calypso726
Escaping reality one Disney vacation at a time
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2006
This seems as good a place as any to ask this, since everyone here is very well-traveled or travel-educated!
Spirit Airlines just announced it is coming to my home airport. I am unfamiliar with them, but it sounds like from the comments on my local new's facebook post announcing the airline that it is very low cost, but can also be rife with delays and extra fees. Any thoughts from anyone here who has flown it? JetBlue currently has some direct flights to Orlando from our airport, but they are constantly changing and it seems like only maybe every second or third day actually offers the direct flight.
Even before travel hacking and getting spoiled by first class flights I'd avoid Spirit like the plague. I flew them several times and had one ok experience out of four. To put things in perspective, while I only pursue cabins up front, I still like Southwest and would fly them anytime with a smile if I couldn't get flights in first on another airline, same with Jet Blue. Spirit, not so much.
I have a question about American Airline credit card points. I see the current offer is 60K. Does AAAdvantage ever offer a better bonus?
I have been exclusively using Southwest points for flights for my college son to come home/get back to school because SW is so flexible. I can book months in advance without knowing his schedule and then switch flight so easily when we know his schedule.
However, AA flies out of a more convenient airport and I would like to have the option to cancel the SW flight and book AA if needed. I think my next credit card will be AA, but want to time it right if they are known to offer more points than the current 60K.
Also - from what I understand on the AA site, all domestic flights in the "saver's" category are either 7,500 or 12,500 points. Is that correct?
Thanks.
AA hostage here. Yes, that is correct. You really need to be on top of it for award availability and they have Benin releasing less saver awards than before. According to the CEO, that issue will be addressed soon and hopefully we will see more saver award space. That said, I've always managed to make AA work for us. I don't put spend on he cards either. We a̶b̶u̶s̶e̶ take Aadvantage (yes, I'm easily amused) of the shopping portal and its bonuses. If the card gives us a reasonable offer for spending then we will use it. If not, it sits in a drawer.
I have always managed to book saver awards and haven't resorted to ever booking an anytime award. The few times I couldn't get a saver award, I'd use AA gift cards purchased with the various Amex Plat cards, Citi Prestige etc. to pay for the flights, and recently used Amex MR to pay for a flight. My advice is to never wait on the RT flight opening up. Book the one way saver as soon as you see it. You can switch dates as long as departure airport and arrival airport are the same. Beware though, if you switch from an Anytime award to a saver award you'd need to pay $150 to redeposit the miles difference. A saver to anytime award change would be just the difference in miles but no fee.
I have also been looking at accumulating some more AA miles for some future international flights. Many here have said they are not always the best value but the flights work well for me.
Here is a link to their awards chart - aadvantage-program flight-award-chart
Here is a chart to check for current and recent offers - Current & Recent Credit Card Signup Bonuses
I am planning to get Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red before their current offer expires on 11/30. It is for 60,000 after first purchase for $95 AF (see the this Doc of Credit link about a possible extra 500 miles). Then possibly follow it up with a Citi card for another 60,000.
I think all but one of my international flights have been booked on BA and using AA miles about half the time. Beware that if you fly BA with AA miles and connect through London, the taxes and fees are REALLY high.