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Old May 26, 2024, 4:55 pm
  #1  
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Marrying a divorced partner segment
I’m wondering if it’s possible to get AA to “marry” a flight itinerary where the individual segments are bookable, but the whole itinerary is not.

I’m looking specifically at a BA J award from the US-India: IAH-LHR-DEL. Both IAH-LHR and LHR-DEL are showing up on AA, but not IAH-DEL. FWIW, this routing is also sold as a revenue ticket. Has anyone done this before and gotten AA to price it correctly? In my case it should be 70k + whatever the YQ is, which I assume would be additive from both segments?

Thanks in advance!
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Old May 26, 2024, 5:32 pm
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Originally Posted by akshaykumar0212
I’m wondering if it’s possible to get AA to “marry” a flight itinerary where the individual segments are bookable, but the whole itinerary is not.

I’m looking specifically at a BA J award from the US-India: IAH-LHR-DEL. Both IAH-LHR and LHR-DEL are showing up on AA, but not IAH-DEL. FWIW, this routing is also sold as a revenue ticket. Has anyone done this before and gotten AA to price it correctly? In my case it should be 70k + whatever the YQ is, which I assume would be additive from both segments?

Thanks in advance!
Are you sure both segments are actually available and that there is some phantom availability going on? Just a thought. I would actually call in to AA and see if they can see both segments, and if so, then ask them to marry them.
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Old May 26, 2024, 5:35 pm
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Originally Posted by akshaykumar0212
I’m wondering if it’s possible to get AA to “marry” a flight itinerary where the individual segments are bookable, but the whole itinerary is not.

I’m looking specifically at a BA J award from the US-India: IAH-LHR-DEL. Both IAH-LHR and LHR-DEL are showing up on AA, but not IAH-DEL. FWIW, this routing is also sold as a revenue ticket. Has anyone done this before and gotten AA to price it correctly? In my case it should be 70k + whatever the YQ is, which I assume would be additive from both segments?

Thanks in advance!
Originally Posted by CMTinPHL
Are you sure both segments are actually available and that there is some phantom availability going on? Just a thought. I would actually call in to AA and see if they can see both segments, and if so, then ask them to marry them.
Also, as a follow up - just because AA sells an itinerary as a revenue ticket does not mean it will be offered as an award. AA does not allow TATL award flights to Asia, i.e. I cannot book an award flight through LHR or DOH to HKG or TOK for instance. I know I can buy a ticket from PHL to SGN via DOH, but it is not available as an award (as a single award).
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Old May 26, 2024, 6:03 pm
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Originally Posted by CMTinPHL
Are you sure both segments are actually available and that there is some phantom availability going on? Just a thought. I would actually call in to AA and see if they can see both segments, and if so, then ask them to marry them.
The individual segments definitely are not phantom - I just verified that CX shows the same availability for each segment, and interestingly, CX also shows availability for the entire itinerary (i.e. IAH-LHR-DEL). I also cross-referenced another OW partner (Finnair/AY) and it's the same.

This seems to be an AA-specific issue but I'll add another interesting finding:
Strangely, AA's award calendar view (when filtered to <= 1 stop) shows available dates that match both CX and AY's bookable availability. So the calendar view seems to have it right but when I click through the dates, poof - the flights don't show up. I've attached screenshots of this weird discrepancy below:


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Old May 26, 2024, 6:06 pm
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Originally Posted by CMTinPHL
Also, as a follow up - just because AA sells an itinerary as a revenue ticket does not mean it will be offered as an award. AA does not allow TATL award flights to Asia, i.e. I cannot book an award flight through LHR or DOH to HKG or TOK for instance. I know I can buy a ticket from PHL to SGN via DOH, but it is not available as an award (as a single award).

Is this actually true or am I missing something? My home airport is DFW and FWIW and I've never had trouble finding award flights to India, both partner and on AA metal across all classes. I haven't searched other TATL routes to Asia though so maybe YMMV?
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Old May 26, 2024, 6:11 pm
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Originally Posted by akshaykumar0212
So the calendar view seems to have it right but when I click through the dates, poof - the flights don't show up.
That is the very definition of “phantom availability”.

Again, have you tried calling?
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Old May 26, 2024, 6:13 pm
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Originally Posted by akshaykumar0212
Is this actually true or am I missing something? My home airport is DFW and FWIW and I've never had trouble finding award flights to India, both partner and on AA metal across all classes. I haven't searched other TATL routes to Asia though so maybe YMMV?
I am not sure that DEL counts as SE Asia, but AA requires awards be TPAC, not TATL, to get to places like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc. You cannot find awards to SE Asia on a TATL routing. I’m trying to find the relevant page on AA.com.
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Old May 26, 2024, 6:17 pm
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Originally Posted by CMTinPHL
That is the very definition of “phantom availability”.

Again, have you tried calling?
You may have a point. Although, I suspect if multiple partners can see the availability, it is less likely to be phantom. I will try calling them and report back.
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Old May 26, 2024, 6:17 pm
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Originally Posted by akshaykumar0212
Is this actually true or am I missing something? My home airport is DFW and FWIW and I've never had trouble finding award flights to India, both partner and on AA metal across all classes. I haven't searched other TATL routes to Asia though so maybe YMMV?
Originally Posted by CMTinPHL
I am not sure that DEL counts as SE Asia, but AA requires awards be TPAC, not TATL, to get to places like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc. You cannot find awards to SE Asia on a TATL routing. I’m trying to find the relevant page on AA.com.
Follow up - DEL is considered by AA to be in the “Indian Sub-continent” region, not Asia 1 or Asia 2. You cannot book an award from N.A. To Asia 1 or Asia 2 via a TATL route.
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Old May 26, 2024, 6:25 pm
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Originally Posted by CMTinPHL
Follow up - DEL is considered by AA to be in the “Indian Sub-continent” region, not Asia 1 or Asia 2. You cannot book an award from N.A. To Asia 1 or Asia 2 via a TATL route.
Okay, that is interesting and news to me. Do you mind linking to the page on AA? I often travel to "Asia 2" and given that TPAC is the obvious/most optimal route, I still never thought this would be a restriction.
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Old May 26, 2024, 6:27 pm
  #11  
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Originally Posted by CMTinPHL
You cannot book an award from N.A. To Asia 1 or Asia 2 via a TATL route.
Not a single award, correct. But you can book two separate awards (for more miles) to get from the U.S. to Asia via the Atlantic. Sometimes this is the only way to use miles for such a trip. And since it's two separate awards (but bookable on a single PNR), one has the option of stopping over in Europe or the Middle East or Indian sub-continent on such an itinerary.
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Old May 26, 2024, 6:29 pm
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Originally Posted by akshaykumar0212
Okay, that is interesting and news to me. Do you mind linking to the page on AA? I often travel to "Asia 2" and given that TPAC is the obvious/most optimal route, I still never thought this would be a restriction.
I can’t find it on AA’s new website. It is, however, is well-known.
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Old May 26, 2024, 6:33 pm
  #13  
 
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Originally Posted by CMTinPHL
Also, as a follow up - just because AA sells an itinerary as a revenue ticket does not mean it will be offered as an award. AA does not allow TATL award flights to Asia, i.e. I cannot book an award flight through LHR or DOH to HKG or TOK for instance. I know I can buy a ticket from PHL to SGN via DOH, but it is not available as an award (as a single award).
Originally Posted by guv1976
Not a single award, correct. But you can book two separate awards (for more miles) to get from the U.S. to Asia via the Atlantic. Sometimes this is the only way to use miles for such a trip. And since it's two separate awards (but bookable on a single PNR), one has the option of stopping over in Europe or the Middle East or Indian sub-continent on such an itinerary.
Fair point, which is why I said in my original answer “as a single award.” OP is trying to find a single award. But regardless, DEL is not Asia 1 or Asia 2 so the restriction does not apply.
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Old May 26, 2024, 6:34 pm
  #14  
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Originally Posted by akshaykumar0212
Okay, that is interesting and news to me. Do you mind linking to the page on AA? I often travel to "Asia 2" and given that TPAC is the obvious/most optimal route, I still never thought this would be a restriction.
AAdvantage zone definitions here:




(India is not in Asia 2 or Asia 1.)
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Old May 26, 2024, 6:34 pm
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Originally Posted by akshaykumar0212
Okay, that is interesting and news to me. Do you mind linking to the page on AA? I often travel to "Asia 2" and given that TPAC is the obvious/most optimal route, I still never thought this would be a restriction.
Check this out: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/34128027-post6.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-airlines-aadvantage/2074176-something-went-wrong-message-when-looking-award-travel-se-asia.html
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