mike turnbull

Good day all.

I will be travelling throughout parts of the US with my wife for at least six weeks. We will be hopping around using AA and/or Delta. Delta bookings I am happy with as I can easily book on my tablet using my stash with KLM, who make it very easy to book Reward flights.

However, I would like to have advice as to the easiest way to book AA internal flights using my BA Avios.
I ask, as the BA App does not seem to make it easy... ie 'for any partners, call local service center.' I have to believe that there must be an easier way to book internal AA flights than having to call a service center. I just want to be able to power up my phone or tablet while on the road, and hey presto..... just book.

Would appreciate any advice....

Thanks, from the UK.

mikeyfly

If there's availability showing on BA.com for AA flights using Avios, they should book straight off the website without hassle. I'd steer clear of the app and use the main website on tablet.

corporate-wage-slave

Personally I would use the main BA.com on a fast PC, fast internet, but it should work even on a small screen mobile phone App. Just choose the Book Flights with Avios, enter the start and end point airports and dates, single / return, and it should come up with the options. It is best to look for direct flights first, and then try to build up the full trip thereafter. So if flying NYC to OMA, you best start doing JFK-ORD then ORD-OMA, then trying JFK-OMA.

mike turnbull

Thanks for the advice guys. I guess the web site is the way to go in the event that the App fails. How's about if I also change the the US BA site ?

Kacee

Website works quite well for booking on AA using Avios. BA even provides a link via "Manage Booking" which transmits your reservation data to AA and allows you to select seats and add passenger information to the reservation.

guv1976

Will you be booking one-way or round-trip flights on AA? Nonstops or connections? For round-trips involving connections, transferring your BA Avios to Iberia and redeeming through Iberia Plus could be much less expensive than booking the same flights through BAEC. But Iberia Plus bookings on AA are completely non-changeable/non-refundable, and Iberia periodically has problems booking award flights on AA.

mike turnbull

Thanks. That I didn't know .

mike turnbull

And another one I didn't realise.
All internals one ways, direct. And the costs for both of us always seems to be £8.40, plus the Avios. I guess you mean a lot less Avios with Iberia, not the £8.40 component. We're actually using Avios with Iberia via Madrid to get over to the US in view of the considerable savings to be made, both fees and Avios, but hadn't thought of US internals. Thanks again.

Joeykins

One thing I've found recently, the BA site will only a finite number of AA redemption options available starting with the earliest departure time. I wanted to do a CLT-NYC run late on a Sunday afternoon but there are so many options, all of them with redemption availability, that the site wasn't letting me book anything departing after 12:30! A quick call to BAEC sorted that one out but it might be worth noting.

guv1976

Yes: same amount of cash, but fewer Avios required. Example: a round-trip of under 1,000 total flown miles, requiring a connection in each direction would cost 30,000 BA Avios, but just 12,000 IB Avios!

mike turnbull

Did you call back to the UK, or use a local BA US number ?

Joeykins

I'm UK based so called the UK number (this was as part of a combined work & personal trip where work paid for the long haul segments but then I needed to make my own arrangements once in the US)

oruvin

I can't understand what's wrong with BA website for AA avios rewards.

For example - looking into MIA-JFK one way flight, 24/12/2020 in J.

AA website returns 3 available fligts in J (Business MileSAAver):
AA1142 7:25PM MIA - 10:29PM JFK
AA1357 9:30PM MIA - 12:36AM JFK
AA2466 10:40PM MIA - 1:32AM JFK

BA website returns just 1 available flight in J:
AA1140 7:00AM MIA - 10:01AM JFK

What does it mean?

This flight (AA1140) shows no availability on AA website at all, and all other flights available on AA don't show on BA at all.

rather_be_on_a_griffin

This pure speculation on my part but two things could be in play.

if you’re checking things on a weekend AA like a lot of the US carriers do seem to make a lot of schedule changes then. How dynamic the link is between AA and BA I don’t know but maybe it has a part. I cannot see that 07:00 flight in expert flyer at all. Edit: but unlike you at this time I can see it on the AA website.

My second theory is that the other flights all have “Web Special” fares available as well as the Savers (I think you need to use the new interface to see them) and that is excluding them from BA. It might be you can phone in and book them if they only need U class availability. Just a guess though.

oruvin

Was on the phone with BA, and comparing AA/BA/EF availability, it seems EF is most accurate - BA website filters out all flights past first 10(?), and AA website availability is completely random. BA agent was giving exactly the same availability that was showing on EF website.

What time AA reward flights (U class) becoming available for Avios booking? Midnight GMT? Midnight EST?