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American Airlines remains one of the largest U.S.-based airlines, with over 350 destinations worldwide. It is also part of the massive Oneworld Alliance, expanding its reach to over 900 destinations on 15 airlines. AAdvantage® members can use American miles to book award flights on both AA and partner flights. Both can provide excellent value.
Although American award flights are priced dynamically, partner award flights still price according to a fixed chart. In this article, we will discuss booking award flights through the AAdvantage program and how to redeem your miles for the best value.
Page Contents
How American Airlines Prices Awards
In 2023, American Airlines ditched its award chart in favor of dynamic pricing. While partner award charts remained fixed, members wanting to redeem miles on American Airlines must refer to a chart listing only the “starting at” price for region-based travel.
The number of miles needed to book an AA flight ultimately depends on the demand. Here is the published chart, but again, these prices are “starting at” amounts:
American Airlines Award Chart
| Region: | Main Cabin starting at: | Premium Economy starting at: | Business / First starting at: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contiguous 48 U.S. states + Canada | 7,500 | - | 15,000 |
| Mexico + Caribbean + Central America | 10,000 | - | 20,000 |
| South America – Short Haul | 15,000 | - | 30,000 |
| Alaska + Hawaii | 20,000 | 40,000 | 60,000 |
| Europe | 25,000 | 50,000 | 75,000 |
| South America – Long Haul | 30,000 | 60,000 | 90,000 |
| Asia + Middle East + South Pacific | 35,000 | 60,000 | 95,000 |
How often these seats are available at the lowest price depends on the route, the time of year, and the demand. For example, this search for a flight from Houston (IAH) to Washington D.C. (DCA) returned results ranging from 9,000 miles to over 24,000 miles for one way in economy.
According to the chart, this route starts at 7,500 miles. Sometimes, you'll find that rate. Sometimes, it's far higher or, actually, far lower.
Finding the Best AA Deals
If you have flexibility in your travels or aren't sure where to go, you can use the AA Miles Finder Map tool to search for where you can fly with fewer miles. You can search by dates, region, or even travel interest, which includes options such as “beaches” and “ancient ruins” in addition to “cruise ports” and “theme parks.” It also lets you select your miles budget and class of service.
Related: The Best American Airlines AAdvantage Sweet Spots
American Airlines Partner Award Chart
A major advantage of airline partnerships and alliances is that you can usually book awards using the miles or points of either airline program. This can result in significant savings if you take advantage of sweet spots in the award redemption charts.
American's AAdvantage program uses a region-based award chart to determine award prices for travel on its partner airlines. This includes travel on both Oneworld and non-alliance partners. For travelers flying from the 48 Contiguous U.S. and Canada, the cost of a flight on one of these partner airlines is based on this fixed chart:
American Partner Award Chart - From Lower 48 States & Canada
| To: | Main Cabin - Off Peak | Main Cabin | Premium Economy | Business / First | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contiguous 48 U.S. states & Canada | - | 12,500 | 22,500 | 25,000 | 50,000 |
| Alaska | - | 15,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 55,000 |
| Hawaii | - | 22,500 | 50,000 | 55,000 | 80,000 |
| Caribbean | - | 17,500 | - | 27,500 | 52,500 |
| Mexico | - | 17,500 | - | 27,500 | 52,500 |
| Central America | - | 17,500 | - | 27,500 | 52,500 |
| South America Region 1 | - | 20,000 | - | 30,000 | 55,000 |
| South America Region 2 | - | 20,000 | 40,000 | 57,500 | 85,000 |
| Europe | 22,500 | 30,000 | 40,000 | 57,500 | 85,000 |
| Middle East | - | 40,000 | 62,500 | 70,000 | 115,000 |
| Indian Subcontinent | - | 40,000 | 62,500 | 70,000 | 115,000 |
| Africa | - | 40,000 | 65,000 | 75,000 | 120,000 |
| Asia Region 1 | - | 35,000 | 50,000 | 60,000 | 80,000 |
| Asia Region 2 | - | 37,500 | 50,000 | 70,000 | 110,000 |
| South Pacific | - | 40,000 | 65,000 | 80,000 | 110,000 |
There are some incredibly valuable redemptions available here. We've written about the best uses of American Airlines miles, which include booking the coveted Qatar Airlines Qsuites to Doha for just 70,000 AAdvantage Miles. Though, it's worth noting these awards are becoming increasingly hard to find via AAdvantage.
You can also get excellent value by booking a business class seat from the U.S. to Europe for just 57,500 AA miles. This example shows a flight from Dallas to Madrid on Finnair:
Be careful to avoid booking on British Airways, as the massive fees and surcharges can negate the value you get from your miles. Notice in this example that Finnair is only charging $12.60 in fees. Generally, British Airways awards carry several hundred dollars in fees for itineraries to and from Europe.
Partner award chart exception
Like any rule, there's always an exception. One American Airlines partner doesn't wholly abide by a fixed award chart: Fiji Airways. AAdvantage awards on this carrier have a “starting at” price, but are priced dynamically.
Fiji Airways is in the process of adopting AAdvantage as its own frequent flyer program, so that's why awards on the airline vary as the wind blows. To showcase this, here's a snapshot of Fiji Airways business class awards from San Francisco (SFO) to Nadi (NAN) in March 2025:
How To Book Award Travel on American Airlines
Do you have a nice stash of AAdvantage miles, and are you ready to book your award ticket? Here's how to do it in three simple steps. (If you don't yet have a stockpile of miles, check out our post on how to earn tons of AA miles.)
Step one: Log in
To begin your booking with AAdvantage miles, log into your AA account. Click on your account, and your miles and Loyalty Points will be displayed.
Step two: Search for flights
Search for your flight by entering your travel information, including departure and arrival information, dates, and whether it is a one-way or round-trip booking. Then check the box marked “Redeem miles.” Finally, click “Search.”
Step three: Find an itinerary and book
The search results will include a week of results along the top of the page, as well as an easy-to-use calendar option. Click this to view a month at a time of award flight prices. This can be super helpful when looking for redemption deals if you have flexibility in your travel.
Always be sure to check the fees on partner awards, as some airlines can be very high. When you are satisfied, choose your flight and book it!
If you are looking to book a flight on American Airlines but don't have enough AAdvantage miles, remember that since AA is part of Oneworld, you can also book AA flights with partner currencies, some of which are transferrable from various flexible points programs.
Related: American Airlines Award Travel Rules: A Complete Guide
Final Thoughts
American Airlines has two different award charts: one for AA flights and another for partner airlines. Since American Airlines award flights are priced dynamically, the award chart is really just a list of the minimum miles you will spend on each route.
Some American Airlines awards, such as short-haul domestic flights, can be a good deal if you can find awards at the “starting at” rate. Other times, especially during peak travel times, the points required for a flight are way too high to be valuable. However, since partner awards are based on a fixed chart, there are opportunities for getting a great deal, particularly when you want to fly business or first class on international routes.
Whether you use your miles to fly domestically or internationally, in economy or business class, American Airlines AAdvantage miles have plenty of value and can unlock rewarding travel experiences around the world.
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