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I said a few weeks ago that we should be patient when planning trips in Business Class for 2017 and it looks as if the first of the good fares between Europe and the US has been published.
As I expected, the fares are easiest to find in July and August 2017 (availability is wide open) but there’s also good availability around the end of March and into April as well as some availability in the last two months of 2016.
Milan – New York From $1,460/€1,335 Roundtrip
British Airways has published a very good fare for travel between Milan and New York (JFK) on American Airlines and on British Airways. The fact that it’s British Airways that’s published the fare (and not American) is excellent news for a lot of AAdvantage members – I’ll explain why a little later on.
Unfortunately my go-to method of searching for fares (the ITA Matrix search) isn’t much use this time because, for some reason, it’s refusing to show the best fares….so you may have to use a bit of trial and error to find a fare that works for you.
So far I’ve found availability in November and December 2016 on non-stop flights:
and some availability in the same months with a stop in one direction….although that will cost a little more:
There’s great availability around the European Easter vacations (late March through April 2017)….
Example outbound:
Example Inbound:
And when I checked July and August there was widespread availability on most days.
Example of August Fares outbound/inbound
The Aircraft
American Airlines flys its 767 Aircraft between Milan and New York JFK and, although the Business Class cabin offers lie-flat beds and all aisle access seating, it isn’t American’s best Business Class offering (I reviewed it here).
American Airlines 767 Business Class
If you choose to route through London (as some of the fares allow you to do) the journey will be considerably longer but you can choose to fly in the refurbished American Airlines 777-200 or the 777-300 on the long-haul portion of your trip. Both offer Business Class cabins that are considerably better than what British Airways has on board.
American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class
Mileage Earning
Two reasons why it’s great that this fare is through British Airways:
- Since August this year American Airlines has been awarding redeemable miles based on the price of the ticket as opposed to the distance travelled…but that new rule doesn’t apply to fares purchased through partner airlines like British Airways.
Because it’s British Airways that you would be buying the fare from, anyone crediting their trip to the AAdvantage program will earn redeemable miles based on the distance flown…and you earn a lot more miles that way!
- For elite qualification in 2017 American Airlines has introduced a minimum spend for each status level (Elite Qualifying Dollars or EQD) and, while bookings made through American Airlines earn EQD based on the price of the fare less taxes, bookings made through partner airlines earn EQD based on a percentage of the distance flown.
Here what AAdvantage Members and British Airways Executive Club members can earn through this fare
Based on a traveler with no status:
Status in either of the loyalty programs has no bearing on the number of Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM) or Tier Points that are earned….but it will have and effect on how many redeemable miles you earn.
American Airlines AAdvantage elite status holders will earn the following number of redeemable miles (RDM):
- Gold – 13,983
- Platinum – 15,981
- Executive Platinum – 21,974
British Airways Executive Club status holders will earn the following number of Avios:
- Bronze – 13,984
- Silver – 15,982
- Gold/GGL – 19,976
Proof That Booking Through BA Is Best For AAdvantage Members
On this particular fare the base price + carrier charges (what the new AAdvantage program uses to work out how may miles we earn) come to €1,250 or $1,367.
Hypothetically, had this been an American Airlines fare this is what the AAdvantage earnings would look like:
- No status – 6,835 vs 9,988 if booked through BA
- Gold – 9,569 vs 13,983
- Platinum – 10,936 vs 15,981
- Executive Platinum – 15,057 vs 21,974
Also, while booking through American Airlines would, hypothetically, earn $1,367 Elite Qualifying Dollars it actually earns $1,998 EQD as it’s booked through BA.
Bottom Line
A very nice fare made even nicer by the far that you can book it though one of American Airlines’ oneworld partners and earn considerably more miles.
