With the recent introduction of the new dynamic AAdvantage award chart last April 2023, the game changed, and identifying good redemptions can be tricky. But no worries, we’ve done the work for you!

In this post, we collect our favorite routes and top picks, so that you can get the most out of your miles at great redemption rates. Let’s get started.

In This Post

• How To Find Good AAdvantage Redemptions?
• Best AAdvantage Redemptions In 2023 (Top 8 Picks)
• American Airlines Cabin Classes
• Read More

How To Find Good AAdvantage Redemptions?

Be flexible with your travel dates

Award availability is often more limited on peak travel dates, so you may be able to find better deals if you are able to travel during the off-season.

Consider flying on partner airlines

American Airlines has a number of partner airlines that you can use to redeem your miles for flights. This gives you access to a wider range of destinations and airlines than you would if you were only able to book flights on American Airlines.

Use a tool like AwardFares to search for award availability

AwardFares is a website that allows you to search for award availability on multiple frequent flyer programs at once. This makes it easy to find award flights that are not available on the website of a single program.

Sign up for American Airlines’ email alerts

American Airlines offers email alerts that will notify you when award availability opens up on specific routes. This is a great way to be the first to know about new award opportunities.

Best AAdvantage Redemptions In 2023 (Top 8 Picks)

1. New York to London in Business Class (50,000 miles)

New York (JFK) to London Heathrow (LHR), United Kingdom. Plenty of available seats May through July 2023 already.

2. Miami to San Juan in Economy (25,000 miles)

Miami (MIA) to San Juan (SJU), Puerto Rico. Most seats available in June.

3. Dallas to Honolulu in Economy (40,000 miles)

Dallas (DFW) to Honolulu (HNL), Hawaii. One of our favorite routes! Just 40k miles and plenty of seats available during next summer.

4. Chicago to Paris in Business Class (50,000 miles)

Chicago (ORD) to Paris (CDG), France.

5. Washington, D.C. to Rome in Business Class (50,000 miles)

Washington, D.C. (DCA) to Rome (FCO), Italy.

6. Boston to Barcelona in Business Class (50,000 miles)

Boston (BOS) to Barcelona (BCN), Spain. Hurry up! Fewer available seats than other routes.

7. Los Angeles to Auckland in Business Class (70,000 miles)

Los Angeles (LAX) to Auckland (AKL), New Zealand. This is a looooong route, and you can get good value from your miles if you score a Business Class ticket!

8. Los Angeles to Sydney in Business Class (70,000 miles)

Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney (SYD), Australia. There’s even some seats in First Class available! Make sure to check those out too.

American Airlines Cabin Classes

Cabin classes on American Airlines can be a bit confusing, especially when booking awards seats. Their Flagship First can feel like Business Class, and they have Main Cabin Extra (Economy), which is NOT THE SAME as Basic Economy.

Here’s a quick summary of what you get on each class when booking a pure AAdvantage award on American Airlines:

• First-class (a.k.a Flagship First):
  • Lie-flat seats
  • Plenty of space and privacy
  • Premium meals and drinks
  • Access to the Flagship Lounge
  • Priority boarding
• Business class:
  • Lie-flat seats
  • Plenty of space and privacy
  • Premium meals and drinks
  • Access to the Flagship Lounge
  • Priority boarding
• Premium Economy:
  • Wider seats
  • More legroom
  • Premium meals and drinks
  • Priority boarding
• Main Cabin Extra:
  • More legroom
  • Free snacks and drinks
  • Priority boarding

When searching on AwardFares, both Main Cabin (Basic Economy) and Main Cabin Extra are displayed as Economy, so make sure to check the award ticket detailed condition on American Airlines’ website before confirming the booking.

If you are flying on partner airlines, then the cabin classes are different and you might need to check the partner airline’s website. When booking an AAdvantage award on partner airlines (British Airways, Iberia, Cathay Pacific, etc.) the cabins will be First, Business and Economy.

Read More

Check out our ultimate guide on How To Find AAdvantage Awards Using AwardFares.

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