AA: LAX-HKG-IAD-HKG-LAX $1173 34226EQM 3.4CPM Only 1 hotel night!
 

Just playing around……


https://www.google.com/flights/#sear...192;a=ONEWORLD

https://www.google.com/flights/#sear...193;a=ONEWORLD


I actually did do a similar itinerary in April nesting HKG-IAD into LAX-PVG and got 39969 EQM for $1061. Did have to buy a $140 RT from PVG-HKG, though.

After August 1st that is only for the EQM.

:(

Great MR for meeting EQM for status. The overnight stay in Dallas takes a little of the sting away, but this itenarary is brutal nonetheless.

Thanks for the post!

Yea, I've been very active looking for June/July, and booked EWR - PVG for $900 that leaves next week, but I can't find any great deals for 26K to hit EXP by July 31st

You should consider a YVR-PTY business class run. That got me 23k EQM and your positioning from the east coast would get you the rest.

That would be a tough one, even for a fresh faced mileage runner.

So theoretically, if I was already Gold Status I would get 42,782 EQM?:confused:

Considering that starting in 2017 platinum will require a minimum expenditure of $6000 & miles, it seems like this is a great value for under $1300.

The gold bonus is on redeemable miles, not qualifying miles. Elite qualification is the same for everyone.

I don't understand the math on that. What am I missing? Can you break it down for me, please?

Breaking it down
 

EQMs/MQMs/PQMs, whichever SkyTeam/StarAlliance/OneWorld U.S. airline you fly requires butt-in-seat qualifying miles to achieve elite status. Typically the only eligible bonus comes from paying a business or first class fare. Otherwise you earn what you fly.

Redeemable miles, which can be used for award tickets, are now based on ticket price (a.k.a. revenue) x multiplier (a certain number of miles/$, depending on your elite status. Delta and United (and Southwest) have all converted to revenue-based redeemable miles. American is the holdout, at least until August 1.

Until August 1, on American, what earn for redemption is what you fly x whatever your elite bonus gives you (25% extra for Gold, 100% extra for Plat and Exec Plat).

For example, MCI-MEL (Australia, if that's the right code) is approximately 9,000 miles each way. Before Aug. 1, on American, I would earn (9,000 x 2 x 200%) = 36,000 redeemable miles, and 18,000 EQMs because I'm cheap and would only pay for coach.

Does this help?

Ok, so what I'm pulling up in Google flights is yvr-dfw-mia-pty-dfw-yvr for 7,770 miles. x2 for EXP bonuses, you'd get another 7,770 miles. +3k EQM for the promotion bonus miles shorthaul in premium seats, and then another 2x bonus for J seating, for another 7,770, so conservatively 26k EQM for this itinerary, assuming you're EXP?

https://www.google.com/flights/#sear...sc=b;a=AA;eo=e

You're mixing up EQM and RDM. The EQM for that is just 2x the distance, so just over 15k. The ExP bonus and J bonus you refer to is just RDM.

If you could still book yvr-Phx-lax-jfk-mia-pty-Mia-jfk-lax-yvr at a reasonable price (Last I checked it was $1400+, mine for last week was ~$900) you can get a much higher EQM total of 24490.

RDM for EXP would be in the ballpark of 30k (12245 x 2.5 (base + 100% Bonus + 50% J bonus) + up to 7000 Premium Cabin bonus on short flights based on class + 24000 Premium cabin bonus on the JFK-LAX & Return if booked in right class.

Thanks a lot for the breakdown, Mike. I appreciate it.

Were there promotions i missed to get RDM from your calculations.I am EXP and if do the as you explained.

Is the 7k & 24K pre bonus a promotion ??

I think we are mixing a few things up. On the YVR-PTY you would get RDM bonuses because of the fare class being in business and first. On the back breaking LAX-HKG-IAD-HKG-LAX MR you would only get less than 10K RDM (status dependent) but you'd get 34K+ EQM. I believe that you do these MR for the EQM and not the RDM. The RDM is a nice bonus but I feel like with the spend requirement starting in 2017, this year is the last year most people will be able to attain higher AA status.