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[2017 NEWBIE LOUNGE] Ask Your "Newbie" AA Questions Here (flame free)

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Old Dec 31, 2016, 10:20 pm
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Welcome to the 2017 "NEWBIE LOUNGE"
Ask Your Consolidated / Combined AA Questions Here (flame free)
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(This post can only be edited by moderators.)



Welcome to the Newbie Lounge!
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The Newbie Lounge is a place for newer and less experienced members to ask their questions about American Airlines and the AAdvantage program and have answered by our more experienced and knowledgeable members. Feel free to ask any question related to American Airlines and AAdvantage here.

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[2017 NEWBIE LOUNGE] Ask Your "Newbie" AA Questions Here (flame free)

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Old Aug 14, 2017, 4:14 am
  #1516  
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: DEN
Programs: AA DL UA
Posts: 177
This must be a FAQ but I have not yet been able to find the answer:

Is it possible to combine two itineraries purchased separately?

I am trying to redeem miles (I have avios, As, and AA miles) on AA metal for LIH-DEN. Availability is poor and the only way I can get both me and the DW back to DEN on the same itinerary would be to do the following:

Redeem miles for one of us to fly LIH-PHX-DEN, with a 90 min layover in PHX.
Redeem miles for the other person to fly LIH-PHX, and then use cash to buy a separate PHX-DEN ticket on the same AA flight the first person is on.

One danger of doing this would be that if there were any irreg ops, they could send the first person to a different layover stop while the second person would still go to PHX (eventually) and then miss that separate PHX-DEN flight.

Also, the second person would presumably have to pick up checked bags in PHX and re-check them for the PHX-DEN flight (and go through security again) --- UNLESS it might be possible to combine the two itineraries/tickets of the second person, i.e. The LIH-PHXredemption and the separately purchased PHX-DEN ticket.

Is this kind of combining tickets possible, and if so, how?

I have some time to keep looking for availability but curious about this.

Thanks for any advice,

Brian
rtom is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 6:39 am
  #1517  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: USA & UK -- AA EXP 3.5MM, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Plat, Avis President's Club
Posts: 6,411
If it were me, I'd have the first passenger check both bags (and the second passenger check no bags). Even if it incurs an extra checked bag fee, it's better than landing in PHX, going out to baggage claim, going back to the checkin counter, then re-entering security.
Originally Posted by rtom
Redeem miles for one of us to fly LIH-PHX-DEN, with a 90 min layover in PHX. Redeem miles for the other person to fly LIH-PHX, and then use cash to buy a separate PHX-DEN ticket on the same AA flight the first person is on.

One danger of doing this would be that if there were any irreg ops, they could send the first person to a different layover stop while the second person would still go to PHX (eventually) and then miss that separate PHX-DEN flight.

Also, the second person would presumably have to pick up checked bags in PHX and re-check them for the PHX-DEN flight (and go through security again) --- UNLESS it might be possible to combine the two itineraries/tickets of the second person, i.e. The LIH-PHXredemption and the separately purchased PHX-DEN ticket.

Is this kind of combining tickets possible, and if so, how?
CloudCoder is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 7:14 am
  #1518  
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: DEN
Programs: AA DL UA
Posts: 177
Good idea to have passenger #1 check all bags -- though could be a bit tricky, since we're doing a two-week trip.

I also just found a Gary Leff post saying that AA and probably other oneworld airlines will check the second passenger's bags through to DEN in the situation I described above:

http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea....ghts-go-wrong/

"American Airlines has long published a policy that says if you are connecting on two American tickets, or you’re connecting to or from oneworld, they’re going to treat you as though you were flying on just one ticket."

If true then pasenger #2 could check his/her bags to DEN at LIH. Then the main risk of the separate ticket situation is a delayed first flight, so it would be prudent to schedule not too short a layover.
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Old Aug 14, 2017, 7:28 am
  #1519  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: USA & UK -- AA EXP 3.5MM, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Plat, Avis President's Club
Posts: 6,411
That article is from 2015. AA "enhanced" their policy in 2016. Alas, thru-checking bags on two separate tickets is long gone and sorely missed.

Thread which discusses this
Originally Posted by rtom
Good idea to have passenger #1http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea....ghts-go-wrong/

"American Airlines has long published a policy that says if you are connecting on two American tickets, or you’re connecting to or from oneworld, they’re going to treat you as though you were flying on just one ticket."

If true then pasenger #2 could check his/her bags to DEN at LIH. Then the main risk of the separate ticket situation is a delayed first flight, so it would be prudent to schedule not too short a layover.
CloudCoder is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 7:39 am
  #1520  
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: DEN
Programs: AA DL UA
Posts: 177
Drat -- yet another wonderful new feature of air travel!

OK, so we could try to have all bags checked by passenger #1 with the LIH-PHX-DEN itinerary.

What about protection from irreg ops if a passenger has two tickets (both AA)? I see this on the thread you mentioned (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...16-a-35.html):

"AA will no longer check bags through on separate tickets but they will still protect in the event of irrops (as long as the other carrier is oneworld)."
rtom is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 9:45 am
  #1521  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Originally Posted by rtom
Drat -- yet another wonderful new feature of air travel!

OK, so we could try to have all bags checked by passenger #1 with the LIH-PHX-DEN itinerary.

What about protection from irreg ops if a passenger has two tickets (both AA)? I see this on the thread you mentioned (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...16-a-35.html):

"AA will no longer check bags through on separate tickets but they will still protect in the event of irrops (as long as the other carrier is oneworld)."
The policy is what it says. And AA might through check bags when the two PNRs are an award and purchased fare.

You can also, for protection in case if IROPS, have a TCP note entered in each PNR. See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...solidated.html.
JDiver is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 11:22 am
  #1522  
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: DEN
Programs: AA DL UA
Posts: 177
Thanks for the advice. The first flight actually has extremely good on-time stats.

We're talking about flights for next June, so another worry is the chance that AA might significantly reschedule one of the flights between now and then.

So, if AA reschedules one of our flights significantly in, say, January, so that passenger #2 misses his second flight (which operates as scheduled in June), would AA accommodate this second passenger to get him to DEN?
rtom is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 11:59 am
  #1523  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Originally Posted by rtom
Thanks for the advice. The first flight actually has extremely good on-time stats.

We're talking about flights for next June, so another worry is the chance that AA might significantly reschedule one of the flights between now and then.

So, if AA reschedules one of our flights significantly in, say, January, so that passenger #2 misses his second flight (which operates as scheduled in June), would AA accommodate this second passenger to get him to DEN?
In addition to protection - AA is better at this with passengers than baggage - remember significant schedule changes mean the airline will reaccommodate. The important thing to remember is to be proactive and monitor your PNRs, because AA often doesn't announce changes and autoreaccommidation often sucks.
JDiver is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 7:43 pm
  #1524  
FTA
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 304
Originally Posted by JDiver
click on "Need password?"
Didn't work, tried that before posting. Thanks for replying though. Called them today and they fixed it
FTA is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 8:56 pm
  #1525  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Originally Posted by FTA
Didn't work, tried that before posting. Thanks for replying though. Called them today and they fixed it
Frustrating! Glad they sorted it out for you.
JDiver is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2017, 9:07 am
  #1526  
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Programs: AA
Posts: 377
All other things being equal - which of the following two itineraries would you suggest for seat quality or other issues, for a trip in April 2018? Flights are in business class.

STL-ORD
ORD-NRT AA153 (seatguru says it's the 787-8?)

-OR-

STL-DFW
DFW-NRT AA175 (777-200? - old style?)

Also, the return for both is on JL60 KIX-LAX, which is the old 787 style seat on JL. I asked a similar question in the JL forum, but does anyone really hate that seat so much that they'd backtrack backtrack to NRT in order to take AA170 NRT-LAX?

This is all based on award availability. Thanks in advance.
backprop is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2017, 9:14 am
  #1527  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: AA
Posts: 14,741
Originally Posted by backprop
(777-200? - old style?)
There are no more 777-200s in the old configuration.
wrp96 is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2017, 9:59 am
  #1528  
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Programs: AA
Posts: 377
Originally Posted by wrp96
There are no more 777-200s in the old configuration.
Thanks. Should have known better than to rely on seatguru.

Any advice on which of the two options is better?
backprop is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2017, 10:07 am
  #1529  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Originally Posted by backprop
Thanks. Should have known better than to rely on seatguru.

Any advice on which of the two options is better?
772 or 788, you may have Zodiac solo suites, with the 772 you could get the solo Super Diamonds. Just select seat numeration on the 772 that's not likely to change if there's a substitution of a high vs low J seat count.

See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...under-way.html for information and links to each 772 version (Wikipost at top of page).

With 788 you'll have both higher cabin humidity and lower cabin altitude, better for most on longhaul flights.
JDiver is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2017, 12:22 pm
  #1530  
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: SNA/LAX, PHL
Programs: AA Gold, AS MVP, WN A-List, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Exp, Hertz PC
Posts: 449
AA website down? Trying to book flights but apparently the payment page "has gone flight".
jacobguo is offline  


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