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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 591705 times)

Offline ilherman

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #400 on: July 27, 2014, 11:05:51 PM »
ok ill make one up i get the point. but that automaticlly will extend it another 5 days? also there is no seats left in business so even if i place him in economy it will extend? then i take away and add every 5 days?
You add the infant as a lap child.
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline nobiggy

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #401 on: July 27, 2014, 11:07:14 PM »
You add the infant as a lap child.

why didn't i think of that.... but taking a child off and on will keep extending?

Offline ilherman

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #402 on: July 27, 2014, 11:07:48 PM »
why didn't i think of that.... but taking a child off and on will keep extending?
Not sure...
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline Emkay

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #403 on: July 28, 2014, 06:13:13 AM »
im looking for a flight from BKK to TLV with AA miles. other than the RJ via AMM and the LY thats not available is there any other routings i can ask them to search for?

Offline Thingywingy

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #404 on: July 28, 2014, 06:43:45 PM »
I found availabity using AA points on USAirways flight in saver award for 25k round trip from PHL to PHX to  w/ stopover in ATL, but it does not show up when I search on USAirways. I have the BArclays USAirways card so I prefer to use them and save 5k. Is there a way to get that flight?
I am sometimes accused of overthinking things. I am still mulling over whether that accusation has merit.

Offline jaywhy

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #405 on: July 28, 2014, 06:45:49 PM »
I found availabity using AA points on USAirways flight in saver award for 25k round trip from PHL to PHX to  w/ stopover in ATL, but it does not show up when I search on USAirways. I have the BArclays USAirways card so I prefer to use them and save 5k. Is there a way to get that flight?
Call.

Offline Thingywingy

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #406 on: July 28, 2014, 06:47:16 PM »
Call.
Oh. Does USAir let me hold for 5 days like AA?


Any workarounds on AA for $75 fee for within 21 days?
Does the workaround for United not work on AA?
« Last Edit: July 28, 2014, 06:55:40 PM by Thingywingy »
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Offline Emkay

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #407 on: July 28, 2014, 06:56:44 PM »



Does the workaround for United not work on AA?
correct, no worky


Offline jaywhy

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #408 on: July 28, 2014, 07:00:45 PM »
Oh. Does USAir let me hold for 5 days like AA?

Does the workaround for United not work on AA?
3 day hold.

Offline Thingywingy

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #409 on: July 28, 2014, 07:19:08 PM »
3 day hold.
Thanks. In the meantime I called AA and put ticket on hold. The rep told me within 21 days I only can only hold till 12am tom. Will all reps tell me that?

She told me its the last ticket available in saver. When I check now, it doesn't show any availability. I don't know how smart it is to cancel my hold to save 5k by switching to USAir. Any way to transfer the reservation from AA to USAir?
I am sometimes accused of overthinking things. I am still mulling over whether that accusation has merit.

Offline nobiggy

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #410 on: July 28, 2014, 11:08:48 PM »
when booking aa award travel Is there any way what so ever to cancel an award ticket and have the miles redeposited with out the $150
Are there any types of insurance or the sort that would cover the fee?

Offline mmm740

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #411 on: July 28, 2014, 11:46:56 PM »
im looking for a flight from BKK to TLV with AA miles. other than the RJ via AMM and the LY thats not available is there any other routings i can ask them to search for?
CX to HKG and LY to TLV

Offline Emkay

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #412 on: July 29, 2014, 01:53:45 AM »
CX to HKG and LY to TLV
Thanks, in the end I decided to go straight from CNX to HKG via dragon air

Offline Thingywingy

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #413 on: July 29, 2014, 08:25:00 PM »
3 day hold.
More availability opened so I put ticket on hold for 3 days. They told me the fees for RT are $141.20! He didn't brake it down for me; but does that include a phone booking-fee? I thought USAirways doesnt charge for tickets you can't book online? Or do I have to ask for that?
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Offline AJK

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #414 on: July 29, 2014, 08:53:10 PM »
More availability opened so I put ticket on hold for 3 days. They told me the fees for RT are $141.20! He didn't brake it down for me; but does that include a phone booking-fee? I thought USAirways doesnt charge for tickets you can't book online? Or do I have to ask for that?

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Offline Thingywingy

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #415 on: July 29, 2014, 10:47:18 PM »
http://www.usairways.com/en-US/dividendmiles/usemiles/booktravel.html
call center ticketing $30
Quick ticketing (21 days) $75*
Award processing $25*
*Fee does not apply to Gold, Platinum and Chairman's Preferred members.
Anyway to get status with Amex Platinum, Barclays USAir or other card?
Also the call center center ticketing should have been waived, as I was not able to book online.
I am sometimes accused of overthinking things. I am still mulling over whether that accusation has merit.

Offline MEIR613

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #416 on: July 29, 2014, 11:14:08 PM »
call center ticketing $30
Quick ticketing (21 days) $75*
Award processing $25*
*Fee does not apply to Gold, Platinum and Chairman's Preferred members.
Anyway to get status with Amex Platinum, Barclays USAir or other card?
Also the call center center ticketing should have been waived, as I was not able to book online.
No.

If it was a US flight you should be able to book it online, if not tell the rep that and they should waive the fee.

Offline Thingywingy

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #417 on: July 30, 2014, 09:32:12 AM »
If available I may add multiple people to the reservation. I'm assuming the above fees are per reservation, not per ticket?
Is there number with a shorter wait time than the reg CS? (Something like Dans United callback)?
I am sometimes accused of overthinking things. I am still mulling over whether that accusation has merit.

Offline MEIR613

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #418 on: July 30, 2014, 12:08:50 PM »
If available I may add multiple people to the reservation. I'm assuming the above fees are per reservation, not per ticket?
Is there number with a shorter wait time than the reg CS? (Something like Dans United callback)?
Per ticket.

Offline Thingywingy

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Re: One World Award Search Tips
« Reply #419 on: July 31, 2014, 05:15:39 PM »
I have a 3 hold with USAirways expiring tom night. Right now the departure is not available. Would I be able to change the return, and thereby extend hold for another 3 days?
If I was ready to book would they let me keep original departure, and change return?
« Last Edit: July 31, 2014, 06:23:05 PM by Thingywingy »
I am sometimes accused of overthinking things. I am still mulling over whether that accusation has merit.