Gotcha about the one-way rewards. <b>So,</b> I would need to hold off on buying the regular ticket since if I bought that I would want to book the same flights as my husband who would be using FF miles and since his return trip could possibly change if non-stop seats open up, I don't want to be left with the one-stop coming home while he does the non-stop.

Let's see if I understand (Saturday morning, brain still booting up.)

Original plan - your husband uses FF miles and you buy a "revenue" ticket. The Saturday nonstop back from Zurich is not open for FF tickets, all that's available is a one-stop on airberlin through Dusseldorf. So should you buy a round trip that DOES include the nonstop, thus separating you on the return?

Current plan - you have 12,000 AA miles, you buy 28,000, now you have enough for two one-way FF tickets for yourself. The nonstop still isn't available on 1/31, but now you could duplicate your husband's (1-stop) return itinerary, so you're together coming home.

But then this question - <i>So, I would need to hold off on buying the regular ticket...</i>

This now has me confused. WHAT "regular" ticket are we talking about? It sounds to me like the plan is for both of you to fly using miles. What am I missing?

If you ARE both using miles, then just go ahead and book the 1-stop return for both of you, but monitor AA over the coming months for award availability on the 1/31 nonstop, and if you see it come open, phone AA (or maybe this can be done online, not sure) and change the return flight from the 1-stop to the nonstop.

But do I have it wrong?

Yes, I guess I was thinking for so long that my ticket would be the "regular" (fully paid with $$ not miles), that that's what I still call it. But, if I purchase the extra miles I need then it becomes a FF ticket and thus matches my husband's. Am I getting this correctly so far? I can book both of us for the same flights in and out, i.e., Non-stop to Zurich and 1-stop (via Air Berlin) on our return to JFK. Then keep looking and if non-stop FF ticket for our return trip opens up in the future, call AA and change our return flights without need of paying anything.

Do I have it correct this time?

Yes, right. However "without paying anything" does not include a possible $25 phone booking fee if you have to use a human to change the return flights for you if they open.

Got it!

Also, isn't it a good idea for kenav to use husband's miles for both tickets one way, then use kenav's miles for the other one way. This gives some protection for the return that they are hoping to change, and also keeps them together for the purposes of carrier changes, seating, etc.

denisede - Wow. Never thought of that. Seems there's a lot I've never thought of. You guys (or gals) are amazing.

I think the point is an important one. In this case, both directions are being flown during off-peak, so both directions will require the same number of miles. But if the trip had segments flown in different seasons, say going in April (20,000 miles) and home in May (30,000 miles), then when buying miles one would need to make sure the numbers in each account coincided with what was needed.

I have no experience with FF accounts with other than my own miles in them. But I believe it's possible to combine miles in different accounts, which could solve imbalance issues, not necessary in this case, but in others.

<i>But I believe it's possible to combine miles in different accounts...</i>

Generally not; you can transfer miles from one person to another (for a fee) but you can't use 10,000 of Fred's miles and 10,000 of Hilda's miles to buy one 20,000 mile ticket.

A couple of airlines, most notably British Airways, have "family" accounts, where all miles from family members go into one pool.

Oh, I assumed where it was possible there would be a fee.