Reward Travel Academy: How to Book Free Stopovers on American Airlines with AAdvantage Miles

Last week I wrote a post abut flying to South America for only 15,000 AAdvantage miles more than a MileSAAver economy reward flight costs. That is possible because of the power of American Airlines flex one-way stopover rule aka the North American Gateway City rule.

This rule is widely known across the reward travel community as the rule of North American Gateway City. It is often used as a way to crank up the value on your AAdvantage miles reward flights for international trips.

The exact rule is as follows:

You only get a free stopover on international itineraries and the free flight has to be to/from the airport you leave North America from on said international trip. When you fly from New York to Lima with a connecting flight from Miami to Lima then Miami is your North American gateway city that you have to route to/from on your free flight.

Think of it as the gatekeeper for international travel, your first point of entry in North America becomes the gateway city. Your last point of exit from North America to one of the international destinations listed above becomes the gateway city.

(Side note: The sole exception to the above stated rules applies when a flight continues to a second North American airport without changing the flight number.)

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Gazing into The Future of the AAdvantage and Dividend Miles Credit Cards

I will be using my magic crystal ball to discover what it is you can expect to see in terms of mileage credit cards from the NEW American Airlines.

It did not take long for Barclaycard, the issuer of the US Airways credit card, to send an email blast to cardholder’s reassuring them that they are still a relevant card issuer. Fresh on the heels of the merger announcement this email had the air of a desperate card issuer who knew that they may be thrown to the wasteside as a victim in the consolidation of the airline industry.

But I have to say that this email was also a smart move by Barclaycard, many times people panic about the safety of their miles when two airlines are merging and Barclaycard is doing their best to reassure people that nothing is going to change with their credit card. Of course it helps them to keep all their cardholders on as long as possible so they can leverage this asset into some type of value once they are taken to the chopping block.

For all of Barlcaycard’s reassuring words that the merger changes nothing, we all know that’s true only until one day when you wake up and everything’s changed.

US Airways will most likely be the airline to stop their co-branded credit card, the new airline will fly under the American Airlines brand, and that most likely means Adios to Barclaycard’s relationship with the NEW American Airlines.
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US Airways-American Airlines Merger Talks

Mergers, Acquisitions, Hostile Takeovers. The airline industry has all types of ways to “cut fat”.

US Airways announced this week that they secured the support of 3 American Airline worker unions.

The unions representing American Airline’s pilots, flight attendants and ground workers said they struck the deal because the plan proposed by US Airways would keep 43% of the job cuts American has said they need to make.

Looking back on the history of mergers and takeovers in the airline industry the unions are key to success. In fact US Airways said it learned from its failed hostile takeover bid of Delta Airlines in 2006 and knows they first need to “woo” people over to their side.

US Airways knows what the unions wanted to hear and served it up on a plastic platter with faux-silverware. I guess the job savings figures did their job.

The pilot unions seem to forget the lay-offs and cuts this time and again here.

The official details of the US Airways agreement with American Airline’s union groups have not been disclosed at this time.
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