Jan 18, 2021, 1:06 am
Last edit by: JDiver
Welcome to the archived 2021 "NEWBIE LOUNGE"Ask Your Consolidated / Combined AA Questions Here (flame free)
MODERATOR GUIDEPOST: (This post can only be edited by moderators.)
FOR THE 2022 THREAD, SEE HERE: link
Welcome to the Newbie Lounge!
Important links:
Link to American Airlines Conditions of Carriage
Link to AAdvantage Terms and Conditions
NOTE: See below for links to the archived older threads.
Q. How can I find information more easily than reading through all the threads? Now that I'm here, what do I do next?
Check out the following resources:
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:
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: 2020 NEWBIE LOUNGE posts are here.
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!
MODERATOR GUIDEPOST: (This post can only be edited by moderators.)
FOR THE 2022 THREAD, SEE HERE: link
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
, 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.)
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.)
Link to American Airlines Conditions of Carriage
Link to AAdvantage Terms and Conditions
NOTE: See below for links to the archived older threads.
Q. How can I find information more easily than reading through all the threads? Now that I'm here, what do I do next?
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.
- 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: 2020 NEWBIE LOUNGE posts are here.
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!
NEWBIE LOUNGE 2021: Ask AA newbie questions here - flame-free thread
Sep 4, 2021, 3:36 pm
#706
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,399
If you have a subscription, ExpertFlyer has historical fare rules. If you can give me the approximate original ticketing date and departure date, I can try to look it up for you. I usually discourage people for using EF to help non-subscribers, but your situation is esoteric enough that I feel OK with making an exception. The closest I found using approximate dates was VVAWZND1 which was non-refundable, as were all the other V fares I looked at for MIA-YVR.
Sep 4, 2021, 3:46 pm
#707
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,140
I'm willing to bet VVAIZSD1 is non-refundable. I'm just not sure that's the fare basis I originally booked. Departure is 24 October, original booking was 10 June, schedule change was 31 July.
Sep 4, 2021, 3:58 pm
#708
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,399
That's about as far as I can take it.
Sep 4, 2021, 4:05 pm
#709
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,140
Sep 5, 2021, 12:02 pm
#710
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Austin, TX and Aspen, CO
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Lifetime Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 225
How long does it take for Alaska Airlines flights
To post EQMs in my AA account? TIA
Sep 6, 2021, 4:50 am
#711
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Denver
Programs: AS, AA, UA, Hilton, Marriott, Caesars DE
Posts: 2,070
Sep 6, 2021, 4:51 am
#712
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Denver
Programs: AS, AA, UA, Hilton, Marriott, Caesars DE
Posts: 2,070
Sep 6, 2021, 10:25 am
#713
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Madison WI
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT - 2.9MM, Lifetime AC, HHonors Gold, Marriott Gold, IHG Plat Amb, Hertz Precs Crcl
Posts: 2,213
I see VASANTN has provided a lot of help, but the key seems to be if the original fare basis was VVAIZSD1. Not that I expect it to be fruitful, but have you tried calling AA and ask that very question: what was the originally ticketed fare basis? IF you get a helpful agent, you might get a real answer. I would hope AA can see this historical information in their systems. You may have already tried this, but perhaps try again? Even maybe using one of the overseas call centers - I've seen some reports of helpful agents with short wait times going that route.
Sep 6, 2021, 10:51 am
#714
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 4
Is AA still sending physical welcome kits and membership cards if you reached Platinum in 2021?
Sep 6, 2021, 2:48 pm
#715
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Back in Reds Country (DAY/CVG). Previously: SEA & SAT.
Programs: DL PM 1MM, AA PLAT, UA Silver, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 10,361
Question on Flagship First Lounge access. I booked Flagship F for the first time on MIA-LAX-LAS in November. Earlier in the day I also have a JFK-MIA flight to position down to MIA. JFK-MIA is on a separate ticket.
My question is will I have access to a Flagship Lounge or Admirals Club at JFK? And will I have access to the Flagship Lounge or Admirals Club on arrival at LAX while waiting on the LAX-LAS hop?
(I do realize that both of these questions could be dependent on the Flagship Lounges being open too, which even if LAX is projected to open before my travel date, this could change at any location, including MIA too).
My question is will I have access to a Flagship Lounge or Admirals Club at JFK? And will I have access to the Flagship Lounge or Admirals Club on arrival at LAX while waiting on the LAX-LAS hop?
(I do realize that both of these questions could be dependent on the Flagship Lounges being open too, which even if LAX is projected to open before my travel date, this could change at any location, including MIA too).
Sep 6, 2021, 3:04 pm
#716
Join Date: Sep 2021
Programs: AA, Delta, United, Southwest, Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Hertz, Enterprise
Posts: 1
Earning EQSs for Mileage Run
Current American Airlines member with several flights booked with the airline over the next few months. Looking to do a mileage run in order to get gold status by the end of this calendar year. Was wondering if I would earn EQS on an award redemption or if I would have to pay cash in order to be able to get those EQSs needed to achieve gold status. Thanks very much!
Sep 6, 2021, 3:09 pm
#717
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Global
Posts: 5,998
Question on Flagship First Lounge access. I booked Flagship F for the first time on MIA-LAX-LAS in November. Earlier in the day I also have a JFK-MIA flight to position down to MIA. JFK-MIA is on a separate ticket.
My question is will I have access to a Flagship Lounge or Admirals Club at JFK? And will I have access to the Flagship Lounge or Admirals Club on arrival at LAX while waiting on the LAX-LAS hop?
(I do realize that both of these questions could be dependent on the Flagship Lounges being open too, which even if LAX is projected to open before my travel date, this could change at any location, including MIA too).
My question is will I have access to a Flagship Lounge or Admirals Club at JFK? And will I have access to the Flagship Lounge or Admirals Club on arrival at LAX while waiting on the LAX-LAS hop?
(I do realize that both of these questions could be dependent on the Flagship Lounges being open too, which even if LAX is projected to open before my travel date, this could change at any location, including MIA too).
Sep 6, 2021, 3:26 pm
#718
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Back in Reds Country (DAY/CVG). Previously: SEA & SAT.
Programs: DL PM 1MM, AA PLAT, UA Silver, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 10,361
Thanks - I’m not overly worried if it doesn’t include any access at JFK since I have an early flight to MIA. Usually I end up getting to the airport earlier than I need to since I allow extra time getting to the airport in case there’s traffic or an accident that backs up the highway getting to the airport but I’ll be staying at the TWA Hotel at JFK the night before so I can plan to get to T8 a little later (closer to departure) than I normally would otherwise try to arrive at the airport.
Sep 6, 2021, 5:24 pm
#719
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Denver
Programs: AS, AA, UA, Hilton, Marriott, Caesars DE
Posts: 2,070
Current American Airlines member with several flights booked with the airline over the next few months. Looking to do a mileage run in order to get gold status by the end of this calendar year. Was wondering if I would earn EQS on an award redemption or if I would have to pay cash in order to be able to get those EQSs needed to achieve gold status. Thanks very much!
Sep 7, 2021, 1:14 pm
#720
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: ORD/LHR
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K, 1MM, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,302