AA Chat/Lounge Thread

For me I always want to early in the year. It is later in the year that the priority of it slips. As a disclaimer, i've never had EXP or equivalent.

Right...my mistake last year was not doing the challenge until May. I'm already at 45k this year and have at least 4-5 trips to/from Germany...most likely on BA.

I got to 45k or so by end of Feb last year (had other trips in there that sadly didn't count) and still managed to not go it. Ended about 65k.

My travel is all leisure and with my wife. So it gets difficult to buy fares when they're higher than I'm used to just to get away. This year is definitely out again for me but I hope things change by October or so so I can start planning 2013. After all, my plat will expire Feb 28, 2013 and i need to bang in as much as i can in those two months.

Most of my TATL travel is leisure and, with my inclination to go see my Grandmother in SoCal, the EQM add up pretty quickly, especially if I add in a connection!

I'm seeing a lot of talk about Sapporo at the ORD AC. Is this one of the complimentary beverages? (I realize this may be wishful thinking...)

That must be for EXP only there has been many times I called the PLT desk and they say "are you at the airport because a GA is the best help you can get now"

I am not saying that the plt desk isn't helpful because they are wonderful. I just wonder is that help you speak of only for exp?

As a plat i find it best to just go into the club and get them to help.

It was last time I was through. I had my money out, and the barkeep brushed it away.

The reason you see a different level of service is that there actually is no Gold or Platinum desk; the number you call merely puts you nearer the front of the queue to speak with a standard agent. On the other hand, when an Executive Platinum member calls the Executive Platinum line, we are (typically) put through to an agent that handles nothing but calls from EXPs, and has extra levels of system access and empowerment to solve problems for EXPs. So the short and very cursory answer to your question is yes, the top-notch telephone treatment for EXPs on AA is provided by a dedicated group that doesn't typically serve lower level elites.

As a PLT or as AC member?

As a plat on AA I find the phone is not the best solution. I of course have to pay or be on intl to get into the club. But the club, if you can get in is the better choice as a plat member.

Of course, the AC AAngels have always been great. I just read your statement as "As a PLT with issue, I jump into the AC" which I thought was rather daring!

I can't say I haven't tried it in the past. And once, i believe LAX, i actually got them to assist me. But lately when I expect to fly enough to earn even plat, i get the AC membership. It makes mileage running weekends that much nicer.

I was an AC member in the past but since I was flying almost 90% international as an EXP, it was a bit useless to me. I ended up dropping the membership.

The prices in the last year for international trips on AA have been higher than they were previously so I have been flying more domestic. When they offered the recent discount I took them up on the offer and got a membership again. I've used it 6 times this month, so I think by December I'll have gotten my money's worth.

Quite frankly, in addition to systemwide upgrades, the EXP "desk" is one of the best parts of the program, one of the best reasons to MR for it if you're a few k shy, etc.

Indeed, many of the clubs have a local/specialty complimentary beer option. In the ORD H/K club it's draft Sapporo, while in the ORD G club it's bottles of Old Style

Wow. Talk about a difference. My sincerest apologies to any Cubs fans, but Old Style? Wow.... I'd rather work a day job with my desk in a tear gassed room than drink that ever again.

But thanks for the heads up on Sapporo at ORD. Next time through (or might route on purpose) I will check it out.

We can thank JAL for moving departures to T3 for the presence of the complimentary Sapporo beer on tap.

I could use one of those this morning.

Hi All...just got a phone call from one of my sisters... Her husband (a Master Chief in the Navy) has been in Japan for the past couple of weeks. Through some unclear screw up his ticket for his flight back to LAX (FUK-ICN-LAX) was cancelled this morning...I think it was just supposed to be a change, but someone somewhere messed something up.

Anyhow, he's now on JL FUK-NRT (737) and then AA NRT-LAX (777). I immediately told my sister to have him ask for 20 AB/HJ for the LAX flight when he gets to the airport. THEN she argues with me since he's in a window seat...um, sis, I was JUST sat in 20A for about 19 hours over the weekend....duh...

Siblings can be fun.

They have not flown AA in a long time. My sister is a Gold on DL and only flies leisure travel (to see me), so she does not really deviate. My brother in law gets whatever carrier the military gives him.

It depends on where your sister lives, because if that is all her travel, then BA might actually be worth it for her.

After I did my challenge on AA last year, she thought about OW, but she does not want to go through the pain of doing a challenge. She also does not like the fact you have to be OW Sapphire to get seat assignments.

She's also had OpUps on numerous TATL flights on DL...about 25% of her flights in the past 18 months...

On an international 777 3 class plane, when you upgrade from a discount Y fare to J with an SWU can you upgrade J to F with an upgrade (miles+cash) award?

The awards chart makes me think 'no' however a posting I read on the points guy blog suggests otherwise. Wondering if anyone's done so.

You cannot. The GA in his story must have offered it without looking into his reservation to see he had already used a SWU to upgrade. He could have done a LFBU to F, but you cannot use miles or miles/co-pay in addition to a SWU to double upgrade.