Jan 1, 2018, 1:26 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
The 2019 Newbie Lounge thread can be found here.
Q. How can I find information more easily than reading through all the threads? Now that I'm here, what do I do next?
Check out the following resources:
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:
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.) NOTE: The 2016 AA NEWBIE LOUNGE post thread is here
NOTE: The 2017 AA NEWBIE LOUNGE post thread is here
Thanks for reading!
Welcome to the 2018 "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.)
NOTE: The 2017 AA NEWBIE LOUNGE post thread is here
Thanks for reading!
ARCHIVE: 2018 NEWBIE LOUNGE Ask Your "Newbie" AA Questions Here (flame free)
Jan 11, 2018, 1:19 pm
#91
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: New York
Programs: AA, CX, Hyatt, Marriott
Posts: 1,484
Question about checked luggage as a Gold. Does my 1 checked bag allowance carry over to others on the same reservation? Does my wife, 2 kids and myself all get the checked luggage fee for the first bag waived? This is how it's worked for me in the past with other programs but I want to make sure this is also the case with AA. Thanks!
Jan 11, 2018, 4:07 pm
#92
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Planet Earth (mostly)
Posts: 263
Jan 11, 2018, 4:10 pm
#93
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Planet Earth (mostly)
Posts: 263
The Lavs and galley are closer to Row 6 than they are to Row 7.
You might find this thread helpful:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...t-seats-4.html
Jan 11, 2018, 5:09 pm
#94
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: KHOU/KIAH
Programs: AA EXP | Marriott Bonvoy Titanium| Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 11,258
Hard to tell. It's AA68 MIA MAD on 30 Jan. American seat selection shows a layout that matches 777-200 version 3 on Seatguru (2 class, 2 biz cabins, 10 rows in Biz) but American's website doesn't have any arrows on the seats indicating backwards facing seats, Seatguru shows an alternating layout (https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Am..._777-200_C.php) and, to make it even more confusing, some pax reviews say that some seats are rear facing, and some say that all are forward facing... so I'm not sure.
Seatguru is useless/out of date here.
Jan 11, 2018, 5:29 pm
#95
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
Jan 11, 2018, 8:05 pm
#96
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Planet Earth (mostly)
Posts: 263
Based on what I know so far, I changed to 10L - if no screaming baby at the front of the coach cabin (fingers crossed) then that should be one of the most quiet and undisturbed seats, right?
Last edited by EU-US; Jan 11, 2018 at 8:14 pm
Jan 11, 2018, 8:08 pm
#97
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Planet Earth (mostly)
Posts: 263
So I guess that page isn't relevant after all since my flight will have a different configuration - all forward facing seats, and if my guess is correct, that also means that they are not the Zodiac seats with the built in VibraShare (TM), right?
Jan 11, 2018, 8:32 pm
#98
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,107
Correct. If forward facing, which the majority of the 37J config are, they will be the B/E Aerospace seats.
Jan 11, 2018, 9:03 pm
#99
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
You will have the reverse herringbone B/E Aerospace Super Diamond Solo seat discussed here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...eat-seats.html. Chart in second post.
Jan 11, 2018, 9:47 pm
#100
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Planet Earth (mostly)
Posts: 263
You won’t have the “Motion Over the Ocean” (TM) pushmi-pullyu Zodiac “Concept D” seats (possibly named because AA chose to strip down the model used in the 77W to a cheaper seat, getting the AA project manager a D grade fir efforts and firing Zodiac for not being able to fulfill a contest for other than the OEM seat).
You will have the reverse herringbone B/E Aerospace Super Diamond Solo seat discussed here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...eat-seats.html. Chart in second post.
You will have the reverse herringbone B/E Aerospace Super Diamond Solo seat discussed here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...eat-seats.html. Chart in second post.
Jan 12, 2018, 7:51 am
#101
Join Date: Apr 2007
Programs: QF, VA, AC, Hyatt, Marriott
Posts: 3,784
Is it necessary to be at least AA Gold in order to use 500 mile upgrades?
Jan 12, 2018, 7:56 am
#102
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
If the flight has the B/E Aerospace seats rather than the Zodiac seats, then indeed they are all forward facing. I haven’t actually flown on a 772 with this configuration, but I think Row 10 (assuming no infants in the front of the PE cabin) would be least likely to be disturbed (no foot traffic, etc.).
Jan 12, 2018, 7:57 am
#103
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
Jan 12, 2018, 8:04 am
#104
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: KHOU/KIAH
Programs: AA EXP | Marriott Bonvoy Titanium| Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 11,258
Thanks! Yes, I noticed about SeatGuru. So now that I know which config it is, and that all seats are forward any recommendations for the best seat to sleep through the flight?
Based on what I know so far, I changed to 10L - if no screaming baby at the front of the coach cabin (fingers crossed) then that should be one of the most quiet and undisturbed seats, right?
Based on what I know so far, I changed to 10L - if no screaming baby at the front of the coach cabin (fingers crossed) then that should be one of the most quiet and undisturbed seats, right?
Jan 13, 2018, 5:00 pm
#105
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 542
Not sure if this belongs here but I was upgraded from a member to Gold via code: HV18G. The articles online claim I should have received 10 500m upgrade certs but I still have 0... Basically gold seems completely valueless to me without these certs (no E+, no chance of an upgrade). Am I missing something?