Act Fast: Great Reward Rates and Availability for American Airlines Flagship Business and Transcontinental First
With flatbed seats, enhanced comfort, and access to a First Class lounge, American Airlines’ Airbus A321T Leading enterprises and First flagship are some of the most sought after domestic chairs. In spite of Flagship First will be shutting down at some point next year, American has widely released its discounted rewards space for the next two months, allowing you to book these seats for 25,000 and 37,500 miles in business and first class, respectively. This news was first reported by View from the Wing.
American Airlines A321Ts can be found on the following non-stop routes:
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), John Wayne Airport (SNA) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to LAX.
Agree
Airlines: American Airlines.
Route: JFK-LAX/SNA/SFO and BOS-LAX.
Cost: From 25,000 won Convenient miles plus $5.60 in taxes and one-way fees in business class and 37,500 Convenient miles plus $5.60 in first class.
Day: January to March.
Pay taxes and fees with: Platinum Card® from American Express (5 points per dollar on airfares booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel, for up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), Chase Sapphire Reserve (3 points per dollar for travel) or Chase Sapphire Priority Card (2 points per dollar in travel) for protection when traveling on reward flights.
sample journey
Here’s a look at the awards space. To ensure that you are viewing the Flagship A321T, make sure that “Flight only” is selected when conducting an award search; however, AA will show Alaska Airlines direct flights, without flatbeds, on the calendar view. In the next screenshots, there are at least two blanks.
Los Angeles/Orange County to New York
New York to Los Angeles/Orange County
San Francisco to New York
New York to San Francisco
Los Angeles to Boston
Boston to Los Angeles
Related: Your Ultimate Guide to American Airlines AAdvantage
Don’t Forget Orange County
Amazingly, we found the lowest reward rates on American routes between SNA and JFK. Here’s an example from January 18.
Related: American introduces new business class fares that include first class perks
Note about Flagship First
Our tests show that Flagship First rewards rates start at 37,500 AAdvantage miles between SNA and JFK. However, if you’re looking to travel in Flagship First on any of these routes at a lower price, consider booking with Etihad guests. As long as you find the Z fare seat (we recommend ExpertFlyerowned by TPG’s parent company Red Ventures, to check out the bonus space), you can book a Flagship First transcontinental flight for 25,000 Etihad Guest miles and around $50 in taxes and fees.
Note that Etihad Guest does not allow bookings of American Airlines tickets on its website, so you will need to call Etihad Guest at 877-690-0767 to book an AA award ticket over the phone. Additionally, Etihad Guest requires all American Airlines award tickets to be issued within 24 hours of departure, so beware of last-minute bookings.
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You can transfer American Express Members Rewards Points, Capital One mile and Citi ThankYou Bonus Pointsin front of Etihad Guest with the ratio 1:1. In our tests, these conversions were instantaneous.
Related: Etihad Guest miles continue to fly under the radar
bottom line
American Airlines typically charges more than $700 and $1,000 for one-way premium intercontinental A321T flights in business and first class, respectively. Thus, by booking one of the bonus flights under 30,000 miles, you will get about 3 cents per mile, almost double TPG’s valuation.
For JFK travelers (if JFK is your origin, destination or connection), Business Class passengers can access Greenwich Loungewhile Flagship First makes you classy Soho and Chelsea Lounge.
