AAdvantage MileSAAver: Through Award Fare Restriction Dec 2018
#46
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: PWM/KBXM/BGR; Work: DCA/DFW/Everywhere; Play: LAS/MUC/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, mlife Noir, LEYE Gold
Posts: 6,629
Yeah I don't get it. I searched from AA.com with the regular search and there's tons of availability at 12,500. I logged out and it's the same as when I'm logged in. Indeed, there is so much availability that I feel bad posting this because boy we spend a lot of time complaining about how saver awards are hard to come by:
#47
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: BWI
Programs: Everyone!
Posts: 1,024
Tons of availability which is great (although most are multi-hour layovers) but not the flights he wanted (858/5602), which are available individually as MileSAAver, but when taken together are no longer priced as MileSAAver but instead are not even offered under MileSAAver on the old booking tool, and while they are available on the new booking tool, are given a 60% price surcharge.
Either domestic MileSAAver is 12.5K or it isn't.
Clearly they are pricing certain routings higher, even though the availability is there, because they feel we will pay higher for the convenience of preferred times/ routing.
Either domestic MileSAAver is 12.5K or it isn't.
Clearly they are pricing certain routings higher, even though the availability is there, because they feel we will pay higher for the convenience of preferred times/ routing.
#48
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,420
Tons of availability which is great (although most are multi-hour layovers) but not the flights he wanted (858/5602), which are available individually as MileSAAver, but when taken together are no longer priced as MileSAAver but instead are not even offered under MileSAAver on the old booking tool, and while they are available on the new booking tool, are given a 60% price surcharge.
Either domestic MileSAAver is 12.5K or it isn't.
Clearly they are pricing certain routings higher, even though the availability is there, because they feel we will pay higher for the convenience of preferred times/ routing.
Either domestic MileSAAver is 12.5K or it isn't.
Clearly they are pricing certain routings higher, even though the availability is there, because they feel we will pay higher for the convenience of preferred times/ routing.
858
7:20 AM
STL
10:13 AM
CLT
5602
1:05 PM
CLT
1:51 PM
CAE
If there was married segment availabilty issue, then indeed would expect it to be 12.5k + 7.5k , but the exact journey wanted by th OP is available at the 12.5k price ; the issue here seems to be agents ( yet again ) picking an excuse rather than addressing the issue. Through award fare may be a real term in AA, but it isn't impacting this journey
Last edited by Dave Noble; Mar 22, 2019 at 7:48 am
#50
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: DCA/IAD/WAS
Programs: MAR AMB, WOH Explorist, AA EXP, UA 2P
Posts: 2,133
It is available in U though for 25,000!
#51
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: NYC
Posts: 6,407
That has been what we are doing all along since the married segment craps, or that not a single nonstop available out of 7 or 8 MIA-LAX, 6 MIA-JFK that kind of BS. We pay B6 to fly FLL-JFK instead.
AA is NOT going to get any revenue booking from us by employing this dirty tactic.
AA is NOT going to get any revenue booking from us by employing this dirty tactic.
In the past I'd say that AA has done the analysis and found the decreased revenue from devaluing AAdvantage is more than offset by increases in revenue ticketing. Now I wonder if they've done more than the stereotypical bean-counter math: award travel means less revenue travel, so cutting awards helps the bottom line.
#53
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Bye Delta
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Plat, Nat'l Exec Elite, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 16,247
Delta does this, as do many other carriers. It majorly sucks, but it’s also the same as what they all do for cash fares.
#54
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Bye Delta
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Plat, Nat'l Exec Elite, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 16,247
No it's just that those examples (the first ones I had access to) happened to have had partners involved.
The way it works is a requested award for AAA-> CCC has to be queried by the agent AAA-> CCC
The agents are -not- allowed to query AAA-> BBB and then BBB-> CCC to create the award.
The way it works is a requested award for AAA-> CCC has to be queried by the agent AAA-> CCC
The agents are -not- allowed to query AAA-> BBB and then BBB-> CCC to create the award.
#55
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
What happens if the agent searches AAA->CCC and your desired routing doesnt come up in the results at all? Especially on international flights where Ive often taken slightly longer routings that had availability (still within MPM), but were just indirect enough to not be found by the AAA->CCC search? Can agents specify connecting cities along with O&D?
#56
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: USA
Programs: SPG HH AA PLT AS MVPG
Posts: 142
Well, since David Noble seems to be able to see award space that nobody else can find, I'll just provide another example of American's Through Award Fare restriction so that the discussion can focus on the actual restriction at work, rather than the specific example I provided earlier.
AA > BB > CC ... DEN > CLT > FLL (1 ticket, 9/6/2019)
AA > BB ... Flight #1957 is available at the standard 12,500 MileSAAver award cost
BB > CC ... Flight #469 is available at the standard 12,500 MileSAAver award cost
AA >> CC ... The combined flights are only available as an AAnytime award at a listed cost of 20,000
As I pointed out previously, these restrictions are all over the place in the American schedule. I can find them on just about any domestic route through a hub city. It's no longer possible to piece together available segments to create a valid MileSAAver award ticket. If revenue management has not assigned a Through Award Fare for the specific flight combination, no MileSAAver award can be issued, even if each nonstop segment has MileSAAver seats open/available.
AA > BB > CC ... DEN > CLT > FLL (1 ticket, 9/6/2019)
AA > BB ... Flight #1957 is available at the standard 12,500 MileSAAver award cost
BB > CC ... Flight #469 is available at the standard 12,500 MileSAAver award cost
AA >> CC ... The combined flights are only available as an AAnytime award at a listed cost of 20,000
As I pointed out previously, these restrictions are all over the place in the American schedule. I can find them on just about any domestic route through a hub city. It's no longer possible to piece together available segments to create a valid MileSAAver award ticket. If revenue management has not assigned a Through Award Fare for the specific flight combination, no MileSAAver award can be issued, even if each nonstop segment has MileSAAver seats open/available.
Last edited by bruinfan90; Mar 22, 2019 at 4:43 pm
#57
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,420
Well, since David Noble seems to be able to see award space that nobody else can find, I'll just provide another example of American's Through Award Fare restriction so that the discussion can focus on the actual restriction at work, rather than the specific example I provided earlier.
AA > BB > CC ... DEN > CLT > FLL (1 ticket, 9/6/2019)
AA > BB ... Flight #1957 is available at the standard 12,500 MileSAAver award cost
BB > CC ... Flight #469 is available at the standard 12,500 MileSAAver award cost
AA >> CC ... The combined flights are only available as an AAnytime award at a listed cost of 20,000
As I pointed out previously, these restrictions are all over the place in the American schedule. I can find them on just about any route through a hub city. It's no longer possible to piece together available segments to create a valid MileSAAver award ticket. If revenue management has not assigned a Through Award Fare for the specific flight combination, no MileSAAver award can be issued, even if each nonstop segment has MileSAAver seats open/available.
AA > BB > CC ... DEN > CLT > FLL (1 ticket, 9/6/2019)
AA > BB ... Flight #1957 is available at the standard 12,500 MileSAAver award cost
BB > CC ... Flight #469 is available at the standard 12,500 MileSAAver award cost
AA >> CC ... The combined flights are only available as an AAnytime award at a listed cost of 20,000
As I pointed out previously, these restrictions are all over the place in the American schedule. I can find them on just about any route through a hub city. It's no longer possible to piece together available segments to create a valid MileSAAver award ticket. If revenue management has not assigned a Through Award Fare for the specific flight combination, no MileSAAver award can be issued, even if each nonstop segment has MileSAAver seats open/available.
Indeed AA1957 on 6th shows on EF as being T7 as is AA469
For DEN-FLL via CLT , the availability is T0 on both of the flights, so indeed, no milesaver award available
This is nothing more than married segment availability and not some new restriction called "award available fare". It may be that this is term it is giving to customers about the restriction, but it isn't anything new. If you want to fly from A-C , you need to search for A-C to get the correct availability ; cannot just take A-B and then add B-C
Returning to CLT-CAE via STL on 6th September
CLT-STL shows T7 on AA858
STL-CAE shows T4 on AA5602
For STL-CAE via STL both AA858 and AA5602 show as T0
Again this is just no availability for the through journey and so cannot be booked as a milesaver
Last edited by Dave Noble; Mar 22, 2019 at 4:46 pm
#58
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,731
Exactly.
In their latest quarter report, the AAdvantage dept is the ONLY business unit that is profitable that supports other businesses, incl its core - flying.
The stringy of reasonable award routing and seat availability has been going on for almost 2 years now. During the time, AA has not seen much of improvement in its core business. I dont know how blind is the internal dept that formulates such a strategy to still not see the strategy is not working.
#59
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: PWM/KBXM/BGR; Work: DCA/DFW/Everywhere; Play: LAS/MUC/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, mlife Noir, LEYE Gold
Posts: 6,629
When I checked , it was ( on the old tool ) pricing those flights at 12,500 for the through journey - Just checking again for CAE-STL and it is the 4th choice on the list at 12.5k
858
7:20 AM
STL
10:13 AM
CLT
5602
1:05 PM
CLT
1:51 PM
CAE
If there was married segment availabilty issue, then indeed would expect it to be 12.5k + 7.5k , but the exact journey wanted by th OP is available at the 12.5k price ; the issue here seems to be agents ( yet again ) picking an excuse rather than addressing the issue. Through award fare may be a real term in AA, but it isn't impacting this journey
858
7:20 AM
STL
10:13 AM
CLT
5602
1:05 PM
CLT
1:51 PM
CAE
If there was married segment availabilty issue, then indeed would expect it to be 12.5k + 7.5k , but the exact journey wanted by th OP is available at the 12.5k price ; the issue here seems to be agents ( yet again ) picking an excuse rather than addressing the issue. Through award fare may be a real term in AA, but it isn't impacting this journey
#60
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,420
I mentioned in recent post that I actually checked the wrong day - even so , that flight pairing was offered
As also highlighted, it is simply an availability issue with CLT-CAE via STL having T0 availability for the through booking whilst the individual flights on a standalone basis are T7
As also highlighted, it is simply an availability issue with CLT-CAE via STL having T0 availability for the through booking whilst the individual flights on a standalone basis are T7