Jan 1, 2019, 2:12 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
Welcome to the 2019 "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?)
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- Canarsie's Using the Search Feature on FlyerTalk: The Definitive Thread has relocated to the Information Desk Forum; it can be found there.
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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: 2019 NEWBIE LOUNGE older posts are here.
The 2018 AA NEWBIE LOUNGE post thread is here
The 2017 AA NEWBIE LOUNGE post thread is here
The 2016 AA NEWBIE LOUNGE post thread is here
Thanks for reading!
ARCHIVE: NEWBIE LOUNGE 2019: Ask "Newbie" AA Questions Here (flame free)
May 30, 2019, 10:30 pm
#871
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: BGI | MIA
Programs: AA Platinum Pro | Hyatt Globalist | HH Diamond | SPG Gold
Posts: 316
Main question: How do you get upgraded to Business while bypassing the upgrade list?
So I've been flying a lot of Asia legs recently and have been trying to upgrade with miles. As a recent AA Plat, I'm pretty far down on the list, but my last couple of flights to/from China have looked good: 6+ seats open in J (via Expert Flyer) and I was 5 on the upgrade list with a couple of hours until departure. On both of those flights, only one person on the upgrade list got bumped up to J but the plane left with a full business cabin.
What happened to those seats? Did people pay for a cash upgrade at the airport? How much do those usually run and who's the right person to ask? Is there another way to get upgraded that bypasses the upgrade list?
Thank you!
So I've been flying a lot of Asia legs recently and have been trying to upgrade with miles. As a recent AA Plat, I'm pretty far down on the list, but my last couple of flights to/from China have looked good: 6+ seats open in J (via Expert Flyer) and I was 5 on the upgrade list with a couple of hours until departure. On both of those flights, only one person on the upgrade list got bumped up to J but the plane left with a full business cabin.
What happened to those seats? Did people pay for a cash upgrade at the airport? How much do those usually run and who's the right person to ask? Is there another way to get upgraded that bypasses the upgrade list?
Thank you!
Im surprised you were on the upgrade list. I’m AA platinum and I never appear on long haul upgrade lists.
I don’t even think any level of AA elites get complementary long haul upgrades without use of a SWU.
Upgrades are done 3 ways as far as I know. SWU, Miles, and DOD.
Theres op ups too, but I don’t count those as something you can achieve on demand.
Likely DOD upgrades or non rev’s clearing into forward cabins if no other seats available. Could be off duty crew as well.
May 30, 2019, 10:43 pm
#872
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 24
as a AA platinum you aren’t entitled to any free upgrades outside of North America flights.
Im surprised you were on the upgrade list. I’m AA platinum and I never appear on long haul upgrade lists.
I don’t even think any level of AA elites get complementary long haul upgrades without use of a SWU.
Upgrades are done 3 ways as far as I know. SWU, Miles, and DOD.
Theres op ups too, but I don’t count those as something you can achieve on demand.
Likely DOD upgrades or non rev’s clearing into forward cabins if no other seats available. Could be off duty crew as well.
May 30, 2019, 11:00 pm
#873
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: NC
Programs: AA, Marriott/SPG, AMEX
Posts: 272
Does AA have a "fast pass" for AMS customs/immigration? Husband and I are flying July1/2 in J.
May 30, 2019, 11:30 pm
#874
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
Hi! I should have been clear, I'm not trying for free upgrades but for mileage upgrades. I'm able to get on the list, but I'm not sure how to actually be successful at an upgrade when all of the empty seats seem to disappear within an hour of departure without taking people off of the upgrade list.
Of course, it's also possible that AA is selling upgrades at the airport, in which case you can ask at check in if that's the case. If you have EF, you can set an alert for C space and make sure to call in when C space opens up, because sometimes upgrades don't automatically clear when C space opens up. Otherwise, there's not really a way to bypass the upgrade list.
May 31, 2019, 9:04 am
#875
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: BA
Posts: 954
Can you make changes/cancellations (free date changes or non-free changes/cancellations) to a PNR (booked using AA miles) once it has been partially flown?
May 31, 2019, 9:12 am
#876
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,584
All AA awards are issued as one-ways. A single PNR can hold multiple one-way awards. You should be able to make date changes on any wholly-unflown award contained in the PNR.
May 31, 2019, 9:18 am
#877
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: BA
Posts: 954
ok. for example, i was thinking of booking a GRU-JFK flight in January and JFK-LHR months later on the same PNR, because PNRs that start in Brazil don't have fuel surcharges (so i can fly JFK-LHR on BA without surcharges). once GRU-JFK is flown, i can still change or cancel the JFK-LHR flight (for free or not free, depending on the type of change), because it considers it a separate one-way award, even though part of the PNR was already flown?
May 31, 2019, 10:11 am
#878
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,584
ok. for example, i was thinking of booking a GRU-JFK flight in January and JFK-LHR months later on the same PNR, because PNRs that start in Brazil don't have fuel surcharges (so i can fly JFK-LHR on BA without surcharges). once GRU-JFK is flown, i can still change or cancel the JFK-LHR flight (for free or not free, depending on the type of change), because it considers it a separate one-way award, even though part of the PNR was already flown?
But whether you would avoid the surcharge on BA JFK-LHR, I'm not sure. Try doing a dummy multi-city award booking at aa.com, and see how it prices.
May 31, 2019, 10:14 am
#879
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: BA
Posts: 954
The JFK-LHR booking is speculative, but if it can still be changed after flying the ex-Brazil flight, it seems like a good bet.
May 31, 2019, 10:17 am
#880
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,584
It does avoid the surcharge, which is why I was interested: https://i.imgur.com/CJibgid.png
The JFK-LHR booking is speculative, but if it can still be changed after flying the ex-Brazil flight, it seems like a good bet.
The JFK-LHR booking is speculative, but if it can still be changed after flying the ex-Brazil flight, it seems like a good bet.
May 31, 2019, 10:20 am
#881
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: BA
Posts: 954
Yeah, I know, I've considered doing RTW trips originating in Brazil because of that law...! It seems really lucrative anytime you fly ex-Brazil...
May 31, 2019, 11:19 am
#882
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 1,727
Where can I find the thread for requesting / offering AAdmirals Club lounge access?
May 31, 2019, 3:09 pm
#883
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 can offer, you can’t ask.
May 31, 2019, 3:33 pm
#884
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 47
What is that desk for upstairs at LAX Admiral's Club when you first walk up? You already check in downstairs.
May 31, 2019, 3:40 pm
#885
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: BGI | MIA
Programs: AA Platinum Pro | Hyatt Globalist | HH Diamond | SPG Gold
Posts: 316
I recently read that AA platinum members get free same day standby.
How does this work because the one the one time I thought about using it. The app wanted to charge me $75 since I was flying in Y
I’ve used it before for domestic F, is Y same day change free for platinums ?
How does this work because the one the one time I thought about using it. The app wanted to charge me $75 since I was flying in Y
I’ve used it before for domestic F, is Y same day change free for platinums ?