guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

If you have SYD-LAX on hold, and LAX/SNA-MIA/FLL opens up, first try to make a new, multi-city booking for the entire itinerary at aa.com. If additional QF award seats are available, you should be able to do so, while avoiding the $25/passenger telephone-ticketing fee.

If you cannot book the entire itinerary anew, then just call AA and give the agent the record locator for the held SYD-LAX itinerary. The agent should then be able to tack on the LAX/SNA-MIA/FLL leg without losing the held seats; you would, however, have to pay the $25/passenger telephone-ticketing fee in that situation.

Princess fiona

Thankyou for that info Feel much less apprehensive now.

LINDEGR

So despite all of my flying, I have not burned many miles in the last couple of years. I am thinking of flying JFK-SFO-LHR-JFK and want to fly F. [Yes, I am willing to pay the YQ.] Is that two awards?

Alternatively, how can I take advantage of the free stop-over from a North American gateway that I keep seeing referenced? Could I instead go JFK-LHR-SFO-HNL-SFO-JFK? If so, I assume that would mean I could stop-over only in SFO or HNL but not both? I guess I want to know if it is possible to visit 2 or 3 places (1 of which is eastbound and two are westbound) on one award. I assume no but want to ask.

FlyMeToTheLooneyBin

You can't stop at HNL at all on your itinerary. It has to be the last North American gateway on your way out, or first on the way back in.

fbnewyork

You have to be a little creative. For example, you could:
a) Go to hawaii first Seperate Ticket. Then get a ticket Hawaii-SFO (STOP)- LHR and then for the return LHR-JFK(Stop)- Then at a later date on toa another destination Hawaii, Carribian or Mexico. Then seperate ticket for the return.

Austinrunner

It's at least 2 awards because AA's "oneworld and other airline" awards are always one way.
(1) JFK -> SFO (AA) -> LHR (BA)
(2) LHR -> JFK (BA)

AA should not allow the first award because BA's maximum permitted mileage for JFK -> LHR is only 4,155. But AA has been known to make the occasional mistake in favor of passengers. So, give them a call and see what they say.

canyonleo

<redacted>

I'm trying to understand an AA rule on layovers and stopovers.
Situation is for a simple two segment connection, all domestic, and award travel in T class.

I've always understood that if one takes the very first scheduled connection, no matter the time length, then it is considered a stopover not a layover. Here's an example:

XXX-YYY arrives YYY at 2p. Connection is YYY-ZZZ. There is no AA flight departing YYY until 7p. While this is 5 hours in YYY, because there is no earlier connection possible as none is scheduled/flown, it is not a stopover and not charged point-to-point, it is a simple layover (in other words, the four hour maximum rule for layovers is allowed to be broken when the next scheduled connection means the only possible layover is greater than four hours).

Question 1:

That's simple enough. Now, in the situation of question, let's say there's also an XXX-YYY flight that arrives at 9a (in addition to the XXX-YYY option arriving at 2p). Because the next scheduled connection is still at 7p (arriving the five hours earlier of 9a vs. 2p still doesn't allow for an earlier connection, the 7p departure is the only scheduled option for Segment-2), is this still a layover, because one is taking "the first scheduled connection in schedule"? ...or, is this now a stopover, because not only must one take the first scheduled connection possible but one must also take the "latest possible first segment?". (I've never heard of the this "must take the latest possible first segment" when two Segment-1's both connect to the same Segment-2 and both require greater than four hour connections - but that's what an EXP agent just told me.

If the answer is both are layovers not stopovers, then Question 2:

What if the 10 hour layover is an overnight, but the five one isn't... is the 10 hour itinerary still a layover, or does the overnight part now make it a stopover and priced point-to-point?


Thanks!

Microwave

As your question pertains specifically to what constitutes a stopover versus a layover on award travel, I've merged it into the consolidated thread on this specific topic. It may be worth reviewing some of the more recent posts; if you don't find answers here already, I'm sure someone will be able to shed some light. I would suggest that it would be easier to understand your question with specific examples of flights. I only say that because sometimes it's hard to keep the XXX and YYY straight when you've not had enough ZZZs...

~Moderator

crimson12

I am trying to piece together a couple of trips, and I think I am close, but would love a bit of help to get this across the finish line. (I just want to make sure I have a legal award; I will worry about availability later, since some of the dates are 331+ days out.)

1. JFK-HKG-BLR on CX (award) (this is easy)
2. BLR-[back] (paid) (also easy)

Here's where it gets tricky. I could come back to JFK on the paid ticket and that's that. But instead I am considering the following, and I'm not sure if it will work:
3. BLR-LAX (paid)
4. LAX-JFK (STOP) (award)
5. JFK-TXL-REK on AB (destination)
6. REK-TXL-JFK on AB (return)

Essentially I want to take a trip to REK later next year and I wonder if I can tag LAX-JFK on to the front of that. Here are some problems I think I would run into:

1. AB doesn't seem to publish a fare LAX-REK. They publish LAX-TXL and TXL-REK. Does that help? [I fear the answer is no?]

2. LAX-JFK-TXL-REK is ~7900 miles, well below the MPM25 of LAX-TXL (MPM 7100). But I guess without the fare all the way through I can't take advantage?

3. Instead I could tack on a free oneway at the back end (JFK-TXL-REK, REK-TXL-JFK, JFK-ZZZ), but then I would be subject to the JFK-TXL MPM, right? (JFK-TXL obviously has a much lower MPM than LAX-TXL, so I couldn't get out to LAX on the last leg.)

I think I cannot make it work as initially envisioned but if anyone has some bright ideas I'd love to hear it!

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

JFK-HKG-BLR is not bookable as a single, one-way award.

crimson12

Wow, so maybe it's not easy. I assumed because CX flies JFK-HKG-BLR I could book it; is that not the case?

ckpeter

AA's award rules generally (with a few exceptions) do not allow you to transit a third region when flying between two regions.

In your case, you are flying from North America to India, and you cannot transit Asia 2 region (HKG).

crimson12

Got it. So then let's assume I use two awards to get to BLR. Is there any way to make the second half (LAX/TXL/REK) work?

yuel

I am trying o finish the second leg of the cdg-jfk-sjd and need to change the date of the jfk-sjd flight, all that is available is lga-sjd no jfk-sjd and the agent said I have to fly out of JFK and not allowed to fly out of LGA to change my days.
The csr checked with his help desk and said that is the rules. I am sure many of others have tried to or done this before. Is the csr correct?

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

The csr is correct. Although you could have initially ticketed the award as CDG-JFK//LGA-XXX-SJD, once ticketed, you cannot change the departure airport out of NYC.