[PREM FARE GONE] AA/BA: CAI-MEX o/w $1488USD
Aug 17, 2018, 6:39 am
#92
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Programs: BMI Diamond Club Gold forever
Posts: 6,367
Condolences to this fare, very bummed it is gone. Sitting in T3 First lounge after the CAI-LHR segment on BA and looking forward to AA F to LAX in a few hours (upgraded all 5 of us at booking). Had nice tours of Giza pyramids and step pyramid while in Cairo for a few hot days.
We were planning to go back to CAI over Christmas and use this fare on a more circuitous routing in Europe to get home, so bummed it is no longer there.
Mods, send this one to the disucssion forum...
We were planning to go back to CAI over Christmas and use this fare on a more circuitous routing in Europe to get home, so bummed it is no longer there.
Mods, send this one to the disucssion forum...
Aug 17, 2018, 4:41 pm
#94
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
Probably what finished it. If a bunch of random carriers in the middle east start demanding payment from AA for redeemed full J flight coupons, at the MITA rate, I expect it gets looked at quite quickly.
Aug 17, 2018, 6:54 pm
#95
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: PVD, BOS
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,664
Aug 22, 2018, 1:32 am
#97
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA GGL, A3 Gold, M&M SEN, FlyingBlue Gold, AS MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire Amb
Posts: 902
Slightly off-topic but related to the fare nonetheless. Now as the fare is gone from GDS, how do I make changes to the existing itinerary?
The fare rules state:
Without changing the first flight (or even after the departure of the first flight), my understanding is that one change should be possible, as that would fall under "THE ITINERARY MUST BE REPRICED USING HISTORICAL FARES IN EFFECT ON THE PREVIOUS TICKETING DATE." clause and only the subsequent changes would require repricing as the fare is no longer available on the new ticket date. Is this correct?
The fare rules state:
CHANGES
ANY TIME
CHANGES PERMITTED FOR NO-SHOW/REISSUE/REVALIDATION.
NOTE -
A CHANGE IS A ROUTING / OR DATE / OR FLIGHT
MODIFICATION.
CHANGE IS PERMITTED WITHIN TICKET VALIDITY OF
ORIGINAL TICKET.
THE ORIGINAL AMOUNT REMAINS NON-REFUNDABLE.
--------------------------------------------------
WHERE THIS FARE IS COMBINED WITH ANOTHER FARE THE
PENALTY CONDITIONS OF THE CHANGED FARE COMPONENT
WILL APPLY.
--------------------------------------------------
CALCULATION OF REISSUES
//CHANGES BEFORE OUTBOUND DEPARTURE//
WHEN THE FIRST FARE COMPONENT IS CHANGED THE
ITINERARY MUST BE REPRICED USING CURRENT FARES
IN EFFECT ON THE DATE THE TICKET IS REISSUED.
-----
WHEN THERE ARE NO CHANGES TO THE FIRST FARE
COMPONENT BUT OTHER FARE COMPONENTS ARE CHANGED
THE ITINERARY MUST BE REPRICED USING HISTORICAL
FARES IN EFFECT ON THE PREVIOUS TICKETING DATE OR
CURRENT FARES IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF TICKET
REISSUE WHICHEVER IS LOWER.
--------------------------------------------------
//CHANGES AFTER DEPARTURE//
THE ITINERARY MUST BE REPRICED USING HISTORICAL
FARES IN EFFECT ON THE PREVIOUS TICKETING DATE.
-----
WHEN THE NEW ITINERARY RESULTS IN A HIGHER FARE
THE DIFFERENCE WILL BE COLLECTED.
-----
WHEN THE NEW ITINERARY RESULTS IN A LOWER FARE A
REFUND OF THE RESIDUAL AMOUNT LESS THE APPLICABLE
PENALTY WILL BE MADE.
-----
REISSUES/EXCHANGES NOT ALLOWED TO EOU/ERU FARE
TYPES.
ANY TIME
CHANGES PERMITTED FOR NO-SHOW/REISSUE/REVALIDATION.
NOTE -
A CHANGE IS A ROUTING / OR DATE / OR FLIGHT
MODIFICATION.
CHANGE IS PERMITTED WITHIN TICKET VALIDITY OF
ORIGINAL TICKET.
THE ORIGINAL AMOUNT REMAINS NON-REFUNDABLE.
--------------------------------------------------
WHERE THIS FARE IS COMBINED WITH ANOTHER FARE THE
PENALTY CONDITIONS OF THE CHANGED FARE COMPONENT
WILL APPLY.
--------------------------------------------------
CALCULATION OF REISSUES
//CHANGES BEFORE OUTBOUND DEPARTURE//
WHEN THE FIRST FARE COMPONENT IS CHANGED THE
ITINERARY MUST BE REPRICED USING CURRENT FARES
IN EFFECT ON THE DATE THE TICKET IS REISSUED.
-----
WHEN THERE ARE NO CHANGES TO THE FIRST FARE
COMPONENT BUT OTHER FARE COMPONENTS ARE CHANGED
THE ITINERARY MUST BE REPRICED USING HISTORICAL
FARES IN EFFECT ON THE PREVIOUS TICKETING DATE OR
CURRENT FARES IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF TICKET
REISSUE WHICHEVER IS LOWER.
--------------------------------------------------
//CHANGES AFTER DEPARTURE//
THE ITINERARY MUST BE REPRICED USING HISTORICAL
FARES IN EFFECT ON THE PREVIOUS TICKETING DATE.
-----
WHEN THE NEW ITINERARY RESULTS IN A HIGHER FARE
THE DIFFERENCE WILL BE COLLECTED.
-----
WHEN THE NEW ITINERARY RESULTS IN A LOWER FARE A
REFUND OF THE RESIDUAL AMOUNT LESS THE APPLICABLE
PENALTY WILL BE MADE.
-----
REISSUES/EXCHANGES NOT ALLOWED TO EOU/ERU FARE
TYPES.
Aug 22, 2018, 1:45 am
#98
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
The fare is not gone from the GDS. It is just no longer available for new tickets. If you do a historical search you will still find it.
A change after departure must be re-priced using fares in effect on the date of original issue, yes. Since this was a full J fare with no change fees, in principle you will only need to pay the difference in taxes, airport fees, YQ, and forex movements on making such a change. However you may find that AA (or whoever issued your ticket) are reluctant to make changes to the ticket because of the relatively low price and possibility of complexity and drag their feet over it.
I think the wording is misleading. Subsequent changes will still need to use the historical fares in effect on the original ticketing date.
Note that “first flight” is not the same as “first fare component”. A fare component is the group of all of the flights that were covered under one fare.
A change after departure must be re-priced using fares in effect on the date of original issue, yes. Since this was a full J fare with no change fees, in principle you will only need to pay the difference in taxes, airport fees, YQ, and forex movements on making such a change. However you may find that AA (or whoever issued your ticket) are reluctant to make changes to the ticket because of the relatively low price and possibility of complexity and drag their feet over it.
I think the wording is misleading. Subsequent changes will still need to use the historical fares in effect on the original ticketing date.
Note that “first flight” is not the same as “first fare component”. A fare component is the group of all of the flights that were covered under one fare.
Last edited by Calchas; Aug 22, 2018 at 1:53 am
Aug 22, 2018, 3:20 am
#99
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA GGL, A3 Gold, M&M SEN, FlyingBlue Gold, AS MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire Amb
Posts: 902
Thanks Calchas, you are right - it is still there indeed. I got confused because of my recent experience when trying to make changes to INN0EMN7 fare (after departure). I called AA and I was told that they have to upfare it to the currently available fare since INN0EMN7 was no longer available. That priced at 3 times the originally paid fare, so I passed. Am I correct thinking that it wasn't quite right?
Thanks for clarification on the fare component. So, in case of CAI-MEX one way, a fare component would be the entire journey - correct?
Thanks for clarification on the fare component. So, in case of CAI-MEX one way, a fare component would be the entire journey - correct?
Aug 22, 2018, 10:13 am
#100
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
I think AA were messing you about. The rule is very simple, after the first flight coupon is lifted, historical fares must be used. I’m not aware of any exceptions.
Yes one way is one component (unless you had side trips or something exotic).
Yes one way is one component (unless you had side trips or something exotic).
Sep 19, 2018, 9:49 pm
#101
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Programs: BMI Diamond Club Gold forever
Posts: 6,367
Terrible news continues with a whole slew of really lucrative "legacy" AA fares getting pulled in early Sept. They had a TON of amazing circa 2008-09 J, JR, F and FR fares, mostly ex-India to Mexico and further south. For some reason, MEX, PTY and GRU were just never scrubbed from the system and so these amazingly cheap full fare F and J fares stuck around. Go look at historical fares in EF for BOM-PTY, BOM-GRU in F. They all were Pacific routings and yielded enormous amounts of EQMs (15k MPM, and a 3x multiplier, you get the picture...). And if you EoE'd an initial flight on to them you could potentially both dump India's luxury tax (by making it appear you werent really originating in India) and trick AA into crediting as distance as opposed to fare based. BOM-MEX was an Atlantic routing and used to allow routing through AUH and EY First apartments when AA used to put their code on AUH-JFK.
What a huge loss!
What a huge loss!
Oct 11, 2018, 9:02 am
#102
Suspended
Join Date: Apr 2017
Programs: BA
Posts: 609
did these fares allow for added segments to other middle east destinations?
Looks like some pretty attractive pricing on CAI-(A)-(B)-MEX in J where both A and B is pretty flexible. Most pricing engines very much prefer LH to FRA or BA to LHR then AA across the pond.
Fare basis J1NFFMN5, and is fully flexible.
Changes after departure appear to reprice using the historical fare.
Base fare is $870.
This fare is not constructed, and has an MPM of 9256.
Unlimited stopovers and transits permitted.
This looks like a fare you can have some fun with.
CAI-LHR-LAX-MEX comes pretty close to maxing it out and breaks down as follows credited to AS as a (base) member:
For an AA member it would be:
This isn't the single best deal going, of course, but given it books into J if you need to get back over the holidays, this could be a pretty big savings, or a good way to kick off a new program year.
Oh, and if you want, you can grab a leg on one of the 32T's by forcing a stop in JFK -- and you could stop in JFK too. This seems to bump the fare up a few dollars likely due to a penalty for exceeding MPM (?).
Google Flights Link: https://goo.gl/flights/zwqQe
NOTE: Google Flights doesn't seem to be able to price in the stopover, Matrix does, and AA's multi-city tool does too.
Fare basis J1NFFMN5, and is fully flexible.
Changes after departure appear to reprice using the historical fare.
Base fare is $870.
This fare is not constructed, and has an MPM of 9256.
Unlimited stopovers and transits permitted.
This looks like a fare you can have some fun with.
CAI-LHR-LAX-MEX comes pretty close to maxing it out and breaks down as follows credited to AS as a (base) member:
For an AA member it would be:
This isn't the single best deal going, of course, but given it books into J if you need to get back over the holidays, this could be a pretty big savings, or a good way to kick off a new program year.
Oh, and if you want, you can grab a leg on one of the 32T's by forcing a stop in JFK -- and you could stop in JFK too. This seems to bump the fare up a few dollars likely due to a penalty for exceeding MPM (?).
Google Flights Link: https://goo.gl/flights/zwqQe
NOTE: Google Flights doesn't seem to be able to price in the stopover, Matrix does, and AA's multi-city tool does too.
Oct 11, 2018, 1:24 pm
#103
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
Yes.
Oct 11, 2018, 2:09 pm
#104
Suspended
Join Date: Apr 2017
Programs: BA
Posts: 609
Thats incredible! Can you please tell me what is the best way to check on this in terms of pricing and ticketing, calling up BA directly?
Also the only legs I have left are JFK-LHR-CAI. Would the segment have to be ex LHR (e.g. LHR-TLV) or would it have to be after landing in CAI (e.g. CAI-AMM-TLV)?
Many thanks!
Also the only legs I have left are JFK-LHR-CAI. Would the segment have to be ex LHR (e.g. LHR-TLV) or would it have to be after landing in CAI (e.g. CAI-AMM-TLV)?
Many thanks!
Oct 11, 2018, 3:08 pm
#105
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
Thats incredible! Can you please tell me what is the best way to check on this in terms of pricing and ticketing, calling up BA directly?
Also the only legs I have left are JFK-LHR-CAI. Would the segment have to be ex LHR (e.g. LHR-TLV) or would it have to be after landing in CAI (e.g. CAI-AMM-TLV)?
Many thanks!
Also the only legs I have left are JFK-LHR-CAI. Would the segment have to be ex LHR (e.g. LHR-TLV) or would it have to be after landing in CAI (e.g. CAI-AMM-TLV)?
Many thanks!
At this point you'll have to examine the historical fare data and current availabilities from ExpertFlyer or KVS and do your best to construct a valid route following the rules, and see what your ticketing carrier says when you want to make the change.