Still getting the same error a week later.

Just got off the phone with an Iberia agent, who could still see AA award space. But it seems like award rates are goofy.

Goofy in what sense? Can you give an example?

A RT domestic flight that was typically 12k priced out at 22k with some much higher fees. In my experience in the past, AA flights were either available at the lowest saver levels, or not at all.

What's the routing? It might be that it's just over the cutoff, or the agent was perhaps counting ground segments?

MSP-ORD. I've booked it before at 12k.

That's well below the maximum distance (1000 mi) for 12k Avios. And even 2000 mi is 17k Avios. The only thing I can think of is that there is a Full Y redemption chart that would be 21k in that band, but it is supposed to be used only for bookings that include IB flights.

In any case, it's clear that something is going on. I have just tried several city combinations that really should have award space and it doesn't work.

However, MSP-ORD-MSP is only 15k Avios with BA and it gets you a refundable ticket. In this case I don't see the advantage of booking with IB.

No doubt. I just used that as an example because it's what I'm most familiar with. I'm concerned about the principle of whatever is going on with AA awards, not this particular route.

With BA devaluing, you should expect the same from IB sooner or later...

Given recent reports that IB is now permitting one-way redemptions on AA (using the same distance-based chart used for roundtrips), I wonder if the IB agent mistakenly priced the itinerary as two one-ways, rather than one roundtrip. (11,000 x 2 = 22,000).

How much were the quoted fees?

That, of course, is changing at the end of this month, with the changes recently announced by BA for partner redemptions. What's unclear is whether it's changing to 12,000 Avios (if BAEC restores Band 1 redemptions to North America), or to 18,000 Avios (if Band 1 redemptions will still be prohibited for redemptions within North America even after the new rate chart goes into effect).

Depending on how often you've redeemed IB Plus Avios for domestic travel on AA, you might be interested in this thread. You could be due a tidy cash refund.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/iber...n-tickets.html

AA still isn't bookable it seems. Hope something good will come out of it, wanted to book flights by now but also don't want to deal with their phone agents who I'm afraid will make a non-refundable blunder.

I also don't have enough Avios for an AA redemption at the moment, I'd need to transfer them over. But wanted to first check prices since it's right on the exact amount before the next redemption tier, so not sure what they'll charge for it since they likely use a distance calculator different than Great Circle Mapper. If that's the issue that you need enough miles in your account to see the options, that is an easy fix. But I'd guess someone would have mentioned that by now if that was the case.

Under U.S. DOT rules, wouldn't you have 24 hours to cancel an otherwise non-refundable Iberia Plus redemption for travel on AA? What AA route are you looking at?

That's in theory, last time I tried to cancel just a few hours after booking it was a huge hassle. Eventually was able to get it refunded, but I try to avoid any reason that I have to actually interact with any of their phone agents if at all possible.