AA FF miles ELP to ANC June 2016

Starting to track AA FF miles for ELP to ANC for next June and return from YVR. Would you expect the current required FF to drop over time? or is it highly variable? I expect to pay in one direction.

Thanks

Would you expect the current required FF to drop over time? or is it highly variable? I expect to pay in one direction.

Thanks

There are two tiers of AA mileage awards, "MileSAAver" and "AAnytime," and the award requirements for both are fixed year-round. "SAAver" seats require 12,500 miles one way in coach, "AAnytime seats" 40,000 miles. (SAAver first class is 25,000 one way, by the way.) Unlike other airlines like Delta, AA doesn't (yet) have sliding scales for mileage seats where the requirements shift (usually in just one direction :( )

AA has not materially changed its mileage redemption requirements since the merger with US Airways, and many people (myself included) are thinking they might increase the mileage requirements sometime in the next 12 months, so if I were you I'd book something sooner rather than later. Of course you can't book anything until 330 days out, so mark your calendar. (Which is not to say all award seats open on D-330; they become available on a continuous basis depending on how the flight is doing in conventional sales.)

AA miles (at the SAAver level) can be used on Alaska Airlines flights as well as AA or US flights; not the case on AAnytime awards.

@Gardyloo Thanks so much-- I have been thinking the same thing about when to book. There is a quite cheap flight on US Airways via PHX that I'm also expecting to increase.

gardyloo, actually AA has started using multi-tiered levels for award redemptions. For example, for a flight to SJO in a few weeks, the saver award were 17.5k. 37.5k, or 65k depending on the date I wanted to fly. I would expect more situations like this to happen in the future.

gardyloo, actually AA has started using multi-tiered levels for award redemptions. For example, for a flight to SJO in a few weeks, the saver award were 17.5k. 37.5k, or 65k depending on the date I wanted to fly. I would expect more situations like this to happen in the future.

You're right, they've added some tiers for AAnytime awards that are date-based, and there's been "peak" and "off-peak" pricing on some destinations (Europe, Central and South America, Hawaii) for quite a long time. But there still aren't saver tiers for wholly domestic trips that don't include Hawaii. https://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/redeemMiles/american-airlines-award-chart.jsp

I think we will be better off using miles on the return flight from YVR. The flights available with FF miles ELP to ANC are not the most ideal! The best prices, with reasonable timing, at the moment seem to be via PHX and SEA booked through American but on US Air and Alaska Airlines.

I think we will be better off using miles on the return flight from YVR. The flights available with FF miles ELP to ANC are not the most ideal! The best prices, with reasonable timing, at the moment seem to be via PHX and SEA booked through American but on US Air and Alaska Airlines.

Yep, and in coach the DFW-ANC nonstop is a bear; the longest all-domestic route in the AA system. We used to call the 757s that AA uses on that route "SlAAveShips." If there ever was a time to use miles for an upgrade, or just purchasing a FC ticket, that's the one.