Hawaii: Get 10–12k American Airlines miles

While I’ve gotten used to getting 1,000 extra miles for booking flights online, I haven’t seen a deal this good in quite awhile for frequent flyers who are going to visit Hawaii soon. American Airlines is offering up to 10,000 AAdvantage miles for buying a five-night vacation package to the islands, plus an additional 1,000 for making your booking online and yet another 1,000 miles for purchasing your vacation by August 31, 2007. Who can resist?

Deal: American Airlines’ website advertises five-night hotel stays costing from $243/person, which is quoted for rooms at the Ohana Maile Sky Court (personally, not my first choice on Oahu). However, that price doesn’t include flights to/from Hawaii, which you’ll also need to buy to get the 10,000 bonus frequent-flyer miles. When I checked dates in early October, I found qualifying AA vacation packages on Oahu, costing from $671.55/person at the Aqua Aloha Surf Hotel to $1,302.55/person at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina. Believe it or not, that’s $30 to $100 less than what it would cost you to book the cheapest flight to/from LAX and the same hotels on Oahu on the same dates. So, not only are you getting 12,000 AAdvantage miles for free, you’re also saving money on your trip. Win-win!

Know of other ways to get bonus frequent-flyer miles for autumn trips to Hawaii? Give us the 411 by posting in the Comments section below.

When: The offer is valid for travel between August 20 and December 15, 2007. You can purchase your vacation package anytime up until October 31, but to get the extra 1,000 frequent-flyer miles, you’ll have to hurry up and book by August 31.

Caveat: The AA package price may not always be cheaper than booking the same vacation independently. But the bonus frequent-flyer miles may still be worth the extra cost, especially if you’re already close to reaching the next award level.

Why Go: American Airlines just made it easier for frequent fliers to redeem AAdvantage miles using its upgraded award booking tool, which shows award flight availability over a four-week period using a color-coded calendar.

Why Not: Skeptics might say there’s an even better deal waiting around the corner for fall trips to Hawaii.

Connect: Almost all of the participating AA Vacations hotels in Hawaii offer some type of Internet access for guests, whether wired and/or wireless high-speed connections or dial-up service via phone jacks; access surcharges vary.

Contact: American Airlines, (800) 433-7300

Related Los Angeles Times links:
American Airlines’ DealFinder desktop tool
American Airlines: Short-hop flights, less miles
Hawaii: 10,000 Hilton HHonors points & 2x miles

– Sara Benson, L.A. Times Travel Deal Detective

[Photo credit: Courtesy of JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina]

Permalink | E-mail | Print | Add to My Trips

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at 4:40 pm by Sara Benson and is filed under Fall, Frequent Flier, Hawaii, Hawaii's Big Island, Islands & Beaches, Kauai, Maui, Oahu. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.