Can't book multi city award itineraries anymore
Apr 30, 2021, 8:24 pm
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,022
Can't book multi city award itineraries anymore
I tried to book a dfw-bru-lhr-dfw itinerary but I get a message saying anything more than 1 flight I have to call.
Is AA.com that inept? I was able to book multi city itineraries two years ago.
Is AA.com that inept? I was able to book multi city itineraries two years ago.
May 1, 2021, 10:27 pm
#4
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: San Francisco
Programs: AA EXP; Marriott BonVoy Titanium Elite, Marriott LT Plat.
Posts: 1,717
I had the same issue yesterday as well. Turns out that one segment on AA metal was messing things up. Ended up finding a (better) option timewise when I selected to expand the search to non-AA metal.
May 5, 2021, 8:24 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,022
I tweeted AA about this glitch about only being to book two flights at a time for award tickets. They weren't aware of it and said they would contact IT and get back with me. Meanwhile, I CALLED AA to do a multi city reward (dfw-prg-lhr-dfw with some segments having connections eg dfw-mad-prg). First off how in god's name did we ever make reservations by phone before the internet? What a total cluster. She was giving me only BA routings through LHR and the criminal $900 tax but I tried to explain only AA metal across the pond please or IB routings via MAD. It was taking so long and was not getting anywhere. I said thank you for your help but I'll wait for IT to get your problem fixed. She, too, wasn't aware we couldn't make multi-city award bookings.
May 5, 2021, 8:55 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,483
I tweeted AA about this glitch about only being to book two flights at a time for award tickets. They weren't aware of it and said they would contact IT and get back with me. Meanwhile, I CALLED AA to do a multi city reward (dfw-prg-lhr-dfw with some segments having connections eg dfw-mad-prg). First off how in god's name did we ever make reservations by phone before the internet? What a total cluster. She was giving me only BA routings through LHR and the criminal $900 tax but I tried to explain only AA metal across the pond please or IB routings via MAD. It was taking so long and was not getting anywhere. I said thank you for your help but I'll wait for IT to get your problem fixed. She, too, wasn't aware we couldn't make multi-city award bookings.
May 5, 2021, 9:04 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,022
May 5, 2021, 9:43 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,483
Pre-covid, for a non-EXP it sometimes made sense to book everything on the same PNR as if you needed to cancel you would only pay the single redeposit fee as opposed to +$25 for each additional PNR. But as an EXP and now with no change/redeposit fees that reasoning has gone out the window.
Also you can just buy a one-way PRG-LHR on BA for $30-$60 for most of the remaining schedule so not sure I'd spend 12.5k miles on that segment, which is what it will cost in economy.
May 5, 2021, 9:52 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,022
I'm not following...all awards are one-ways, and AA doesn't allow stopovers on single awards, so the total price will be the same whether you book DFW-PRG-LHR-DFW on one PNR or split it up into 3 PNR's DFW-PRG, PRG-LHR, LHR-DFW. Unless I'm missing something here about what you're trying to do.
Pre-covid, for a non-EXP it sometimes made sense to book everything on the same PNR as if you needed to cancel you would only pay the single redeposit fee as opposed to +$25 for each additional PNR. But as an EXP and now with no change/redeposit fees that reasoning has gone out the window.
Also you can just buy a one-way PRG-LHR on BA for $30-$60 for most of the remaining schedule so not sure I'd spend 12.5k miles on that segment, which is what it will cost in economy.
Pre-covid, for a non-EXP it sometimes made sense to book everything on the same PNR as if you needed to cancel you would only pay the single redeposit fee as opposed to +$25 for each additional PNR. But as an EXP and now with no change/redeposit fees that reasoning has gone out the window.
Also you can just buy a one-way PRG-LHR on BA for $30-$60 for most of the remaining schedule so not sure I'd spend 12.5k miles on that segment, which is what it will cost in economy.
May 5, 2021, 10:00 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,483
Right, so my point was there's no real benefit to booking everything on the same PNR. Who knows how long it will take for AA fix the multi-city 2 segment max thing. At the very least you could book DFW-PRG, LHR-DFW on the same PNR then just book the PRG-LHR flight separately, either with cash or miles.
May 5, 2021, 10:02 am
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,022
Right, so my point was there's no real benefit to booking everything on the same PNR. Who knows how long it will take for AA fix the multi-city 2 segment max thing. At the very least you could book DFW-PRG, LHR-DFW on the same PNR then just book the PRG-LHR flight separately, either with cash or miles.
May 5, 2021, 11:15 am
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,200
Stop falling into the trap and calling it this
"She was giving me only BA routings through LHR and the criminal $900 tax"
Your issue is with the BA carrier surcharge which isn't a tax"
Call it what it is and blanme the right people for it"
"She was giving me only BA routings through LHR and the criminal $900 tax"
Your issue is with the BA carrier surcharge which isn't a tax"
Call it what it is and blanme the right people for it"
May 5, 2021, 11:48 am
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,022
please. Call it what you want. Pick a word, it doesn't matter which word you use.