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I got something wrong in today’s earlier post titled American Airlines Space Bookable with US Airways Miles and US Airways Space Bookable with American Airlines Miles. I corrected the information in that post. I’ll correct it here too and try to clarify the differences between booking AA flights with US miles and US flights with AA miles.

As always when booking with miles: the rules that matter are the rules of the airline whose miles you are using (not the rules of carriers you’re flying.) And in this case, the airlines have asymmetrical rules for booking awards on each other’s flights.

When Booking with US Airways Miles

• You can NOT book American Airlines flights and other partner flights on a single award.
• You can NOT book American Airlines flights at the off peak prices on the US Airways chart.

Per the chart on usairways.com for travel on American Airlines:

“Award travel must be wholly on American Airlines or a combination of American Airlines and US Airways. American Airlines awards cannot be combined with any of our current partners.”

I tested this out because I thought that maybe usairways.com says it, but it isn’t true. I called US Airways at 800-622-1015 and tried to book an award with American Airlines and ANA (a Japanese Star Alliance partner) flights. The agent said I could not and read me the same two sentences that are online.

Of course, since US Airways agents enforce the rules and not computers, if you keep calling, you might find an agent that lets you combine AA and Star Alliance flights on one award.

When Booking with American Airlines Miles

• You CAN book US Airways flights and other partner flights on a single award. Yesterday I showed an award from Charlotte to Berlin with a US Airways and an airberlin flight that was bookable for 20k miles.
• You CAN book US Airways flights at the off peak prices on the American Airlines chart. In fact, for off peak awards to Hawaii, Southern South America, Europe, or Asia, you can book any partner’s flights at the off peak prices as long as your flights are during the off peak dates.

I hope this clears up the confusing, asymmetrical rules being enforced when using American Airlines miles and US Airways miles. As always when booking with miles: the rules that matter are the rules of the airline whose miles you are using (not the rules of carriers you’re flying.)