Author Topic: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?  (Read 888772 times)

Offline leaf

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2040 on: February 03, 2016, 10:23:33 PM »
Did they only tell you it was over after inputting the entire itinerary, or after you got up to AUH?
Depends on exact itinerary.  Some were maxed out on overwater AUH-JFK, others on next legs.  IIRC AMM-CAI-DOH-MCT-AUH-JFK maxed out even before overwater.  I think AMM-CAI-DOH-AUH-JFK maxed out on overwater but without DOH it may have worked till JFK. 

Offline Tom Brady

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2041 on: February 03, 2016, 10:28:49 PM »
Depends on exact itinerary.  Some were maxed out on overwater AUH-JFK, others on next legs.  IIRC AMM-CAI-DOH-MCT-AUH-JFK maxed out even before overwater.  I think AMM-CAI-DOH-AUH-JFK maxed out on overwater but without DOH it may have worked till JFK. 
Interesting. I assumed the MPM is recalculated from the origin to destination with each leg that you add on. So in the AMM-CAI-AUH-JFK-PHX-SFO example, the MPM would probably be maxed out by AUH, but if you were to book that same exact itinerary backwards, it would have a shot of working.

Offline leaf

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2042 on: February 03, 2016, 10:34:24 PM »
Interesting. I assumed the MPM is recalculated from the origin to destination with each leg that you add on. So in the AMM-CAI-AUH-JFK-PHX-SFO example, the MPM would probably be maxed out by AUH, but if you were to book that same exact itinerary backwards, it would have a shot of working.
Not sure I understand.  Isn't MPM in either case the same? It's always going to calculate AMM-SFO or SFO-AMM, which should be identical, no?
Unless you meant that you would have a chance getting overwater. Then obviously it would be comparing MPM of AMM-JFK to SFO-AUH which would obviously differ. 

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2043 on: February 03, 2016, 10:36:34 PM »
BTW, I wouldn't be surprised if it was within MPM if PHX was omitted.  Every stop contributes.  Some are desired.  And some are necessary due to availability...

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2044 on: February 03, 2016, 10:38:35 PM »
Actually, I was told AMM-CAI-AUH-JFK-PHX-SFO was also over.
ETA, I was able to get until PHX on that route.  So maybe if final destination was JFK it would work. 

Offline EJB

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2045 on: February 03, 2016, 10:41:47 PM »
You sure the issue was MPM and not that it isn't a published routing (is that a requirement for AA?)


Offline Tom Brady

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2046 on: February 03, 2016, 10:42:48 PM »
Not sure I understand.  Isn't MPM in either case the same? It's always going to calculate AMM-SFO or SFO-AMM, which should be identical, no?
Unless you meant that you would have a chance getting overwater. Then obviously it would be comparing MPM of AMM-JFK to SFO-AUH which would obviously differ. 
I mean if you add on one leg at a time, then the MPM would change with each leg that you add, as I think MPM is calculated from your origin to destination, and each time you add a leg, your origin or destination changes.

So basically, assuming that's the case, if you backtrack at the beginning of an itinerary (AMM-CAI-AUH) it will almost certainly be over the MPM, as the MPM is being calculated from AMM to AUH and CAI is well out of the way. If you backtrack on the end of a long itinerary on the other hand, you have a good shot of it not being over the MPM, as you got the MPM of SFO to CAI or whatever to work with x1.25.

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2047 on: February 03, 2016, 10:46:19 PM »


I mean if you add on one leg at a time, then the MPM would change with each leg that you add, as I think MPM is calculated from your origin to destination, and each time you add a leg, your origin or destination changes.

So basically, assuming that's the case, if you backtrack at the beginning of an itinerary (AMM-CAI-AUH) it will almost certainly be over the MPM, as the MPM is being calculated from AMM to AUH and CAI is well out of the way. If you backtrack on the end of a long itinerary on the other hand, you have a good shot of it not being over the MPM, as you got the MPM of SFO to CAI or whatever to work with x1.25.

Bottom line is that it has nothing to do with beginning or end, rather with total trip distance.  Longer itineraries simply have more quantity of miles, so you end up with more wiggle room.  But even that has finite limitations, as evidenced here. 

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2048 on: February 03, 2016, 10:46:52 PM »
They say a published routing is a requirement for AA, although I can't say that I am entirely sure what that means.

Offline EJB

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2049 on: February 03, 2016, 10:48:54 PM »
They say a published routing is a requirement for AA, although I can't say that I am entirely sure what that means.

How about 3 region rule? Wouldn't CAI be africa?

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2050 on: February 03, 2016, 10:50:41 PM »
They say a published routing is a requirement for AA, although I can't say that I am entirely sure what that means.
It means the airline must publish a fare (sell tickets) between origin and destination.  Some airlines fly routes that are a composite of other fares, but don't actually sell tickets for the combination of flights that equals the route. 
With oneworld awards I believe just needs to have a published fare for the overwater segment. 

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2051 on: February 03, 2016, 10:51:08 PM »
How about 3 region rule? Wouldn't CAI be africa?
AA considers Egypt as Middle East. 

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2052 on: February 03, 2016, 10:52:11 PM »

Bottom line is that it has nothing to do with beginning or end, rather with total trip distance.  Longer itineraries simply have more quantity of miles, so you end up with more wiggle room.  But even that has finite limitations, as evidenced here. 
Are you sure about that? I'm pretty sure that it does have to do with the beginning and the end because MPM is calculated from the beginning of the itinerary to the end. Also, I'm pretty sure that the MPM between AUH and SFO for example is the same regardless of what flights are on your itinerary in between.

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2053 on: February 03, 2016, 10:54:52 PM »
Are you sure about that? I'm pretty sure that it does have to do with the beginning and the end because MPM is calculated from the beginning of the itinerary to the end. Also, I'm pretty sure that the MPM between AUH and SFO for example is the same regardless of what flights are on your itinerary in between.
Itinerary meaning origin and destination.  But you can switch them back and forth (AUH-SFO or SFO-AUH) and you should have the same MPM.  No?

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2054 on: February 03, 2016, 10:57:55 PM »
It means the airline must publish a fare (sell tickets) between origin and destination.  Some airlines fly routes that are a composite of other fares, but don't actually sell tickets for the combination of flights that equals the route. 
With oneworld awards I believe just needs to have a published fare for the overwater segment. 
How do you explain AA allowing TLV-AMM-BAH-DOH-DXB-MEL-SYD-CNS on RJ, GF, QR, and QF? All of those publish fares to MEL so it's ok? (If you tell me they publish fares from TLV to CNS, there could never be a case where airlines didn't publish fares :P).

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2055 on: February 03, 2016, 10:59:18 PM »
How do you explain AA allowing TLV-AMM-BAH-DOH-DXB-MEL-SYD-CNS on RJ, GF, QR, and QF? All of those publish fares to MEL so it's ok? (If you tell me they publish fares from TLV to CNS, there would never be a case where airlines didn't publish fares ).
It's considered a oneworld award.  All you need to qualify is for DXB-MEL to be a published fare. 

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2056 on: February 03, 2016, 11:00:53 PM »
Itinerary meaning origin and destination.  But you can switch them back and forth (AUH-SFO or SFO-AUH) and you should have the same MPM.  No?
Of course. But when your itinerary is holding at just AMM-CAI-AUH, the origin and destination and therefore MPM would be different, than if your itinerary was holding at JFK-PHX-SFO.

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2057 on: February 03, 2016, 11:01:28 PM »
You sure the issue was MPM and not that it isn't a published routing (is that a requirement for AA?)


Now I'm beginning to think DROPR.  Maybe the agent was getting fed up with all my options and just kept using MPM as an excuse.  Or was just clueless as to why it was turning into 2 awards.

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2058 on: February 03, 2016, 11:04:10 PM »
It's considered a oneworld award.  All you need to qualify is for DXB-MEL to be a published fare. 
If that is the case, what would be an example of running into a problem of an unpublished fare, on a oneworld award?

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Re: What Award Itinerary Did You Just Book/Hold?
« Reply #2059 on: February 03, 2016, 11:04:18 PM »


Of course. But when your itinerary is holding at just AMM-CAI-AUH, the origin and destination and therefore MPM would be different, than if your itinerary was holding at SFO-PHX-JFK.

Of course.  Those are entirely different itineraries.  Apples and oranges. 
Point being?