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)
May 18, 2018, 7:59 pm
#796
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 54
Best option for upgrades
Hi,
I've been flying pretty frequently between IAD-LHR. I always book premium economy but sometimes I buy the ticket as AA and sometimes as BA even though they're all operated by BA. Last time I booked this route, the difference between AA's available inventory and BA's inventory was quite substantial, so I just book it as whatever is cheapest.
If I want to upgrade from premium economy to business using AAdvantage Miles, am I better off booking the flight as AA or BA? And how do I find out which fares are even upgradable at all so I can make sure I book the right ones?
Thanks
I've been flying pretty frequently between IAD-LHR. I always book premium economy but sometimes I buy the ticket as AA and sometimes as BA even though they're all operated by BA. Last time I booked this route, the difference between AA's available inventory and BA's inventory was quite substantial, so I just book it as whatever is cheapest.
If I want to upgrade from premium economy to business using AAdvantage Miles, am I better off booking the flight as AA or BA? And how do I find out which fares are even upgradable at all so I can make sure I book the right ones?
Thanks
May 18, 2018, 8:14 pm
#797
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: New York
Programs: AA, CX, Hyatt, Marriott
Posts: 1,484
Hi,
I've been flying pretty frequently between IAD-LHR. I always book premium economy but sometimes I buy the ticket as AA and sometimes as BA even though they're all operated by BA. Last time I booked this route, the difference between AA's available inventory and BA's inventory was quite substantial, so I just book it as whatever is cheapest.
If I want to upgrade from premium economy to business using AAdvantage Miles, am I better off booking the flight as AA or BA? And how do I find out which fares are even upgradable at all so I can make sure I book the right ones?
Thanks
I've been flying pretty frequently between IAD-LHR. I always book premium economy but sometimes I buy the ticket as AA and sometimes as BA even though they're all operated by BA. Last time I booked this route, the difference between AA's available inventory and BA's inventory was quite substantial, so I just book it as whatever is cheapest.
If I want to upgrade from premium economy to business using AAdvantage Miles, am I better off booking the flight as AA or BA? And how do I find out which fares are even upgradable at all so I can make sure I book the right ones?
Thanks
For more information, please refer to: https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...r-airlines.jsp
May 18, 2018, 8:18 pm
#798
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
Hi,
I've been flying pretty frequently between IAD-LHR. I always book premium economy but sometimes I buy the ticket as AA and sometimes as BA even though they're all operated by BA. Last time I booked this route, the difference between AA's available inventory and BA's inventory was quite substantial, so I just book it as whatever is cheapest.
If I want to upgrade from premium economy to business using AAdvantage Miles, am I better off booking the flight as AA or BA? And how do I find out which fares are even upgradable at all so I can make sure I book the right ones?
Thanks
I've been flying pretty frequently between IAD-LHR. I always book premium economy but sometimes I buy the ticket as AA and sometimes as BA even though they're all operated by BA. Last time I booked this route, the difference between AA's available inventory and BA's inventory was quite substantial, so I just book it as whatever is cheapest.
If I want to upgrade from premium economy to business using AAdvantage Miles, am I better off booking the flight as AA or BA? And how do I find out which fares are even upgradable at all so I can make sure I book the right ones?
Thanks
May 18, 2018, 8:20 pm
#799
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
For this particular route, AA does not have it's own metal flying from IAD to LHR. So you are either flying a BA metal as AA flight, or as BA flight. Upgrading to the next class (Y to W, W to J) on BA metal requires full fare economy or premium economy, whose fare codes are Y and W (J,D,R if booked as AA flight) respectively. Usually these fares are more expensive than the cheapest (restricted or non-refundable) next class tickets, which makes the miles upgrade of limited use.
For more information, please refer to: https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...r-airlines.jsp
For more information, please refer to: https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...r-airlines.jsp
May 18, 2018, 8:23 pm
#800
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: New York
Programs: AA, CX, Hyatt, Marriott
Posts: 1,484
For this particular route, AA does not have it's own metal flying from IAD to LHR. So you are either flying a BA metal as AA flight, or as BA flight. Upgrading to the next class (Y to W, W to J) on BA metal requires full fare economy or premium economy, whose fare codes are Y and W (J,D,R if booked as AA flight) respectively. Usually these fares are more expensive than the cheapest (restricted or non-refundable) next class tickets, which makes the miles upgrade of limited use.
For more information, please refer to: https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...r-airlines.jsp
For more information, please refer to: https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...r-airlines.jsp
May 18, 2018, 10:07 pm
#801
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
Hi,
I've been flying pretty frequently between IAD-LHR. I always book premium economy but sometimes I buy the ticket as AA and sometimes as BA even though they're all operated by BA. Last time I booked this route, the difference between AA's available inventory and BA's inventory was quite substantial, so I just book it as whatever is cheapest.
If I want to upgrade from premium economy to business using AAdvantage Miles, am I better off booking the flight as AA or BA? And how do I find out which fares are even upgradable at all so I can make sure I book the right ones?
Thanks
I've been flying pretty frequently between IAD-LHR. I always book premium economy but sometimes I buy the ticket as AA and sometimes as BA even though they're all operated by BA. Last time I booked this route, the difference between AA's available inventory and BA's inventory was quite substantial, so I just book it as whatever is cheapest.
If I want to upgrade from premium economy to business using AAdvantage Miles, am I better off booking the flight as AA or BA? And how do I find out which fares are even upgradable at all so I can make sure I book the right ones?
Thanks
May 19, 2018, 1:52 pm
#802
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 54
I just got off the phone with AA and the agent told me that I would have been better off booking everything as BA and then I would have been able to upgrade IAD-LHR with miles. Basically she told me that next time I should not book as AA at all.
Incidentally, both flights show as "W" but I understand that AA W and BA W are not the same. She said I could rebook the IAD-LHR as BA and pay a $1500 fare difference, which I politely declined. I was on hold for about 40 minutes while she checked with the fare department just to find this out.
Oh well. Live and learn.
May 19, 2018, 2:49 pm
#803
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
Hmm, this is different than what AA told me. I actually have IAD-LHR sold as AA and LHR-IAD sold as BA (when I booked through my corporate travel agent there was no more premium economy inventory left on the return sold as AA, so I could only get it sold as BA).
I just got off the phone with AA and the agent told me that I would have been better off booking everything as BA and then I would have been able to upgrade IAD-LHR with miles. Basically she told me that next time I should not book as AA at all.
Incidentally, both flights show as "W" but I understand that AA W and BA W are not the same. She said I could rebook the IAD-LHR as BA and pay a $1500 fare difference, which I politely declined. I was on hold for about 40 minutes while she checked with the fare department just to find this out.
Oh well. Live and learn.
I just got off the phone with AA and the agent told me that I would have been better off booking everything as BA and then I would have been able to upgrade IAD-LHR with miles. Basically she told me that next time I should not book as AA at all.
Incidentally, both flights show as "W" but I understand that AA W and BA W are not the same. She said I could rebook the IAD-LHR as BA and pay a $1500 fare difference, which I politely declined. I was on hold for about 40 minutes while she checked with the fare department just to find this out.
Oh well. Live and learn.
I am happy to stand corrected, but to me it sounds like the agent doesn't really know what they're talking about.
May 19, 2018, 3:49 pm
#804
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: PHX, SEA
Programs: Avis President's Club, Global Entry, Hilton/Marriott Gold. No more DL/AA status.
Posts: 4,422
Does AA allow upgrades with AAdvantage miles? I've gotten a few upgrades using my 'stickers', but for a longhaul I'd rather buy-up if it was available.
May 19, 2018, 4:36 pm
#806
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,018
May 19, 2018, 4:41 pm
#807
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: PHX, SEA
Programs: Avis President's Club, Global Entry, Hilton/Marriott Gold. No more DL/AA status.
Posts: 4,422
May 19, 2018, 4:43 pm
#808
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 54
But you're right, if I had booked everything as BA, I'm not sure how AA would even be in the picture to allow me to upgrade my BA flight with AA miles. This doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
So I remain quite confused as to what I should do in the future to have the ability to upgrade from premium economy to business on a BA operated flight with AA miles. The main thing I care about is having a ticket I can upgrade (my company will only let me book premium economy), although I do also care about earning EQMs. Not sure if fare-based or distance-based would serve me better in this situation.
I agree. I'm AA Platinum and I called the special number, but I'm pretty sure I didn't get a "platinum" agent. I can usually tell immediately when I get one as they greet me by name and just sound a lot more professional. Also I had to hold for quite a while just to get an agent, which is not usually the case. So maybe I got routed to someone less experienced.
May 19, 2018, 4:49 pm
#809
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 54
but is there some nice formula out there that will tell me, for a given distance and fare, whether I'd be better off booking AA or BA to maximize EQMs?
May 19, 2018, 5:52 pm
#810
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,018