How to determine the best flights to maximize miles flown per dollar spent on American Airlines?
I am trying to attain Executive Platinum status, which requires flying 100K miles per year. I am willing to pay for flights just to get mileage but I want to determine the most efficient way to do this. My best airport is Miami but Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm are OK too. Are there web sites that offer tools to figure this out?
The website linked below is one that I use to find cheap flights sorted by carrier. It’s set for MIA, but you can easily change the airport to MCO, PBI, FLL (or any airport, for that matter). Once you have found a good fare, then it largely becomes trial and error in finding an acceptable routing that will work under that fare.
Adding in extra segments always helps due to the 500-mile minimum on all flights. If you’re flying MIA-SEA, for example, you may be able to fly MIA-DFW-ORD-SEA for the same price as just flying MIA-ORD-SEA and get some extra miles that way.
Websites such as http://www.travelingbetter.com have sections devoted to "mileage runs" — you can always go there, register, and ask questions to people regarding how to optimize what fares you find.
(Incidentally, the second answer to this question is giving poor advice, to the extent that American does not offer a status challenge for Executive Platinum.)
flash_flotsam
9 Oct 10 at 1:04 am
1st: You can run a AAdvantage Challege
see:
http://members.shaw.ca/fewmiles/AA/recht/challenge.html
2nd: You can book several MR (miles run)
3rd: You can book your usual flights with several stops to add miles
4th: Go to FlyerTalk (miles ^ points) and get a load of information on the subject. It is fun, but it takes time!
http://www.flyertalk.com/
In the meantime a TO/FROM tool to start:
http://search.travel.yahoo.com/bin/search/bfsearch?z=1&intl=us&oc=MIA&s=p
Enjoy!
CARLOS O
9 Oct 10 at 1:04 am
That is quite a bit of flying per a year. What are the advantages with the executive platinum status?
Sarah Long
22 Nov 10 at 7:27 pm
Particularly I don’t know and not hear about such web sites. Better you confirm it by the airline.
aiden from airline tickets
7 Dec 10 at 2:04 am
Maybe you can check from the airports you have been mention for it will tell the most relevant information you needed most.
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John Greer
25 Jun 11 at 8:06 am