The catch is that your math is incorrect. Bonus miles do not count towards the q-point calculation. Also, some fares only give 50% q-points.

Essentially, the rule of thumb is that first, business, world traveler plus get 1.5 q-point per mile flown. Economy depends on your fare class and the airline. L on AA gets one point per mile flown, but can be less on the other airlines.

So SYD-SIN-SYD would get 11721 q-points (7814 x 1.5). Your itinerary as it stands would get you 37306 q-points because IB and AY only give 50% for L fares. Actual miles received will be even lower. Then your flight to LAX would get you 14976 q-points, assuming you bought it in an appropriate fare class.

That brings your total to 64003. You still have a ways to go for exec plat.

The AA site tells me that IB flights in L give the measly total of 15% QPs. But if I am on the AA codeshares for HEL-JFK and JFK-SYD, shouldn't I earn the full amount of points in L? In any case if I'm just getting double miles, not double QPs, then I don't stand much chance of EXP, although it looks like Platinum for two years should be okay.

What's this 100% elite status bonus? I don't think there is such a thing when thinking about q-points. AFAIK, your q-point calculation is based strictly on your class of service.

In the L fare basis, you will receive 30% mileage and .50 q-points per mile received. Q points and miles are not the same. So lets say that you take the JNB-MAD flight. The flight is about 5000 miles long. For the flight, you will receive 30% of miles flown, or about 1500. You will receive .5 q-points per mile earned, or about 750 q-points.

I agree it would be a challenge to get to Executive Platinum and you will probably have to settle for Platinum. The most feasible way to do so would be to get a business class ticket as someone else mentioned.

deleted.

I'll stand corrected, but I think the miles come first: Assuming no status:

5000 miles flown in L booking class on IB @ 30% = ~1666 miles earned
Elite Qualifying Points earned = 1666 miles x 50% = ~833 points

I think the key is EQP "per miles earned", rather than "per miles flown". Hence 15%.

It's even worse than that. From the text right above the table on aa.com:
(My emphasis.)

Then below on the table it shows "L" earning 0.5 q-points per mile earned.

Thus 125 x 0.5 = 63 (I guess) points per flight, regardless of length for intra-Spain. 300 Q-pts minimum for international flights to/from Spain, 500 earned miles thus 250 q-pts to the Canaries. Sucky.

There is a 500 q-point & q-mile per segment minimum, regardless of the number of redeemable miles you earn. I know this for a fact on BA where a short hop in discount economy earns you 125 redeemable miles but 500 q-points and 500 q-miles. I suspect that this is also the case on other miles-earning OW flights (i.e. IB economy but not CX economy < H). I'm not sure about the 125 mile specials within the Canaries, but I would suspect that this is the case even there.

Michael

If you're leaving on your RTW within 3 weeks, there is no chance that you'll be able to complete the SYD-SIN-SYD flights (assuming the ticket you found has some advance purchase requirement), get them posted to your AA account, and receive your AA plat card in Australia before you leave for your RTW trip. Without the card, you will have a very difficult time getting the OW benefits.

Don't rely on this. I have had definate evidence to the contrary on this. Recently, I put parent on Platinum Challenge and she flew
LCY-FRA, FRA-SIN, SIN-MEL with LCY-FRA being discount economy BA and FRA-MEL in business clas

With a 500 qpoint earning , the FRA-SIN would have qualified her, however it wasnt till SIN-MEL that it clocked over. When I contacted AA about this, they told me that the system calculated it as min 125, not 500 and so the challenge was not completed

Do also note, that there seems to be nothing these days on the AA site that states a min qpoint earning

Dave

You need not stand corrected; you are completely correct, the earning on IB is 15%

Dave

Mea culpa, I forgot about the earn versus flown. Corrected.

If you fly on an AA flight number you will earn qpoints and miles as per AA earnings. As an AA Platinum you would be well worth taking the AA flight number on JFK-SYD to get 9950 * 2 miles = 19,900 miles and 9950 qpoints vs getting 9950/2 * 2 = 9950 miles and 4,950 qpoints if booked on the QF flight number

Dave

The flight that completes the Platinum challenge earns a 50% status bonus (instead of the normal 100%) on the premise that Platinum status only applied at the endpoint and not the origination.

The flight that completes the challenge earns a bonus as if it was taken as a platinum member

If a white card member completes the challenge , that flight earns a 100% Platinum Challenge bonus
If a Gold member completes the challenge , then a 75% Platinum Challenge bonus will be applied ( since 25% has already been credited due to Gold status )

Example 1 - Gold member

12/16/05 QANTAS AIRWAYS 388 J SIN MEL 3,744 1,872 5,616
12/16/05 PLT CHALLENGE BONUS-GLD MEMBER 0 2,808 2,808

Base mileage was 3744
COS bonus was 25% = 936
Gold bonus was 25% = 936

Platinum Challenge bonus was 2808 ( 75% of the base mileage ) ensuring that a total status bonus for the flight was 100% (2808 + 936 = 3744)

Example 2 - Base member

01/04/06 QANTAS AIRWAYS 2 Y LHR SYD 10,349 0 10,349
01/04/06 PLT CHALLENGE BONUS-REG MEMBER 0 10,349 10,349

As can be seen the base mileage was 10,349 and a bonus of 100% was awarded

Dave