wdbaldwin

I would guess AA would go back to $99 fares as in looking at virgin america website the $99 fares are there this morning. Checked rt fares from aus to SFO and those are 178rt or 221 ai. Good for Austin folks!

Roaming Ryan

Well, the low-ish fares are back - $109 each way, not bad.

djlewis110

I'm looking at doing the following on AA in order to get to the 25,000 mark:

LAX-ORD 6:00 AM - 12:05 PM
ORD-BOS 1:25 PM - 4:35 PM
BOS-ORD 5:40 PM - 7:45 PM
ORD-SFO 8:15 PM - 10:50 PM
SFO-ORD 11:55 PM - 5:50 AM
ORD-LAX 6:45 AM - 9:15 PM

I estimate this would give me 25,014 miles for $526 (~2.1 cpm). But, the connection time in Chicago between the third and fourth leg is only 30 minutes. Is that sufficient? The online reservation system let me put it on hold but I don't know if that means anything.

There is an alternate way that costs the same by going from LAX to Boston through DFW but that ends up about 200 miles shy of 25,000. I've got a couple of big trips coming up later in the year so I was trying to get to Gold status before those trips. Is there an easy way to get 200 EQM miles other than spending $100+ on more flights?

Thanks!

taliesin

Man, that's a brutal itinerary. Why don't you just get a cheap hotel near O'Hare after the BOS-ORD leg and then fly the final three legs the next morning? Besides being far more civilized, you won't have to worry about that tight connection at ORD.

KKR

Currently at ORD AC, asked to switch seat to bulkheads and the AC CS asked whether I was doing a mileage run. I said yes and asked how popular it is. She smiled and said I'm the 5th person who checked in for MRs in the AC today (and it is only 6:05am right now!).

tabasco-al

I have been silently lurking here for years, watching and learning from the Masters. Next week I take to the proving grounds in an attempt to demonstrate that my attention and training has not been in vain. Pray for me, oh MR Masters, as I embark on this epic journey: EXP in 3 Weekends

$2,990.00 / 2.7 cents per EQM

.DATE....FLT......DEPART......ARRIVE.....BASE PROMO
------ ------ ------------ ------------ ----- -----
14-Jan AA2401 DFW 6:40 .AM LAX 8:10 .AM 1,235 3,705
14-Jan AA1196 LAX 9:30 .AM ORD 3:30 .PM 1,745 5,235
14-Jan AA1561 ORD 7:15 .PM SFO 9:55 .PM 1,846 5,538
14-Jan AA1522 SFO 11:55 PM ORD 5:50 .AM 1,846 5,538
15-Jan AA1155 ORD 9:00 .AM LAX 11:30 AM 1,745 5,235
15-Jan AA2452 LAX 4:35 .PM DFW 9:35 .PM 1,235 3,705
20-Jan AA1575 DFW 9:20 .PM SFO 11:05 PM 1,464 4,392
21-Jan AA2042 SFO 12:25 AM DFW 5:35 .AM 1,464 4,392
21-Jan AA1077 DFW 7:45 .AM SFO 9:30 .AM 1,464 4,392
21-Jan AA1536 SFO 10:30 AM DFW 3:55 .PM 1,464 4,392
21-Jan AA2463 DFW 5:10 .PM LAX 6:35 .PM 1,235 3,705
21-Jan AA1798 LAX 7:15 .PM SFO 8:30 .PM ..337 ..674
22-Jan AA2042 SFO 12:25 AM DFW 5:35 .AM 1,464 4,392
22-Jan AA1077 DFW 7:45 .AM SFO 9:30 .AM 1,464 4,392
22-Jan AA498. DFW 1:40 .PM DFW 7:10 .PM 1,464 4,392
27-Jan AA1415 DFW 7:15 .PM SFO 9:00 .PM 1,464 4,392
28-Jan AA2042 SFO 12:25 AM DFW 5:35 .AM 1,464 4,392
28-Jan AA1077 DFW 7:45 .AM SFO 9:30 .AM 1,464 4,392
28-Jan AA1536 SFO 10:30 AM DFW 3:55 .PM 1,464 4,392
28-Jan AA2463 DFW 5:10 .PM LAX 6:35 .PM 1,235 3,705
28-Jan AA1798 LAX 7:15 .PM SFO 8:30 .PM ..337 ..674
28-Jan AA2042 SFO 12:25 AM DFW 5:35 .AM 1,464 4,392
29-Jan AA2401 DFW 7:45 .AM LAX 9:15 .AM 1,235 3,705
29-Jan AA2444 LAX 12:25 PM DFW 5:30 .PM 1,235 3,705
29-Jan AA1575 DFW 9:20 .PM SFO 11:05 PM 1,464 4,392
30-Jan AA2042 SFO 12:25 AM DFW 5:35 .AM 1,464 4,392
TOTALS ----------------------------> 35,762 106,612

regs,

.al.

kyunbit

quite a brutal itinerary

vxmike

My four day run is kind of blowing up due to IRROPS.

I lost an entire DFW-LAX-DFW itin last night due to a mechanical. There was no way I would have made it back to DFW to resume my other trips. I got a voucher for the amount I spent, but unfortunately I have no other days in January to travel.

They just cancelled my SFO-DFW 10:30am return, so I had to get re-routed through LAX but it now gives me a 20 window to connect in SFO again later tonight. Also lost my confirmed upgrades and I'm sitting in crappy seats way down on the upgrade lists with no chance of clearing.

I thought weather would be the culprit in January but it's turned out to be mechanical. I know it's always a risk booking back to back trips, but I have no choice being in DTW due to repositioning issues otherwise.

2millionquest

I've taken the liberty of adding you to our massive list of like-minded flyers who are making TEQM trips during the month of January, Al. You are not alone on most of your flights, so you'll have lots of chances to meet up with fellow FTers.

Please mosey on over to our thread in the community buzz forum and join in the fun!

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...t-january.html

sdsearch

If you have had no status with AA at all, go to the AA forum and search "challenge". You can get to Gold for this year (but only this year) with 10000 actual miles flowm on cheap fares (since you need 5000 points at 0.5 points per mile on cheap fares)!

One alternate way to get Gold in one roundtirp flight: Instead of going for the very lowest fares, book a single LAX-BOS-LAX round trip in the lowest fare that earns 1.0 EQPs per mile flown. What that kind of fare, you fly more than 5000 miles round tirp on that route, and thus satisfy the Gold Challenge requirement.

If you're going to fly more later in the eyar, to lock in your Gold "the normal way" for 25000 total by the end of the year, then all you need now is to get as much of the 25000 as you find comforable, satisfy the Gold or Plat Challenge at the same time (note: the Gold Challenge will be on EQPs, not EQMs, which don't get double or tripled from any of these promos, so do the arithemetic on those seprately!), and then you don't have to worry about whether you get exactly 25000 or a bit less now. Whatever less you get will add with what you fly later to be 25000+ total for the year (for next year's status), and the Challenge will take care of this year's status.

So if your 24000 is more than 10000 actual flown miles, then you're all set to get Gold with 24000.

djlewis110

Thanks for the detailed info. I've been trying to figure out the Gold Challenge thing but haven't been successful at finding a succinct description of it. I'll check out the AA board. I've never been elite before but after a trip to Africa and Europe last year (where I got to 21000 miles but realized too late I needed 25000 in one calendar year to get elite), we were really close. We might be doing a similar thing this year and want to be gold in advance if possible. Thanks for the help!

sfsilverbear

wow u r brave, r u currently EXP?, if so we enjoy hearing how many segments u get FC upgrades

Sagy

Very impressive. Keep in mind that after your first Jan-28 flight you would have made Gold by counting base miles alone, as a result you will qualify for Gold (even if you don't have status now) and your LAX-SFO flight later that day should get you 500 base miles and 1,000 EQM.

Good luck and enjoy the flights

tabasco-al

Actually, I'm PLT already. Been PLT the last 2 years and EXP the 4 years before that ... but with the economy the way it is it's been hard to make EXP (until now ).

regs,

.al.

vrbaba

Are you not planning to fly AA at all the rest of the year? If not, why fly 100k worth?

Even for true MRs, it does not make any sense as usually they want to use the benefit of EXP on the few personal "real" trips. So, if you are already planning to fly those personal trips, why not fly less and save your money?