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
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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)
Jul 8, 2018, 9:45 pm
#1051
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,700
Could be close. See if you can get an earlier flight from DSM. Or possibly a connection through another airport. Just do some searching to the schedules in advance and call AA and tell them what flights u want.
Jul 9, 2018, 12:50 am
#1052
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: LY-PL, A3-*G
Posts: 1,680
Changing flights
I have a ticket (on LY stock) TLV-JFK (on LY) JFK-SAN (on AA first class) departing at 17:29.
Will AA let me chage to JFK-LAX-SAN departing at 17:00?
I would rather have Business class on the 321T than first on the 737 and don't mind the connection.
Will AA let me chage to JFK-LAX-SAN departing at 17:00?
I would rather have Business class on the 321T than first on the 737 and don't mind the connection.
Jul 9, 2018, 6:09 am
#1053
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,465
They will of course let you change provided you pay the change fee and fare difference, if any. Since your ticket was booked through LY you will most likely need to call LY to make the change.
Jul 9, 2018, 8:20 am
#1054
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 812
Dang, that sucks. I have to risk it, the only other option is an overnight connection in PHL. Do not want to do that.
Jul 9, 2018, 9:22 am
#1055
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: LY-PL, A3-*G
Posts: 1,680
Thank you for your response, I think I was not clear. I am asking about changing the flight during the connection, 2-3 hours before the AA flight.
Jul 9, 2018, 9:55 am
#1056
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: It's hot here
Posts: 4,284
Be kind... I'm still new-ish to AA. This is the first big delay I've had with them and I am wondering the best way to complain and what/if I should ask for and expect in compensation.
Friday afternoon I was flying from CLT to ORD. There is often bad weather at CLT in the evening but I was on the plane before 4pm and all was calm. Plane was boarded, we were ready to go. Flight attendant served the PDBs, everything seemed fine and I overhead her commenting about calling up to the GA to see why we were holding. Bad weather was on the way, but the plane was loaded and we were ready to go. Turns out we were waiting for an UM. We wait, and wait, radar is looking a little ominous. More comments overheard (I was in 2 and have good ears, lol) about how we need to get going before the weather gets in our we will be sitting for a long time. Crew seems frustrated. It starts to rain, ramp is closed. This is a bit after we should have departed. I wish I had written down the exact times but I am 100% sure we were ready to go at our scheduled time... other than the UM.
We wait and I try not to get too upset as we may be waiting for a small child. But no, not long after the ramp is closed, a teenager casually sipping a fresh Starbucks iced coffee saunters on the plane. I overhead the FA say to him "Didn't anyone tell you not to get off the plane without us?" Not in a mean or scolding way, but as a genuine questions. We all sit there just wondering if we are all missing connections, events, getting home at a decent time because some kid wandered through the airport and stopped for a drink. I overheard a few conversations and we spoke to the people right around us and a few were quite upset. We ended up sitting for around 2.5 hours before finally taking off. If I remember correctly, we were scheduled for 4:20pm and actually left around 7pm. I show that we touched down at 7:30 Chicago time and should have been there at about 5:15pm.
Is this okay? I mean, yes, it's a minor but there were about 150 people on this plane and pretty much every one we spoke to or overheard was missing a connection. The people in front of us missed an international flight. The guy across from us missed his flight home and was LIVID. Who knows if this kid was at fault for being so late, I didn't want to push and put the FAs in a situation to answer something they shouldn't... but maybe I should have. But we held for ONE person. We personally missed a good part of an event on Friday night that we paid a decent amount of money for. Our original schedule gave us nearly three hours to get there which was plenty.
Should I or can I expect something for this? I just cannot in any way see making such a mess for so many people over one person. It's not like there were not other flights. There were plenty of later flights to ORD. I get that maybe the rules are special for a UM but this seems like a pretty costly exception.
Friday afternoon I was flying from CLT to ORD. There is often bad weather at CLT in the evening but I was on the plane before 4pm and all was calm. Plane was boarded, we were ready to go. Flight attendant served the PDBs, everything seemed fine and I overhead her commenting about calling up to the GA to see why we were holding. Bad weather was on the way, but the plane was loaded and we were ready to go. Turns out we were waiting for an UM. We wait, and wait, radar is looking a little ominous. More comments overheard (I was in 2 and have good ears, lol) about how we need to get going before the weather gets in our we will be sitting for a long time. Crew seems frustrated. It starts to rain, ramp is closed. This is a bit after we should have departed. I wish I had written down the exact times but I am 100% sure we were ready to go at our scheduled time... other than the UM.
We wait and I try not to get too upset as we may be waiting for a small child. But no, not long after the ramp is closed, a teenager casually sipping a fresh Starbucks iced coffee saunters on the plane. I overhead the FA say to him "Didn't anyone tell you not to get off the plane without us?" Not in a mean or scolding way, but as a genuine questions. We all sit there just wondering if we are all missing connections, events, getting home at a decent time because some kid wandered through the airport and stopped for a drink. I overheard a few conversations and we spoke to the people right around us and a few were quite upset. We ended up sitting for around 2.5 hours before finally taking off. If I remember correctly, we were scheduled for 4:20pm and actually left around 7pm. I show that we touched down at 7:30 Chicago time and should have been there at about 5:15pm.
Is this okay? I mean, yes, it's a minor but there were about 150 people on this plane and pretty much every one we spoke to or overheard was missing a connection. The people in front of us missed an international flight. The guy across from us missed his flight home and was LIVID. Who knows if this kid was at fault for being so late, I didn't want to push and put the FAs in a situation to answer something they shouldn't... but maybe I should have. But we held for ONE person. We personally missed a good part of an event on Friday night that we paid a decent amount of money for. Our original schedule gave us nearly three hours to get there which was plenty.
Should I or can I expect something for this? I just cannot in any way see making such a mess for so many people over one person. It's not like there were not other flights. There were plenty of later flights to ORD. I get that maybe the rules are special for a UM but this seems like a pretty costly exception.
Jul 9, 2018, 11:17 am
#1057
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,465
The answer is the same though, they're not just going to put you on the JFK-LAX-SAN routing out of the goodness of their hearts. Barring some sort of irrops you'll need to pay the change fee and fare difference.
Jul 9, 2018, 5:57 pm
#1058
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
Changing to the A321T flight generally sells at a premium, flight changes do not allow route changes. I doubt you’ll be able to change your flight unless you experience some Off Schedule or Irregular Operations.
Jul 9, 2018, 6:02 pm
#1059
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
<snip>
...We ended up sitting for around 2.5 hours before finally taking off. If I remember correctly, we were scheduled for 4:20pm and actually left around 7pm. I show that we touched down at 7:30 Chicago time and should have been there at about 5:15pm.
<snip>
Should I or can I expect something for this? I just cannot in any way see making such a mess for so many people over one person. It's not like there were not other flights. There were plenty of later flights to ORD. I get that maybe the rules are special for a UM but this seems like a pretty costly exception.
...We ended up sitting for around 2.5 hours before finally taking off. If I remember correctly, we were scheduled for 4:20pm and actually left around 7pm. I show that we touched down at 7:30 Chicago time and should have been there at about 5:15pm.
<snip>
Should I or can I expect something for this? I just cannot in any way see making such a mess for so many people over one person. It's not like there were not other flights. There were plenty of later flights to ORD. I get that maybe the rules are special for a UM but this seems like a pretty costly exception.
If you claim with AA, my guess is they’ll stick to the “weather defense” and offer you some miles.
Jul 9, 2018, 10:47 pm
#1060
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New England
Programs: American Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Silver
Posts: 5,640
I received notification of a schedule change. The schedule change is ~7 hours. I've only ever cancelled a flight with American once before, and it took a while to receive a refund. So, my questions are;
1. Because of this ~7 hour schedule change, I can cancel without penalty, right?
2. Can American refund the ticket to a voucher/eVoucher or some sort of Travel Bank so that I may rebook? Although I could sit and wait for a refund, I would rather just take a credit and rebook. I'd rather not rebook the existing PNR because the price has dropped.
1. Because of this ~7 hour schedule change, I can cancel without penalty, right?
2. Can American refund the ticket to a voucher/eVoucher or some sort of Travel Bank so that I may rebook? Although I could sit and wait for a refund, I would rather just take a credit and rebook. I'd rather not rebook the existing PNR because the price has dropped.
Jul 9, 2018, 11:22 pm
#1061
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
I received notification of a schedule change. The schedule change is ~7 hours. I've only ever cancelled a flight with American once before, and it took a while to receive a refund. So, my questions are;
1. Because of this ~7 hour schedule change, I can cancel without penalty, right?
2. Can American refund the ticket to a voucher/eVoucher or some sort of Travel Bank so that I may rebook? Although I could sit and wait for a refund, I would rather just take a credit and rebook. I'd rather not rebook the existing PNR because the price has dropped.
1. Because of this ~7 hour schedule change, I can cancel without penalty, right?
2. Can American refund the ticket to a voucher/eVoucher or some sort of Travel Bank so that I may rebook? Although I could sit and wait for a refund, I would rather just take a credit and rebook. I'd rather not rebook the existing PNR because the price has dropped.
2) iirc they will refund to the FOP / form of original payment in this situation. Unfortunately, it’s not immediate.
Jul 10, 2018, 7:22 am
#1062
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Omaha
Programs: AA Life Plat 4mm, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,459
Flying from CDG-ORD 12:15 on Thursday, all I could book were 2 coach award seats (probably lucky to get those). We plan on getting there around 9-9:30, I assume the line to check bags will be horrible, won’t I be able to go to the far right line where I think it says Business Class check in with my status? Finally when I’m upfront checking bags has anyone ever had any success moving to J by offering the pay the point difference? The seat map on our flight looked bad but the flight to DFW looked a bit more open; would get to OMA at the same time.
Also for those interested our flight PHL-BUD was 4 hours late and they gave my wife and I 7500 miles each.
Also for those interested our flight PHL-BUD was 4 hours late and they gave my wife and I 7500 miles each.
Jul 10, 2018, 7:33 am
#1063
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,465
Flying from CDG-ORD 12:15 on Thursday, all I could book were 2 coach award seats (probably lucky to get those). We plan on getting there around 9-9:30, I assume the line to check bags will be horrible, won’t I be able to go to the far right line where I think it says Business Class check in with my status? Finally when I’m upfront checking bags has anyone ever had any success moving to J by offering the pay the point difference? The seat map on our flight looked bad but the flight to DFW looked a bit more open; would get to OMA at the same time.
Also for those interested our flight PHL-BUD was 4 hours late and they gave my wife and I 7500 miles each.
Also for those interested our flight PHL-BUD was 4 hours late and they gave my wife and I 7500 miles each.
But you will have zero success asking at the CDG check-in counter to pay the points difference to upgrade your award to J. Not even worth the effort. You can check aa.com though, if business award space happens to open up between now and Thursday you can call AA and switch for no fee, just pay the extra miles. Other than that, you can try checking in at a kiosk, if there are still business seats open and all upgrades have cleared AA will sometimes offer cash upgrades (LFBU). The chances of this are pretty slim though flying out of Paris in the middle of peak season.
Jul 10, 2018, 7:41 am
#1064
Join Date: Dec 2017
Programs: AA
Posts: 36
Jul 10, 2018, 8:25 am
#1065
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AY+ Gold
Posts: 147
As AY+ Gold I've flown multiple times with AA booking number from Europe to the US and back, mostly with AA / BA. Why have I never been asked to upgrade (for cash) at the CI (from Economy to Business)? Does AA maybe ask first the AAdvantage members?