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ARCHIVE: NEWBIE LOUNGE 2019: Ask "Newbie" AA Questions Here (flame free)

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Old Jan 1, 2019, 2:12 pm
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Welcome to the 2019 "NEWBIE LOUNGE"
Ask Your Consolidated / Combined AA Questions Here (flame free)
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ARCHIVE: NEWBIE LOUNGE 2019: Ask "Newbie" AA Questions Here (flame free)

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Old May 25, 2019, 6:57 pm
  #841  
 
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 22
Originally Posted by Mwenenzi
  1. Yes. AA does not interline checked bags on separate tickets. So you need to collect & then check in. That takes time.
  2. Is a major risk, if for example the first flight is delayed. The consequences of missing the BA/AA business class/first flight could be a lot. However AA do protect on separate tickets. Personally I would allow a lot more time than 90 minutes between scheduled arrival & scheduled departure time. You have a lot less actual time to get between flights.
.
What does that mean that they protect on separate tickets?

The choice i have is 1 and 1/2 hour connection or 6 hour connection.
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Old May 25, 2019, 7:03 pm
  #842  
 
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 22
Originally Posted by guv1976
Do you have enough Avios to cover the domestic AA flight in Coach? If so, you might try calling the BAEC Service Center to see if can have the domestic AA Coach flight put on the same ticket as the international AA Business Class flight. That way, your checked baggage could be checked through.
Well...that's interesting....so book a separate ticket with avios in economy? i guess i would have to see if they have economy availability... that's the catch. By including the first leg in my trip in first it just pushes me over the limit on the BA redemption chart mileage wise to the next level.
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Old May 25, 2019, 7:14 pm
  #843  
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Originally Posted by HeStoleMyLogin
Well...that's interesting....so book a separate ticket with avios in economy? i guess i would have to see if they have economy availability... that's the catch. By including the first leg in my trip in first it just pushes me over the limit on the BA redemption chart mileage wise to the next level.
No, and no.

You would not book a separate ticket with Avios; you would ask BAEC to include both award segments on a single ticket.

BAEC charges separately for each award segment. So if your XXX-DFW flight is under 1,152 flight miles, that would cost you 7,500 Avios in Coach (price will increase to 9,000 Avios if you book after May 29, regardless of when you are flying). Any AA flight that is showing as available at the "MileSAAver" award level at aa.com should be bookable with Avios. (AA's "AAnytime" awards are not bookable with Avios or with any other FFP "currency.")

The only time BAEC bases the cost of a redemption on the total miles flown in the entire trip is when you redeem for a multi-partner award (i..e., two or more BA partner airlines -- with or without BA on the itinerary).
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Old May 25, 2019, 7:32 pm
  #844  
 
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 22
Originally Posted by guv1976
No, and no.

You would not book a separate ticket with Avios; you would ask BAEC to include both award segments on a single ticket.

BAEC charges separately for each award segment. So if your XXX-DFW flight is under 1,152 flight miles, that would cost you 7,500 Avios in Coach (price will increase to 9,000 Avios if you book after May 29, regardless of when you are flying). Any AA flight that is showing as available at the "MileSAAver" award level at aa.com should be bookable with Avios. (AA's "AAnytime" awards are not bookable with Avios or with any other FFP "currency.")

The only time BAEC bases the cost of a redemption on the total miles flown in the entire trip is when you redeem for a multi-partner award (i..e., two or more BA partner airlines -- with or without BA on the itinerary).

so they can combine an AA award and BA award? Do i book the AA award first then call BA or can they do both for me?
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Old May 25, 2019, 7:53 pm
  #845  
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Originally Posted by HeStoleMyLogin
so they can combine an AA award and BA award? Do i book the AA award first then call BA or can they do both for me?
I believe the suggested was for both BA and AA fligthts as BA awards, and not to use an AA award for the AA flight

Last edited by JDiver; May 25, 2019 at 10:06 pm Reason: Close quote
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Old May 25, 2019, 8:10 pm
  #846  
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Originally Posted by HeStoleMyLogin
so they can combine an AA award and BA award? Do i book the AA award first then call BA or can they do both for me?
No: you would book both AA flights with BAEC Avios by calling a BAEC Service Center. But you can only book both flights with Avios if each flight is available as "MileSAAver" awards at aa.com. You would only use aa.com to verify MileSAAver award availability; if you want to secure those flights with Avios, you must contact BAEC. Put another way, the only time you can secure award flights on AA metal at aa.com is when you are redeeming AAdvantage miles; when using another FFP to secure award flights on AA metal, you must go through the other FFP to do so

Are both of your desired AA flights showing as available at the MileSAAver level at aa.com?
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Old May 25, 2019, 8:27 pm
  #847  
 
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 22
Originally Posted by guv1976
No: you would book both AA flights with BAEC Avios by calling a BAEC Service Center. But you can only book both flights with Avios if each flight is available as "MileSAAver" awards at aa.com. You would only use aa.com to verify MileSAAver award availability; if you want to secure those flights with Avios, you must contact BAEC. Put another way, the only time you can secure award flights on AA metal at aa.com is when you are redeeming AAdvantage miles; when using another FFP to secure award flights on AA metal, you must go through the other FFP to do so

Are both of your desired AA flights showing as available at the MileSAAver level at aa.com?
Yes (on AA.com) but for my entire trip... only the business/first showed as available when i called BA (they said no availability in economy) and it came to 102000 avios based on distance is what the agent told me. By getting my self to Dallas i think it will drop to 85000. I am fine with business/first on the long leg of my trip but don't want to spend 102000 (even with the Chase sapphire 30% transfer bonus). i would book the whole thing with AA (57,500 miles) but i have very few miles with them and they are not a transfer partner with Chase.
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Old May 25, 2019, 9:07 pm
  #848  
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Originally Posted by HeStoleMyLogin
Yes (on AA.com) but for my entire trip... only the business/first showed as available when i called BA (they said no availability in economy) and it came to 102000 avios based on distance is what the agent told me. By getting my self to Dallas i think it will drop to 85000. I am fine with business/first on the long leg of my trip but don't want to spend 102000 (even with the Chase sapphire 30% transfer bonus). i would book the whole thing with AA (57,500 miles) but i have very few miles with them and they are not a transfer partner with Chase.
It would be helpful if you shared your proposed itinerary (routes and dates) with us. The numbers you are coming up with don't seem to make sense.
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Old May 26, 2019, 5:14 am
  #849  
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Singapore
Programs: Cathay Diamond and Singapore Gold
Posts: 227
Hi there..

i am doing DCALAX in J, with that leg as part of my international ticket. I am OWS, but my partner has no status.

Will lounge access be allowed for none, one, or both of us? I am deciding if i should go to the airport earlier, only if lounge access is available.

thanks heaps for your answer!
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Old May 26, 2019, 5:49 am
  #850  
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Originally Posted by Microtat
Hi there..

i am doing DCALAX in J, with that leg as part of my international ticket. I am OWS, but my partner has no status.

Will lounge access be allowed for none, one, or both of us? I am deciding if i should go to the airport earlier, only if lounge access is available.

thanks heaps for your answer!

As long as your OWS status is not from the AAdvantage program, then it will grant you and one guest Admirals Club access at DCA -- even if you were traveling in Y.

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...lub-access.jsp

Even without OWS status, if you were arriving into the U.S. in F or J on a oneworld carrier on the same day as your DCA-LAX flight, you would also have Admirals Club access at DCA.
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Old May 26, 2019, 9:10 am
  #851  
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Singapore
Programs: Cathay Diamond and Singapore Gold
Posts: 227
Hi Guv,

thank you for your patience and answer, appreciate it!
Now i have a choice..
Have a great week ahead!

brgds,
jeffery
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Old May 27, 2019, 1:52 am
  #852  
 
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 22
Originally Posted by guv1976
It would be helpful if you shared your proposed itinerary (routes and dates) with us. The numbers you are coming up with don't seem to make sense.
Sorry I ran into a 5 posts per day limit....

I am flying BRO to COR Sept 25. There is MileSAAver availability on all flights with AA but BA says only Business availability for my itinerary. I would love some options or ideas. I will be transferring miles from Chase to BA with a (%30) bonus. AA has the first class flight at 57,500. BA wants 102000 avios based on my call to their ticket center. The economy is 30,000 AA but BA will not let me book that (i am guessing) . I am assuming BRO to DFW on BA would be 7500 avios in economy. DFW to COR 85000 avios in first based on mileage. This would save me 12000 miles when all the discounts are taken into effect.

I am not sold on any transfer partner. If you all can see a better way (like Iberia )Please...

Sorry this is my first real mileage attempt with transfer partners and i will probably have many questions.

Thanks
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Old May 27, 2019, 3:33 am
  #853  
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
Originally Posted by HeStoleMyLogin
Sorry I ran into a 5 posts per day limit....

I am flying BRO to COR Sept 25. There is MileSAAver availability on all flights with AA but BA says only Business availability for my itinerary. I would love some options or ideas. I will be transferring miles from Chase to BA with a (%30) bonus. AA has the first class flight at 57,500. BA wants 102000 avios based on my call to their ticket center. The economy is 30,000 AA but BA will not let me book that (i am guessing) . I am assuming BRO to DFW on BA would be 7500 avios in economy. DFW to COR 85000 avios in first based on mileage. This would save me 12000 miles when all the discounts are taken into effect.

I am not sold on any transfer partner. If you all can see a better way (like Iberia )Please...

Sorry this is my first real mileage attempt with transfer partners and i will probably have many questions.

Thanks
First, one of the major differences of the Iberia program is that Iberia looks at the total distance of the entire trip, whereas BA (generally) looks at the distance of each individual segment. In other words, if your trip is composed of 3 segments (1,000 miles + 4,000 miles + 250 miles), Iberia will charge you based on a total distance of 5,250, whereas BA will charge you for each individual segment. Iberia, however, generally does not allow one-way awards with AA (although I think there may be reports that one-way awards are possible, so I would double check that).

Second, you should consider routes that include one or more segments on LATAM (LATAM, luckily, doesn't have any fuel surcharges on BA awards). From BRO, you only have one option if you're using AA all the way: BRO-DFW-MIA-COR. By my calculations, this would cost 7,500 + 7,500 + 25,000 = 40,000 avios in economy.

With LATAM, you open up other options that (based on the distance of each segment) may be more favorable under BA's system of adding up by individual segments. For example, BRO-DFW-SCL-COR with the last leg on LATAM would be 7,500 + 25,000 + 4,500 = 37,000 avios. Similarly, BRO-DFW-EZE//AEP-COR would be 37,000 avios. Note that you would need to book the LATAM flight separately, otherwise the multi-partner chart applies and that chart is not favorable.

Finally, I am surprised that BA can see business but not economy. In my experience, MileSAAver Economy is generally much easier to find than MileSAAver Business (and indeed, I see plenty of economy availability for both DFW-SCL and DFW-EZE at the end of September). But even if BA can only see business for the longhaul, you can do economy on the shorthaul (in fact, LATAM doesn't have business on most intra-SA routes)—and that should be 7,500 + 75,000 + 4,500 = 87,000 avios.

Last edited by flyingeph12; May 27, 2019 at 3:38 am
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Old May 27, 2019, 5:51 am
  #854  
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Originally Posted by HeStoleMyLogin
Sorry I ran into a 5 posts per day limit....

I am flying BRO to COR Sept 25. There is MileSAAver availability on all flights with AA but BA says only Business availability for my itinerary. I would love some options or ideas. I will be transferring miles from Chase to BA with a (%30) bonus. AA has the first class flight at 57,500. BA wants 102000 avios based on my call to their ticket center. The economy is 30,000 AA but BA will not let me book that (i am guessing) . I am assuming BRO to DFW on BA would be 7500 avios in economy. DFW to COR 85000 avios in first based on mileage. This would save me 12000 miles when all the discounts are taken into effect.

I am not sold on any transfer partner. If you all can see a better way (like Iberia )Please...

Sorry this is my first real mileage attempt with transfer partners and i will probably have many questions.

Thanks
AA does not offer nonstop or direct service DFW-COR. That would not affect the cost of a DFW-COR or BRO-COR redemption if you were using AA miles; it would affect the cost of such redemptions if you were using BA Avios, since BA charges extra for each flight flown. When asking about redeeming BA Avios, it's very important to list the full routing, not just the origin and destination.

I'm not seeing SAAver Business awards for DFW-COR on September 25 at aa.com. On September 24, aa.com is showing SAAver Business awards on that route, but the routing is DFW-LAX-MIA-COR, and if you click on the "Details" button for such a redemption, you'll see that only the LAX-MIA leg is in Business Class; the other legs are in Economy.

I think that you're going to have a hard time getting from BRO/DFW to COR in Business Class at that time of year if you want to redeem Avios.
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Old May 27, 2019, 7:37 pm
  #855  
 
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 22
So my itinerary would be bro-dfw-mia-cor? Sorry the 25th is my return...I am going down on the 19th. For the return on the 25th I was looking at United in economy for 30000 miles going through panama city. I'm thinking i want business on the way down (overnight flight) so i can hit the ground running on the 20th. Im also trying to keep my travel time under 21 hours. (what a long day). Getting and rechecking luggage is not a problem as long as it is easy and i have plenty of time. Tell me more about how to bring LATAM into the mix to save miles.

Kind or weird....now all of a sudden all the direct DFW-MIA have been removed from SAAver redemption (over 3-4 flights). You ever wonder if airline reps monitor stuff and make changes to try and goose profits

Last edited by HeStoleMyLogin; May 27, 2019 at 8:28 pm
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