Miles or cash?

[Annie H.]

Because I waited too long to book my flight for the PHX DO I'm in a situation where my flight from STS to PHX on AA is $340. I've explored all my alternative flight options and have decided I want this flight from my home airport. (I've booked my return PHX to SFO w/Avios and will bus it back to STS). There are no flights out of STS using Avios.

I always read one shouldn't use miles for domestic and in this case they want 25K for coach. Should I book miles or $$$? (If it makes any difference I'm hoarding 250K AA miles for European lights next year.) Flight is on hold until end of day.

 

[skuldyie]

Are you planning on flying out on Nov 7? I'm actually finding flights for $241 from STS to PHX on a mix of Alaska/US which should be creditable to AA. Are you tied to using AA as a carrier or looking for some specific flight time? I guess it depends where you decide you want to redeem for cents/mile on award flights.

 

[Annie H.]

Are you planning on flying out on Nov 7? I'm actually finding flights for $241 from STS to PHX on a mix of Alaska/US which should be creditable to AA. Are you tied to using AA as a carrier or looking for some specific flight time? I guess it depends where you decide you want to redeem for cents/mile on award flights.

Thanks for looking. Yep, I'm tied to a specific flight, the early AM one because it's kind of the shortest. 1P to 9:33 P total time is not my idea of fun. I looked at a flight with only a 1 hr layover in LA w/terminal switch and decided I didn't want to stress myself out over that so chose a slightly more expensive flight with a 2 hr. layover in LA

Plus they're really sticklers at STS/Alaska about baggage fees and if you don't have Alaska status, which I don't, they charge regardless of CC so I want to book w/AA where I do have free baggage. Even though I'll probably have a carryon I don't want to wrangle it through LAX, I'm being really lazy. Sheesh, I see my flight is now up to $420, yikes better decide.

 

[Jennifer]

Can you afford the ticket? How hard would it be to replace those 25K AA miles?

If the price is going up and you decide to redeem, your value/miles is going up, too.

 

[Annie H.]

Can you afford the ticket? How hard would it be to replace those 25K AA miles?

If the price is going up and you decide to redeem, your value/miles is going up, too.

Thanks, I can afford the ticket--or at least I could yesterday but replacing those 25K miles is starting to sound a lot easier than dithering about it!

 

[Jennifer]

Who says not to redeem miles for domestic flights? If a domestic flight is what you need, use the miles. I don't see the point in hoarding.

 

[Annie H.]

Forgive me in advance for "bitching." It just took me 35 minutes to book this flight, arghhh. First I tried to do it online--AA- and got a "technical difficulties" message for 10 minutes. Then I called in and talked to three separate agents. First I had to get an "authorization not to charge telephone fee." That took forever. Then they decided I needed to be switched to someone else to change it from $$$ to award miles. That person said I was at the wrong department and switched me to someone else. The third person tried to convince me to fly out of SFO because it was "cheaper" and found an award ticket (without me asking) out of SFO with two stops. Finally she said, "no award flights out of STS on that day." ( I'm beginning to think there are very few award flights out of STS, period.)

So I hung up, tried to book online and after five more minutes finally got my reservation up and booked the f*&%*r (note to @Matt, hope I didn't set off your naughty word alert). I know I saw 25K yesterday.

Joe Btfsplk rides again. Thank goodness I'm not in the bad mood I was in yesterday.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Btfsplk

PS--Thanks for your help, Jennifer, seriously--it's what kept me smiling not losing it through this.

 

[KennyBSAT]

If anything like that ever happens again during online booking, start with Twitter. They will get you directly to web support who will book it or xfer you to award booking with the fee already waived.

 

[Annie H.]

Thanks for the reminder, Kenny. I do know the power of Twitter and I just forgot. Maybe it was because Twitter didn't work for me with Kimpton! I have had success the only two times I tried with BA getting the fee waived and I had no idea it was going to be a 10 minute process and involved filling out a record locator!