What is a "layover" on a FF ticket?
 

I'm paraphrasing, but I essentially read that "one open jaw and one layover along the most direct route" is allowed with a ff ticket. I understand the open jaw, but does a layover in this context mean that I can stay in the layover city and then fly to my destination on a different day? Such as a layover in Paris en route to Zurich?

A layover is an overnight stop.

Thanks. Can it be any number of nights?

I'm surprised that the airline would let you do both an open jaw and a layover. On FF flights I've taken, it's been one or the other.

It has nothing to do with an overnight stop.

Most straight FF awards allow a connection if the connection is within 6 hours, UNLESS the next and ONLY flight is within 24 hours. If that's the case it's just a connection. Any flight that's outside the 24 hour window is a layover.

Couple of years ago I was on a AA OneWorld award. They are very strict about the six hour connection rule, but since the only flight on QF was about 20 hours later the award checkers (and yes, they do exist and just because an agent says it's ok, it's not ok until they say it's ok), allowed it to be ticketed since it was the only flight to the destination.

I did spend a night at a Sydney airport motel.

I flew using miles on American from Europe to L.A. with a stop in New York. I stayed in N.Y. for three days.

<b>Jeff_</b>,

AA allows open jaw and 1 stopover(layover) at a gateway city at either end.

Let's say you wanted to do Cleveland to Nice, France.

Under the AA Partner award rules you can have a stop at any partner gateway city (ORD, JFK, BOS, MIA, etc.etc. on this end <b>OR</b> LHR, CDG, MAD, etc.etc, on the other end but not both. You can still have an open jaw.

I have done a layover in London on the way to Athens (from the US) for 3 nights. I have also done a layover in San Juan for 4 days on the way to St Martin. All on FF tickets. Whenever I do FF tix I do a stop over somewhere.

I suppose AA FF tickets vary with whether they are business or coach, but our usual free Business class AA tickets allow one stopover at either a gateway or another European city going and one coming back or two stopovers going OR coming (but in that case one of those stopovers MUST be a US gateway) -- even on open jaw tickets. So this year we did Miami to New York (where we stayed over a month), New York to London for a stay, London to Rome for a stay, and then direct flight home to Miami from Paris. In other words, there were two stopovers going from Miami to Rome -- one in NYC (the gateway) and one in London.

On other trips we have flown Miami to London, then London to Berlin. Coming back we flew Vienna to Paris and then Paris to Miami. All of that was on one free business class ticket for 90,000 miles.

That may be true. I have not taken an AA All Partner award for years. I always do AA OneWorld award so I could have as many layovers as I want.

It's good to hear you can have layovers at both ends.

Openjaw and stopover rules are highly variable depending on the frequent flyer program. If you mention which program you're using, we can give more specific responses.

AAFrequent Flyer, I bow to your knowledge about those one world awards. All I know is that when I've told the rep what I wanted to do (like for this last summer's trip), she's always said my 90,000 mile cost for that trip on the regular award system goes to 115,00 miles on the one world system due to the total mileage of my itinerary. I know in the past you've indicated what sounded like some amazing total trips for less mileage than that, so I'm not sure why that is.

With your itn the All Partner award is the way to go but I usually fly to at least 2 or 3 &quot;regions&quot; which is not possible with a straight award unless you take out 2 or 3 different awards.

For example, my upcoming trip will take me to: Cairo(Middle East region) and Sofia, Bucharest and Rome(Europe region). With the All partner award it would be 90K US-EUR and 60K EUR-ME and only 1 of the 2: Sofia or Bucharest, not both as neither is a gateway city.

With OW it's 115K for everything.

This conversation has gotten way out of my league, but Patty, we're using both Continental and AA on our upcoming trip.

This is from the CO website:

Open Jaws: One allowed

Stopovers: One free stopover allowed along the most direct route

And this less specific from AA:

If you would like to make a reservation that includes a stopover or an open-jaw, please contact AAdvantage Reservations at 1-800-882-8880.

I guess I have the general idea of the layover. It seems like a great way to save some money on trains and visit multiple desinations!

Who's Patty?

And yes, the only way to book those stop over and open jaw award flights with AA is by phone, but that's easy. I get the nicest people who really do have great ideas.

I also just remembered my free flight that was Ft. Myers to London, London to Istanbul, Rome to Paris, and Paris to Ft. Myers. All were stopovers. Again -- all for 90,000 in business class.

ok <b>Patrick</b>,

IST is Europe region!

it seems to me that you are having a hard time understaning a simple concept.

Call AAdvantage and ask to book the following:

RSW-CAI-SOF-OTP-FCO-RSW

Same as my itn except I'm flying out/in SRQ instead of RSW (same difference).

Then report what an All Partner award will cost in miles.

Whatever the details, I'm looking into this in the future! If a person can take a long trip, as you did Patrick, that is a fantastic deal! You're getting Business Class travel AND a good deal of it, spread over a few months.

I may have to start flying American more again! (Used to be a regular American flyer, but in the past ten years or so the travel I've had to do has been tough with American: odd connections to get where I want to go. )

Whom are you talking to AAFrequent Flyer? I'm not having any difficulty with your concept. I understand fully since you explained that your oneworld award is within two regions. I can't call and price the itinerary you're suggesting on a regular partner award because it doesn't exist. They don't have awards that would let one go to Cairo and to Rome on one ticket (other than by doing as you're talking about with a oneworld award). Yes, I fully understand that.

Yes, I know Istanbul is in Europe reason, that's the only reason I could book it as I did for part of a 90,000 mile award. Sorry if you thought my mentioning that itinerary had something to do with the difference in types of awards. Or if you thought it has something to do with comparing to your Cairo trip. I was only mentioning another itinerary I did as a regular partner award -- for arewetheryet's information -- one with two stopovers IN Europe on an open jaw flight, rather than one of the stopovers being at a US gateway. That's the reason I mentioned that itinerary.

Friends agaian?

Sorry, I misunderstood your post.

:-)

<i>I also just remembered my free flight that was Ft. Myers to London, London to Istanbul, Rome to Paris, and Paris to Ft. Myers. All were stopovers. Again -- all for 90,000 in business class. </i>

Then I believe you got away with a rule-bend. You're allowed a stopover at the incoming international gateway or the outgoing gateway (London or Paris in your case) but not both. That's in addition to a stopover at the exiting domestic gateway (say MIA or JFK) - again, one time, plus an openjaw in your foreign region (in your case IST//FCO.)

Oh, and Patty is one of our &quot;resident&quot; airline experts - mainly Skyteam folks IIRC - and knows her stuff.