Not a single AA transcon First saver (Z) through the end of schedule?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2015
Location: WAS, SZX, HKG
Programs: AS MVP Gold 75K, CX Green
Posts: 734
Not a single AA transcon/intl First saver (Z) through the end of schedule?
Hi folks,
Trying to redeem for an F award to Asia where the transpacific F segment is available from LAX (on CX). To maximize the experience, I am trying to find a transcon F award so I could use the JFK and LAX Flagship dining. However, after some more searching, it appears there is not a single F saver award through the end of the schedule (yes, not only not available on my preferred dates, but it is not available on all dates throughout the posted schedule if you go through the award calendar)
I understand that saver awards are strictly capacity controlled, but isn't that the transcon F usually leave empty or get filled with non-revs? Is AA really this stingy, or maybe there is some software glitch (like married segment nonsense) that are preventing those seats from being available to book?
Thanks for any insight!
EDIT: I just searched all the other transcons as well as some of the 77W routes with International First Class, without finding a single Z seat!
Trying to redeem for an F award to Asia where the transpacific F segment is available from LAX (on CX). To maximize the experience, I am trying to find a transcon F award so I could use the JFK and LAX Flagship dining. However, after some more searching, it appears there is not a single F saver award through the end of the schedule (yes, not only not available on my preferred dates, but it is not available on all dates throughout the posted schedule if you go through the award calendar)
I understand that saver awards are strictly capacity controlled, but isn't that the transcon F usually leave empty or get filled with non-revs? Is AA really this stingy, or maybe there is some software glitch (like married segment nonsense) that are preventing those seats from being available to book?
Thanks for any insight!
EDIT: I just searched all the other transcons as well as some of the 77W routes with International First Class, without finding a single Z seat!
Last edited by shd9; May 17, 2019 at 2:12 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Programs: AAdvantage Exec Platinum, Hertz #1 Club Gold Five Star, IHG Platinum, Marriott Gold, HHonors Silver
Posts: 2,020
I think your post is a bit mis-leading. It looks like you are only searching JFK-LAX based on the information provided, but there are a ton of other TransCon flights to go from east coast to west coast. If you look to other airports, especially outside of NYC, you'll maybe find more availability. If you want to stick with NYC, that's fine, but the title of this thread should probably be changed accordingly.
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2015
Location: WAS, SZX, HKG
Programs: AS MVP Gold 75K, CX Green
Posts: 734
I think your post is a bit mis-leading. It looks like you are only searching JFK-LAX based on the information provided, but there are a ton of other TransCon flights to go from east coast to west coast. If you look to other airports, especially outside of NYC, you'll maybe find more availability. If you want to stick with NYC, that's fine, but the title of this thread should probably be changed accordingly.
BTW, I have just searched all of all other transcons, as well as some of the 77W international routes (HKG, LHR, HND, GRU), without seeing a single Z! This has to be a bug of some sort I believe...
#5
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: AA LT Gold
Posts: 3,635
Or perhaps AA wants you to pull the trigger on an aanytime award or sell you the seat for $$$
and AA is happy with having F fly empty or "filled with non-revs" otherwise.
Perhaps they will open up saaver seats randomly later and those with EF alerts (or checking website daily) will grab them immediately.
and AA is happy with having F fly empty or "filled with non-revs" otherwise.
Perhaps they will open up saaver seats randomly later and those with EF alerts (or checking website daily) will grab them immediately.
#7
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Programs: BMI Diamond Club Gold forever
Posts: 6,350
To your anecdote, heres mine:
I was doing a search this morning for our late July or early August trip to Europe. After a ton of EF searches for 5 in biz to/from many cities with no real luck, i did one search on AA and now all five of us are booked SFO-JFK-LHR in F all the way, including F on the transcon on the 32T.
I was doing a search this morning for our late July or early August trip to Europe. After a ton of EF searches for 5 in biz to/from many cities with no real luck, i did one search on AA and now all five of us are booked SFO-JFK-LHR in F all the way, including F on the transcon on the 32T.
#8
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NYC (LGA, JFK), CT
Programs: Delta Platinum, American Gold, JetBlue Mosaic 4, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond,
Posts: 4,861
AA doesn't seem to open up saver ability in F on this route. Some dates seem to show AAnytime for 85,000 miles. Another option is to book a relatively cheap business class cash fare ($659, or $1,109 depending on the date) and upgrade via your SWU or with miles. Even buying F for cash outright may be a better option
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2015
Location: WAS, SZX, HKG
Programs: AS MVP Gold 75K, CX Green
Posts: 734
I can tolerate AA for using married segments for Y/J booking, because most flights have Y/J seats so it is still possible to book something. Using married segments for F (requiring both flights to be empty enough release Z seats) seems a little bit too too much.
I guess I will never be able to book a transcon F to connect to my CX award... probably just going to buy some AS miles and book using AS (40k miles cheaper plus a freebie Asia F)...
Thanks everyone for contributing and sorry for not doing thorough research about this married segment thing (I only searched transcons and LAX-LHR/HKG/HND, DFW-LHR/HKG, MIA-GRU/EZE/LHR and completely forgotten this married segments annoyance)
Mods, please feel free to move this thread to the married segments megathread or the paucity of Saaver award thread.
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,190
But this can make it difficult to piece something together like JFK-SFO-HKG, because I don't think ExpertFlyer can handle the married segment logic on an AA/CX itinerary, and you can't search CX on AA.com, so you have to speak to an agent. (And this assumes that AA is applying married segment logic to multi-airline itineraries, I'm not sure, but I think they've been starting to.)
#13
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Programs: BMI Diamond Club Gold forever
Posts: 6,350
Yup- this does seem to be a casualty of married segments and admittedly a reduction in the need for EF. What I found is that the availability in both F and J was TOTALLY different this summer than in years past due to married segments logic. It is not really possible any longer to "find the gateway" and then piece together as i had previously done. Even looking at YVR/SEA/PDX yields different results for the overwater segments. The good news is that I found several viable options from SEA via DFW to MAD in biz, by putting in SEA-MAD. None of these showed if I looked at DFW-MAD. The SFO-LHR came up from a random search I did before accepting a SEA-SMF-DFW-LHR trip in J, which wasted part of a day in SMF.
What I am not sure about is whether adding an AS segment on to the beginning of this is going to work or whether the AA system will effectively ask if my Z5 availability would not have been available for SFO-JFK-LHR is we started in SEA. Worst case is we buy that segment, calling now to check on that.
What I am not sure about is whether adding an AS segment on to the beginning of this is going to work or whether the AA system will effectively ask if my Z5 availability would not have been available for SFO-JFK-LHR is we started in SEA. Worst case is we buy that segment, calling now to check on that.
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,190
To your anecdote, heres mine:
I was doing a search this morning for our late July or early August trip to Europe. After a ton of EF searches for 5 in biz to/from many cities with no real luck, i did one search on AA and now all five of us are booked SFO-JFK-LHR in F all the way, including F on the transcon on the 32T.
I was doing a search this morning for our late July or early August trip to Europe. After a ton of EF searches for 5 in biz to/from many cities with no real luck, i did one search on AA and now all five of us are booked SFO-JFK-LHR in F all the way, including F on the transcon on the 32T.
And at the sAAver level?
#15
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5,681
AA is devaluing their program in all kinds of ways. You can find multiple threads on SAVER over the water not linking up with SAVER on the domestic legs. If you find them the layover time is often overnight or just under 23 hours.