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In general, search on AA.com for award availability.

BA
If you want to book a flight with Avios, it is known from Dan's Knowledgebase that BA.com doesn't show availability very well, but some flights definitely are searchable there. Nonetheless, it's easier to just search AA.com, and if you find a MileSAAver availability, check BA.com to see if it shows up there, too. If it does, book it there. If it doesn't, you can always call up BA and reference the flight you found. Note that there is usually a very long hold time before BA picks up, and they will charge a phone booking fee. If the flight was unsearchable on BA.com, try fighting that fee, but YMMV.

IB
IB availability will not show up on AA.com You can call AA to find IB availability, but it's hard without being able to browse dates and have to ask the rep to check flights over the phone. Searching on Qantas.com will show IB flights - supposedly if they appear there, they can then be booked by calling AA.

OneWorld Explorer [OWE] The OWE has officially been cancelled [4/8/14] as part of the latest AA no-warning changing to its award program. Here's what the OWE looked like:
This is an around-the-world [RTW] award that is calculated not by the mileage cost of specific flights, but rather by the actual distance travelled on your trip. It is especially valuable for flying business class, as the difference in miles needed between coach and business is not very great on longer trips. See this chart to see the different tiers of how many miles it costs to travel different distances. You can take up to 16 segments on a trip, but there are MANY rules to follow when booking such an award.

Be prepared to spend a lot of time when planning this trip. (Personally [@Yehuda], it took 2 months with a few weeks of break in the middle from frustration.) Availability changes everyday, so you need to constantly check back to see if flights you needed are now available. It will also likely require changing your itinerary/order of stops numerous times. An itinerary can be held for 5 days (and can be extended past that on Day 5, if they are willing to rebook each flight for you, getting you another 5 days), but itineraries with IB flights can usually only be held for 24 hours. You will find that you will have to use hub airports since you're limited to OW partners. You will not find a flight from CDG-FCO without either stopping off in LON or MAD - both of which are out of the way. It's unfortunate, as it adds unnecessary distance miles to your trip, but it can be done. Remember that BA flights have high YQ, IB/AB have semi-high YQ, US/AA have very little YQ. (Unsure about other airlines, as my trip was TLV-Europe-NYC, so those were the only airline I had to work with.) You should check flight availability, again, on AA.com but the ticket must be booked on the phone (and they will charge a $25 phone booking fee, but again, try to fight it since this ticket cannot be booked online - although, honestly, by the time you've ticketed, they will likely have helped you out with much more than $25 worth of time). Technically, you can book it with any OW partner, but the odds are you probably only have enough AA miles to book this trip. AA reps definitely know about this award, although most have never booked it before. You will find that after calling so many times, you'll know more about the rules than they do. Once you have your perfect itinerary, they will have to send it to their rate desk to price it out. This can take ~24 hours. Because it takes time, if you have IB flights on the itinerary, they will make sure IB allows the flights to be held for longer than 24 hours, but confirm this with the rep before you hang up. Once it's priced out, you can pay for it. You can use 2 or more AA accounts to pay for it, but they will require each account to have enough miles to pay for 1 ticket. (e.g. If it costs 80K pax and you have 2 pax, they won't ask you to have 1 account with 160K in it, but they will require 2 accounts with at least 80K in each.)

Feel free to contact @Yehuda with any questions regarding the OWE.

« Last edited by AJK on July 27, 2014, 04:45:43 PM »

Author Topic: One World Award Search Tips  (Read 644326 times)

Offline jaywhy

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #740 on: October 06, 2015, 10:01:07 PM »
This is really frustrating, I see five seats available on cx from jfk to hkg(cx0841) for Wednesday yet aa shows nothing >:(
You need to call AA to book.

Offline maxie m

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #741 on: October 06, 2015, 10:02:01 PM »
Exactly what I did and called as also, nothing doing
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Offline maxie m

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #742 on: October 06, 2015, 10:20:21 PM »
So I see availability on both ba and Asia miles, but nothing on aa and as,I guess that means that availability isn't shared equally, contrary to popular belief?
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Offline a mirrer

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #743 on: October 07, 2015, 03:41:03 AM »
So I see availability on both ba and Asia miles, but nothing on aa and as,I guess that means that availability isn't shared equally, contrary to popular belief?
iinm cx doesn't show online on aa or as websites

Offline maxie m

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #744 on: October 07, 2015, 03:47:06 AM »
iinm cx doesn't show online on aa or as websites
your correct,  but what's your point
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Offline ajs625

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #745 on: October 08, 2015, 09:54:34 PM »
How far in advance does AA open up I or F award availability?

Offline Yehuda25

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #746 on: October 21, 2015, 10:55:24 PM »
I have an aa award on hold qf lax - mel ticket on hold with AA. I really should have booked it JFK-LAX-MEL which prices out at the same price. (145k RT)


Can I

A. Ask them to add on the jfk legs to the hold and book it?

B. Release the holds and rebook? (do they usually go back to inventory?)


TIA
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Offline mmm740

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #747 on: October 21, 2015, 11:44:09 PM »


I have an aa award on hold qf lax - mel ticket on hold with AA. I really should have booked it JFK-LAX-MEL which prices out at the same price. (145k RT)


Can I

A. Ask them to add on the jfk legs to the hold and book it?

B. Release the holds and rebook? (do they usually go back to inventory?)


TIA

Call them and ask.
I once booked something online and I called right away to change before it ticketed and they changed it for me.

With QF it usually goes back into inventory.

Offline coralsnake

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #748 on: October 21, 2015, 11:46:40 PM »
Call and have them add it.
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Offline Yehuda25

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #749 on: October 22, 2015, 12:09:13 AM »
Call and have them add it.
Add it to the hold? They can do that?
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Offline Yehuda25

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #750 on: October 22, 2015, 12:09:43 AM »

Call them and ask.
I once booked something online and I called right away to change before it ticketed and they changed it for me.

With QF it usually goes back into inventory.
I would rather try to add it before booking - that way its forsure
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Offline D93

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #751 on: October 22, 2015, 12:57:45 AM »
Add it to the hold? They can do that?
Yes

Offline Yehuda25

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #752 on: October 22, 2015, 08:54:15 AM »
“To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.”


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Offline Yehuda25

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #753 on: October 23, 2015, 12:50:49 PM »
If I cancel a qf ticket LAX - MEL that costs $100 in taxes  -  how much does that cost me?
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Offline AJK

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #754 on: October 23, 2015, 01:21:57 PM »
If I cancel a qf ticket LAX - MEL that costs $100 in taxes  -  how much does that cost me?

$150 fee.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline Yehuda25

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #755 on: October 23, 2015, 01:28:17 PM »
$150 fee.
So the $100 in taxes get refunded with the miles?
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Offline AJK

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #756 on: October 23, 2015, 01:28:38 PM »
So the $100 in taxes get refunded with the miles?

Correct.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline Yehuda25

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #757 on: October 23, 2015, 01:28:58 PM »
“To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.”


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Offline philbenjoe

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #758 on: October 27, 2015, 04:00:21 PM »
How much will a trip from TLV - BKK - NYC - TLV with AA miles in biz going to price out? I cannot figure out how to get it to work on AA. Also what is my best routing? TIA
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Offline D93

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #759 on: October 27, 2015, 04:07:51 PM »
How much will a trip from TLV - BKK - NYC - TLV with AA miles in biz going to price out? I cannot figure out how to get it to work on AA. Also what is my best routing? TIA
30k+55k+67.5k

How do you define "best routing" - best cabins? Least stops?