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LUS: USDM oneworld Award Bookings - (Closed to new bookings) [Master FAQ and Help]

Old Mar 30, 2014, 12:53 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: JDiver
WIKI POST: Using US Dividend Miles for oneworld Award Flights
As further details become available, please fill in this wikipost.

N.B. Booking opportunities for new Dividend Miles awards of all kinds ended 11:59 PM Wednesday, 25 March 2015. Please continue using this thread for trips booked or in progress through 24 March 2016.

Changes on USDM oneworld award tickets

This is the only official statement about changing issued USDM award tickets:

If I need to make changes to a Dividend Miles award reservation, which programs rules will apply?


Minor changes such as date/time can be made provided seats are available without requiring a new award to be claimed. More substantive changes such as changes to stopovers or origin/destination may result in the need to reinstate the previously claimed Dividend Miles award, then claiming a new AAdvantage award under the existing AAdvantage program rules.
To make a change on a USDM ticket, you need to get an agent that is trained to use the US reservation system.
The old membership rules do 'generally' still appy to USDM tickets.

For awards ticketed / reticketed on 001- ticket stock, go to the AA Refunds site with your ticket number at hand (unsure if it works with 037- stock at this time)to:
  • Print a receipt with ticket number (instead of Request a refund)
  • See total fees, taxes, etc. attached to your ticket
  • See applicable detailed fare rules
  • Request a refund (may not be useful for awards)
(Go here to print in flight purchase receipts)
Some experiences about changes to tickets, reported by members:
  • Some were able to change their ticket without beeing charged the USD 150.- changing fee.
  • No chance to change a ticket after the first flight segment has been flown.
  • ...


Old stuff

oneworld member airlines - airberlin, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines (Sibir), SriLankan Airlines, TAM Airlines, US Airways and their affiliates.

Award Chart for oneworld awards using US Dividend Miles:
http://shopping.usairways.com/en-US/...wardtravel.pdf

You can use the American Airlines, British Airways, JAL, or Qantas sites to search for oneworld award inventory. AA and QF also allows you to search for award inventory using a handy 30 day calendar view. However, availability on the calendar is dependent on site coverage (e.g. QF does not include JL or MH, AA does not include CX and others). Also, the calendar view may not be completely accurate on all partners, so use it as a guide but do not rely on it fully.

One of the easiest ways to search for oneworld availability is through the use of an outside tool such as Award Nexus, ExpertFlyer, KVS Tool, or The Wandering Aramean oneworld Search.

Award Nexus has a free community membership for flyertalk members, and award email alert with premium membership. ExpertFlyer has email alerts and direct GDS access to select oneworld award inventories, such as AA, QF, and US. ExpertFlyer can also search J class certificate upgrade inventory. With KVS Tool, you can search QF, BA, JL and CX's search engines, in addition to other alliances, on your PC (Mac / Linux with CrossOver). You can also set up an alert via The Wandering Aramean oneworld Search. This tool will automatically search on QF for your alert once per day with a free account and four times per day with a paid account.

N.B. With all of the above tools, it is best to search one segment at a time. Most oneworld search engines have difficulty marrying segments.

For route searching with itinerary information, use the interactive oneworld map and timetable.

For searching Intra-North America availability, the best tool is AA.com. Unlike the other oneworld engines, AA is pretty good at marrying segments, so you can search origin to destination.

Regarding availability, the strategy that has been most effective for people looking to book award travel on oneworld is to start searching right at 330 days prior to departure. This is generally when availability is at its best. After that, availability tends to be sporadic until starting 8 weeks prior to departure where some airlines open up availability, and will vary all the way up until the day of departure.

If you're having trouble finding availability, it may be best to look at alternate airports (JL, for example, serves SAN, YVR, and BOS, in addition to the larger markets of SFO, LAX, YYZ, ORD, and JFK).

(N.B. Although US was not adding fuel surcharges to awards, there are reports that they have started doing this for awards containing BA flights.) With the exception of BA & IB, no oneworld carriers require you to pay a fuel surcharge for awards. With BA, be aware that you may have to pay both a fuel surcharge as well as the UK Air Passenger Duty departure tax for intercontinental J and F flights out of UK. These fees vary with class of service and length of flight and are determined by BA; the Air Passenger Duty (see specific thread) is due for all UK departures not under 24 hour connecting flights. APD applies to coach tickets, too, but at a reduced rate. The fuel /YQ surcharge with IB is generally considered minimal.

Known Problems / Workaround:
  • Dep 00:00AM : Some agents have difficulty finding flights leaving between midnight and 2 AM. This is because the US systems show it leaving the day before. If the agent cannot find it, please ask to look at the day before. > source <
  • LA : Flights put on hold will be cancelled after 24h. Workaround: Issue the ticket immediately. > source <
  • JL : US Rep cannot find available seats. Workaround: "Always have to remind Rep to open JL reservations on a new screen". > source <
  • MH : US Rep cannot find awards in First Class. Workaround: First class needs to be booked in P-cl instead of Z-cl (as on most other OW carriers). > source < booking classes: > KVS <
  • All : If you are booking outbound flights at the US Air 335 day window US Air will often allow you to put your reservation on a longer than 3 day hold to capture the return seats once they open up at T+335. There is a report of this for 30 days here, and FT user beofotch was successful in getting a 13 day hold here. Workaround: Huaca until you get an agent who is competent enough to do this. It may help to act naive and ask for your return flight on your preferred date even if it is after T+335 days. Once they get an error from the computer may be a good time to bring it up.
  • ...

Fixed Problems:
  • CX : US Rep cannot find seats on flight CX 645 HKG-DOH. Workaround: none so far, search for different routing/carrier (CMB/DXB/...?)... > source < > fixed <
    > fixed <
  • CX : US Rep cannot find seats on flight CX 640 DOH-HKG. They admit, the flight exists, but are unable to book <source>. Workaround: none so far, search for different routing/carrier
    > fixed <
  • BA/Comair : US rep could not see / or unable to book intra-South Africa flights in BA flight number operated by Comair despite AA treats Comair a full fledged oneworld member under BA, in the same context as KA under CX. Only one reported success booking - poster reported agent had trouble at first but on consulting a supervisor was told "where to look"; the agent did not give any further information. Most everyone else reported unable to book Comair flights.
    > fixed <
  • IB : Flights will be cancelled after ticket issued. Workaround: None yet... > source <
    > fixed <
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LUS: USDM oneworld Award Bookings - (Closed to new bookings) [Master FAQ and Help]

Old Aug 7, 2015, 6:31 pm
  #4336  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,706
Originally Posted by Dave Noble
If there is just a schedule change , can you not just "accept changes" online which will just revalidate the ticket?
Thanks! Looks like I can just do that.

Originally Posted by LHR/MEL/Europe FF
If you are being asked to accept to schedule change (and it's suitable for you) then you should do so. The ticket will be automatically recalidated.

This type of revalidation shouldn't affect the ticket, or the number of miles used to purchase the ticket.
If I wanted to change the departure time of a different segment, is that just asking for trouble? Would it require revalidation that would affect the number of miles needed to purchase the ticket?
iluvdoco is offline  
Old Aug 7, 2015, 6:47 pm
  #4337  
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Originally Posted by iluvdoco
If I wanted to change the departure time of a different segment, is that just asking for trouble? Would it require revalidation that would affect the number of miles needed to purchase the ticket?
I wouldn't be drawing attention if you don't need to.

While the agent should always give you the option of leaving the ticket as it is (for the same amount of miles), there has been the odd incident where the agent has gone ahead and made the change. By then it's opening a whole can of worms.

There are two types of action... a simple change such as time is just a revalidation. It's the same ticket, just updated.

When you start to request more complex changes, the ticket may need to be reissued. When you have a reissue, that's like a new ticket. So you can start to get questions over what you paid previously.

Reissues for involuntary changes are not likely to result in penalty. Reissues for voluntary changes are again inviting scrutiny.
LHR/MEL/Europe FF is offline  
Old Aug 7, 2015, 6:59 pm
  #4338  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,706
Originally Posted by LHR/MEL/Europe FF
I wouldn't be drawing attention if you don't need to.

While the agent should always give you the option of leaving the ticket as it is (for the same amount of miles), there has been the odd incident where the agent has gone ahead and made the change. By then it's opening a whole can of worms.

There are two types of action... a simple change such as time is just a revalidation. It's the same ticket, just updated.

When you start to request more complex changes, the ticket may need to be reissued. When you have a reissue, that's like a new ticket. So you can start to get questions over what you paid previously.

Reissues for involuntary changes are not likely to result in penalty. Reissues for voluntary changes are again inviting scrutiny.
Thanks for the explanation LHR/MEL. Think I'll leave it as is, and accept the changes as Dave Noble suggested.

Last edited by iluvdoco; Aug 7, 2015 at 9:48 pm
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Old Aug 10, 2015, 5:59 am
  #4339  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 181
Usually award tickets are valid for 1 year from the issue date. With the change over from my US Airways award ticket to AA stock number 001. I see a new re-issue date. Would that mean I have 1 year from the re-issue date of the AA ticket with 001? Or it still retain the US Airways original issue date?
rsydney is offline  
Old Aug 10, 2015, 12:30 pm
  #4340  
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
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Posts: 3,666
Originally Posted by rsydney
Usually award tickets are valid for 1 year from the issue date. With the change over from my US Airways award ticket to AA stock number 001. I see a new re-issue date. Would that mean I have 1 year from the re-issue date of the AA ticket with 001? Or it still retain the US Airways original issue date?
According IATA Rules, the issuing date should be copied to the new ticket. But on my Ticket AA did not do that, it shows the new re-issuance date...

Even with re-issuance, the original issue date still counts... But YMMV, just try it and report back.
Air Rarotonga is offline  
Old Aug 10, 2015, 2:16 pm
  #4341  
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my recollection is that only the date of most recent issue/reissue will show on the AA site - that it is showing a recent date does not mean that the original issue date is lost

Would not expect this to be a loophole to the 1 year limit
Dave Noble is offline  
Old Aug 10, 2015, 4:30 pm
  #4342  
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)
Posts: 8,928
Originally Posted by LHR/MEL/Europe FF
There are two types of action... a simple change such as time is just a revalidation. It's the same ticket, just updated.

When you start to request more complex changes, the ticket may need to be reissued. When you have a reissue, that's like a new ticket. So you can start to get questions over what you paid previously.

Reissues for involuntary changes are not likely to result in penalty. Reissues for voluntary changes are again inviting scrutiny.
In my own experience, AA almost never revalidates tickets. Even for the most trivial schedule change (e.g., same flight number, same date, just the scheduled time of one flight changed by 10 minutes), AA has always re-issued the ticket. I say this to explain that you shouldn't get hung up on reissue vs revalidate, that doesn't matter. What matters is (a) if the change requires a reinstate and reclaim (where AA redeposits the miles and then re-issues the certificate), and (b) if the change is voluntary or involuntary.

In my experience, adding a segment always requires a reinstate/reclaim, while deleting a segment provided it doesn't change the type of award does not. Date/time and connecting-point changes also do not require a reinstate/reclaim provided you are not changing carriers from a OneWorld to a non-OneWorld or vice-versa.
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Old Aug 10, 2015, 7:49 pm
  #4343  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,706
Originally Posted by anabolism
In my own experience, AA almost never revalidates tickets. Even for the most trivial schedule change (e.g., same flight number, same date, just the scheduled time of one flight changed by 10 minutes), AA has always re-issued the ticket. I say this to explain that you shouldn't get hung up on reissue vs revalidate, that doesn't matter. What matters is (a) if the change requires a reinstate and reclaim (where AA redeposits the miles and then re-issues the certificate), and (b) if the change is voluntary or involuntary.

In my experience, adding a segment always requires a reinstate/reclaim, while deleting a segment provided it doesn't change the type of award does not. Date/time and connecting-point changes also do not require a reinstate/reclaim provided you are not changing carriers from a OneWorld to a non-OneWorld or vice-versa.
Thanks anabolism. What about changing cabin classes? E.g. changing Y to J if the trip was booked in J? Going by what you said, such a change would not change the type of award, and a reinstate/reclaim would not be needed.
iluvdoco is offline  
Old Aug 10, 2015, 9:57 pm
  #4344  
 
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Posts: 8,928
Originally Posted by iluvdoco
Thanks anabolism. What about changing cabin classes? E.g. changing Y to J if the trip was booked in J? Going by what you said, such a change would not change the type of award, and a reinstate/reclaim would not be needed.
Correct, in the few times I've taken voluntary downgrades (a J segment on an F award), when space opened up, AA rebooked me and reissued the ticket without a reinstate/reclaim.
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Old Aug 11, 2015, 3:38 am
  #4345  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 181
Thanks for the response guys. I also just wanted to know if anyone here tried changing dates on a previous US Airways award and what their experience was. I will probably make a date changes later in Nov as my plans would be come more clear that time.
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Old Aug 11, 2015, 3:40 am
  #4346  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,691
Originally Posted by rsydney
Thanks for the response guys. I also just wanted to know if anyone here tried changing dates on a previous US Airways award and what their experience was. I will probably make a date changes later in Nov as my plans would be come more clear that time.
Just a date change and no change of class / route? If so, you may be able to score it for free under the AA rules. Your ticket may already have been re-issued on AA stock indeed.
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Old Aug 13, 2015, 1:03 am
  #4347  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SUX
Programs: BA Silver; HHonors Gold; SPG Gold; Points but dirt with everyone else
Posts: 8,050
Had an interesting/annoying situation mid-itinerary last week. Had flown DCA-JFK-HKG-KUL and spent the night in the transit hotel before intending to take MH for KUL-DPS. Well, MH decided they just wanted to not fly to DPS for a couple of days and cancelled all flights on the day I was flying. (The airport and air space were open. VA, QF, and JQ cancelled all flights to DPS, but MH was the only Asian carrier to do so.) Even better, MH announced in the lounge that they were just canceling tickets and not reacommodating pax on later flights, since they didn't know when they would resume flying to DPS. Knowing how great US's IT systems are (and since USairways.com was still showing my flight as operating normally), I refused to leave the lounge until MH could get someone at US to ensure that my return sectors would not be cancelled for no-showing my non-existent KUL-DPS flight.

MH lounge supervisor spent two hours on hold trying to get someone at a US call center. (I think in the end he was in London.) Apparently he couldn't understand what she was trying to tell him, so I got put on the phone. He was pretty adamant at first that I had to fly on whatever flight MH rebooked me onto to DPS or my return would be voided. Finally, however, I got him to understand that MH was refusing to carry me to DPS. (I'd already booked one of the last three seats on an AirAsia flight leaving 12 hours later than my MH flight.) He got a supervisor to approve voiding the KUL-DPS coupon and reissuing the ticket with my HKG-BOS-DCA flights intact. He also told me no further changes would be permitted, but I figured as much since barring IROPS, there shouldn't have been any changes made after flying from DCA.

Just thought I'd provide a data point on how much fun it can be if things go pear-shaped while you're traveling on one of the remaining 037 USDM tickets.
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Old Aug 21, 2015, 6:42 am
  #4348  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: BOS
Programs: AS MVPG75k
Posts: 353
I am travelling on one of the few remaining 037 tickets. My original booking was made in January (itinerary included AA, JL and CX flights), and I paid USDM to make a change in March (moved entirely to CX flights and added a stopover in HKG, so I knew I had to do it prior to the transition to AA). Final trip is BOS-HKG-KIX (destination), then KIX-HKG (overnight) -BOS, all segments in F. USDM issued me a new 037 ticket number in March, while the original US PNR remained the same.

When I plug in the US PNR into the AA website, it spits out an AA PNR with ticket status of "Cancelled". But I think this must be referring to the original itinerary which included an AA domestic leg, since plugging the new 037 e-ticket number into Saudia all looks good. I also got the CX PNR and it looks good too.

My trip is coming up in a few weeks, and I would like to change my KIX-HKG to one of the earlier flights that same day. I thought I could do this without a change fee now that we have moved over to AA award rules. However, when I called AA to inquire about this, they initially told me that my ticket was cancelled and there was nothing they could do. When I fed them the new ticket number, they told me they couldn't help me since it was an 037 ticket and so they transferred me over to USDM.

Once I got through to USDM, I was told that the KIX-HKG flights earlier that day are flown by 2-class aircraft instead of 3-class, and hence no F award availability. Fine, book me into J or Y. However, I was told that since it would require a downgrade from F, it was not possible to make that change whilst keeping the rest of the ticket intact. My only option was to cancel/redeposit the whole ticket ($150 fee) and re-book it pending CX re-releasing the F award inventory. Yeah, right.

My question for all of you is, is there any use to HUCA? Is the agent correct or misinformed about the downgrade of one segment being impossible without redepositing and rebooking the entire ticket? And a second question, if AA tells me they can't work with this ticket and instead transfers me to USDM, does this mean USDM's old rules apply? Or do they now have leeway to use AA rules? Mostly I want to know if I need to pay the $150 change fee for a simple date or time change, and also if I can make a change to my return itinerary after flying the outbound.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can share.
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Old Aug 21, 2015, 7:12 am
  #4349  
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Originally Posted by braffy
My question for all of you is, is there any use to HUCA? Is the agent correct or misinformed about the downgrade of one segment being impossible without redepositing and rebooking the entire ticket?
Voluntary change of class was not allowed for some time in the closing stages of USDM unless you did exactly as they suggest - redeposit and rebook the entire itinerary.

While this most commonly came up with pax who might have paid F for the whole ticket, but only had availability in J for one sector at time of booking... I suppose it equally would apply to a requested downgrade.

For a while you could play agent roulette and hope one would make the change without needing to cancel... but by the end it was almost uniform. I tried with four agents in September last year and all of them gave the same line.
LHR/MEL/Europe FF is offline  
Old Aug 21, 2015, 11:42 am
  #4350  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: BOS
Programs: AS MVPG75k
Posts: 353
Originally Posted by LHR/MEL/Europe FF
Voluntary change of class was not allowed for some time in the closing stages of USDM unless you did exactly as they suggest - redeposit and rebook the entire itinerary.

While this most commonly came up with pax who might have paid F for the whole ticket, but only had availability in J for one sector at time of booking... I suppose it equally would apply to a requested downgrade.

For a while you could play agent roulette and hope one would make the change without needing to cancel... but by the end it was almost uniform. I tried with four agents in September last year and all of them gave the same line.
This seems to be in contrast to the (unofficial) AA policy, where it is reportedly possible to call in and upgrade to last-minute F inventory. Does anyone know if that policy also includes voluntary downgrading?

Also, does the AA policy even matter in this case, since it is an 037 ticket? Does that mean that the old US policies still apply to my ticket, even now?

Last edited by braffy; Aug 21, 2015 at 2:09 pm Reason: 037
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