American Airlines Drops Close-In Booking Fees! by Sam Helmy February 15, 2020 39 American Airlines has dropped its $75 close-in booking fee for awards ticketed less than 21 days from the date of travel. At this point, this seems to be a genuinely positive change, without any obvious downside. Still, the lack of fanfare from American's PR team leaves us wondering if the other shoe is still waiting to drop.
Partner Awards in Premium Economy Now Bookable with American Miles by Ross Denkin November 1, 2019 60 American frequent flyers can now use AAdvantage miles to book premium-economy awards with partner airlines. This is excellent news which gives travelers the option to fly in more comfort without the huge cost increase of business or first-class travel. At the moment, the rollout is limited to British Airways flights, but we're optimistic we'll see other partners come online soon.
Cathay Pacific Awards Now Bookable Online with American Miles by Sam Helmy September 26, 2019 68 American Airlines has added the ability to book Cathay Pacific partner awards on AA.com. This is the third major partner added to American's online search in the past few months, making it one of the best search tools for Oneword availability. Although this is great news for most, those who have been quietly booking Cathay tickets by phone will now have far more competition for these awards.
You Can Now Book Etihad and JAL Awards on the AA Website by Sam Helmy July 23, 2019 40 American Airlines has added the ability to book awards with Etihad Airways and Japan Airlines to its online booking system. While this improvement will make it far easier to book international travel without a phone call, it will also make these awards more accessible to millions of frequent flyers, meaning more demand for a small and finite number of award seats.
You Can Now Book AA Premium Economy Awards Online by Sam Helmy April 30, 2019 64 American Airlines has quietly introduced the ability to book premium-economy awards online. Currently, only AA operated flights are eligible, and you need to use a special page on the AA website to search for availability.
American Airlines Ending 10% Mileage Rebate for Card Holders by Sam Helmy April 16, 2019 81 On May 1, 2019, American Airlines is ending a benefit offering a ten percent rebate on miles redeemed for holders of the AA co-branded credit cards. The change affects cardholders of the AA Platinum Select, Aviator Red, and Barclays Aviator Silver rewards cards.
How to Avoid Close-in Booking Fees on American & United by Jess Farley June 19, 2018 43 Last minute award booking fees are a penalty assessed by airlines, purely because they can. That said, there are some strategies to avoid these with a little bit of thinking outside the box.
