American And USAirways Cross-Promotion Flight Bonus

Rhonda is right, you can’t find US Air flights on the AA website or the US Air flights on the AA website. In addition, when you call the airlines direct, they have never heard of the promotion code.

I meant you can’t find the US Air flights on AA or AA flights on US Air. Additionally, the AA website doesn’t take the promotion code and there are slights differences in the terms and conditions between the two airlines. AA website says you have to fly US Airways. US Airways just says they will give the bonus for AA flights, even previously booked or later booked as long as you register by the deadline.

Additionally, you should understand that the miles and bonus on are US Airways; not AA so you need to input your US Airways Dividend Miles number.

It took only 2 hours on the phone to book a flight with this bonus because the websites cannot handle the transaction.

Actually you can book it at a travel agency or call in as well as (theoretically) their websites. However, if you call and try to book thru the AA phone number they tell you you are not eligible for the bonus (once they find it.) Actually they are correct if you read the terms and conditions. If you book it at AA.com (impossible) or call AA, the terms and conditions say the bonus eligible flights are only on US Air, US Air Express, etc. BUT not AA flights. However, if you can book AA thru US Air (again impossible on their website) you get the bonus on US Air.

You will have to spend considerable time on the phone getting both AA and US Air reservation agents to look up the code and then even more time trying to get them to find the other airline’s flight schedules; I went thru 4 US Air agents before they could book a flight on AA. We’ll see in a few months whether the bonus posts.

Sorry Dan but I spent over 2 hours attempting to do so. I couldn’t find AA flights on US Air website or vice versa. The 2 AA agents said they were there but then couldn’t find them either. The 4 agents at US Air also couldn’t find AA’s fares on US Air’s site. The AA agents said they couldn’t go to US Air’s website but US Airways’ agents didn’t have that problem with AA’s website and ultimately booked the flight I wanted on AA.

Advise to Rhonda. Look up the specific flight you want before you call. Also since you said you want to fly AA, check their Business Class fares. My ultimate flight was $566 one way business class Orange County, CA to St. Lucia; only $110 more than AA coach and $150 less than US Air’s cheapest coach fare.

Below is the language from the offer (code AAUSM) quoted by the AA agent when I attempted to use the offer by booking AA flights on AA.com. I grant you that the language is the offers is unclear but this is what was pointed out to me causing me to book AA flights thru US Airways.

Terms and Conditions
AAdvantage 50% mileage bonus offer is valid for travel on US Airways, US Airways Express and US Airways Shuttle operated flights (includes codeshare flights marketed by American Airlines) for travel systemwide from January 13, 2014, through March 2, 2014. Offer applies to travel on purchased, published fare tickets that are eligible to earn AAdvantage miles. Bonus miles do not count toward elite status qualification or AAdvantage Million Miler status. 50% bonus miles will be calculated at 50% of the base miles earned or, if applicable, the minimum mileage guarantee. Registration prior to midnight CT on March 2, 2014, is required. Travel flown prior to registration will be eligible for the bonus. Bonus miles will be awarded within 3-4 weeks after the promotion period has ended.

I agree with you sorta. However, I am only passing on what I was told when I attempted to sign up for a flight with the bonus and the language I sent was copied directly out of AA’s promotion terms. It states that the flight must be on US Air. One of the inconsistencies in the promotion is the statement that previously booked flights will receive the bonus. If so, how? A previously booked flight utilizing aa.com on AA would not include US Air’s Dividend Miles number.

Discretion is the better part of valor and if they are going to require that I use US Air to book an AA ticket (which they did) I’ll do it. I almost gave up due to the overall procedure

Please note that no one else in this string has commented that they have been able to book this bonus. So far I am the only one who has and it took hours on the phone and websites. Perhaps at least one airline will get their act together in the near future and allow you to book each other’s flights but at this point it is impossible. Also, as I said the promotions are not really complementary when you look at the language of the 2 offers.

But again, if you can work around the language of the offers, then do it however you can. Once the 2 programs merge it’s all AA miles.