Query on US Transcon Rule for a DONE3
 

Hi:

I am planning a DONE3 originating in Sweden. I get six segments in the US but limited to one transcon.

AA1471 flies from BOS to DFW and on to PHX as one flight number. Total mileage is 2,297.

1. Does this count as one or two segments?

2. Does it yield 120 (i.e. two segments) or 180 (i.e. one 2000+ mile segment) tier points in first?

3. Does it count as a transcon?

I am quite sure the answer to #3 is no. The relevant part of the star file does not list PHX as a transcon city:

176N . 6. WITHIN THE US/CANADA -
177N . A.1 NONSTOP OR SINGLE PLANE TRANSCON FLT
178N . PERMITTED. TRANSCONTINENTAL FLIGHT IS
179N . DEFINED AS TRAVEL BETWEEN THE
180N . FOLLOWING CITIES:
181N 0 BWI/BOS/FLL/BDL/ LAS/LGB/LAX/OAK/
182N . MIA/EWR/NYC/ORL/- AND -SNA/PDX/SAN/SEA/
183N . PHL/SJU/YYZ/WAS SFO/SJC/YVR
184N . B.ONLY 1 FLIGHT TO ANC AND 1 FLIGHT FROM
185N . ANC PERMITTED.


Thanks for any help

One coupon, not a transcon. Should be 180 tp. Unusual for these "direct" flights, there's even a return.

I believe since the aircraft stops, it counts as two segments, and is sold as such on the AA website. And thus, you should get 120 tier points (2 x 60). It is not on the transcon list.

These flights are definately one coupon on a XONEX ticket. I have no idea about how BA counts them.

BA will only see the single coupon BOS-PHX and will reward you according. Mileage will be BOS-PHX ignoring the actual total trip mileage.

Agree. A route to add to the useful xONEx NA routes list. A bit annoying they are so ephemeral.

Most, if not all, multi-stop direct flights can be purchased by sector, but this is not relevant to the OWE fare, where one flight number is one segment, no matter how many stops in between.

Equally, travelers should notice that JFK-LAX can be a very inexpensive separate purchase, if you don't mind coach (or are likely to be upgraded).

Sorry if I seem to be incorrect from other posters, but I was speaking from experience of flying LAX-STL (with a stop at DFW)...same flight number, but was charged two coupons and got 60 points per sector last year on an AONE3 issued by CX and reissued in LON by BA, both of whom said even though it was "same plane" and "same flt number", I had to use two sectors. Maybe it was just bad luck!?!

You can get (some) direct 1-stop flights ticketed as two consecutive flights with two coupons. That then would indeed get you the extra tier points, but in most cases it's likely to be a waste of a perfectly good coupon. It also depends on your FFP; for BA it can make sense if you're short of tier points, whereas for mileage-based qualification levels it makes no sense at all.

Seems like bad luck or something else to me. There is no dispute about one flight number is one coupon unless you stayed in STL for a day and then left on the continuation flight the next day or unless you requested the routing from CX in that manner and listed LAX-DFW-STL. And some who after BA tier points issue the BAH tier point run flights as two coupons.

I'd say both CX and BA agents were wrong. (Unusual for CX, luck of the draw for BA). I've flown many xONEx same-flight-number segments on all continents (except Africa) that included an intermediate stop and only once had to argue with a QF agent that a milk run from Cairns to Goldstone required just one coupon.

Sorry to drag slightly off topic (yes I have tried a search) - can anyone advise the base price for DONE3 departing from and concluding in the United States? Thanks.

There's a sticky at the top of this forum called "Ultimate global A/D/LONE3/4/5/6 pricing". Not surprisingly it contains links to pricing information, right in post #1 of that thread.

Thanks. I was hoping for a simple $xxxx answer as opposed to a multi workbook macro laden excel sheet with prices based on ex-Egypt, so I will look elsewhere. But I appreciate your help.