AA Award Miles

Anyone used miles for free tickets lately ?
Seems EVERY date I want ( just picking/browsing dates for next summer )-
is 45k or 50k - nothing for 25k.

( I DID go to AA site and when I pick dates I RARELY see 25k, most days in
summer are 45k, 50k miles.)

Where I SELECT dates they pop up a calendar for Departure and one for
return - NONE on return side show 25k ( I chose several months).

"singlemalt" wrote in message
m...

"- Bobb -" wrote in message
. ..
Anyone used miles for free tickets lately ?
Seems EVERY date I want ( just picking/browsing dates for next
summer )- is 45k or 50k - nothing for 25k.

( I DID go to AA site and when I pick dates I RARELY see 25k, most days
in summer are 45k, 50k miles.)

Where I SELECT dates they pop up a calendar for Departure and one for
return - NONE on return side show 25k ( I chose several months).

That's very discouraging that you are going a year out and still can't
get a 25K seat. I have been a AA FF member for years and am afraid that
unless the travel is off peak it is going to take more miles. We just
recently booked RT from Austin to Philadelphia for latter part of Sept.
, return on Oct 11 and there was an abundance of 25K seats. I also
booked my daughter last week from Chicago to Austin in Oct. and had to
use 45K but got first class seats.

I am going to book for Europe next May or so right now.


In a somewhat related vein, do you have any knowledge of how the "bump"
situation is these days. We travelled for a year never even buying a
ticket but just by taking "bumps".

I did the same - I went fishing in FLA for 3 yrs in a row without paying.
Always overbooked - always volunteered. We always got next flight out and
never had a problem redeeming them. One year to buy the tickets was only
about $145 each so we both flew on one FF ticket ( $300 value each). BUT ,
that was prior to $4/gal gas . I currently have 55k of FF miles and
suspect that they will change to " you need 50k for a free ticket". That
's why I was looking. I haven't flown since last summer so not sure of
overbooking either.

BTW don't take a bump on US Airways. They will put the
voucher they give you on the same list as the FF'ers and it will be very
difficult to use.


I have a few that I could never use. After trying a few times online ( a
few months apart) I called USAIR to scream at them, they told me - it's
worth $300 off a regular airfare sir - you shouldn't be upset.
Really ?
Their flights are now all $300+, so it'll never happen again - I won't fly
them again.

"- Bobb -" wrote in message
. ..
Anyone used miles for free tickets lately ?
Seems EVERY date I want ( just picking/browsing dates for next summer )-
is 45k or 50k - nothing for 25k.

( I DID go to AA site and when I pick dates I RARELY see 25k, most days in
summer are 45k, 50k miles.)

Where I SELECT dates they pop up a calendar for Departure and one for
return - NONE on return side show 25k ( I chose several months).

"- Bobb -" wrote in message
. ..
Anyone used miles for free tickets lately ?
Seems EVERY date I want ( just picking/browsing dates for next summer )-
is 45k or 50k - nothing for 25k.

( I DID go to AA site and when I pick dates I RARELY see 25k, most days in
summer are 45k, 50k miles.)

Where I SELECT dates they pop up a calendar for Departure and one for
return - NONE on return side show 25k ( I chose several months).

That's very discouraging that you are going a year out and still can't get a
25K seat. I have been a AA FF member for years and am afraid that unless the
travel is off peak it is going to take more miles. We just recently booked
RT from Austin to Philadelphia for latter part of Sept. , return on Oct 11
and there was an abundance of 25K seats. I also booked my daughter last week
from Chicago to Austin in Oct. and had to use 45K but got first class seats.

I am going to book for Europe next May or so right now.


In a somewhat related vein, do you have any knowledge of how the "bump"
situation is these days. We travelled for a year never even buying a ticket
but just by taking "bumps". BTY don't take a bump on US Airways. They will
put the voucher they give you on the same list as the FF'ers and it will be
very difficult to use.

In message "- Bobb -"
wrote:

Anyone used miles for free tickets lately ?
Seems EVERY date I want ( just picking/browsing dates for next summer )-
is 45k or 50k - nothing for 25k.

( I DID go to AA site and when I pick dates I RARELY see 25k, most days in
summer are 45k, 50k miles.)

Where I SELECT dates they pop up a calendar for Departure and one for
return - NONE on return side show 25k ( I chose several months).


I lucked out and grabbed a 25K round trip YYC/DFW just over a year ago,
I was only booking about 6 weeks out.

Beyond that, I've been less lucky.

"singlemalt" wrote in message
m...

"- Bobb -" wrote in message
. ..
Anyone used miles for free tickets lately ?
Seems EVERY date I want ( just picking/browsing dates for next
summer )- is 45k or 50k - nothing for 25k.
snip
In a somewhat related vein, do you have any knowledge of how the "bump"
situation is these days. We travelled for a year never even buying a
ticket but just by taking "bumps". BTY don't take a bump on US Airways.
They will put the voucher they give you on the same list as the FF'ers
and it will be very difficult to use.

NOW you tell me !
I got one last year - could never use it. I called cust service and
screamed at them a few times. She calmly said - " it IS good for $300 off
any ticket. " Yes that's true but the "retail price" of 'wherever I want
to go' is always $400+ . I'm not gonna pay $100+ to just 'go somewhere'
whereas with a "free ticket" I WOULD go some place I haven't been - just
to check it out.
That USAIR voucher is on my nightstand - I use it as a coaster and told
them I'd never fly USAir.
( It was America West [pre-merger] when I bought the ticket. They flew
non-stop from my area to Vegas and I could always use a "free trip" to
Vegas - which is why I took the bump).

"- Bobb -" wrote in message
...

"singlemalt" wrote in message
m...

"- Bobb -" wrote in message
. ..
Anyone used miles for free tickets lately ?
Seems EVERY date I want ( just picking/browsing dates for next
summer )- is 45k or 50k - nothing for 25k.

( I DID go to AA site and when I pick dates I RARELY see 25k, most
days in summer are 45k, 50k miles.)

Where I SELECT dates they pop up a calendar for Departure and one for
return - NONE on return side show 25k ( I chose several months).

That's very discouraging that you are going a year out and still can't
get a 25K seat. I have been a AA FF member for years and am afraid that
unless the travel is off peak it is going to take more miles. We just
recently booked RT from Austin to Philadelphia for latter part of Sept.
, return on Oct 11 and there was an abundance of 25K seats. I also
booked my daughter last week from Chicago to Austin in Oct. and had to
use 45K but got first class seats.

I am going to book for Europe next May or so right now.



I have a few that I could never use. After trying a few times online ( a
few months apart) I called USAIR to scream at them, they told me - it's
worth $300 off a regular airfare sir - you shouldn't be upset.
Really ?
Their flights are now all $300+, so it'll never happen again - I won't
fly them again.


I checked again and that scream you heard was me :
No miles - they EXPIRED !
I know it's my fault for not noticing the fine print - but furious
anyways. ( after 18 months of no trips - not a FF so lose miles .)

The past few years I've driven to FLA rather than my normal AA flights to
Miami - saving them for a "good trip".