if PHL-LAX-HKG is a short flight, what do you consider long? :eek:

They said PHX / Phoenix, not PHL. You're lucky if you get a PDB + 1 or 2 drinks and a pass or two of the snack basket in F, likely on an ancient no-power no IFE LUS 320 or 321. Y is totally fine on that route

Oh yea.. my bad.

Yes, PHX-LAX sucks in F pretty spectacularly, so Y is perfectly fine.

Why are you getting ZERO miles for this flight?

CX flights


Class Fare base Cabin bouns EQM EQD EQSEconomy B, H 75%– Not available 0.50 15% 1.00

I think the OP is saying usually they pick PE but if not, they book H as opposed to several other fare classes which give 0 miles (which he/she is aware of)

question, hoping it belongs on this thread. Flying MIA-HNL in August. Need to make a stop at either PHX, DFW or LAX. Which one, if any will give me a better chance at clearing 500 mile upgrade? MIA-DFW-HNL , MIA-PHX-HNL or MIA-LAX-HNL?
Also, same thing on the way back , does it even matter on the way back?
I am only gold and should complete my challenge to stay gold for that flight.

Considering as an alternative using what i did for one flight this year, the miles+cash upgrade.
Which one would be better for that? I'd much rather try with stickers.

People almost always outright purchase F seats on these flights due to honeymoon or other similar occasion.

Do you have any date in mind? PHX should be a non starter for you. Only 12 seats, twice a day, on a 757 and they are almost always full.

DFW-HNL is more comfortable since 772, 2 flights a day, 36 x 2 lie-flat seats = 72 seats. However, these flights also have 24 premium econ seats each, which is like domestic F -- maybe less comfortable given a longer duration. I'm not sure how it works to use stickers for Y->W on Hawaii flights. The early ~9:15a DFW-HNL flight is probably much easier to upgrade to F, since probably much fewer connecting passengers connecting to such an early flight.

LAX-HNL has 5 flights a day with 16F regular seats on each flight, and the flight time goes by quickly. You could arrive casually the night before, then get to the airport early -- try for the earliest LAX-HNL flight but then SDFC to a later flight that day if F is really that important to you.

The best compromise proposition for comfort is likely connecting through Dallas.

If you were willing to pay the copay, why not consider buying first class outright? You can connect through DFW on a lieflat for < $1k more than an economy class ticket:

https://www.google.com/flights/?f=0#...-20;sc=b;c=DFW

Buy this with an AMEX Platinum and get ~10000 MR points back. In my mind, the added expense is worth it for an 8 hour flight in each direction in a lie-flat seat.

and, if you wanted to do the lie-flats just one way only, you could do that for $1282 from FLL -- check ITA matrix to find this fare -- in the outbound extension code, just type in f bc=i
that way you can try to use your 500 mile upgrades on the way back, when it may not be as important to you.

I don't have a choice as to buying as someone else is picking up the tab for a work event and its cheapest only. They have in the past paid to get me a window seat but definitely not first class. I saw that the amount of stickers needed equaled almost the amount of just getting the first class ticket and I considered paying the difference but there goes a good chunk of my pay that week so my other option that i seriously started to consider after posting was perhaps doing the miles upgrade 15k plus 175 is it? Will that work for both segments? so I would only have to do 30k plus 350 in total?

I'm looking at right now leaving on 8/18 and flying back on 8/26 or 8/27. But most likely 8/26. I initially wanted to connect through DFW so I can use the lounge there but keep reading that that is an elite heavy hub so wasn't sure if only being gold would get me the upgrade. Either way maybe I will wait and they will shift down in price a bit, they normally don't ticket me till right about 2 months before the event so I still have about 3 weeks left.

Honestly your chances of a sticker upgrade as a Gold to HNL are extremely slim, so I wouldn't plan much around that as your chances are bad regardless of which hub you connect through.

For a miles/copay upgrade, the 15k + $175 covers up to 3 segments each way. Looking at ExpertFlyer I actually see upgrade space on 8/18 for MIA-PHX-HNL and 8/26 HNL-PHX-MIA. So if you could get your flight booked now you could call AA and they could confirm your upgrade immediately both ways, all segments, for 30k miles + $350.

Thanks!
I have to wait for them to reach out for us to register and then I guess I will join EF and see what there is and what segment would be best. I'm supposed to look for C bucket right? I can't ticket now, they probably won't ticket for another 3 weeks, maybe 4 but I think that is what I will most likely do then, the $350 plus miles.
Does anyone know if someone else tickets my ticket, can I then call to upgrade to first class myself? Is this allowed during the first 24 hrs or after, are there any fees if after? Also, would I be able to pay the difference or is it a matter of refunding the original purchase and charging me everything? That might be the other way but I really don't want to do that.

You can call in anytime after the award is ticketed, They usually ask for a credit card when you do the request for the copay so they will charge your card for the $350. No extra booking fees since this has to be done by phone. Doesn't matter who paid for the initial ticket. The copay is a separate charge, kinda like MCE seats.

To modify the reservation you'll need the PNR of course. You'll need to get that from your friend anyways since you'll want to add your AA number to the reservation.

thanks but I got that part. I meant if I choose to upgrade the actual PNR to first class, meaning that i want to change fares? NOT with the miles upgrade awards but to re-ticket. And yes, the company always puts my number when they send me the materials.

depending on when you go, this can be really tough to clear. I booked a trip last summer for this past February, and first through Dallas (to/from both Honolulu and Maui) were practically sold out 6 months in advance.

Avoid PHX to Hawaii. Not worth the upgrade. It's the worst flight in the network IMO.