Jan 3, 2018, 5:05 pm
Last edit by: Prospero
AA has increased award availability at the SAAver / MileSAAver level, apparently at the cost of reducing the availability of nonstop and direct routing and increasing availability requiring connections using married segment logic.
This means those originating travel at one hub may well find themselves forced to connect through another hub - whose residents will also be required to connect through another hub. This is suspected to be a way of accommodating SAAver awards without competing with those purchasing more convenient nonstop routing. See post #17 by ashill.
Gary Leff: “Cranky Flier got American to confirm last week that much of the space they’ve opened up is on connecting flights. They’re offering married segment availability — award space that’s highly restrictive...”
See American Significantly Increases Coach Award Space On Connecting Flights, By Cranky Flier on Dec 21, 2017
How to Game American’s New Connecting Flight Award Availability to Get the Ticket You Want, by Gary Leff on December 26, 2017 but see post #75 by Psyclone*Jack; this loophole may now be closed.
"When selling seats for through flights and the desired inventory is not available, you cannot opt to sell the flight point-to-point. If sold point-to-point, the error response MULTIPLE SEGMENTS FOR SAME FLIGHT - SELL AS ONE SEGMENT will be received, indicating this booking is not allowed. Overriding the error check by ending the PNR twice is not acceptable." Link to FT thread; see wikipost info by JonNYC and hillrider.
"Sometimes when you’re searching for award space... you’ll find that some seats will show as available when you search for them from origin to destination, but when you call to book the flights segment-by-segment, those flights show as unavailable."
"Married segment logic is a tool used by airlines that restricts availability based on origin and destination, rather than by segments."(DCTA, on Boarding Area)
Link to Boarding Area: Sunday Reader Question: What are married segments?
Link to Worldspan page with extensive information on MSL and coding.
Older posts have been archived off to https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...nnections.html
This means those originating travel at one hub may well find themselves forced to connect through another hub - whose residents will also be required to connect through another hub. This is suspected to be a way of accommodating SAAver awards without competing with those purchasing more convenient nonstop routing. See post #17 by ashill.
Gary Leff: “Cranky Flier got American to confirm last week that much of the space they’ve opened up is on connecting flights. They’re offering married segment availability — award space that’s highly restrictive...”
See American Significantly Increases Coach Award Space On Connecting Flights, By Cranky Flier on Dec 21, 2017
How to Game American’s New Connecting Flight Award Availability to Get the Ticket You Want, by Gary Leff on December 26, 2017 but see post #75 by Psyclone*Jack; this loophole may now be closed.
Married Segment Logic and Effects on Awards
"When selling seats for through flights and the desired inventory is not available, you cannot opt to sell the flight point-to-point. If sold point-to-point, the error response MULTIPLE SEGMENTS FOR SAME FLIGHT - SELL AS ONE SEGMENT will be received, indicating this booking is not allowed. Overriding the error check by ending the PNR twice is not acceptable." Link to FT thread; see wikipost info by JonNYC and hillrider.
"Sometimes when you’re searching for award space... you’ll find that some seats will show as available when you search for them from origin to destination, but when you call to book the flights segment-by-segment, those flights show as unavailable."
"Married segment logic is a tool used by airlines that restricts availability based on origin and destination, rather than by segments."(DCTA, on Boarding Area)
Married segment logic controls routings based on origin and destination, rather than segment-by-segment availability. Boarding Area
From Amadeus: Married Segment Control Link
Amadeus Married Segment Control is a revenue maximisation tool that ensures that airline revenue management decisions, made at availability time, are applied throughout the booking process. It prevents agents bypassing availability controls, based on origin and destination (O&D) information. It also improves both load factors and revenue forecasting accuracy.
Key benefits
Amadeus Married Segment Control is a revenue maximisation tool that ensures that airline revenue management decisions, made at availability time, are applied throughout the booking process. It prevents agents bypassing availability controls, based on origin and destination (O&D) information. It also improves both load factors and revenue forecasting accuracy.
Key benefits
- Ensures more effective forecasting by preventing O&D misuse and matching revenue forecasts with final revenues.
- Improves consistency of sales processes by controlling travel agent selling behaviour.
- Fully customisable and flexible solution that meets airline unique system requirements.
Older posts have been archived off to https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...nnections.html
More award availability restricted by married segments / connections
Jan 3, 2018, 3:48 pm
#16
Join Date: Jun 2010
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I was looking for PHL-BUF and found nothing on a saver award. I tried LGA as an alternate airport (I am located in NJ) and I found LGA-PHL-BUF available. I called the ExPlat line and they managed to book the PHL-BUF for 7.5K miles (The agent only found it after I explained to him that he needs to look originating in LGA)
Jan 3, 2018, 3:56 pm
#17
Join Date: Apr 2009
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See this post by Cranky Flier on the issue. The positive spin on it is that AA has significantly increased SAAver award availability on connecting flights, but they're limiting nonstop availability to avoid cannibalizing paid fares (where they can command a premium on nonstops).
Jan 3, 2018, 4:23 pm
#18
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See this post by Cranky Flier on the issue. The positive spin on it is that AA has significantly increased SAAver award availability on connecting flights, but they're limiting nonstop availability to avoid cannibalizing paid fares (where they can command a premium on nonstops).
Jan 3, 2018, 4:32 pm
#20
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Time to follow Gary's instructions and get what I want direct.
Jan 3, 2018, 5:01 pm
#23
Join Date: Apr 2008
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See this post by Cranky Flier on the issue. The positive spin on it is that AA has significantly increased SAAver award availability on connecting flights, but they're limiting nonstop availability to avoid cannibalizing paid fares (where they can command a premium on nonstops).
The irony being that cash prices are cheapest for nonstops. Connections cost more.
Jan 3, 2018, 5:07 pm
#24
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Jan 3, 2018, 5:13 pm
#25
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Jan 3, 2018, 5:31 pm
#26
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That is certainly true in some cases, but I think it's inarguable that, on average, all else being equal, on most routes (with additional caveats I'm sure I'm missing), legacy airlines charge more for the convenience (and lack of competition) of a nonstop relative to a one-stop (where there is almost always more competition with routings which take a comparable amount of time).
Jan 3, 2018, 8:43 pm
#28
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Married segment availability means that one may not always successfully construct an award A-C given availability on segments A-B and B-C.
Search SAN-DOH, if DOH is your destination.
Search SAN-DOH, if DOH is your destination.
Jan 3, 2018, 9:24 pm
#29
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Monday I see 1 SFO connecting flight, 1 SAN connecting flight, and no sAAver at all to LAS non-stop, through LAX, or anywhere else.
For giving you options and trying to assist? I hope she responded in kind. Do you think she created award availability?
Jan 3, 2018, 11:00 pm
#30
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 191
I'll try to call tomorrow and see what they say....