Apr 30, 2016, 12:36 pm
Last edit by: Server
OCTOBER 2016 UPDATE
LAX-JFK TRANSCONTINENTAL FLIGHTS:
1. Same day turns possible on the E-jets and morning 738s.
2. Bonuses now based on fare paid.
3. As of OCTOBER 2016, best fares are now around $1000. Fare tends to rise a few hundred for 2 pax. Fares can also occasionally rise for no discernible reason, but the price spikes have thus far proven to be temporary. Fares have the trend to drop during the year. Keep checking for fares in the $700-$800 ranges for best possible pricing.
4. Airport hotels with shuttles - Crowne Plaza Panama Airport & Riande Aeropuerto. The CP is slightly closer; the Riande is slightly nicer. The CP shuttle leaves the hotel every :00 and :30 and runs 24 hours but they seem to leave a few minutes early as it had left when I went down at 4:00AM on the dot. Also, note UberX charges a US$14 surcharge on top of the ~US$2 fare. CP has poor sound isolation, I could hear my neighbors on both sides including talking, crying baby etc. Had to wear earplugs to sleep.
5. Lounges:
Please refer to this thread for more detailed and accurate information on lounge access in general: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-airlines-aadvantage/1656378-help-desk-will-i-have-lounge-access-access-rules-2016-a.html
6. PTY Customs:
NOTE: LAX-JFK NO LONGER VALID FOR LOWEST FARES (effective OCT 2016)
If you want the transcon bonus, enter the search with a connection in JFK. (e.g. LAX-JFK,JFK-MIA,MIA-PTY,PTY-JFK,JFK-SFO.) You can play around from there to get the best deal. Some of the better deals do not start and end in the same city (e.g. start in LAX, end in SFO may be cheaper than start/end in LAX).
Also, it's possible on the outbound portion to time it so you have no more than a 60-minute layover at JFK or MIA (though note that some of these flights aren't available on weekends). While yes, JFK is notorious for delays, this rarely applies for inbound red-eye flights. Also, note that AA 28 below is sometimes "hidden" if you're looking on Google Flights inside a much more expensive trip; that does not necessarily mean, however, that you can't get it for one of the trips under $1,000 (in other words, try it out to see).
NOTE: LAX-JFK NO LONGER VALID FOR LOWEST FARES (effective OCT 2016)
Below is the shortest-possible outbound itinerary that has the LAX-JFK transcon on AA's A321T with flat-bed seats:
LAX-JFK on AA 28
10:45pm - 7:22am
JFK-MIA on AA 200
8:15am - 11:24am
(Note: AA has now switched all of the metal it used on this leg - on all JFK-MIA nonstops - to 757s instead of the 767s with international-style F & J seating.)***767 and 772 are back. Flight 200 is a 772**
MIA-PTY on AA 4434
12:33pm - 2:48pm
(Note: Even more distressingly, AA switched from using a 737 on this leg to an RJ, presumably because summer is off-peak season in Central America. The 6:05pm flight still uses a 737 if a full-size aircraft is a must.)
LAX-JFK TRANSCONTINENTAL FLIGHTS:
Recent fare rule inclusions, effective October 2016, now prevent any routing via JFK on the non-stop transcontinental A321T aircraft. Any future booking will demand a significantly higher fare to route on the non-stops via JFK. Unless the fare rules are modified and these clauses are removed (highly doubtful), the ability to fly on the transcons via JFK is a thing of the past.
IF THE FARE COMPONENT INCLUDES TRAVEL BETWEEN LAX AND NYC
THEN THAT TRAVEL MUST BE ON
ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING
ANY AA FLIGHT OPERATED BY AA
BUT NOT ON AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A321 (SHARKLETS) AIRCRAFT.
AND
IF THE FARE COMPONENT INCLUDES TRAVEL BETWEEN SFO AND NYC
THEN THAT TRAVEL MUST BE ON
ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING
ANY AA FLIGHT OPERATED BY AA
BUT NOT ON AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A321 (SHARKLETS) AIRCRAFT.
THEN THAT TRAVEL MUST BE ON
ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING
ANY AA FLIGHT OPERATED BY AA
BUT NOT ON AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A321 (SHARKLETS) AIRCRAFT.
AND
IF THE FARE COMPONENT INCLUDES TRAVEL BETWEEN SFO AND NYC
THEN THAT TRAVEL MUST BE ON
ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING
ANY AA FLIGHT OPERATED BY AA
BUT NOT ON AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A321 (SHARKLETS) AIRCRAFT.
1. Same day turns possible on the E-jets and morning 738s.
2. Bonuses now based on fare paid.
3. As of OCTOBER 2016, best fares are now around $1000. Fare tends to rise a few hundred for 2 pax. Fares can also occasionally rise for no discernible reason, but the price spikes have thus far proven to be temporary. Fares have the trend to drop during the year. Keep checking for fares in the $700-$800 ranges for best possible pricing.
4. Airport hotels with shuttles - Crowne Plaza Panama Airport & Riande Aeropuerto. The CP is slightly closer; the Riande is slightly nicer. The CP shuttle leaves the hotel every :00 and :30 and runs 24 hours but they seem to leave a few minutes early as it had left when I went down at 4:00AM on the dot. Also, note UberX charges a US$14 surcharge on top of the ~US$2 fare. CP has poor sound isolation, I could hear my neighbors on both sides including talking, crying baby etc. Had to wear earplugs to sleep.
5. Lounges:
Please refer to this thread for more detailed and accurate information on lounge access in general: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-airlines-aadvantage/1656378-help-desk-will-i-have-lounge-access-access-rules-2016-a.html
LAX AIRPORT
= When trying to gain oneworld J / QF F access based on status, it is simply departing/connecting/arriving at any point on same ticket to and from an eligible international destination. PTY is eligible and not excluded regardless of length.
= When trying to gain oneworld J / QF F access based on class of service disregarding status, it is the international long haul clause that applies. Therefore, no "oneworld/QF lounge" access for non-elites for trips to and from PTY unless booking transcons since PTY is under 5 hours. BUT AA doesn't enforce this in their own lounges so Admirals Club access is expected.
AA GOLDs(RUBYs)/NON-ELITES
Admirals Club access is granted regardless of routing as AA does not enforce international long haul rule. However, the oneworld J lounge does for Golds(rubys)/non-elites as they are aware the PTY flights are under 5 hours. Booking transcon flights in J/F gains access to the OWJ/QFF lounges.
<Transcon 3-class (JFK/MIA) in F = Admirals + Flagship + LAX oneworld J lounge + QF F Lounge LAX>
<Transcon 3-class (JFK/MIA) in J = Admirals + LAX oneworld J lounge>
<Non-Transcon F (2-class) + PTY = Technically NONE (PTY under 5 hours therefore class of service rule applies) BUT AA still opens Admirals Club doors to all customers because they dont enforce the long-haul rule>
AA PLATINUMs
Platinums gain access to all AC/Business lounges regardless of routing due to flying to and from PTY. They gain access to First/Flagship lounges when traveling in F 3-class transcon
<Transcon 3-class (JFK/MIA) in F = Admirals + Flagship + LAX oneworld J lounge + QF F Lounge LAX>
<Transcon 3-class (JFK/MIA) in J = Admirals + LAX oneworld J lounge>
<Non-Transcon F (2-class) + PTY = Admirals + LAX oneworld J>
AA EXPs
EXPs have access to all lounges at all airports regardless of routing so long as they are traveling to and from PTY on the same itinerary (an international destination neither excluded from AA's list of ineligible regions nor limited by the flight length rule)
<EXPs Transcon F (2-class) + PTY = Admirals + Flagship + LAX oneworld J + QF F lounge LAX>
<EXPs Non-Transcon F (2-class) + PTY = Admirals + Flagship + LAX oneworld J + QF F lounge LAX>
<EXPs on Transcon 3-class (JFK/MIA + PTY) in Y = Admirals + Flagship + LAX oneworld J + QF F lounge LAX>
<EXPs on Transcon 3-class (JFK/MIA + PTY) in J = Admirals + Flagship + LAX oneworld J + QF F lounge LAX>
<EXPs on Transcon 3-class (JFK/MIA + PTY) in F = Admirals + Flagship + LAX oneworld J + QF F lounge LAX>
NON-AA ONEWORLD ELITES
All sapphires and emeralds have some form of lounge access on any flight systemwide
<non-AA sapphires on ALL AA FLIGHTS = Admirals Club + oneworld J lounge LAX>
<non-AA emeralds on ALL AA FLIGHTS = Admirals Club + oneworld J lounge LAX + Flagship Lounge + QF F lounge LAX>
OTHER AIRPORTS
SFO - Admiral's Club (Centurion Lounge for a fee)
JFK - Admirals Club & Flagship Lounge for EXP/First 3-class/Emerald
MIA - Admiral's Club (Centurion Lounge for a fee), Oneworld Premium Lounge for EXP/First 3-Class/Emerald
PTY - No lounge access (Copa with PP, or for a fee, for 7am or later flights)
YVR - No lounge access (PP for a fee)
DFW - Admiral's Club (with F/C Dining for EXP/Emerald) (Centurion Lounge for a fee)
= When trying to gain oneworld J / QF F access based on status, it is simply departing/connecting/arriving at any point on same ticket to and from an eligible international destination. PTY is eligible and not excluded regardless of length.
= When trying to gain oneworld J / QF F access based on class of service disregarding status, it is the international long haul clause that applies. Therefore, no "oneworld/QF lounge" access for non-elites for trips to and from PTY unless booking transcons since PTY is under 5 hours. BUT AA doesn't enforce this in their own lounges so Admirals Club access is expected.
AA GOLDs(RUBYs)/NON-ELITES
Admirals Club access is granted regardless of routing as AA does not enforce international long haul rule. However, the oneworld J lounge does for Golds(rubys)/non-elites as they are aware the PTY flights are under 5 hours. Booking transcon flights in J/F gains access to the OWJ/QFF lounges.
<Transcon 3-class (JFK/MIA) in F = Admirals + Flagship + LAX oneworld J lounge + QF F Lounge LAX>
<Transcon 3-class (JFK/MIA) in J = Admirals + LAX oneworld J lounge>
<Non-Transcon F (2-class) + PTY = Technically NONE (PTY under 5 hours therefore class of service rule applies) BUT AA still opens Admirals Club doors to all customers because they dont enforce the long-haul rule>
AA PLATINUMs
Platinums gain access to all AC/Business lounges regardless of routing due to flying to and from PTY. They gain access to First/Flagship lounges when traveling in F 3-class transcon
<Transcon 3-class (JFK/MIA) in F = Admirals + Flagship + LAX oneworld J lounge + QF F Lounge LAX>
<Transcon 3-class (JFK/MIA) in J = Admirals + LAX oneworld J lounge>
<Non-Transcon F (2-class) + PTY = Admirals + LAX oneworld J>
AA EXPs
EXPs have access to all lounges at all airports regardless of routing so long as they are traveling to and from PTY on the same itinerary (an international destination neither excluded from AA's list of ineligible regions nor limited by the flight length rule)
<EXPs Transcon F (2-class) + PTY = Admirals + Flagship + LAX oneworld J + QF F lounge LAX>
<EXPs Non-Transcon F (2-class) + PTY = Admirals + Flagship + LAX oneworld J + QF F lounge LAX>
<EXPs on Transcon 3-class (JFK/MIA + PTY) in Y = Admirals + Flagship + LAX oneworld J + QF F lounge LAX>
<EXPs on Transcon 3-class (JFK/MIA + PTY) in J = Admirals + Flagship + LAX oneworld J + QF F lounge LAX>
<EXPs on Transcon 3-class (JFK/MIA + PTY) in F = Admirals + Flagship + LAX oneworld J + QF F lounge LAX>
NON-AA ONEWORLD ELITES
All sapphires and emeralds have some form of lounge access on any flight systemwide
<non-AA sapphires on ALL AA FLIGHTS = Admirals Club + oneworld J lounge LAX>
<non-AA emeralds on ALL AA FLIGHTS = Admirals Club + oneworld J lounge LAX + Flagship Lounge + QF F lounge LAX>
OTHER AIRPORTS
SFO - Admiral's Club (Centurion Lounge for a fee)
JFK - Admirals Club & Flagship Lounge for EXP/First 3-class/Emerald
MIA - Admiral's Club (Centurion Lounge for a fee), Oneworld Premium Lounge for EXP/First 3-Class/Emerald
PTY - No lounge access (Copa with PP, or for a fee, for 7am or later flights)
YVR - No lounge access (PP for a fee)
DFW - Admiral's Club (with F/C Dining for EXP/Emerald) (Centurion Lounge for a fee)
6. PTY Customs:
Inbound to PTY -
Outbound to MIA -
7. Finding flights: - 12 noon - no lines reported
- 8PM Fri (5/27/16) - ~10 min line
Outbound to MIA -
- 4:40am - no lines reported
NOTE: LAX-JFK NO LONGER VALID FOR LOWEST FARES (effective OCT 2016)
If you want the transcon bonus, enter the search with a connection in JFK. (e.g. LAX-JFK,JFK-MIA,MIA-PTY,PTY-JFK,JFK-SFO.) You can play around from there to get the best deal. Some of the better deals do not start and end in the same city (e.g. start in LAX, end in SFO may be cheaper than start/end in LAX).
Also, it's possible on the outbound portion to time it so you have no more than a 60-minute layover at JFK or MIA (though note that some of these flights aren't available on weekends). While yes, JFK is notorious for delays, this rarely applies for inbound red-eye flights. Also, note that AA 28 below is sometimes "hidden" if you're looking on Google Flights inside a much more expensive trip; that does not necessarily mean, however, that you can't get it for one of the trips under $1,000 (in other words, try it out to see).
NOTE: LAX-JFK NO LONGER VALID FOR LOWEST FARES (effective OCT 2016)
Below is the shortest-possible outbound itinerary that has the LAX-JFK transcon on AA's A321T with flat-bed seats:
LAX-JFK on AA 28
10:45pm - 7:22am
JFK-MIA on AA 200
8:15am - 11:24am
(Note: AA has now switched all of the metal it used on this leg - on all JFK-MIA nonstops - to 757s instead of the 767s with international-style F & J seating.)***767 and 772 are back. Flight 200 is a 772**
MIA-PTY on AA 4434
12:33pm - 2:48pm
(Note: Even more distressingly, AA switched from using a 737 on this leg to an RJ, presumably because summer is off-peak season in Central America. The 6:05pm flight still uses a 737 if a full-size aircraft is a must.)
AA: LAX-JFK-MIA-PTY RT $702 in A/J 18.9K EQMs
Sep 1, 2016, 12:54 pm
#1681
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
PM me if you need more help.
Sep 1, 2016, 1:18 pm
#1682
Join Date: Oct 2012
Programs: AA EXP,Alaska75K,United Silver,Hyatt Diamond,Marriott Plat,Hilton Diamond,IHG Plat,Club Carlson Gold
Posts: 21
Yep, I actually think we'll sidestep it. I am currently repositioning from the Midwest to Cali to pick up the first leg to JFK on the red eye tonight. I thought I was done with these but realized I could requalify for EXP with some paid first/business trips. Only doing this once I hope. If it falls apart, I'll need to regroup.
Sep 1, 2016, 1:40 pm
#1683
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: PDX
Programs: AS MVPG, SPG Gold
Posts: 187
Some options for this weekend with lie flats. Should I do it?
$700
http://goo.gl/flights/u0PF
$747
http://goo.gl/flights/nNnh
$811
http://goo.gl/flights/2ExM
$700
http://goo.gl/flights/u0PF
$747
http://goo.gl/flights/nNnh
$811
http://goo.gl/flights/2ExM
Sep 1, 2016, 1:48 pm
#1684
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: LAX, LGB, SNA
Programs: AA EXP OWE, DL DM ST+, AS MVPG, UA, BA, WN CP, Hyatt E, Ritz Plat, HH GM
Posts: 3,185
Some options for this weekend with lie flats. Should I do it?
$700
http://goo.gl/flights/u0PF
$747
http://goo.gl/flights/nNnh
$811
http://goo.gl/flights/2ExM
$700
http://goo.gl/flights/u0PF
$747
http://goo.gl/flights/nNnh
$811
http://goo.gl/flights/2ExM
Sep 1, 2016, 2:32 pm
#1686
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Southern Cali
Programs: AA ExPlat, Marriott Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 2,025
Sep 1, 2016, 2:52 pm
#1687
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Australia / USA
Programs: AS 100K, UA 1K, VA Platinum, HA Platinum, QF Gold, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Gold
Posts: 414
Flights between PDX and YVR have a 14 day advance purchase to get the lowest fare. Flights between PDX and LAX have at least a 7 day advance purchase for lowest fare. This is common among all airlines serving these city pairs.
If you had a few weeks before the run, then you could get the cheapest possible fare to YVR. In the end PDX-LAX fares are more reasonable even for buying the day before as they don't cost as much as PDX-YVRs. Therefore a last minute run would be more feasible from LAX.
A simple look at the google maps month view demonstrates the adv purchase windows of where the flight prices spike. Also you can look up the fares on expert flyer and it breaks down the lowest possible prices by adv purchase dates for a particular airline.
When I used to live in SFO, I hated having to buy an SFO-LAX weeks earlier to get a good deal since we all know how dramatic the flights go up especially on American from $68 to $145 <14 day to $221 <7 day windows.
Sep 1, 2016, 3:50 pm
#1688
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New Orleans (MSY)
Programs: AA EXP, IHG PLT, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Amtrak, WN
Posts: 2,617
Anyone had any luck lately with getting the LAX/JFK transcon legs to book into F as of late when booking this in J? I got lucky with a few booking into F (while searching for and paying for J) when using a third-party search engine several months ago, but I can't seem to duplicate it anymore.
Sep 1, 2016, 3:59 pm
#1689
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: BAEC Silver, IHG Diamond
Posts: 7,776
Any recommendations for MIA hotels?
Looking at 2 options.
The first is to fly into PTY and overnight there.
The second is to overnight in MIA and then fly to PTY in the morning.
Going to be catching the afternoon flight back to MIA so will get into PTY around 1pm if I overnight in MIA and this gives me 3hrs or so to wait / leeway.
Looking at 2 options.
The first is to fly into PTY and overnight there.
The second is to overnight in MIA and then fly to PTY in the morning.
Going to be catching the afternoon flight back to MIA so will get into PTY around 1pm if I overnight in MIA and this gives me 3hrs or so to wait / leeway.
Sep 1, 2016, 5:04 pm
#1691
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,405
First delay already happening, my LAX-JFK got pushed back 30mins. and that departure is scheduled for 6 hours from now! Thank god I've got a decent break scheduled for the morning in JFK. Hope you make the morning flight smitty if yours ends up getting pushed back too!
Sep 1, 2016, 10:10 pm
#1692
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New Orleans (MSY)
Programs: AA EXP, IHG PLT, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Amtrak, WN
Posts: 2,617
When doing this run, you really get a good perspective of how dismal AA's operations are right now.
I'm ready to throw in the towel on this one right about now.
I'm ready to throw in the towel on this one right about now.
Sep 1, 2016, 10:26 pm
#1693
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,405
This is messing with my shower!
Sep 1, 2016, 10:43 pm
#1694
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: American EXP; British Airways Gold
Posts: 1,896
Is this a reality show, where y'all are going to complain about every facet of the trip that does not go as planned?
You are on a MILEAGE RUN, which means you are flying ONLY to obtain the EQM's. You are not going to miss a wedding, or a pre-paid hotel room for a week. If things go wrong (which they do during SUMMER travel and when a tropical storm/hurricane is approaching Florida), you will be affected.
Suck it up, use the resources available to you, and adjust as necessary. Stop the whining. This forum is for information, not to express frustration because you feel entitled to something, and you did not receive it. Truly.
You are on a MILEAGE RUN, which means you are flying ONLY to obtain the EQM's. You are not going to miss a wedding, or a pre-paid hotel room for a week. If things go wrong (which they do during SUMMER travel and when a tropical storm/hurricane is approaching Florida), you will be affected.
Suck it up, use the resources available to you, and adjust as necessary. Stop the whining. This forum is for information, not to express frustration because you feel entitled to something, and you did not receive it. Truly.
Sep 2, 2016, 4:47 am
#1695
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,405
Is this a reality show, where y'all are going to complain about every facet of the trip that does not go as planned?
You are on a MILEAGE RUN, which means you are flying ONLY to obtain the EQM's. You are not going to miss a wedding, or a pre-paid hotel room for a week. If things go wrong (which they do during SUMMER travel and when a tropical storm/hurricane is approaching Florida), you will be affected.
Suck it up, use the resources available to you, and adjust as necessary. Stop the whining. This forum is for information, not to express frustration because you feel entitled to something, and you did not receive it. Truly.
You are on a MILEAGE RUN, which means you are flying ONLY to obtain the EQM's. You are not going to miss a wedding, or a pre-paid hotel room for a week. If things go wrong (which they do during SUMMER travel and when a tropical storm/hurricane is approaching Florida), you will be affected.
Suck it up, use the resources available to you, and adjust as necessary. Stop the whining. This forum is for information, not to express frustration because you feel entitled to something, and you did not receive it. Truly.
For the record I'm fully in good spirits about the whole run and everything's going well. Minor delays we've all had to deal with and arent any trouble. It's all good, nobody's feeling entitled or whining, just making clear to whoever might be reading this to have SOME buffer space in your plans to accommodate for a delay because most likely there WILL be one at some point or another. And that IS valuable information.