rbAA

OK, so I really don't like the new reservation pages aa.com has, but the worst thing is that it seems you can't pick the most convenient segments and the ones offered are so inconvenient it's not worth booking on aa.com anymore.

An example, since I live in BKK now, my usual four times per year BKK-HKG-LAX-HKG-BKK: the lowest fare puts me on an AA codeshare of the 8:25am BKK-HKG CX flight, a 7 hour layover, and the 10:25pm codeshare of the HKG-BKK CX flight, effectively a 14 hour layover on the return. Once, I got the noon CX HKG-BKK, but not a codeshare so the Q fare doesn't earn on AA. Seems that CX flight should be the one AA codeshares on, since it is only a 4 hour layover, perfect for some Wing cabana time. Of course, reading the thread about delays and cancellations for AA192 and 193, maybe they expect these problems to continue.

Might as well just book elsewhere, or get separate tickets which I did for my March trip. That one actually was lower priced since the HKG-LAX RT fares on AA are dirt cheap and the UL flights in business are reasonably priced-though I still had a layover, so decided to make it a HKG stopover something that would have jacked the aa.com price way up. I can imagine all sorts of bad things might happen, fortunately I don't check bags outbound, just on the return, so one less thing to deal with. Alliances are like marriages, so easily broken. (See the CX separate ticket thread about not interlining.)

Anyway, I feel better now, realizing logic and convenience are optional. Deep breath and have some delicious Thai breakfast.

Thanks for listening.

aztimm

Why not just use Google flights to pick your flights?

After you have your itinerary set, you can go directly to the AA website with all of the flights all set.

rbAA

I usually start there, but most times the link to aa.com comes back with an error that the flights are no longer available. Just tried again, GF shows $895 for the flights I want, link to aa.com and then when aa.com comes up, no flights are selected and have to start again, this time, same terrible flights and $1495 lowest. Used a couple OTA's as well. Plus, generally the CX or JL (when flying thru NRT) flights with convenient times are non-codeshare. Or, much more expensive. I've found it cheaper to do separate tickets, such as described in the original post.

paullgo

I have the same problem . I live in Bangkok half the year and go back and forth several times a year. Just got back last week and got a Bos-Bkk for $750. Doing it again for the month of Dec and got a Bos-Bkk for $725. But everything now, as you say, has been coming up with a 6-10 hour layover or a fare in the $1800 range.
Sometimes the flights going thru Tokyo work fare wise and good connections.

This problem has been going on for a couple of years. I have written AA about it and have gotten 100 different answers. But more often than not, they say it's computer issue and should be fixed soon. Never so, but if you can outlast them, fares will fall into place in 2-3 weeks. If your willing to book seperate tickets using Lax, you can usually get the good connections.

Dave Noble

Are you searching for BKK-LAX or for BKK-HKG and then HKG-LAX? If the latter it could be that GF is not properly allowing for married sector availability and that it just isn't bookable for a through flight at that fare

With separate tickets , you do have the issue that CX will not assist if a misconnect occurs nor will it check bags through

jasondc

.. and people wonder why US carriers are dumping BKK/ not flying there - $750 round trip fares to BOS? $800 fares to LAX? Great for the consumer for sure, but an absolute LOSS for the airlines operating them. Not that I'm complaining either - I'm going to BKK for roughly $800 roundtrip from DC... I love these fares, but I know that they aren't profitable for the carriers offering them.

formeraa

Precisely. SIN seems to be the same way. I just booked a trip for my Mother from SEA-SIN roundtrip with a week stopover in Tokyo on the way back for $979. We were expecting to pay $2000 based on previous travel a few years ago.

akcae

Individual anecdotes of what you and I and your mom paid for a coach fare on any trip have very little to nothing to do with the actual profitability of a flight.

3Cforme

It can be observed that AA doesn't codeshare each of a partner carrier's flights xxx-yyy. See, for example, that AA shares 3 of 5 of CX's flights NRT-HKG on 27 September. Why they don't would be a good question. Attributing it to CX's profit maximization (they don't have an anti-trust-immunized JV that would permit them to coordinate inventory, schedules, and pricing) can't be discounted.

As for a carrier's enthusiasm for selling ~19,000 mile tickets for <$800, that might explain a few things, too.

no2chem

+1, people just have to realize market price for flights to asia is below <$1k rt these days, and clearly CX is still making a profit on said flights (and pricing well below American, even though they are not a LCC!). I find SQ/NH/KE/OZ/UA faring at the same price. Let's not be armchair RM agents now... In the days of low fuel costs, surely RASM is not such a great measure (fixed operational costs are, which effectively make the cost of a 9h and a 14h flight look pretty similar... that plus consistent business demand to asia, probably)

But back on topic, I experience this problem too. I need to make an ORD-TPE/TPE-SFO open jaw, and to price it at a single ticket is $10K with AA. I'd just fly CX all the way, but SWUs and all, so I end up breaking it up at HKG/NRT/HND, with the whole irrops risk. Sometimes thats not even possible so I just book two separate one way tickets, which ends up being 30% more... but on the plus side, returns from asia are always cheap, so it ends up being more like a flex ticket...

no2chem

Also, LAX-HKG fares are appearing as main cabin flexible (Refundable) now, even at ~$500. weird.

rbAA

Always check both ways and no difference, except when it's not a through fare the booking page shows without the message that the flights are no longer available.

Hopefully, AA will get their act together on the LAX-HKG-LAX flights to eliminate the major delays, so I won't have problems that require CX to handle, as they won't. But, my Sept 20th LAX-HKG went out on time and arrived 30 minutes early. So it can be done. Guess I'll just have to spend (a few) more nights in HK on the returns to be sure.

akcae

Where do you see this lovely fare? I can't see anything under $700-ish.

econometrics

Please write to AA and let them know you want the ability to Search by Schedule back in the AA.com reservation search. It WILL make a difference, and will give you back the flexibility of choosing better routings.

I have similar issues flying to TLV, as they always try to route me on codeshared LY flights, when I would rather take the 50% EQM and fly with benefits on a BA/IB flight.

rbAA

LAX-HKG and vice versa are frequently at $563 but non-refundable.