Etihad is again releasing First Class award space on its daily A380 flight between New York and Abu Dhabi that you can book for only 90,000 American Airlines miles each way.

Some credit card offers in this post have expired, but they might come back.

American Airlines is releasing a ton of First Class award space from Miami and Dallas to Madrid for July though October, 2016.

This award space is easy to connect to from anywhere in the United States, and you can get anywhere in Europe with an Iberia flight from Madrid. These connecting flights do not add to the First Class mileage price of 62,500 American Airlines miles each way.

We have all known an American Airlines award chart devaluation was coming for a long time, since United and Delta devalued in 2014.

American Airlines has announced a massive devAAluation of its award chart for awards booked on or after March 22, 2016. (It also announced negative changes to status and revenue-based award mile-earning on paid flights.)

The only two things I like about the announcement are that a few prices go down slightly and that we were given solid notice. You have just over four months to book awards on the current American Airlines award chart.

Today American Airlines announced mostly negative changes for earning status in 2016 for 2017. (It also announced negative changes to earning award miles on paid flights and to its award chart.) The five big changes to status earning:
1. No More Elite Qualifying Points
There used to be three ways to earn status: elite qualifying points (EQP), elite qualifying miles (EQM), segments. In 2016, there will be two, with EQP getting the axe.

The number of elite qualifying miles and segments needed to qualify have not changed.
2.

Starting in the "second half of 2016," you will earn award miles on American Airlines tickets according to the cost of the ticket instead of the distance flown.

5 miles/U.S. dollar – AAdvantage member
7 miles/U.S. dollar – Gold
8 miles/U.S. dollar – Platinum
11 miles/U.S. dollar – Executive Platinum

Delta announced a nearly identical move in February 2014, and United copied Delta in June 2014. Both changes are already in effect, so American is just playing catch up (catch down?) here.

A few months ago I was lauding American Airlines award space to Asia because partners Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines were releasing tons of award space in Business and First Class at the last minute. Yesterday I checked in on Cathay Pacific award space and found it greatly diminished at the last minute (though not non-existent.)

Today let's check in on Japan Airlines premium award space at the last minute.
Award Prices
American Airlines awards to Asia are way under-priced compared to United and Delta awards.

Airberlin is adding three new routes to its Dusseldorf hub starting next Spring. All three routes currently have very good award space for two passengers during Summer 2016 in flat bed Business Class.