Oct 28, 2012, 8:27 pm
Last edit by: Microwave
Moderator Wikipost
For AA's announcement of their new One-Way Flex Awards, see: http://www.aa.com/i18n/amrcorp/newsr...FlexAwards.jsp
For AA's FAQ on the new One-Way Flex Awards, including the new stopover rule, see: http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?...award_faqs.jsp
Note that free stopovers have been eliminated as of 8 April 2014, so that portion of this discussion is no longer current.
/AA Moderator Team
For AA's announcement of their new One-Way Flex Awards, see: http://www.aa.com/i18n/amrcorp/newsr...FlexAwards.jsp
For AA's FAQ on the new One-Way Flex Awards, including the new stopover rule, see: http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?...award_faqs.jsp
Q: Do one-way awards include any stopovers?
A: Awards between North America and Europe, India, Asia, and Central / South America allow a stopover at the North American gateway. However, other one-way awards do not allow stopovers.
A: Awards between North America and Europe, India, Asia, and Central / South America allow a stopover at the North American gateway. However, other one-way awards do not allow stopovers.
/AA Moderator Team
New One-Way Flex Award / Awards, <NO> Stopover Rule, and Booking Engine (May 9, 2009)
May 12, 2009, 5:22 am
#241
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: too far from the airport
Posts: 3,298
Also, if all you need is an overnight for resting in between two long flights (e.g. US-LHR/LHR-JNB), you can build a long connection of less than 24 hrs without being penalized for a stopover. This is very humane and a MAJOR improvement over the limited 6 hr connection allowed on old AAll partners awards.
May 12, 2009, 7:16 am
#242
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: MSY; 2-time FT Fantasy Football Champ, now in recovery.
Programs: AA lifetime GLD; UA Silver; Marriott LTTE; IHG Plat,
Posts: 14,518
My apologies if this was already asked. (I have read most of the posts above, but not all.) Do you expect any change in "restocking" fees? If you put back 200,000 miles from a RT award when you have a change of plans, it costs you $100 or so (+ 25 or so if miles for more than one ticket were taken from the same account). Now if two 100,000 (one-way) awards are "restocked," will the fees double? My guess is: Yes. Any thoughts? 
Q: Will I have to pay any additional AAdvantage award or reinstatement charges if I book and ticket two or more one-way awards?
A: When applicable, AAdvantage charges are applied per ticket not per one-way award. Up to four one-way awards can be issued on one ticket.
A: When applicable, AAdvantage charges are applied per ticket not per one-way award. Up to four one-way awards can be issued on one ticket.
May 12, 2009, 7:23 am
#243
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,377
(I do agree, though, that charging a phone booking fee when that is the only option is disingenuous.)
May 12, 2009, 7:32 am
#244
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,533
May 12, 2009, 8:16 am
#245
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,233
Notwithstanding NA gateway stopovers..."Passenger has 4/6 hours to connect (depending on domestic or international travel). If there are no scheduled flights within this timeframe, regardless of availability, the passenger must take the next scheduled flight but, may not exceed 24 hours. If the connection exceeds 24 hours, it will be considered a stopover."
May 12, 2009, 8:39 am
#247
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: PDK/ATL/TNG (ex-MIA)
Programs: DL Platinum, AA Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 664
RIP Int'l Stopovers
It allowed trips like this. My wife and I were able to visit Budapest AND Istanbul on the same 60,000 mile ticket (which could have been 40,000 miles each if we'd waited a few weeks for off-peak).
Obviously, these changes aren't the end of the world; for the same price (in miles) we could almost do the same trip, but we'd be on the hook (either additional miles or $) for the BUD-IST portion (or whatever other stopover to final destination leg).
That being said, it's pretty disappointing that I'm going to have to spend more for the MIA-(AA)-JFK-(AY)-HEL-(AY)-SVO/DME-(IB)-MAD-(AA)-MIA trip that my wife and I were hoping to take next May. My wife and I do everything we can to earn AA miles specifically for these trips with stopovers - we're young and don't have much money to travel, so these stopover trips were a perfect way to see an extra city/country that we otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford to see.
I'd love to be able to say I'm going to switch airlines allegiances and be up in arms about these changes, but when I live in Miami, 5 minutes from MIA, who am I kidding? I'm not willing to connect in ATL every time I want to fly somewhere. AAdvantage it still is for me…
Obviously, these changes aren't the end of the world; for the same price (in miles) we could almost do the same trip, but we'd be on the hook (either additional miles or $) for the BUD-IST portion (or whatever other stopover to final destination leg).
That being said, it's pretty disappointing that I'm going to have to spend more for the MIA-(AA)-JFK-(AY)-HEL-(AY)-SVO/DME-(IB)-MAD-(AA)-MIA trip that my wife and I were hoping to take next May. My wife and I do everything we can to earn AA miles specifically for these trips with stopovers - we're young and don't have much money to travel, so these stopover trips were a perfect way to see an extra city/country that we otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford to see.
I'd love to be able to say I'm going to switch airlines allegiances and be up in arms about these changes, but when I live in Miami, 5 minutes from MIA, who am I kidding? I'm not willing to connect in ATL every time I want to fly somewhere. AAdvantage it still is for me…
May 12, 2009, 8:39 am
#248
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,233
Just got off the phone with AA, per the agent, a stop-over is any stay in a connecting city of more than 6-hours international, and you are expected to take the first flight. You cannot decide to take a flight the next day, even if it is within the 24-hour period, if there was an earlier flight you could have taken. I spoke to two agents and they both confirmed this. Have any other had luck getting around the 6-hourt next flight out rule???
May 12, 2009, 8:50 am
#249
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 17
if all you need is an overnight for resting in between two long flights (e.g. US-LHR/LHR-JNB), you can build a long connection of less than 24 hrs without being penalized for a stopover. This is very humane and a MAJOR improvement over the limited 6 hr connection allowed on old AAll partners awards.
Actually, the old awards had NO "connection time" restrictions for international *gateway* stopovers. So, for JFK/LHR/JNB you gould spend 8 days in London or 8 weeks [even 8 months!] in London, enroute to Jo'burg.
May 12, 2009, 8:54 am
#250
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,377
For stopovers, yes. But the old rules on what counted as a stopover vs. connection were much stricter. You couldn't, for example, spend ca. 20 hours in London in both directions on a trip from JFK-LHR-LNB; that would have counted as a stopover under the old rules, and, while one stopover was allowed at the international gateway, TWO were not allowed.
May 12, 2009, 9:01 am
#251
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 17
the old rules on what counted as a stopover vs. connection were much stricter. You couldn't, for example, spend ca. 20 hours in London in both directions on a trip from JFK-LHR-LNB; that would have counted as a stopover under the old rules, and, while one stopover was allowed at the international gateway, TWO were not allowed.
I hear you. But before... you got one free gateway stopover @ unlimited length [up to nearly a year, so long as you complete the entire itinerary in a year] Now that stopover, just ONE way will cost an extra 12,500 miles. And again, a single gateway stopover in the Pacific enroute to Australia, such as Fiji [many Qantas flights have that as an enroute stop from North America] will cost an extra 20,000. For one stop.
(((~grumble~)))
May 12, 2009, 9:11 am
#252
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,377
I hear you. But before... you got one free gateway stopover @ unlimited length [up to nearly a year, so long as you complete the entire itinerary in a year] Now that stopover, just ONE way will cost an extra 12,500 miles. And again, a single gateway stopover in the Pacific enroute to Australia, such as Fiji [many Qantas flights have that as an enroute stop from North America] will cost an extra 20,000. For one stop.
May 12, 2009, 9:33 am
#253
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Home Airports: CAE/CLT
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, National Executive
Posts: 5,452
I like this.
I can do a Space A out, say Germany-CHS and then for the return trip do CHS-FRA with milesminstead of sitting aronud a MAC terminal in the States with the end of my leave staring me in the face.
Another thought, I don't mind doing a westbound TATL in Y, but the eastbound kills me. I can spilt the trip up into Y and Business.
Very cool.
I can do a Space A out, say Germany-CHS and then for the return trip do CHS-FRA with milesminstead of sitting aronud a MAC terminal in the States with the end of my leave staring me in the face.
Another thought, I don't mind doing a westbound TATL in Y, but the eastbound kills me. I can spilt the trip up into Y and Business.
Very cool.
May 12, 2009, 9:50 am
#255
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: New York Metropolitan Area 45 km from JFK
Programs: UA,AA,AS,BA
Posts: 4,607
Nesting on a US Gateway stop-over
Does AA have problems with nesting a paid ticket or another award within an International award. i.e SFO- JFK ( free Stop-over) - LHR during New York Stop-over JFK-DCA-JFK ( paid tix or award). I do not intent to fly this particular route - just an example. I am interested if anyone has ACTUAL knowledge if AA cares anymore with the new O/W awards or if they even have the software to detect. Btw I do fully understand that going JFK-DCA -JFK with another carrier solves the problem. but my question is AA specific - ANYONE with ACTUAL knowlewdge.