in this situation? Thanks in advance.
Does anyone have experience in this situation? Thanks in advance.
Look for another USA airport to DOH award flight. If you have to pay for MIA-XXX to board an XXX-DOH so be it. You need to work with AAdvantage and not QR.
OP's other thread on the same trip-->Options for DPS-MLE (Bali to Maldives)
Dec 28, 2020, 8:22 pm
#1454
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 1,437
happened to me to MLE but QR did not outright canx but just decided to downgrade me on the next DOH-MLE leg with tons of J space left. We waitlisted but at the time the ExPlat agent basically told me that my chances of getting a J seat are almost zero, so I just gave up. In any case EY released some seats so it worked out better than expected.
Dec 29, 2020, 3:11 pm
#1455
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Raleigh-Durham
Programs: HH Diamond; Marriott Gold; AA Platinum
Posts: 758
AA award booking - error on Qatar site
Is it just me? I mean, dont get me wrong - call center agents for each company can be a hit or a miss. But for me, Qatar consistently delivers on the miss. Agents are surly. They sound annoyed. They sound rushed. They dont let you finish explaining what is wrong before telling you what you are doing wrong.
Case in point - Each time I book an award ticket using AA miles - I cannot access the reservation on the Qatar side. It gives me this error. I then have to call Qatar so they do something and it is fixed. But in order to get it fixed - I have to go through multiple agents. And most of them try to tell me
a. I cant see the reservation because it is NOT a QR ticket.
b. I cant see it because it is an award ticket
c. I cant see it because my QR privilege number is wrong.
d. I have to call American to fix it.
And...FINALLY
I have to call their customer center in Doha to get this fixed - because no one in the call center can fix it. And, there are no toll free numbers, so I pay for the call.
So, I asked for a supervisor or someone who can help me. No supervisor is available.
I am sure there is something I need to be able to say for the agents to uderstand what needs to be fixed. Would love to see if I am the only one who runs into this specific issue. Thanks!
Case in point - Each time I book an award ticket using AA miles - I cannot access the reservation on the Qatar side. It gives me this error. I then have to call Qatar so they do something and it is fixed. But in order to get it fixed - I have to go through multiple agents. And most of them try to tell me
a. I cant see the reservation because it is NOT a QR ticket.
b. I cant see it because it is an award ticket
c. I cant see it because my QR privilege number is wrong.
d. I have to call American to fix it.
And...FINALLY
I have to call their customer center in Doha to get this fixed - because no one in the call center can fix it. And, there are no toll free numbers, so I pay for the call.
So, I asked for a supervisor or someone who can help me. No supervisor is available.
I am sure there is something I need to be able to say for the agents to uderstand what needs to be fixed. Would love to see if I am the only one who runs into this specific issue. Thanks!