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?)
Searching can be key to finding important information and answers without waiting for someone to drop by and answer, and it helps prevent that information fragmentation. FlyerTalk Advanced Search can seem quirky to the infrequent user, but it's fairly powerful if one knows how to use it. There are several ways to search:
- Canarsie's Using the Search Feature on FlyerTalk: The Definitive Thread has relocated to the Information Desk Forum; it can be found there.
- One can search FlyerTalk with Google with this web form.
- Or, if you are used to Google search, use Google Advanced Search and insert www.flyertalk.com in the "site or domain" box.
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)
Apr 8, 2019, 5:32 pm
#541
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: CHS
Posts: 145
no inventory but see seats
Our upcoming flight 4/12) is not showing as for sale in economy or first (so not available) but when I click to seats on my reservation I see seats available. Trying to understand this - and be prepared in case it's oversold. Any idea when flight wold not be for sale but show seats?
Apr 8, 2019, 5:41 pm
#542
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 1,285
Our upcoming flight 4/12) is not showing as for sale in economy or first (so not available) but when I click to seats on my reservation I see seats available. Trying to understand this - and be prepared in case it's oversold. Any idea when flight wold not be for sale but show seats?
Apr 8, 2019, 5:43 pm
#543
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,561
Our upcoming flight 4/12) is not showing as for sale in economy or first (so not available) but when I click to seats on my reservation I see seats available. Trying to understand this - and be prepared in case it's oversold. Any idea when flight wold not be for sale but show seats?
Apr 8, 2019, 5:52 pm
#544
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: CHS
Posts: 145
I apologize, I wrote my question without enough detail. We purchased our tickets via aa.com and already have seat assignments for a flight on 4/12. I am just trying to figure out if the flight is oversold. Going to AA.com this flight is not showing up as available for purchase. When I go to my aa.com reservation, I can click on seats and see that there are 10 or so seats not selected. I was trying to understand why they aren't selling any more tickets when there are seats.
Apr 8, 2019, 5:53 pm
#545
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 1,285
I apologize, I wrote my question without enough detail. We purchased our tickets via aa.com and already have seat assignments for a flight on 4/12. I am just trying to figure out if the flight is oversold. Going to AA.com this flight is not showing up as available for purchase. When I go to my aa.com reservation, I can click on seats and see that there are 10 or so seats not selected. I was trying to understand why they aren't selling any more tickets when there are seats.
Apr 8, 2019, 5:55 pm
#546
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 5
Recourse/Refund - Involuntary Downgrade & Flight Change
My family of four was booked in Business from Guatemala City to Miami and Y-fare from Miami to SFO (all in MCE - all seats together) on Sunday leaving at 1 p.m. When I went to check-in online, I noticed that the flights had been changed with departure now at 6:30 a.m. and going through Dallas. AA never provided any notification of the flight change and had I not checked in online, I might have missed the updated flights. GUA-DFW leg was in economy and I was only assigned MCE seats together after calling to complain. DFW-SFO leg was in economy - all middle seats, only one of which was MCE. I'm wondering how best to address this with AA as I paid for business class and didn't get it, wasn't notified of the flight change and didn't get the automatic MCE seating that goes with Y fare on domestic. Will they refund a portion of the fare and is there any recourse for the fact that they moved our flight up by more than 6 hours?
Apr 8, 2019, 5:57 pm
#547
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: CHS
Posts: 145
Thanks - I guess I need to get an account with expertflyer to see how oversold. I am open to being bumped for the right price.. The return flight is still open so the outbound is my chance. Thanks again!
Apr 8, 2019, 6:06 pm
#548
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,561
I apologize, I wrote my question without enough detail. We purchased our tickets via aa.com and already have seat assignments for a flight on 4/12. I am just trying to figure out if the flight is oversold. Going to AA.com this flight is not showing up as available for purchase. When I go to my aa.com reservation, I can click on seats and see that there are 10 or so seats not selected. I was trying to understand why they aren't selling any more tickets when there are seats.
Not everyone who purchases a ticket gets a seat assignment at the time of ticket purchase. For example, a passenger who purchased a Basic Economy ticket doesn't get a seat assignment until check in. Other Economy passengers might not like the "free" seats that are available when they purchase the ticket, and are hoping to get a better seat for free at check-in. And some passengers might be completely indifferent to seat assignments, and won't bother selecting a seat. So it's possible for there to be no more seats left to sell on a flight, even though some seats are still not assigned to particular passengers.
Apr 9, 2019, 6:34 am
#549
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Chevy Chase, MD 20815
Posts: 1,147
Our upcoming flight 4/12) is not showing as for sale in economy or first (so not available) but when I click to seats on my reservation I see seats available. Trying to understand this - and be prepared in case it's oversold. Any idea when flight wold not be for sale but show seats?
I have this question also-booked BE for 4/12 and cannot see any seats for sale nor the flight map. I am wondering how to find out if it is oversold and when I should try to get a seat (right away at T24 or wait until gate).
Plus I would love to get bumped as I am flexible but when is best to volunteer?
I have this question also-booked BE for 4/12 and cannot see any seats for sale nor the flight map. I am wondering how to find out if it is oversold and when I should try to get a seat (right away at T24 or wait until gate).
Plus I would love to get bumped as I am flexible but when is best to volunteer?
Apr 9, 2019, 7:49 am
#550
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: AA
Posts: 14,730
Our upcoming flight 4/12) is not showing as for sale in economy or first (so not available) but when I click to seats on my reservation I see seats available. Trying to understand this - and be prepared in case it's oversold. Any idea when flight wold not be for sale but show seats?
I have this question also-booked BE for 4/12 and cannot see any seats for sale nor the flight map. I am wondering how to find out if it is oversold and when I should try to get a seat (right away at T24 or wait until gate).
Plus I would love to get bumped as I am flexible but when is best to volunteer?
I have this question also-booked BE for 4/12 and cannot see any seats for sale nor the flight map. I am wondering how to find out if it is oversold and when I should try to get a seat (right away at T24 or wait until gate).
Plus I would love to get bumped as I am flexible but when is best to volunteer?
Apr 9, 2019, 11:37 am
#551
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: LotusLand...
Programs: AC Elite50k, BAEC Blue, Amex Plat, RBC Black Tin Visa
Posts: 635
Carry On rules - how sticky is AA these days....?
Mrs T and I are booked on our first AA flight in eons( back of the bus) coming up shortly and wanted to take carry on for our 4 day getaway YVR-PHX-SAF-YVR. Our Rimowa and Briggs and Riley are legal on AC and BA but a couple of centimeters over depth wise for AA. Should we be concerned about being made to check the bags at every check-in? If you tell me that this will be an issue as AA is super strict on measuring bags then maybe we should just check a bigger bag and forget carry on. Sorry this is such a small issue compared to some of the other questions here but the "no flame" promise of this thread was appealing! 
Any input would be appreciated from you Old Hands!
Any input would be appreciated from you Old Hands!
Apr 9, 2019, 12:41 pm
#552
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: BGI | MIA
Programs: AA Platinum Pro | Hyatt Globalist | HH Diamond | SPG Gold
Posts: 316
Mrs T and I are booked on our first AA flight in eons( back of the bus) coming up shortly and wanted to take carry on for our 4 day getaway YVR-PHX-SAF-YVR. Our Rimowa and Briggs and Riley are legal on AC and BA but a couple of centimeters over depth wise for AA. Should we be concerned about being made to check the bags at every check-in? If you tell me that this will be an issue as AA is super strict on measuring bags then maybe we should just check a bigger bag and forget carry on. Sorry this is such a small issue compared to some of the other questions here but the "no flame" promise of this thread was appealing! Any input would be appreciated from you Old Hands!
Any input would be appreciated from you Old Hands!
Apr 10, 2019, 7:24 am
#553
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: BNE / LHR
Programs: QF Gold
Posts: 1,601
LHR-ORD
Ibera code share AA flight on a 787 where PE isn't for sale.
I'm Oneworld Saphire.
If I book a main cabin fare, I will be able to select a PE or MCE seat without issue? (also ahead of time - Flights in 1 week).
Or must it be a AA coded flight for it to work?
If I don't get the benefit i'll go just a basic fare, as I don't need luggage anyway.
Ibera code share AA flight on a 787 where PE isn't for sale.
I'm Oneworld Saphire.
If I book a main cabin fare, I will be able to select a PE or MCE seat without issue? (also ahead of time - Flights in 1 week).
Or must it be a AA coded flight for it to work?
If I don't get the benefit i'll go just a basic fare, as I don't need luggage anyway.
Apr 10, 2019, 7:34 am
#554
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 1,285
LHR-ORD
Ibera code share AA flight on a 787 where PE isn't for sale.
I'm Oneworld Saphire.
If I book a main cabin fare, I will be able to select a PE or MCE seat without issue? (also ahead of time - Flights in 1 week).
Or must it be a AA coded flight for it to work?
If I don't get the benefit i'll go just a basic fare, as I don't need luggage anyway.
Ibera code share AA flight on a 787 where PE isn't for sale.
I'm Oneworld Saphire.
If I book a main cabin fare, I will be able to select a PE or MCE seat without issue? (also ahead of time - Flights in 1 week).
Or must it be a AA coded flight for it to work?
If I don't get the benefit i'll go just a basic fare, as I don't need luggage anyway.
If fligbt has PE seat but they don’t sell PE on that particular flight you will be able to select PE seat marked as MCE
Apr 10, 2019, 7:58 am
#555
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: BNE / LHR
Programs: QF Gold
Posts: 1,601
Winner. !
So worth the extra £40 for the PE seat
Easy decision!
So worth the extra £40 for the PE seat
Easy decision!