Exception to 4 hour Stopover Rule
 

I'm trying to book an award flight for my grandparents. I want it to be a 1-stop flight and that limits my options to AA. Does AA ever make exceptions to the 4 hour layover rule? My only legal option is a 6:20am departure with a 2 hour drive to the airport. There is a flight later in the day, but it involves a ~5 hour stopover.

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If this is a domestic award, the only exception to the four-hour rule occurs when one flies the last flight on one day from the origin to the connecting city, and the first flight of the next day from the connecting point to the destination.

One exception AA might make is with the "LIFO" rule - Last In, First Out. E.g. an afternoon flight that does not connect until the following morning with a continuing flight to one's final destination - e.g. afternoon SMF-DFW <overnight> next available DFW-CZM flight.

I am not sure how this might apply to your putative award itinerary; it's worth checking out.

I don't think LIFO has to be overnight. There are some routes with limited service where a 4+ hour connection is inevitable.

One additional consideration when planning around the LIFO rule: I recently booked a complicated award to Hawaii and AA couldn't find or price it automatically because while I did request the first non-stop flight of the day, there was actually an earlier "direct" flight stopping in LAX and continuing with the same flight number. After a long wait on hold the pricing desk allowed me to use the nonstop flight.

someone will correct me. but the 4 hr rule should NOT apply if you are taking the next AA flight out.

So of you take the "later than 6:20 flight" and arrive at the connection point and need to wait 5 hrs for the nextAA flight, this should be fine.

How are you trying to find flights????????

Exception to 4 hour Stopover Rule
 

I'm flying LAX-MIA, arriving at 10pm then taking the 6:25pm flight the next day to BGI. It wasn't difficult to book. I chose not to take the AM flight so I could enjoy the day. Returning, I have a 5 hour layover in MIA so I can be on 763 instead if 757. Didn't seem to be an issue with Advantage desk.

I agree that it shouldn't apply when there simply aren't flights within four hours, but in my experience, the rule still applies.

BGI is international, so the rule is that you must depart the intermediate point within 24 hours (not four hours, as applies to domestic travel):

Ah, thanks...it was more fun when I thought I was cheating the system on the outbound. :)

CSR said AA is considering changing 4 hr rule to 16 hr. Anyone hear similar?

Anything's possible, but I wouldn't give much credence to such a report until/unless we hear it somewhere else.

I think that unlikely as it would then allow someone on business to fly in, do business and fly out in the evening as a thru fare (example - LGA-ORD, leave airport do meeting, come back to airport and then fly ORD-SFO in the evening. I think AA would rather that be priced as separate legs of an itinerary.

Ya'know.... hmmm.. any chance you misheard and the AAgent said "6 hours"?

In certain markets the stopover rule has been extended from 4 hrs. to 18 hrs. to align with USAir. Basically the markets are cities with limited connection opportunities to begin with.

Change applies to revenue and award travel though award travel is limited to AA and USAir metals.

Yup, quite possible.

Which markets?