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As we dream of starting to travel again, the AwardWallet team started looking around for premium cabin deals. And we were blown away by what we found. Every American Airlines international first-class route that we checked is currently offering excellent Web Special pricing.
You can jet off to Tokyo, Hong Kong, London, São Paulo, and more in AA's best-available product for as little as 55,000 AAdvantage miles each way. Among the options is the opportunity to fly both of AA's Flagship First products on one itinerary—including two visits to Flagship First Dining—for only 62k AAdvantage miles!
While most people probably aren't planning to travel anytime soon, these fares could be the perfect opportunity to re-launch your travel in style with availability stretching into 2021.
Web Specials
In late 2018, American Airlines launched AAdvantage ‘Economy Web Specials'—its first foray into dynamic award pricing. It was originally only for economy-class redemptions, but it's since been expanded to business and first-class Web Specials as well.
Compared to AA's classic MileSAAver and AAnytime awards, AAdvantage Web Specials offer cheaper award pricing in exchange for more restrictions on changes and cancellations.
AA is waiving award reinstatement and change fees for awards booked by May 31, 2020. However, this is only for travel through September 30, 2020. For awards booked after June 1, 2020, all award redemptions—including Web Specials—can be canceled and redeposited for free up to 60 days before flying.
That leaves a gap; awards booked prior to May 31st with a travel date after September 30th are still subject to the standard $150 award redeposit fee for changes and cancellations.
How to Find These Awards
First-class Web Specials are limited to routes that AA operates a true first-class product. Under normal circumstances, these routes include flights between:
- Dallas (DFW) – Tokyo Haneda (HND) (now scheduled to start operating October 24, 2020)
- Los Angeles (LAX) and Dallas (DFW) – Hong Kong (HKG)
- Miami (MIA), New York (JFK), and Dallas (DFW) – São Paulo (GRU)
- Dallas (DFW), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) – London (LHR)
- Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) – New York (JFK)
We're seeing discounted first-class availability on virtually all of these routes sporadically through March 2021. However, there is a trick to finding them:
- You need to search using the new search engine available on AA's homepage. The old search engine—which is still available by clicking the ‘Flights' tab at the top of AA's homepage—will only display Economy Web Specials.
- Thanks to American's married-segment logic, you'll have to book a connecting flight. You can't fly any of these itineraries non-stop at these excellent rates. For example, you won't find any appealing first-class Web Specials when searching DFW–HND, but you'll find almost wide-open availability if you originate somewhere else and connect through DFW to that same flight.
Jacksonville (JAX) – Tokyo (HND)
- First-Class: 55,000 miles one-way
- Business-Class: 45,000 miles one-way
- Premium Economy: 30,000 miles one-way
- Economy: 20,000 miles one-way
Nashville (BNA) – Hong Kong (HKG)
- First-Class: 61,000 miles one-way
- Business-Class: 50,000 miles one-way
- Premium Economy: 33,000 miles one-way
- Economy: 22,000 miles one-way
Indianapolis (IND) – São Paulo (GRU)
- First-Class: 55,000 miles one-way
- Business-Class: 44,000 miles one-way
- Premium Economy: 28,000 miles one-way
- Economy: 17,000 miles one-way
Los Angeles (LAX) – London (LHR)
A few dates per month have availability flying both Flagship First products—AA's unique three-class transcontinental A321T and its flagship 777-300ER—in a single itinerary for only 62k miles! These trips include two visits to AA Flagship First Dining: once in LAX and once in JFK.
- First-Class: 62,000 miles one-way
- Business-Class: 50,000 miles one-way
- Premium Economy: 32,000 miles one-way
- Economy: 20,000 miles one-way
Los Angeles (LAX) – Seoul (ICN)
These Web Specials aren't limited to Flagship First routes. You can find excellent business-class web specials on American's other international routes, including this all-Dreamliner route from L.A. to Seoul, South Korea. The same search methods apply, including a de-facto requirement to book a stop.
- Business-Class: 45,000 miles one-way
- Premium Economy: 30,000 miles one-way
- Economy: 20,000 miles one-way
Earning AA Miles Without Flying
If you need to rebuild your AAdvantage balance after a redemption like this, there are a couple of AA co-branded credit cards currently offering lucrative sign-up bonuses to help get you there.
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® currently offers a 60,000-mile sign-up bonus after $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Also, the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® is currently offering a 65,000-mile sign-up bonus after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening.
With these perks, it's easy to justify the annual fee of $99, waived for first 12 months.
- Free checked bags for you and up to 4 companions on domestic itineraries
- Priority boarding to help you win the race for overhead bin space
- A 25% discount on inflight food, beverage, and Wi-Fi purchases
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at restaurants
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at gas stations
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
- Free checked bags for you and up to 4 companions on domestic itineraries
- Priority boarding to help you win the race for overhead bin space
- A 25% discount on inflight food, beverage, and Wi-Fi purchases
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on cable and satellite providers
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at gas stations
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on select telecommunications merchants
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on car rentals
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
AA's first-class MileSAAver award rates on Flagship First routes start at 85,000 miles each way. So, before Web Special pricing, these sign-up bonuses wouldn't earn you enough miles for an international first-class award. But with these excellent Web Special deals, you can fly further—or more luxuriously—than before.
Final Thoughts
These are only a sample of the Web Specials available. If you're looking for a different origin city, it's definitely worth taking a look. Chances are good that there will be some availability.
Additionally, you may have noticed that all of the above examples are for late 2020 and early 2021. While we're hopeful that we'll be able to travel again by the end of the year, it's not guaranteed. With this in mind, we are focusing on these far-out dates when booking these awards ourselves. That way it'd be easy to monitor the developing situation, and still have plenty of time to cancel if things don't improve.
Between awarding loyalty members 10x miles for donating to the American Red Cross, extending elite status, and increasing baggage fees amid COVID-19, American Airlines has been in the news a lot lately. Thankfully, this deal is something we can all appreciate.
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No one would be excited by the idea of traveling to Hong Kong this summer because of the draconian quarantine requirements, even in first class.
Wow, those are amazing deals. It is just a shame there isn’t an AA points earning credit card in Europe. The only option is to earn hotel points via a credit card and convert them at a poor rate, although at these prices even that looks attractive.
Seems like a good deal however the airline flight attendants are urging people not to book leisure travel right now.. Should I stay or should I go?????
We can pretty much write 2020 off. Unfortunately.
I’ve seen very good offers from Europe to US.
The only problem is the COVID 19 at this point.
Understandly, many people will not be traveling this summer. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the refund policy soon.
wow, this is truly an incredible deal. Tokyo in March 2021 sounds amazing right now. Will definitely try to book one of those. Thanks so much for sharing this.
That good! I am so anxious to fly again, we are already tired of the quarantine in Argentina! Hopefully we can pass the virus in the best possible way to keep flying! Cheers
Hopefully these are still here 6/1.
I was intrigued at first, but there are too many holes and caveats for me to take a chance, speculatively. I’m just hoping things will improve so that I can take the trips I’ve already booked. Thanks for breaking down the offer though.
Nice to see these – close to the levels of the regular AAwards from few years ago…
Would be nice if they would also apply to the partner airlines, not just AA.
I can’t seem to find the special rate for JFK-LAX.
Could they be all gone already?
Wow! Those ARE pretty amazing redemptions! To reduce confusion, do you think they will eventually do away with the old booking tab, and just go 100% with the new one?
If a booking is made for, say December 2020, would it be easy to change the date of the flight nearer the time?
Why can you not book just the nonstop route? That’s weird.
International travel will take much longer than domestic to get back to where it was.
These are attractive prices, but I think booking for Christmas-time is still a bit iffy.
AA should review its fee waiver scheme again.
After just having cancelled a trip for later this year, not sure if I’m ready to book again. But this is a great deal!
Yes, Delta has the same married-segment headache when it comes to the awards.
These are definitely enticing. Wish there was no corona virus so I can take advantage of these web specials. I definitely want to try first class at least once.
60 thousand points is nothing to sneeze at. I think we may see even more lucrative deals emerge as the panic over the wuhan virus dissipates. Stay tuned!
You don’t tell us how to get to the new web special page for first class and I can’t find it?
You need to head back up. There’s a dedicated section entitled “How to Find These Awards” with clear steps.