The Double Elite and Double AAdvantage Miles offer is back (actually, it never expired).

American is extending their offer to residents of Illinois, Texas, and California of Double Elite Qualifying Miles and Double AAdvantage Miles on flights between Chicago and San Francisco/Los Angeles, and Dallas-Ft.Worth and San Francisco/Los Angeles. This isn’t a big surprise considering that they and Virgin America are still aggressively competing on these routes.

One new twist to the offer: flights between Chicago and Orange County are included in this promotion.  Virgin American doesn’t fly between the two cities, but AA and United have both been offering some cheap fares on the route, so maybe this is related.

The bonus code remains the same, so no need to register again if you’ve already signed up for this offer.  Here are the details:

Offer Extended Through June 30, 2012. Now You Have More Time To Increase Your Mileage Balance and Qualify For AAdvantage Elite Status Faster

Award: Double Elite-Status Qualifying Miles. Double Flight Miles

Bonus Code: DEQ11

Dates: Book your trip and fly between October 27, 2011, and June 30, 2012

Offer: Reach AAdvantage elite status faster than ever with this offer and add to your mileage balance at the same time! Just book a round-trip ticket and fly on American Airlines between Chicago O’Hare and Los Angeles, Orange County* or San Francisco or between Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles or San Francisco from October 27, 2011, through June 30, 2012. You’ll earn double flight miles AND double elite-qualifying miles, the miles that bring you closer to AAdvantage elite status membership – at an accelerated rate.

With so many choices, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get to your destination and add more miles to your AAdvantage account:

Between Chicago and Los Angeles 10 nonstops each business day
Between Chicago and San Francisco 7 nonstops each business day
Between Chicago and Orange County 3 nonstops each business day
Between DFW and Los Angeles 18 nonstops each business day
Between DFW and San Francisco 11 nonstops each business day

Note: This offer is valid only for AAdvantage members with an address on file with AAdvantage Marketing programs in California, Illinois or Texas.

* Offer applies to travel booked and flown between Chicago O’Hare and Orange Country starting March 9, 2012 through June 30, 2012.

I’ve been curious about Virgin’s service and have wanted to try them just for fun, but not so curious as to give up the chance of an upgrade or the AAdvantage miles.  And with double elite miles and flight miles, there’s no chance of it happening.   Obviously, the marketing works!

Go here for complete terms and conditions.

Photo: Double
Credit: Gidzy on Flickr

I’m traveling this week and missed posting the results of Monday’s random drawing. So to start today’s post, Congratulations to worldtraveller2: you’re the winner of the new Marcus Samuelsson spiced nut mix!

Because more than 200 American Airlines pilots decided to retire during the 4th quarter of last year, American had to reduce the number of widebody 767 and 777 aircraft on their domestic schedule.

Well, it looks like they’re bringing them back. Here’s a look at the widebody flights (all 767s) that were added to the schedule:

Dallas- Ft. Worth

Date From To Flight Frequency
2/9/12 DFW LAX 2431 1234567
2/9/12 DFW LAX 2439 12345..
2/9/12 DFW SFO 1937 1234567

New York JFK

Date From To Flight Frequency
2/9/12 JFK LAX 1 1234567

Los Angeles

Date From To Flight Frequency
2/9/12 LAX BOS 222 1234567

2/9/12 LAX DFW 2414 12345..
2/9/12 LAX DFW 2416 1234567

3/11/12 LAX HNL 287 1234567

2/9/12 LAX OGG 161 1234567
2/9/12 LAX OGG 253 1234567

Kahului Airport, Maui

Date From To Flight Frequency
2/9/12 OGG LAX 14 1234567
2/9/12 OGG LAX 254 1234567

San Francisco

Date From To Flight Frequency
2/9/12 SFO DFW 414 1234567

There were also some routes that saw a reduction in widebody service: Chicago and Miami each lost two flights from one to the other.

I was hoping they’d bring back the widebody service between Chicago and Dallas, that was one of my favorite flights.

American used to fly a Boeing 777 with a 3 class configuration that was sold as a two class configured flight. It was still standard coach service in the business class cabin, but AAdvantage members with elite status were able to reserve the roomier seats.

Anyway, go here to see a copy of the complete domestic widebody schedule.

Photo: American 767 on a murky day SFO airport
Credit: Bill Abbott on Flickr

I have this thought that somewhere buried deep in the basement at American’s headquarters is a room with a door marker that reads “Promo Code Department”.

And inside that room are a couple of people that had to snicker a little when they came up with a promo code for this offer to promote the start of new service between Chicago and Sioux City, Iowa:

Airline: American Eagle
Award: Bonus Miles

Bonus Code: SUX2X

Dates: Travel between April 3, 2012, and June 30, 2012

Offer: Starting April 3, 2012, American Eagle will offer daily nonstop flights between Chicago O’Hare and Sioux City, IA. To celebrate, you can earn double miles every time you fly our new route through June 30, 2012.

To qualify for the offer, you have to register before you travel.  Go here for full details.

Maybe it just my third grade sense of humor, but when I saw the promo code I thought it was kind of funny.  SUX is the IATA airport code for Sioux City, so SUX2X is a pretty logical for a promo code.  And it’s not like the AA Promo Code Department could use 2XSUX, that’s probably reserved for double mileage offers to Houston.

Photo: Sioux City Sarsaprilla
Credit: Drew Stephens on Flickr

Congratulations to , Ralph with comment number 64, the winner of the final oneworld MegaDo Giveaway!   Friday, I asked readers whether or not they would wear the PJs that American offers to their First Class customers. Ralph said, “Of course I’d wear them…thats why they give them to you!”. Most of you felt the same way: 62% voted in favor of pajamas. We did have one exception, from Brian #28, “I’ll just wear what I usually wear when I sleep. Just my undies.”

We had a total of five random drawings last week and as soon as I hear back from Ralph, I’ll be headed to the Post Office (if they still exist) to mail off some prizes.

Thanks to everyone for participating!

Last week was an exciting week. We had the oneworld MegaDo going on, Lego Man slipped the surly bonds of Earth to become the eleventh Canadian in space, and American offered a preview of the interior of the new 777-300ER that they’ll be receiving later this year.

After all that, you’re probably wondering what could be more exciting. How about this: Double AAdvantage Miles between Chicago and Waterloo, Iowa!

Airline: American Eagle

Award: Bonus Miles

Bonus Code: ALO2X

Dates: Travel between April 3, 2012, and June 30, 2012

Offer: Starting April 3, 2012, American Eagle will offer daily nonstop flights between Chicago O’Hare and Waterloo, IA. To celebrate, you can earn double miles every time you fly our new route through June 30, 2012.

Registration is required before you travel using bonus code ALO2X (that’s the letter “o” rather than a zero). Go here for complete details.

Photo: Two!
Credit: Nicolas Vigier on Flickr

Well it’s been a week of big news. Demand for the first ever oneworld MegaDo was so great that it sold out in 23 minutes. Organizers are working behind the scenes to see if they can accommodate more people, and Gary Leff at View of the Wing does a great job explaining some your options if you missed out on a seat.

Speaking of big events: This weekend is the big 2011 Chicago Seminar (good luck trying to get an upgrade in or out of the city this weekend:-). Frequent fliers are converging on the area to attend workshops to learn tips and strategies for earning more miles. Here are some of the sessions:

Gary Leff Award Booking: “How to identify the best value uses of your points, find award seats, and navigate the call with your mileage program to turn a ‘no’ into a ‘yes!’”

Lucky Hyatt and PC:”Forget Priceline, I’ll show you how hotel loyalty programs can be just as lucrative, if not more lucrative, than airline loyalty programs.”

Mike Goff: Advanced priceline bidding techniques and how to take advantage of the timeshare market.

Ben Lucky9876Coins: How to identify mileage run fares of interest, how to construct and book a mileage run, how to maximize miles earned while minimizing costs, and comfort/efficiency of mileage runs considerations.

Rick Ingersoll The latest on the highest source of free miles around and how to keep your scores from suffering.

Pudding Guy: A coach-class perspective on how to maximize the value of miles & points.

Beaubo (Steve Belkin): The Mileage Game Value Proposition: Is It Still Worth It To Play?
* The Thresholds Of When To Purchase Ticket Or Redeem Miles/Upgrades
* Mileage Outsourcing: When Over-The-Pond Programs Offer Under-The-Radar Advantages

Brian the PointsGuy: Will give us all the update and latest techniques on using and transferring American Express Membership Rewards Points

I wish I was going, but I have a friend that’s getting married.

Some of the bloggers that are attending, but not speaking, are Mommy Points, Darren from Frequently Flying, and The Frugal Travel Lawyer. Daraius and Emily from Million Mile Secrets are sponsors and they’ll be giving away prizes. There will be more than 500 frequent fliers in Chicago, including fellow AAdvantage Geek (and reader) @IPBrian. So to everyone that’s attending, I hope you have a great time!

Speaking of the Frugal Travel Lawyer, she just signed up for a Twitter account so now you can follow her @frugaltravellaw.

Speaking of Daraius, he writes about a loophole that some have used to earn miles while flying on an award ticket with one of American’s airline partners.

Speaking of American’s airline partners:

oneworld member and AAdvantage partner, Royal Jordanian is moving to terminal 8 at JFK to be closer to American’s gates.

Air Berlin announced that next year you’ll be able to earn 11,608 round-trip AAdvantage Miles when they start service between LAX and Berlin.

The Points Guy compares the old and the new Business class product from oneworld member Cathay Pacfic.

Plane and Simple writes about how 2012 is going to be a busy year for the oneworld Alliance.

And now in other news:

Even Megan McArdle, the senior editor for The Atlantic, is unhappy that Citibank is discontinuing the AAdvantage Debit card. And while people aren’t taking to the streets over the issue, someone decided to start a Facebook page in an effort to save the card.

A couple of weeks ago, American’s AAdvantage team and Citi transformed Grand Central Terminal into a temporary Admirals Club in order to promote their new Citi Executive / AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard. If you’re wondering how it looked, go here to see some photos that the AAdvantage team posted to Facebook.

American ran a special 5-hour flash promotion in downtown Chicago with their “Gateway to the Globe Sweepstakes”. They gave away first class American Airlines tickets, AAdvantage Miles, cameras, and other prizes. Jay over at the First Class Project has photos.

I’m not sure that I can call anything that JonNYC writes in the Traveling Better forums a rumor, more like informed just not yet officially confirmed, but he reveals that AAdvantage members with elite status will soon be able to enjoy some new benefits when traveling with Alaska Airlines:

Priority Check-in and Boarding – Gold, Platinum & Executive Platinum
Express Security Line – Platinum & Executive Platinum
Preferred Seating – Platinum & Executive Platinum
Bag Fee Waiver – Gold, Platinum & Executive Platinum
Alaska Mileage Plan elite status members will have similar benefits when traveling on American Airlines.

Another item from JonNYC is that you’ll soon be able to book partner awards at AA.com.

Admirals Club New: you still have a few days left to save $25 and give $25 to Komen for the Cure when you renew or purchase an Admirals Club membership using promo code KOMEN11. Offer expires October 31, 2011.

Speaking of the Admirals Club, Lana Turner’s Admirals Club membership card is for sale on eBay. If you’re interested, it has a “Buy it Now” price of only $300. Go here to take a look.

Have a great weekend!

American and Virgin America have been battling it out in California, Texas and Illinois.  I’ve seen fares from my home airport (DFW) to Los Angeles and San Francisco drop to about half what they were a year ago, and both airlines have been offering big fare sales on the routes that they both serve.  

A couple of times this year, American has offered Double Elite Qualifying Miles and Double AAdvantage Miles in these markets.  The last such offer exired a few weeks ago, but starting today, they’re bringing them back:

Chicago or DFW – Los Angeles or San Francisco. Reach Elite Status Faster. Double Miles

Increase Your Mileage Balance and Qualify For AAdvantage Elite Status Faster Than Ever

Airline: American Airlines

Award: Double Elite-Status Qualifying Miles. Double Flight Miles

Bonus Code: DEQ11

Dates: Book your trip and fly between October 27, 2011, and March 31, 2012

Offer: Reach AAdvantage elite status faster than ever with this offer and add to your mileage balance at the same time! Just book a round-trip ticket and fly on American Airlines between Chicago O’Hare or DFW and Los Angeles or San Francisco from October 27, 2011, through March 31, 2012. You’ll earn double flight miles AND double elite-qualifying miles, the miles that bring you closer to AAdvantage elite status membership – at an accelerated rate.

With so many choices, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get to your destination and add more miles to your AAdvantage account:

Between Chicago and Los Angeles 10 nonstops each business day
Between Chicago and San Francisco 6 nonstops each business day
Between DFW and Los Angeles 16 nonstops each business day
Between DFW and San Francisco 10 nonstops each business day

I have a few trips to Los Angeles lined up already, so I read through the fine print to see if this new offer applied to travel after October 27, but purchased earlier.  Unfortunately (for me), it does not. To qualify for this offer you’ll have to purchase your ticket on or after today. (Boo hiss, Boo hiss!)

You must be a resident of Illinois, Texas or California to qualify for this offer and registration is required in advance using pomo code DEQ11.  Go here to read the full terms and conditions and to sign up.

(Dan Webb has an interesting interview with Virgin America CEO over at Things in the Sky.)

I have to admit that until I saw this offer, I had never even heard of Watertown, NY.  I don’t mean that as a slight (I come from a place that most people have never heard of) it’s just that other than the fact that the offer made it obvious that it was located somewhere in the state of New York, I knew absolutely nothing else about the city.

So to save you from having to Google it yourself, I’ve put together the “Ten 8 things everyone should know about Watertown, New York” (see the comments section for an explanation):

• It’s located in upstate New York
• It’s in the foothills of the Adirondacks
• It’s the birthplace of the Five and Dime
• It’s the birthplace of the safety pin
• Fort Ticonderoga is nearby
• The 1980 USA-USSR Olympic hockey match was played in Watertown
• The IATA airport code is ART
• American Eagle is starting service between Chicago and Watertown next month
• Round-trip travel between Watertown and Chicago will normally earn you 1,234 AAdvantage Miles
• Soon, you’ll be able to travel round-trip between the two cities and earn 2,468 AAdvantage Miles

American Eagle will be starting service between Watertown and Chicago on November 17, 2010, and through February 15, 2012 you’ll be able to earn Double AAdvantage Miles:

CHI-Town to Watertown. Earn double AAdvantage miles.
Starting November 17, 2011, American Eagle will offer daily nonstop flights between Chicago and Watertown, NY. To celebrate, you can earn double miles every time you fly our new route through February 15, 2012.

Airline: American Eagle
Award: Bonus Miles
Bonus Code: ART2X

Dates: Travel between November 17, 2011, and February 15, 2012

Registration is required before you travel using promo code ADR2X.   Go here to sign up for this offer or for more details.

If you live in Chicago (or if you’re traveling to the area) stop by Pioneer Court this afternoon for a chance to win 2 first class tickets to any American Airlines destination:

Join us at Pioneer Court at the Chicago Tribune Tower @ 401 North Michigan Avenue, on October 21 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for your chance to win travel to anywhere we fly.

Learn more about American Airlines, our products and services as you gather entries in the Gateway to the Globe Sweepstakes. Earn your first entry at our Welcome Booth and earn five additional entries by visiting other American ‘Gates’. The more ‘Gates’ you visit, the more entries you earn — up to six per person! Plus, each area offers exciting prizes such as AAdvantage miles, Admirals Club Day Passes and more!

American Airlines and American Eagle offer a world of choices to passengers traveling from or connecting through Chicago. Plan a trip to New York, Los Angeles, the Caribbean, Europe, South America or Asia — whether across the country or around the world, we can take you there..

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates throughout the day on Friday.

Go here to read more.

If you’re not in Chicago, you can still console yourself by winning 280,000 AAdvantage Miles in the “Your Journey Starts Here” promo.

Here’s a great way to earn a lot of miles in just one trip: fly non-stop between the U.S. or Vancouver to Tokyo on American Airlines or Japan Airlines and earn Double AAdvantage Miles.

Award: Double Miles

U.S. to Tokyo Bonus Code: USTYO

Dates: Travel between November 1, 2011 and February 29, 2012.

U.S. Offer: Earn double AAdvantage miles when you fly nonstop on American Airlines or Japan Airlines on purchased, published First Class, Business Class and selected Economy Class fares from November 1, 2011, through February 29, 2012, between the following cities:

From Chicago OHare (ORD); Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW); Los Angeles (LAX); New York (JFK) to Tokyo Narita (NRT)

From San Francisco (SFO) to Tokyo Haneda (HND)

Offer applies only to AAdvantage members who purchase and fly on purchased, published First Class or Business Class fares booked in F, A, J, R, D or I; Economy Class fares booked in Y, B, W, H or K on American Airlines operated flights; First Class or Business Class fares booked in F, A, J, C, D, X or I; Economy Class fares booked in Y, W, B, E, H, K on Japan Airlines operated flights.

Here are the details of the Vancouver to Tokyo offer

Vancouver to Tokyo Bonus Code: JLYVR

Dates: Travel between November 1, 2011 and February 29, 2012.

Offer: Earn double AAdvantage miles when you fly nonstop on Japan Airlines on purchased, published Business Class and selected Economy Class fares (booked in Y, B, H or K) between Vancouver and Tokyo. Offer applies to travel completed between November 1, 2011 and February 29, 2012.

Offer applies only to AAdvantage members who purchase and fly on purchased, published Business Class fares booked in J, R, D or I; Economy Class fares booked in Y, B, H or K on American Airlines marketed flights; Business Class fares booked in J, C, D, X or I; Economy Class fares booked in Y, B, H, K on Japan Airlines operated flights.

Go here for full details or to register for the U.S. to Tokyo offer.

Go here for more info or to register for the Vancouver to Tokyo offer.

Cathay Pacific is giving away 10 round-trip tickets from Chicago to Hong Kong in a new promotion:

Enter “The Chicago SCVNGR Sweepstakes” for a chance to win one of ten trips from Chicago to Hong Kong!

How to win:

Step 1: Enter your email address.
And for even more chances to win…

Step 2: Download SCVNGR & Complete Challenges around Chicago.

If you’re not familiar with SCVNGR, think of it as foursquare + scavenger hunt:

Great news! We’re launching challenges on SCVNGR!

We’ve built SCVNGR challenges in Chicago to help promote our new Chicago to Hong Kong daily service. Keep coming back to earn more points, badges and rewards! SCVNGR is a game.

For a list of places you can play visit: scvngr.com/CathayPacific

Playing is simple: Tap places. Complete challenges. Earn points and unlock rewards!
How To Play

Download the app for iPhone or Android

Tap ‘Places’ and search for your location

Do the special Chicago challenges to earn points

Unlock badges and rewards

Visit: scvngr.com/CathayPacific

According to the terms and conditions, you don’t have to be a resident of Chicago to enter and you can play and earn points at more than 20 airports in the US.

The approximate retal value of each prize is $1,100. Winner pays taxes. Go here to enter.

Speaking of Hong Kong, Darren over at Frequently Flying just got back from a long weekend in Hong Kong.  He’s working on some great trip reports detailing his experience in Cathay Pacific’s first class cabin and will be posting lots of photos and video.  So spend a litte time daydreaming and go here to follow.