Possible A class fare code changes at AA
 

FYI, you may want to check out this thread in the AA forum. It looks like they are changing the discounted First Class fare code designator from A to P, and leaving A as the designator for upgrade awards (mileage and eVIPs). I don't know where AONEx and DONEx inventory will come from now, A or P. One would think paid discounted First Class, since that's what it is; but in the rest of oneworld it is A inventory so who knows. Just a heads up for anyone planning a DONEx or AONEx and relying on A class inventory as the indicator for availability.

YUP from A class or P???

Looks like A remains as a higher booking class than P. Some sample availability shows: F7 A5 P5 or F7 A7 P0. It is good as AONEx tickets will have more availability than YUP type fares. A is not just for awards/upgrades. There are some international point-to-pont A fares around.

I wonder if this is a prelude to exclude YUP fares from receiving first class EQM and points?

yes, but not all routes are showing this change(?). LAX-JFK, for example, remains as F7 A0 P7 for just about all flights. :confused:

Hasn't AA been using P as their Premium designator on their 3-class transcons that actually have service resembling first class? Using it as a discount-fare designator (on just certain flights?) sounds like a recipe for chaos. Or do I completely misunderatand?

Qantas also use P-class for F flights

Yes.

Yes, potentially.

BTW, there's another thread on the topic with a bit more granularity, but still lots of unanswered questions:

-F- inventory is now universal for Premium class
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=466912

So I just made another reservation for a A class RTW ticket, and seems like all my AA segments are waitlisted. 0 inventory for A class on a lot of AA flights when looking at expertflyer... seems like for flights like transcons, they only have 2 A class seats out of 10+ flights a day.. P and F are wide open... guess I would need to call AA RTW desk to see if they can get inventory mangement to clear some seats... :mad:

Exactly - get the AA PNR, call the AA RTW desk and I have never had a problem opening up a seat, except on premium transcons, when I have had to be a bit flexible about timing.

yep... called AA RTW desk and they sent the flights to yield management. Most of the flights cleared except my JFK-LAX one.. I guess that would eventually clear as well, a few days before the flight.. oh well... seems like this change in class codes is making things more difficult for themselves, as well as customers buying RTW tickets...

Well, you could look at it slightly differently, as in; with less A just "sitting out there" (ready to be snapped up by non-RTW pax)-- and as long as AA RTW Desk can/will still get seats released to -A- upon request, it -could- potentially mean more A for us-- less for everyone else. But that's clearly a lemonade out of lemons type argument.

That having been said-- and some here know exactly what I'm talking about-- yes, AA management has obviously made things a little harder on the ATW agents over the last year or so and, by extension, on us. :(

Any recent experience on the QF LAX-JFK flights as an alternative to AA transcon? Six months ago several pax were grumping that Qantas basically wasn't allowing ONE pax on those flights unless they had QF tattooed on their bums, or some such seemingly arbitrary rule.