simon stingray

I've been checking daily on aa.com for award availability from Miami to Las Vegas for a planned trip next year.

Today I found redemption availability on the date we need with a connection in Charlotte, but when searching on ba.com it didn't show up so I called to make the booking.
Whilst I was waiting I searched for the individual legs at ba.com and they appeared but when searching MIA-LAS nothing available.

When I got through the chap found the individual flights and confirmed that they were available in F but couldn't book it unless I agreed to 2 separate bookings. He couldn't explain why or help any further.

There is no issue with MCT-the flights are as follows:

AA2700 3.00PM-5.10PM MIA-CLT
AA624 8.20PM-10.02PM CLT-LAS

I ended the call and went and made the 2 separate bookings myself as he wasn't offering to waive the telephone booking fee.

Can anyone offer an explanation why this itinerary is bookable on aa.com (redemption or cash) but not via Executive club on 1 booking.

I'm sure I have read that AA are very accommodating and will look after us if we miss our 2nd flight due to a delay-even on separate bookings.

Does anyone have experience of this and if AA will through check our luggage to LAS or will we have to re-claim it in CLT and re-check it.

Globaliser

Were you checking for two seats (or however many you need) on aa.com?

Married sector availability is one possible reason for this. For example, looking at EF on 8 May 2019, I can see that AA2700 MIA-CLT alone has U4, and AA624 CLT-LAS alone has U3. But AA2700 --> AA624 on that date shows only U1, which would not have been enough for you as you need more than one seat.

simon stingray

I could well have been checking for just 1 on AA.com as I would have considered 1 cash booking if only 1 award seat was available (2 of us travelling).

But when I checked the individual flights at BA.com it showed 2 seats remaining on the MIA-CLT flight and 7 seats remaining on the CLT-LAS flight.

Globaliser

But as I have shown, that does not mean that you could book 2 seats for MIA-CLT-LAS. AA might have returned only 1 seat, or 0 seats, for that itinerary. That could explain why you could make two separate bookings, but the two flights could not be booked together in one booking.

aztimm

The main issue I see with separate bookings is that if you check bags they will NOT be checked through, only per booking, so to CLT. You'll have to exit security, claim bags, then re-check them at CLT. With 3+ hours that should be plenty of time. I've passed through CLT many times, but have never ended or begun a trip there though, so I don't know how efficient baggage or check-in is.

Globaliser

So that you can see more of how this works, AA2700 is U4 and AA624 is U3 individually.

Also, AA1698 is U1 individually.

However, when you call for MIA-CLT-LAS, AA2700 --> AA624 only offers U1 on both flights. Indeed, the shorter connection AA2700 --> AA638 has nothing in U class on either flight. And in the first combination involving AA1698, that's at U0.

simon stingray

OK- I get it. Thanks for the explanation Globaliser.

TBH I'm now having second thoughts regarding this booking. I've been reading on the AA board that Domestic First class flights under 3 hours and those which depart after 8.00pm do not offer any meal service-except a warm cookie & nuts which is both these flights.
This together with having to re-check the luggage at CLT makes it seem a very poor use of avios (70000) vs approx £400 cash in Y.

Thanks for the help.

Andriyko

AA severely limits the number of seats it offers to Vegas. I was planning a business class cash booking to LAS for next year with a stopover in NYC, and while individual JFK-LAX + LAX-LAS segments showed D7, JFK-LAX-LAS as a through journey showed D0J4 (Just as Globaliser demonstrated with redemption seats). Not sure why, but LAS is the first market that I saw AA do this.

I agree - do not waste Avios and go with the Y cash booking. Save the Avios for a TALT upgrade or a redemption (unless of course you are Avios rich).

aztimm

The 8pm cutoff has a few exceptions, some go as late as 8:30pm. I'm not quite sure about the CLT-LAS flight though. I'm 95% certain that you won't get a meal on MIA-CLT, just drinks and the snack basket.

According to Google flights, you can fly nonstop MIA-LAS for $204. Unless you have one of the top 2 status levels on AA, award flights are not eligible for upgrade (and I don't think a BA award would be at all). If you can snag exit seats, I'd just do that. A pop-up thunderstorm at CLT (not unheard of in August) can make it a rather gruesome trip.
In theory, they could offer a paid upgrade offer from coach. But in practice, I'd be extremely surprised. That would be behind all AA elites (the top 2 levels are automatic/free, the lower 2 need to use upgrade stickers).