There are a few myths and pitfalls when it comes to booking award travel on American Airlines. For many of you, these myths are common knowledge, but for others that are just starting out, I feel you should know about these to avoid making the same mistakes I have!
“A Round-Trip Ticket Will Only Cost 30,000 Miles”
This is the most egregious myth you’ll hear when flying American Airlines as of late. American’s flight attendants have been pushing the Barclaycard Aviator Red credit card down passengers’ throats and some of the things the flight attendants say just are not true or are incredibly misleading.
A flight attendant will usually say something like, “this credit card will get you 60,000 American AAdvantage miles, good for two round-trip tickets to the Caribbean!”
What they should say is, “this credit card will get you 60,000 American AAdvantage miles, good for two round-trip tickets to the Caribbean at the SAAver level, which is often only available if you don’t plan on traveling on a weekend or a holiday!”
We all know that American MileSAAver award space is stingy, which should make these types of falsities a crime. Don’t fall for it folks!
Awards Are Always Displayed on AA.com
Award tickets are not always bookable online. With this I mean, the selection of awards is sometimes limited depending on which loyalty program you’re using.
For example, if you have a load of American miles and want to book a trip to Bali, searching on AA.com will not give you any results. However, Qatar Airways is a partner of American and part of the Oneworld alliance. I know from Philadelphia, there is a direct flight to Doha and then on to Bali. In this scenario, it’s advisable to search British Airways’ website for Qatar award space and then calling American’s AAdvantage desk to book the trip with your AA miles. Though it should be noted that due to American’s fare rules, this itinerary will cost you more than the typical round-trip Business cost. This is due to the fact that you are transiting a third region not covered in American’s fare rule exceptions bible (North America to Asia 2, transiting Middle East).
Book Award Tickets 330 Days Out
You’ll often hear this advice when looking to pay for a flight. Booking 330 days before your trip is oft-mentioned as the sweet spot for the cheapest fares, but the jury is still out on that and the truth is it really just all depends.
In terms of award travel, this particular advice is somewhat of a “half myth”. I have seen awards open up only one to two days prior to departure (Etihad), whereas others open up as far as 330+ days out (i.e. JAL to Narita).
Don’t just stick to 330 days, but instead, constantly be checking around or if you don’t have the time/know-how, consider hiring an award booking service or using ExpertFlyer.
You Should Use Your Miles for Domestic Premium Seats
This largely depends, but my rule of thumb is that using miles for premium class on a flight under four hours is not a good value — especially if the aircraft hard product isn’t worth its weight in Biscoff cookies.
Be sure to look at the aircraft when booking. If you’re flexible, you could fly on an airplane with a superior hard product (i.e. lie-flat seats). For example, American flies 737s and Airbus A330s from Philadelphia to San Juan, depending on the time of year. The flight is about four hours long, which is decent, but not worth the extra miles in my opinion. When I traveled to San Juan in May I wasn’t paying for premium class, but knew my chances of being upgraded were high. I chose the flight operated by the A330 because I wanted to fly with lie-flat seats.
In Summary
There are a number of myths you’ll be told by airlines so it’s important to do your due diligence before acting. Don’t always take what you hear from airline employees as gold and always be sure to double and triple check the information given. If you’re feeling uneasy about something and can’t seem to find an answer, shoot me an e-mail.
I typically look for domestic first award travel and usually I can find space on American if I book 6+ months out. I just booked my July Vegas trip around Christmas and the ticket cost 45,000 round-trip after the Aviator 10% rebate.
I recently redeemed 40k AA miles for a first class ticket PHL-LAX-HNL. I know it’s frowned upon by cents-per-mile logic (~2.6cpm still isn’t bad though), but 12 hours of first class vs. 12 hours in coach was worth it, in my opinion.
Nice! How was the trip?
I went for a family wedding on the Big Island, so it steered our itinerary there. It was my first time in Hawaii, and I felt obligated to spend some time in Oahu. In short:
Oahu – Waikiki was better than expected. Pearl Harbor was a disappointment.
Big Island – Volcano National Park is really cool for 1-2 days, and probably the best value in Hawaii based on what I saw. The wedding was at Muana Kea Beach Resort, which was beautiful (but bring your wallet).
Legit! Your sentiments on Oahu-Waikiki is definitely in step with what others have told me — personally I’ve never been. Always opted for Europe since I’m in PHL too.
Waikiki gets a bad rap for being “touristy” and less-than-100% relaxing; both of which are true. However, the alternative is a secluded, tranquil resort where you’re held captive and price-gouged. I can’t relax when I’m hemorrhaging money. At least in the urban-setting of Waikiki, you can always walk off the resort for a cheap meal/drink (it helps keep the resort-prices honest too). If I did another week in Hawaii, it would be a similar strategy: 3-4 nights in Waikiki to adjust from the mainland and preserve cash (kind of), plus 3-4 nights on another island to really chill (and minimize… Read more »
As far as PHL-Europe vs. PHL-Hawaii is concerned, I understand that Europe is easier for flying (flight time is almost double, jet-lag is worse, at least one layover required). Europe is probably cheaper once you’re there, and has more to offer culturally, but Hawaii is the most relaxing place I’ve ever been (previous champ was Thailand beaches).
I have a trip to the French Riviera scheduled for July as a relaxing beach vacation (I’ve been there before), but am now considering changing it to Hawaii to visit some of the other islands.
Wow, really? That’s a pretty strong statement and an intriguing one. I’ve been meaning to get back to LA to visit to maybe I’ll book an excursion to Hawaii as well.
AAdvantage awards to Bali (Asia 2) are transpacific only. You cannot route to DPS or anywhere else in the region via Qatar. In general, transit via a third region is not allowed, but there are some exceptions. In this example, you may transit Asia 1 en route to Asia 2. To get to DPS, you’ll need to get to Hong Kong or Tokyo on AA, JL, or CX, then catch a connecting flight on either JL or CX. If you want to add another stop, you can connect again in KUL and continue onward with MH, but keep in mind… Read more »
Be careful here. Generally what you say is correct, but one of the exceptions you talk about is the published fare exception. If the overwater carrier (Qatar in this case) publishes a fare, you’re able to book it with award miles. For example, I booked a client on Miami – Doha – Denpasar Bali. But, for the most part you’re correct. Appreciate you clarifying this, Howard. Thanks for reading!
Not sure I agree with this, though if it’s true I’m happy to learn something new. My understanding is that there is a published fare *limitation*, not a published fare exception. ALL AAdvantage award travel MUST take place between an origin and destination for which the overwater carrier publishes a fare. As far as I know, a published fare is not sufficient to defeat the routing rules. If you’re aware of info to the contrary, please direct me to it, as I’d be very interested to take a look!
Thanks Howard. Totally misunderstood your comment. You’re able to book the MIA-DOH-DPS itinerary but at an increased miles cost. What you say is correct, though. I’m going to update the post for clarity.
No problem. Not trying to be a pain (I swear), but I’m still not clear on this. By increased mileage cost do you mean you’d have to book two separate awards (Region 1 to Region 2, then Region 2 to Region 3), or are you saying you can pay the AAnytime rate to free yourself from the constraints of routing requirements?
You’re not being a pain at all! Appreciate the conversation. I don’t want to give you the wrong information so I have an e-mail out to American to get the exact pricing. Fairly certain it’s booking two separate awards, but will get back to you.
Thanks looking forward to their reply!
Confirmed! You would need to book two separate awards. North America to Middle East is 70K in Business and Middle East to Asia 2 is 40K in Business. 110K total one-way.
That’s what I thought. Who in their right mind would fly the long way in business class when you can fly Cathay Pacific First Class for the same price!?
Ha! Good point. Thanks for reading Howard!