Four years ago I wrote the Ultimate Guide to Booking Award Tickets Using American AAdvantage Miles.

American has some of the most complex routing rules of any frequent flyer program. They do not publish those rules publicly. So it’s important to lay out what goes into determining how many miles an award costs, so you know what to expect (and how to save your miles).

You need to know about maximum permitted mileage, the most direct routing rule, and the prohibition on travel between two regions via a third region unless there’s an exception allowing you to do so.

For instance you aren’t permitted to fly between the US and Southeast Asia via Europe or the Middle East but you are permitted to fly to Southeast Asia via North Asia (‘Asia 1’ cities like Tokyo) because of the limited number of non-stop flights between the US and Southeast Asia.

From time to time American has added third region exceptions several times and also added new restrictions such as a limit to the number of segments you can have on a single award.

JonNYC has identified some additions to the list of ‘third region exceptions’ or instances where you are allowed to fly from one region, connect in another region, enroute to your final destination in a third region. And that means it’s time to update the overall list of known exceptions to the ‘no third region connection’ rule. (Any time you read American Airlines routing rules on a blog or forum, those originate with information from JonNYC.)

Some AAdvantage award routing changes, first noted here:https://t.co/n051ybbjlW

So for one thing, this rule (India <-> N. America– the “OR”,) which has been published for over a year is now being enforced: pic.twitter.com/gSA105w2i1

— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) April 5, 2019

Also changed:

Etihad: LHR-> xAUH -> SYD.
Was 62.5k in Econ, now 60k in Econ

Eithad: JFK-> xAUH-> JNB
Was 2 awards at 70K, now 40K in Econ.

LAN: LAX-> xLIM-> EZE
Was 32.5k in Econ, now 30K in Econ

— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) April 5, 2019

Europe -> Africa can now connect in Middle East

Africa -> SWP can connect in Middle East

— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) April 5, 2019

Here are the 3rd Region Exceptions to/from the “US48”:

				Via US48/		In addition
To/From		To/From		Canada		via (only 1)
US48 /		Alaska,		x		(But none for Alaska-Alaska trips)
Canada/		Hawaii,		x
Alaska		Mexico		x
		Caribbean		x
		Central America		x
		S. America 1		x
		Europe		x
		Asia 1		x
		South Pacific		x
		S. America 2		x		S. America 1
		Asia 2		x		Asia 1
		Middle East		x		Europe
		Indian Subcontinent		x		Europe, or Mideast, or HKG (Cathay/AA only)
		Africa		x		Europe or Mideast

Trips to/from Hawaii have fewer third region exceptions:

				Via US48/		In addition
To/From		To/From		Canada		via (only 1)
Hawaii		Mexico		x
		Caribbean		x
		Central America		x
		S. America 1		x
		Europe		x
		S. America 2		x		S. America 1
		Middle East		x		Europe
		Indian Subcontinent		x		Europe, or Mideast
		Africa		x		Europe or Mideast

Exceptions to/from Mexico:

				Via US48/		In addition
To/From		To/From		Canada		via (only 1)
Mexico		Caribbean		DFW or MIA
		Central America		DFW or MIA
		S. America 1		DFW or MIA
		S. America 2		DFW or MIA
		Europe		x
		Asia 1		x
		Asia 2		x		Asia 1
		Middle East		x		Europe
		Indian Subcontinent		x		Europe, or Mideast, or HKG (CX/AA only)
		Africa		x		Europe, or Mideast
		South Pacific		x		South America 2

Caribbean exceptions vary slightly from Mexico exceptions:

				Via US48/		In addition
To/From		To/From		Canada		via (only 1)
Caribbean		Bahamas <-> Bermuda		MIA
		Central America		DFW or MIA
		S. America 1		MIA
		S. America 2		MIA		S. America 1
		Europe		x
		Asia 1		x
		Asia 2		x		Asia 1
		Middle East		x		Europe
		Indian Subcontinent		x		Europe, or Mideast, or HKG (CX/AA only)
		Africa		x		Europe, or Mideast
		South Pacific		x		South America 2

To/from Central America:

				Via US48/		In addition
To/From		To/From		Canada		via (only 1)
Central		Europe		x
America		Middle East		x		Europe
		Indian Subcontinent		x		Europe, or Mideast
		Africa		x		Europe, or Mideast
		South Pacific				South America 2

South America 1 (cannot connect via US enroute to a third region):

				Via US48/		In addition
To/From		To/From		Canada		via (only 1)
S. America 1		Middle East				Europe
		Indian Subcontinent				Europe, or Mideast
		South Pacific				South America 2

South America 2:

				Via US48/		In addition
To/From		To/From		Canada		via (only 1)
S. America 2		Middle East				Europe or Africa
		Indian Subcontinent				Europe, or Mideast

To/from Europe:

				Via US48/		In addition
To/From		To/From		Canada		via (only 1)
Europe		Asia 1				Asia 2, or Mideast, or Indian Subcontinent
		Asia 2				Mideast or Indian Subcontinent
		Indian Subcontinent				Mideast
		Africa				Mideast
		South Pacific				Asia 1 or Asia 2 or Mideast

To/From Asia 1:

				Via US48/		In addition
To/From		To/From		Canada		via (only 1)
Asia 1		Mideast				Asia 2 or Indian Subcontinent
		Indian Subcontinent				Asia 2
		South Pacific				Asia 2
		Africa				Asia 2 or Mideast

To/From Asia 2:

				Via US48/		In addition
To/From		To/From		Canada		via (only 1)
Asia 2		Mideast				Indian Subcontinent
		Africa				Mideast

Mideast:

				Via US48/		In addition
To/From		To/From		Canada		via (only 1)
Mideast		South Pacific				Asia 2, Indian Subcontinent

Indian Subcontinent:

				Via US48/		In addition
To/From		To/From		Canada		via (only 1)
Indian		South Pacific				Asia 2
Subcontinent		Africa				Mideast

Africa:

				Via US48/		In addition
To/From		To/From		Canada		via (only 1)
Africa		South Pacific				Mideast

There used to be several third region exceptions that allowed connecting in the Mideast — but required travel in and out of the region to be via Doha on Qatar Airways.  That’s no longer the case.  Mideast connections may now be on a variety of carriers (one way on BA, for instance, or on Royal Jordanian) as well as Etihad.

Etihad connections are now permitted:

• North America <-> Africa via Abu Dhabi
  
• Europe <-> Asia via Abu Dhabi
  
• Europe <-> Australia via Abu Dhabi
  
• Europe <-> Africa via Abu Dhabi
  
• Africa <-> Asia via Abu Dhabi
  
• Africa and Australia via Abu Dhabi

If you want to book award travel using AAdvantage miles on Etihad it’s important to know the call center trick and the reverse search trick.

American has given guidance on Mideast connections now allowing Etihad reducing the number of miles needed for an award and that certainly leads one to ask whether the rumor that American and Etihad would be ending their partnership with Etihad joining Star Alliance that has been live since at least last summer still has legs. These changes and guidance may have no bearing on those broader discussions, and one part of American may not talk to another of course.

Etihad A380 First Apartment

Changes went into effect April 2. One of the other notable items, to me, was that up until now Middle East and Indian Subcontinent were treated as a single region. The two regions were split up on the website three years ago but the change was described as purely cosmetic. I was afraid this would affect routing rules, but was assured that it would not. For three years it didn’t. Now, however, since they’re being treated as truly separate you cannot fly from the US to Indian Subcontinent via Europe and the Mideast on a single award since that would be connecting in two separate regions other than the region of origin and destination.