Dec 31, 2016, 10:20 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
Welcome to the 2017 "NEWBIE LOUNGE"
Ask Your Consolidated / Combined AA Questions Here (flame free)
MODERATOR GUIDEPOST:
MODERATOR GUIDEPOST:
(This post can only be edited by moderators.)
Welcome to the Newbie Lounge!
Welcome to the Newbie Lounge!
Welcome to Flyertalk!
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.
NOTE: This is a "flame free" thread; flaming, personal criticism for "failing to search" etc. is not allowed (if posted, the post will be summarily deleted, the poster subject to sanctions).
Advanced questions posed by veteran FT users may be moved and / or merged into existing master or GUIDE threads, most of which have Wikiposts at the top of the page that contain summaries of important information.
We volunteer Moderators monitor this "lounge" thread to assist you as well. When browsing the fora, look at the page tops of the various forums. There will be a menu, and often "sticky" threads, and threads with header "wiki posts" (created and maintained by the FlyerTalk community) with important information relating to that forum / topic.
Don't hesitate to contact a moderator or another member if you have any additional questions. You can PM the Moderators by clicking on
, which pops up a message box; the message goes to all this forum's Moderators. Note that unlike some sites with paid staff moderators, FlyerTalk Moderators are volunteers, and most work, travel, go on holiday, etc. You can Private Message us using the PM system (My Flyertalk) and our handles.
We're glad you've chosen to join the Flyertalk frequent flyer community!
Your American Airlines | AAdvantage Forum Moderation Team,
AZ Travels the World, aztimm, dstan, JDiver, JY1024, Microwave
(Our thanks to thread founder / "plank owner" HNL.)
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.
NOTE: This is a "flame free" thread; flaming, personal criticism for "failing to search" etc. is not allowed (if posted, the post will be summarily deleted, the poster subject to sanctions).
Advanced questions posed by veteran FT users may be moved and / or merged into existing master or GUIDE threads, most of which have Wikiposts at the top of the page that contain summaries of important information.
We volunteer Moderators monitor this "lounge" thread to assist you as well. When browsing the fora, look at the page tops of the various forums. There will be a menu, and often "sticky" threads, and threads with header "wiki posts" (created and maintained by the FlyerTalk community) with important information relating to that forum / topic.
Don't hesitate to contact a moderator or another member if you have any additional questions. You can PM the Moderators by clicking on
, which pops up a message box; the message goes to all this forum's Moderators. Note that unlike some sites with paid staff moderators, FlyerTalk Moderators are volunteers, and most work, travel, go on holiday, etc. You can Private Message us using the PM system (My Flyertalk) and our handles.We're glad you've chosen to join the Flyertalk frequent flyer community!
Your American Airlines | AAdvantage Forum Moderation Team,
AZ Travels the World, aztimm, dstan, JDiver, JY1024, Microwave
(Our thanks to thread founder / "plank owner" HNL.)
Check out the following resources:
- GUIDE: FT - AA Forum, LOUNGE DASHBOARD and OSO / IRROPS (Links to most important threads, "Help Desk" assistance threads, the thread with resources for off-schedule operations / irregular operations (including links to AA weather policy and tools), hub airport threads, AA lounge Dashboard for all lounges and lounge related issues.)
- FAQ: American Airlines and AAdvantage - Please check here first! (Our FAQ were originally written for the pre-merger AA forum, but there's still a lot of useful information there.)
- New and uncertain where to start here, and it's about American Airlines? Start in our "NEWBIE LOUNGE" thread, here: link.
- Do you have questions about other travel related issues that do not pertain to AA and are unsure where to start? Visit our Information Desk Forum here: U]link. [/U]
- Especially useful to new members: FAQs (How to post like a pro and more)
- The NEW FlyerTalk: Helpful Hints, Tips and Suggestions to Enhance Your Experience (Information Desk Forum)
- FlyerTalk Glossary (What is all this jargon?)
- Airport Code Guide (How do I decode an airport code / find one for a city?)
Searching can be key to finding important information and answers without waiting for someone to drop by and answer, and it helps prevent that information fragmentation. FlyerTalk Advanced Search can seem quirky to the infrequent user, but it's fairly powerful if one knows how to use it. There are several ways to search:
- Canarsie's Using the Search Feature on FlyerTalk: The Definitive Thread has relocated to the Information Desk Forum; it can be found there.
- One can search FlyerTalk with Google with this web form.
- Or, if you are used to Google search, use Google Advanced Search and insert www.flyertalk.com in the "site or domain" box.
Forum basics: Now that the new AA has become by some measures "the world's largest airline", this new, combined has become a "mega-forum", very large, very active - and theoretically very difficult to find information and easy to lose one's place. Having to search for and sort through dozens - or more - of threads on baggage, airports, minimum connect times or the like could soon become unproductive and discouraging.
To prevent this from occurring, please note we try to:
Keep a few "sticky" threads: such as GUIDE posts, OSO / IROPS, etc. for urgent and quick reference, such as basic "where do I find" reasons
Keep threads to specific topics: Prevent information fragmentation and loss by consolidating questions, answers and discussion of one topic contained in one thread. (This also honors those members who have already shared valuable information and experiences.)
"Popular" threads are likely to have a Wikipost at the head that will summarize important information and have resource links. These are "community property", and as any wiki are established, maintained and updated by the members (with 90 days of tenure and 90 posts on FlyerTalk).
You may find your question or post merged into one of those threads. Be sure that we will leave a link behind from your original thread, and to look up to see if there's a wiki with information. We apologize for any possible inconvenience or difference between this forum and others, but we think you'll like some of the resources and tools here to enable more convenient, comfortable travel on AA and greater knowledge sharing.
Keep it welcoming: We're proud the members of both FFPs have kept the brickbats to a minimum; we want this forum to be welcoming, civil and information rich, so name calling (including calling a member one disagrees with "AApologist") and snark are not tolerated. Posts with such are likely to be summarily deleted in their entirety; repeated such behavior may result in suspension of one's membership privileges or being banned from this forum. Let's keep it friendly and in accordance with the FT Rules.
FlyerTalk Rules (We all agree to abide by these, and are held accountable.)
Thanks for reading!
[2017 NEWBIE LOUNGE] Ask Your "Newbie" AA Questions Here (flame free)
Dec 13, 2017, 6:40 pm
#2221
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Miami
Programs: AA
Posts: 3
Dear Members,
I fly about 4-6 times a year and once international. This particular year I made more trips but still fell short of making it to gold for the first time. Now AA sent me an email saying that paying $775 to make it to the gold. I will be traveling twice international next year in addition to 6-8 domestic, 2-3 will be from coast to coast. My question is it worth paying $775 for the gold status? Thanks in advance
I fly about 4-6 times a year and once international. This particular year I made more trips but still fell short of making it to gold for the first time. Now AA sent me an email saying that paying $775 to make it to the gold. I will be traveling twice international next year in addition to 6-8 domestic, 2-3 will be from coast to coast. My question is it worth paying $775 for the gold status? Thanks in advance
Dec 13, 2017, 6:46 pm
#2222
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: BKK
Posts: 6,741
Dear Members,
I fly about 4-6 times a year and once international. This particular year I made more trips but still fell short of making it to gold for the first time. Now AA sent me an email saying that paying $775 to make it to the gold. I will be traveling twice international next year in addition to 6-8 domestic, 2-3 will be from coast to coast. My question is it worth paying $775 for the gold status? Thanks in advance
I fly about 4-6 times a year and once international. This particular year I made more trips but still fell short of making it to gold for the first time. Now AA sent me an email saying that paying $775 to make it to the gold. I will be traveling twice international next year in addition to 6-8 domestic, 2-3 will be from coast to coast. My question is it worth paying $775 for the gold status? Thanks in advance
Dec 13, 2017, 10:34 pm
#2223
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Stilllwater OK (SWO)
Programs: AAdvantage ExecPlat, World of Hyatt Globalist, plain "member" of Marriott, IHG, enterprise, etc.
Posts: 1,848
Dear Members,
I fly about 4-6 times a year and once international. This particular year I made more trips but still fell short of making it to gold for the first time. Now AA sent me an email saying that paying $775 to make it to the gold. I will be traveling twice international next year in addition to 6-8 domestic, 2-3 will be from coast to coast. My question is it worth paying $775 for the gold status? Thanks in advance
I fly about 4-6 times a year and once international. This particular year I made more trips but still fell short of making it to gold for the first time. Now AA sent me an email saying that paying $775 to make it to the gold. I will be traveling twice international next year in addition to 6-8 domestic, 2-3 will be from coast to coast. My question is it worth paying $775 for the gold status? Thanks in advance
I just checked my flights for next year, and it looks like if I purchase my last planned trip (and yes, I can easily plan both work and vacation 12 months in advance), I will be 100$ short of 3K EQD (with enough EQM even considering that a few flights are B and get half EQM/EQS credit), and I am not sure that even care at this point to figure a mileage run. Gold really doesn't do much - I will have to see how 2019 looks I guess and make sure the point bonus makes it worth it.
Last edited by MarkOK; Dec 13, 2017 at 10:40 pm
Dec 14, 2017, 8:12 am
#2224
Join Date: May 2013
Location: MAD
Programs: IB+, BAEC
Posts: 3,106
So one additional newbie question since I'm going to be around the US a lot now.
Is there any chance of an upgrade as a non AA OneWorld elite? Currently sapphire with IB and likely to end up as emerald by the end of the year and it would be nice to sit in front on US domestics from time to time.
Is there any chance of an upgrade as a non AA OneWorld elite? Currently sapphire with IB and likely to end up as emerald by the end of the year and it would be nice to sit in front on US domestics from time to time.
Dec 14, 2017, 8:20 am
#2225
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: GNV
Programs: AA EP (life Gold), Global Entry, TSA Pre-Check, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 392
So one additional newbie question since I'm going to be around the US a lot now.
Is there any chance of an upgrade as a non AA OneWorld elite? Currently sapphire with IB and likely to end up as emerald by the end of the year and it would be nice to sit in front on US domestics from time to time.
Is there any chance of an upgrade as a non AA OneWorld elite? Currently sapphire with IB and likely to end up as emerald by the end of the year and it would be nice to sit in front on US domestics from time to time.
Dec 14, 2017, 12:51 pm
#2226
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Miami
Programs: AA
Posts: 3
Thank you for the reply, I will skip the gold status offer
Dec 14, 2017, 6:21 pm
#2227
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Travel Safety/Security & Texas, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: AUS / GRK
Programs: AA, HHonors, Hertz
Posts: 13,492
Dear Members,
I fly about 4-6 times a year and once international. This particular year I made more trips but still fell short of making it to gold for the first time. Now AA sent me an email saying that paying $775 to make it to the gold. I will be traveling twice international next year in addition to 6-8 domestic, 2-3 will be from coast to coast. My question is it worth paying $775 for the gold status? Thanks in advance
I fly about 4-6 times a year and once international. This particular year I made more trips but still fell short of making it to gold for the first time. Now AA sent me an email saying that paying $775 to make it to the gold. I will be traveling twice international next year in addition to 6-8 domestic, 2-3 will be from coast to coast. My question is it worth paying $775 for the gold status? Thanks in advance
What are AA ♦️Gold / GLD Benefits? Are they worth it? (Master thd)
Dec 14, 2017, 7:29 pm
#2228
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Miami
Programs: AA
Posts: 3
Thank you once again to Aztimm, MarkOK, and mike from tokyo
Dec 15, 2017, 11:38 am
#2229
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Depends on the day!
Programs: Marriott/Lifetime Titanium Hyatt/Explorist, Hilton/Silver, IHG Spire,UA Gold
Posts: 17,832
Just booked a trip from Montego Bay Jamaica to Chicago with a stop in Miami for my wife and myself. I paid with miles, and have no status with American. Both of us do have the Citibank AA credit card...will we need to pay for our bags?
Dec 15, 2017, 3:31 pm
#2230
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Stilllwater OK (SWO)
Programs: AAdvantage ExecPlat, World of Hyatt Globalist, plain "member" of Marriott, IHG, enterprise, etc.
Posts: 1,848
(Earlier today, I had to fix a miles-bought flight scheduled next summer that had one leg messed up due to a schedule change with Alaska Airlines . The agent got me rebooked on all AA metal on a much better flight itinerary and told me to remember that card benefits such as free baggage only applies on AA flights and Alaska would have charged me baggage fees on my original itinerary. I wasn't aware of that!).
Dec 15, 2017, 7:22 pm
#2231
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,602
Is it AA metal? If so, then yes, your card benefits apply.
(Earlier today, I had to fix a miles-bought flight scheduled next summer that had one leg messed up due to a schedule change with Alaska Airlines . The agent got me rebooked on all AA metal on a much better flight itinerary and told me to remember that card benefits such as free baggage only applies on AA flights and Alaska would have charged me baggage fees on my original itinerary. I wasn't aware of that!).
(Earlier today, I had to fix a miles-bought flight scheduled next summer that had one leg messed up due to a schedule change with Alaska Airlines . The agent got me rebooked on all AA metal on a much better flight itinerary and told me to remember that card benefits such as free baggage only applies on AA flights and Alaska would have charged me baggage fees on my original itinerary. I wasn't aware of that!).
Dec 15, 2017, 8:40 pm
#2232
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Stilllwater OK (SWO)
Programs: AAdvantage ExecPlat, World of Hyatt Globalist, plain "member" of Marriott, IHG, enterprise, etc.
Posts: 1,848
Free bag if 'domestic' (including Canada) as a card benefit
Everyone gets a free bag if transatlantic, transpacific, and often south america.
But Mexico and the non-US Caribbean is where AA sticks it to you on what honest to god seems to be an odd technicality with no rhyme or reason.
Dec 16, 2017, 3:59 pm
#2233
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 18
Booking an ex-BUD TATL economy roundtrip with layovers in LHR each direction and have the option to book with either AA (and have the intra-Europe BA segments as AA codeshares) or BA (and have the overwater AA segments as BA codeshares). I'm an AA member with no status. My quick research makes it look like I'll earn slightly more miles by booking with BA since I'll earn based on mileage instead of fare cost, but are there any downsides to booking with BA? Would probably be worth giving up those extra miles and booking with AA if it meant I could actually select seats for the overwater segments, for example.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Dec 16, 2017, 11:53 pm
#2234
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
First checked bag free for you and up to four people traveling with you on American Airlines itineraries.
Dec 17, 2017, 12:49 am
#2235
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: BA, AA, Air NZ
Posts: 11
I am confused about lounge access at LAX. If I fly LAX/MIA in first/business do I have lounge access? The info on this site says I do, but the AA website says LAX/JFK only.