AA fees for award tickets
 

I haven't used miles to purchase tickets for about three years and I am starting to look at a trip to Europe for next spring. I ran the end of January as a test to see how things look.

A pair of economy seats brought a charge of ~$850-950!

Have the other irlines done this also, or is it worth my swithing to acumulate most of my miles with another airline in the future?

Are you looking at a BA code share? They tend to impose fuel surcharges.

BA is the only airline I am aware of that charges these very high fees (read extra profit for BA). If you have AA miles, just choose a flight that doesn't use BA. (note that there are many code-share flights with AA)

People keep using the term "codeshare" (when one airline puts its own flight number on another airline's flight) when what's really going on is simply AA using its partner, British Airways, for all or part of the route. In fact, with award tickets you'll almost never be put on a codeshare flight (for example a BA flight with an AA flight number) owing to the revenue sharing arrangements between the two airlines.

When using AA miles, the key is to avoid BA "metal," and, if possible, to avoid <i>departing</i> from the UK unless it's simply a plane change there. BA adds "operator surcharges" to its tickets, and unfortunately AA simply passes these through for mileage redemption tickets. (They used to call these "fuel surcharges" but changed the terminology when they found themselves in court with a humongous class action pending. Any way you cut it, "profit" is the actual term.) For example, a one way award from, say, JFK to LHR using AA miles will carry fees of $5.60 if using an American flight, or fees of $257 if using a BA flight.

As for the departure costs from the UK, that's a departure tax called "air passenger duty" that is waived if you transit the UK for less than 24 hours. It adds around $150 to the total on return flights originating in the UK (both airlines pass this tax through.)

Where do you want to go and from where?

Codeshares were mentioned out of habit as many of my award flights have been such and if not totally correct for AA/BA, mea culpa, I don't fly them. The essential context, however, is clear.

We are traveling from Kansas City and the ultimate destination is still to be determined. I ran flights to London, Brussels and Rome to see what options look like.

I just tried London again and selecting several different flight combinations, I keep getting:

2 Passengers Friday January 29, 2016 Saturday February 6, 2016
80,000 miles +$955.20 USD

When you get to the screen on AA.com that shows flight alternatives, uncheck the "British Airways" box. I just looked at London outbound on the 29th and found numerous alternatives with fees of $5.60 per person (mostly US Airways flights.) On the 6th I found a US Airways return itinerary from London available with fees of $368 for 2 (UK airport and departure taxes) vs. a BA itinerary with fees of $709 (including their surcharge.) Returning from Paris instead of London on the 5th the fees were $140 for two.

You should know that you're VERY early in looking for seats. There's a common misunderstanding that award seats are all released right off the bat in the 330-day booking period. This is not the case, they're made available throughout the booking period, and looking for early February right now you're at the very beginning of that period. More seats are going to show up, believe me - that is the deadest time of the year for transatlantic travel, and FF seats are available on virtually every day during that time. Just be patient and you can avoid the BA extortion and get the seats you want.

Checking the American Airlines and American Eagle box did help help on London, though it is still more than I expected: 80,000 miles +$399.40

Rome is still very high: 80,000 miles +$821.80

<i>Checking the American Airlines and American Eagle box did help help on London, though it is still more than I expected: 80,000 miles +$399.40

Rome is still very high: 80,000 miles +$821.80</i>

Probably because the Rome alternative routes you via London with British Airways as the first flight. As soon as BA enters the picture, their surcharges get slapped on the whole enchilada.

The $399 for the London departure is mainly comprised of £71 for UK air passenger duty and £42 for UK "passenger service charge" per person (£113 x $1.50 = $170 x 2) plus US entry and security taxes.

If coming back from Rome and nothing opens on US via Philly, you'd be better to train it up to Milan and fly AA's nonstop to JFK, which unlike AA nonstops from Rome, operates year round. You'd save the BA costs.

Again, you're way too early to be trying to pin things down for next winter. Wait even a week or two and look for flights from Rome to PHL on US/AA, connecting to MCI. I promise they'll open.