I was at the Admirals Club the other day and noticed a countertop advertising stand with a 4X AAdvantage Miles offer from Avis.  You won’t find mention of it on AA’s website or at Avis.com, and it’s marketed as an “Exclusive Offer for Admirals Club Members” but nowhere in the terms and conditions does it mention that a membership is required.  

Here are the details:

• Now through August 31, 2012, American Airlines AAdvantage members can earn quadruple AAdvantage miles on rentals of 1 or more days at participating airport locations in the U.S. and Canada.

• Use coupon # MUAA063 and provide your AAdvantage number at the time of reservation or at the rental counter to earn your AAdvantage bonus miles. Quadruple AAdvantage miles are calculated using your AAdvantage base miles multiplied by four for every day you rent with Avis.

• This offer is in addition to your everyday savings of up to 25% when you use AWD # K817170.

The standard Avis earning rate is 50 AAdvantage Miles per day, so with this promotion you’ll earn 200 miles each rental day.  From the terms and conditions:

• Quadruple American Airlines AAdvantage miles valid on a qualifying rental of one or more consecutive days at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S. and Canada.
• Offer of quadruple AAdvantage miles is valid on daily and weekend rentals.
• Mention coupon MUAA063 to get this offer.
• Quadruple AAdvantage miles equal 200 AAdvantage miles per rental day.
• Offer valid on all car groups.
• An advance reservation is required.
• Offer may not be used with any other coupon, promotion or offer except your AWD discount.
• The savings of up to 25% applies to the time-and-mileage charges only.
• Use AWD K817170 to receive this discount.
• Taxes, concession recovery fees, vehicle license recovery fee, customer facility charges ($10/contract in CA) and fuel charges are extra.
• Optional items such as LDW ($35.99/day or less) and other surcharges may apply and are extra.
• Offer is subject to vehicle availability at the time of rental and may not be available on some rates at some times, including some online rates at Avis.com.
• Car rental return restrictions may apply.
• Offer subject to change without notice.
• Holiday and other blackout periods may apply.
• Renter must meet Avis age, driver and credit requirements. Minimum rental age may vary by location. An additional daily surcharge may apply for renters under 25 years old.
• Rental must begin by August 31, 2012.

There’s another offer from Avis of 1,500 AAdvantage Miles for a 3 day rental, which is a better deal if you’re renting for 3 to 7 days.  Single, 2 day, and 8 day rentals will be better off with the 4X miles.

Go here for complete details.

In case you missed it, a shameless plug from yesterday’s post:

Earlier this month, American launched a new Facebook promotion: share your favorite AAdvantage tip for a chance to win 5,000 miles. If you haven’t entered yet, hurry – the deadline to submit your entry is approaching:

Want the scoop on the best ways to maximize your AAdvantage membership? Read these top tips submitted by AAdvantage members like you! Got a tip to share?  Submit your tip now through 5/1 and you’ll be entered for a chance to win 5,000 AAdvantage miles. On or around 5/23, we’ll select our 10 favorite tips to win.

There’s even a blogger component to the promotion: five bloggers (including me) were asked to offer their favorite AAdvantage tip.

Here are the details: the blogger with the tip that gets the most votes will win 5,000 AAdvantage Miles for themselves and 5,000 AAdvantage miles to give away in a reader contest of some kind (for the record, if I win I’ll donate my 5,000 miles to AA’s Miles for Kids program).

I’m flattered that I was asked to take part in a promotion with The Frugal Travel Guy, The Weekly Flyer from Points, Miles & Martinis, Mommy Points, and Matt Long at Landlopers, so this is pretty exciting to me.

There are lots of good suggestions on the AAdvantage Facebook pages, so go read them, submit your own AAdvantage tip, and vote for your favorite expert advice (look for the “Expert Tips” tab)!

Earlier today, American announced their plans to eliminate 1,200 non unionized jobs to “to achieve the necessary financial savings by implementing sustainable, structural changes that will position our airline to compete and win. Like other workgroups, the ARP workgroup has been tasked with reducing annual employee costs by 20 percent, or $95 million.“

That 1,200 people will loose their jobs is obviously more important, but also announced as part of AA’s plans, the closure of five Admirals Club lounges:

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Kansas City International Airport (MCI), Santa Domingo (SDQ) and Panama City (PTY) was based on a comprehensive analysis of American’s current Admirals Club network relative to our future lounge strategy, competitive positioning, facility investments, long-term and operating costs.

IAD, MCI and SDQ Clubs will close effective end of business July 31, 2012. The Panama City (PTY) Club will close end of business June 30, 2012

We expect no reduction in force for Premium Services beyond the impact of the Club closure. All current Premium Services employees will have a position and – in some cases – be eligible for new positions with the new tier system.

The Admirals Club website has been updated with the information.   After the closures, American will have 38 Admirals Club facilities around the world.

For an excellent summary of today’s announcements, go visit Terry Maxon’s blog at the Dallas Morning News. 

Perhaps this is a little inside baseball, but the Admirals Club section at AA.com has been redesigned. It’s much better looking and the content has been reorganized so that now it’s easier to find information (especially if you’re trying to find locations).

Trying to understand lounge access policies is probably one of the main reasons visitors to come to the site. Now they’ll be able to use the new Admirals Club access tool to help them determine whether, where, when they’ll have access to a club.

Here’s a look at the new homepage:

And a look a the lounge access page:

Back in January I told you about a discount code to save as much as $100 on a new membership:

Purchase a new annual Admirals Club membership online today and save $100 on the annual membership fee. Use promotion code ACQ112 online and then click the RECALCULATE button to receive the discount.

This offer was set to expire on February 29, but yesterday I heard from a reader (thanks Evan!) that the code is still working. I’m already a member so I wasn’t able to try it myself, so I sent a note to a friend and asked him to give it a try. It worked for him too.

Not sure when this discount will expire, but if you’ve been considering a membership, now is probably a good time to buy.

A quick note: You many have noticed, but there were a few technical difficulties with Boarding Area the last couple of days.  Thanks to the effort of the BA IT team, everything is working again.

I was planning to give away an American Airlines USB card and a free Gogo Wifi code each day this last week, and we had two winners before the website troubles started, so I still have three more cards to give away.   Just to be certain that the Boarding Area server is going to behave,  I’m waiting until Monday to restart the reader giveaway.

Speaking of restarting a reader contest, Lufthansa Flyer is relaunching his ‘My Most Embarrassing Moment As A Tourist’ Contest.   Share your most embarrassing story from the road and you might win an iTunes gift card. If you’re story is too embarrassing to share, at least read some of the stories in the comments section.   There’s some pretty funny stuff there.

Have a great weekend!

I received an email with what is supposed to be a targeted Admirals Club discount offer, but I’m already a member of the Admirals Club so I’m not sure how “targeted” it actually is…wink, wink…..

If you have travel plans this year, experience unparalleled service and comfort in an American Airlines Admirals Club lounge.

Escape to an oasis of peace – away from all of the airport hustle and bustle.

Purchase a new annual Admirals Club membership online today and save $100 on the annual membership fee. Use promotion code ACQ112 online and then click the RECALCULATE button to receive the discount. Enjoy personalized service, comfort and exceptional amenities including:

Complimentary house wine, beer and spirits
Complimentary coffee, tea and soft drinks
Complimentary light snacks
Complimentary Wi-Fi
Complimentary PC’s with internet access
Personal travel assistance with your reservations
Plus more!

As an Admirals Club member, you will have access to more than 40 Admirals Club lounges worldwide including: Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, New York, London and many more.

Don’t tell anyone, but the first time I signed up I used a promo code for what supposed to be a targeted offer and still received the discount.  No guarantee that this promo code will work if you didn’t receive the offer, but I thought I’d mention it anyway…(^_-) (^_-).

Editors note: Ted sent in a reader comment to say that when he tried the code it generated a $50 discount.  So you’re savings may vary.  Feel free to give it a try and  share your results in the comment section.   

Photo: Wink
Credit: Ryan Able on Flickr

Admirals Club 3,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles Offer

If you’re thinking about purchasing a new Admirals Club membership, here’s an offer that was posted by LRD on FlyerTalk:

You are invited to become an Admirals Club member.  Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, you can enjoy an oasis of peace – away from all the airport hustle. It’s easy to become a member, just register for the promotion…using with promotion code QPD11.   Then purchase your new annual Admirals Club membership by…by December 31, 2011 to earn 3,000 AAdvantage miles.

According to the offer page at AA.com:

This offer is valid only for the recipients of the AAdvantage November Quarterly Print Mailing Newsletter.

Last year I purchased a new Admirals Club membership using a similar bonus miles promotion code that was posted in the Admirals Club discounts master thread at FlyerTalk.   That offer, like this one, was a targeted promotion and even though I had never received the offer, I still received the bonus miles when I used the promo code.  Your results may vary, so be aware that you might not receive the miles if you didn’t receive this offer.

Go here for full details.

Qantas Club Bonus Qantas Frequent Flyer Points Offer

Here’s an offer I learned about from an article by John Walton at Australian Business Traveller:

Join Qantas Club and earn a bonus 40,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points

Treat yourself this Christmas with the ultimate travel perk- Qantas Club membership. Become a new member between now and 31 December 2011 and you will receive a bonus 40,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points!

By joining The Qantas Club, you’ll be welcome to relax, dine, freshen up or even catch up on work before you fly at more than 25 international and domestic departure lounges around Australia Plus enjoy instant access to our extensive Qantas lounge network around the world when travelling on an eligible flight#.

Enjoy exclusive membership privileges such as a chip enabled membership card allowing you to access Faster, Smarter Check-in at selected domestic airports, premium check-in and special luggage allowances.

From the terms and conditions:

The offer is open to Australian residents only (for tax purposes). You must be a member of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program to earn points.

Go here for full details.

If you’re a member of the Admirals Club, you’ll be pleased by this announcement:

Your Admirals Club membership now extends your lounge access benefits beyond the network of 42 Admirals Club locations and 33 Qantas Club locations.  Through our new expanded lounge access program, Admirals Club members now enjoy the ability to visit other lounge locations when traveling through these nine cities.

Members will now be able to access these lounges in the following cities:

Alaska Airlines
City Lounge
• Anchorage, AK Board Room
• Portland, OR Board Room
• Seattle, WA Board Room

Finnair
City Lounge
• Helsinki, Finland Finnair Lounge

Malev
City Lounge
• Budapest, Hungary Malev Lounge
• Budapest, Hungary Millennium Lounge

Kingfisher
City Lounge
• Delhi, India Kingfisher Lounge

Cathay Pacific
City Lounge
• Beijing, China Dragonair and Cathay Pacific Lounge
• Shanghai, China Dragonair and Cathay Pacific Lounge

Japan Airlines
City Lounge
• Frankfurt, Germany Sakura Lounge

If you compare the benefits of the Admirals Club with those of Delta’s Sky Club, you’ll notice that Delta has been far more successful in securing reciprocal agreements with their Sky Team Alliance partners. The obvious difference between the two is that Sky Club members have access to far more lounges.  In fact, the Sky Team does a much better job of aligning lounge benefits across the whole alliance.

American and the Admirals Club haven’t been able to get that kind of cooperation from their partners, and other than having access to a few Alaska Airlines lounges and Qantas Club facilities, partner lounge access is fairly limited unless you’re have middle tier or better elite status with a one of the oneworld member airlines.

I’d love to see them expand reciprocal access to more lounges in more airports: Hong Kong and Lima are at the top of my list. Hopefully, we’ll see more of these kinds of announcements in future.

Go here to read the full details.

The Admirals Club in Honolulu has always been a long way away from American’s gates, which made it pretty inconvenient to use unless you had a long layover, or arrived at the airport well before your departure.

Those days are over though, because as of November 16, the Admirals Club is being combined oneworld member JAL’s Sakura Lounge:

The HNL Admirals Club will co-locate to the Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge on November 16, 2011, further strengthening the relationship between the two carriers.

The new Admirals Club location is on the third level of the overseas terminal, overlooking the airport’s cultural gardens. Access to the lounge is by stairs or elevator from the central lobby across from the security checkpoint #3.

The new Admirals Club location is convenient to AA’s ticket counter and gates, security checkpoints, as well as shops and restaurants located within the main area of the overseas terminal.

Plus, the new location permits expanded AA operating hours for our members and guests as the lounge will now be open for all AA departures.

Go here to read the press release.

American Airlines is the Official Airline of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and their support goes beyond just the financial: they provide discounted airfare to participants and family members traveling to attend local races around the country, they offer AAdvantage Miles for donations, they donate a portion of the money they receive from the sale of Komen for the Cure American Airlines Gift Cards, and they even have a Facebook campaign that will earn you 10 miles for every dollar you donate.

Many of the employees at American also volunteer by supporting and participating in local races in their hometowns.  If you’re not already supporting a friend or family member, you can even sign up to support one of the American Airlines race teams.

Another way of supporting Komen is by joining the Admiral Club or renewing your membership with promo code KOMEN11. Not only will you receive a discount of $25, but American will donate $25 to the Komen Foundation.

I found out about this offer at the Admirals Club Facebook page, where they also posted this info:

…(L)ook for special “pink” menu items in SFO, LAX, ORD, DFW, MIA, BOS, JFK & LGA – 10% will be donated to Komen.

Rather than earning miles by taking part in any of the American Airlines promotions, I’m using my Citi AAdvantage card to donate directly by sponsoring a friend that’s walking in the Dallas 3-Day for the Cure event.

In 2010 she was planning to participate in her first 3-day walk, but just a month before the event, she lost her mother to breast cancer.  Somehow she, her father and her sisters were able to make the walk and raised more than $11,000.  I’m not sure how they were able to do it, but her mother faced cancer with both courage and grace and I suspect it was her example (and the fact that they’re pretty remarkable people) that helped make it possible.

Anyway, this promo code is good through the end of October.  If you’re thinking about joining the Admirals Club or renewing your current membership, there’s no better time than now.

Found in the Forums

If you’re thinking about purchasing an new Admirals Club membership, here’s an offer that was posted by Fly2Where on FlyerTalk:

You are invited to become an Admirals Club member. Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, you can enjoy an oasis of peace – away from all the airport hustle. It’s easy to become a member, just register for the promotion by clicking on the Register button below using with promotion code QPM11. Then purchase your new annual Admirals Club membership by clicking on the Purchase Now button below by September 30, 2011 to earn 3,000 AAdvantage miles.

According to the offer page at AA.com:

This offer is valid only for the recipients of the AAdvantage August Quarterly Print Mailing Newsletter.

Last year I purchased a new Admirals Club membership using a similar bonus miles promotion code that was posted in the Admirals Club discounts master thread at FlyerTalk. That offer, like this one, was a targeted promotion and even though I had never received the offer I still received the bonus miles when I used the promo code. Your results may vary so be aware that you might not receive the miles if you didn’t receive this offer.

Also in the forums, unavaca posted this $100 discount on a new membership when you use promo code ACDM2Q. It too is probably a targeted offer, so no guarantee that it will work if you didn’t receive a promotion email.

Million Miler Status

American Airlines is moving forward with their plan to only count base miles earned on American Airlines flights or flights operated by one of their partners when calculating Million Mile status. This change goes in effect December 1.  If you’re trying to earn enough miles to make Million Miler status before then, visit Million Mile Secrets for a helpful list of strategies.

American partners with Frommer’s

American is going to start providing content provided by Frommer’s in the destination guides at AA.com:

American Airlines has joined with best-selling travel guide provider Frommer’s Unlimited, the B2B business of Frommer’s, to provide comprehensive destination content on American’s award-winning website, AA.com. With this rollout, AA.com now features travel-related information from Frommer’s for more than 170 domestic and international destinations served by American and American Eagle. Customers can learn more than ever about these great destinations and find the latest travel deals while researching their next trip.

A couple of other American Airlines news items:

American Airlines to Launch Nonstop Service Between John F. Kennedy International Airport In New York and V.C. Bird International Airport In Antigua.

Los Angeles To Shanghai – Up To Triple Miles. Offer Extended.

Tour of the new San Francisco Terminal 2 Admirals Club

American just introduced a new 30 day, membership to the Admirals Club. This is a full, all-access membership that includes the same guesting privileges as an annual membership.

Here’s the description from the announcement:

Even if you don’t travel frequently year-round, you can still enjoy the peaceful, professional environment of an Admirals Club lounge with our new 30-day membership. For $99, you’ll have access to more than 40 Admirals Club lounges worldwide for a consecutive 30-day period to enjoy these membership benefits:

Personal assistance with reservations
Ability to bring up to two guests or immediate family members
Complimentary Wi-Fi in all locations
Complimentary alcoholic beverages in International locations, Complimentary house wines, beer and well-brand drinks in all domestic U.S. locations
Complimentary coffee, tea, soft drinks and snacks
Fresh food available for purchase in all domestic U.S. locations
Spa-like showers, cyber cafes and children’s rooms in select locations
Conference rooms available at discounted member rates

Compared to the cost of a single Day Pass at $50, the $99 cost of this new one month membership is a really good value, especially for families and couples traveling together. A 1-Day Pass doesn’t allow you to bring a guest, up up till now, two people traveling together would each have to purchase a Day Pass in order to access the club.  For two people it could cost as much as $200 for roundtrip access.  This is a much better deal.

You can purchase the 30 Day membership online. Go here for more details.