dciolli

I bought a round trip ticket on AA metal between LAX - SEA on Alaska's website. I've linked this reservation to my AAdvantage account, and American's website is showing the reservation with AA flight numbers (AA1133 and AA1804) but an Alaska reservation number (starts with 027 instead of 001).

I have two questions:

1) Why would AA flights be significantly cheaper on Alaska's website ($180) compared with American's website ($357)?
2) Will I earn EQMs according to the American accrual matrix since I have AA flight numbers even though the ticket is an Alaska number?

Sorry if this belongs in another thread -- please move if appropriate.

Dave Noble

The ticket number is irrelevent

Assuming that you are booked on AA flight numbers , you will earn as per the AA earnings table

Did you book AA flight numbers on the Alaska Airways site or did you book Alaska Airways flight numbers?

neo_781

Just because it is a codeshare that doesn't mean the ticket prices have to be the same. Apparently in this case AA thinks its worth the $177 premium to book with them. That's why you always need to shop around.

joepercussion1

Google Flights FTW

reclusive46

Bizarrely AA seem to sell cheaper flights on every other airline except its own. Routinely BA/CX/WJ flights are significantly cheaper that booking it via the respective airline.

dciolli

Thanks. I booked AA flight numbers on Alaska's website.

Microwave

As long as you see them as AA marketed flights on the AS website, you should be fine.

ashill

Are you sure this is the case? American's web site quotes the round trip price up front, whereas Alaska's web site quotes the one way fare (based on round trip, although most Alaska fares don't require a round trip) for each leg. The fact that the AA fare is almost exactly double the AS fare makes me suspect that this is what is going on; I know that others have been confused by this in the past.

Be careful here; it's not always easy to tell anywhere in the Alaska booking process (including the eticket receipt) who the marketing carrier is. Alaska puts the logo of the operating carrier prominently at every stage of the booking process, irrespective of the marketing carrier, which can make it look like you're booking an AA marketed and operated flight when you're really booking an AS*/AA flight. I'm not sure AS actually sells flights without their code on their web site. It's certainly possible that I'm mistaken on this point, but be careful (and maybe call AS reservations before the 24 hour refund period is up to be sure).

If you booked the AS code (whether you know it or not), you'll earn AA miles according to the AS table, meaning 50% EQMs.

Microwave

Woah, good call... I just did a mock booking, and during the flight selection process it showed the AA logo and AA prime flight number only on the selection screen, and only once it was in my cart did it show the AS flight numbers in parentheses–but "American Airlines" was written 3 times around it with no explanation of which flight number was the marketed flight number and which was the operating flight number. Very easily missed. What's worse, the best prices book into R, which don't earn anything on AAdvantage. Definitely a caveat very very emptor situation here...

Er, not quite: if you book the AS code, you'll earn AA miles according to the AS table... 50% or worse.

ashill

Oops; typo fixed.

I've been caught by AS R fares once before, but that was a very, very cheap sale fare on AS metal. Surprised to see it come up on an AA metal flight matching an AA fare. Indeed, another big warning.

And to be fair to AS, they are probably so clear about the operating carrier and obfuscate the marketing carrier because in the AS frequent flyer program, it's metal (not marketing carrier) that matters for earning, for the most part. (There are exceptions that are irrelevant here.) AAdvantage is the opposite.

dciolli

I noticed the same thing when I did the booking. It kept showing AA flight numbers until the final screen, at which point it showed an AS flight number in parentheses. According to the confirmation email I received from Alaska, my reservation is booking code R but showing AA flight numbers (no AS flight number listed).

When I review my reservation on American's website, it's showing booking code O with AA flight numbers:

American Airlines
1133

Los Angeles (LAX)
August 19, 2016 04:55 PM

Travel Time : 2 h 43 m
Cabin Class : Economy
Seat : 14C , 14A

Seattle (SEA)
August 19, 2016 07:38 PM

Booking Code : O
Plane Type : 319

dciolli

100% positive. I paid $360 for two round trip tickets for me and my wife on Alaska's website ($90 / person each way). When I priced the exact same flights on American's website, the total was $714.

ashill

That flight is available for $179 one way on AA.com, so my guess about the price (that you were confusing a round trip price with a one way) appears to be correct. I would book the flight from AA.com (looks like a G fare, or there's a Q fare for $109 on the 19:40 flight; AA G, Q, and O fares are the same for mileage earning purposes in AAdvantage and most partner programs) and cancel the Alaska booking before 24 hours is up to be completely safe.

Ah, the $180 you were quoting was round trip. I too see that AS is charging $91 one way while AA is charging $179 one way or $287 round trip. It looks like AA is sold out in O while AS is not sold out in R. Presumably AA has also filed a $91 fare matching AS (even though they codeshare, they do not have antitrust immunity and therefore are required to compete against each other even when they're selling tickets on the same plane), but AA's revenue management has decided not to sell any seats in O at this time (either sold out or waiting to see how loads look closer to the flight date).

I'll bet dollars to donuts that you really have an AS-marketed flight in R which will earn zippo in AAdvantage, though I can't be sure. AA.com must map AS R to AA O. But the fact that AA.com wasn't showing any availability in O on your flight suggests that there wasn't availability in O on AA, so AS couldn't have sold you an AA ticket in O any more than AA could.

dciolli

I didn't include my return flight in my previous post to keep it short. I booked two r/t tickets for $180 each. It would be nearly double to book on American's website.

ashill

I updated my post based on your follow-up, presumably while you were typing this post.