There is a little more uncertainty when it comes to how many miles you'll need to pay for an award flight as a result of American Airlines' gradual transition of the AAdvantage program toward dynamic pricing.
The airline still offers a flight reward chart, but you can also observe that the mileage rates deviate from that set model.
This means that for a given route, you can wind up spending a lot more in miles than the chart suggests.
When award pricing, which is frequently in the form of a web special deal, comes in below the award chart, that is one benchmark I use to determine whether to book with miles or cash.
This winter, American Airlines flights to Aruba have that option available from numerous U.S. cities.
The island nation, which is located in the Caribbean Sea just north of South America, has many beaches and resorts that Americans may book with points.
Since the Caribbean is always warm, any chance to take a free vacation there in the chilly winter months is enticing.
American is offering round-trip tickets from numerous U.S. locations for 20,000 AAdvantage miles beginning in mid-November and running through the end of February.
Sure, there are more alternatives if you go from the East Coast or an American hub, but I was able to find flights departing from the Midwest and as far west as Los Angeles that were available for 20,000 miles round-trip.
Standard MileSAAver offers to the Caribbean are priced at 15,000 miles one-way or 30,000 miles round trip according to the AAdvantage program's award chart.
It is 12,500 miles one way for MileSAAver off-peak deals.
Although it may not seem like a significant savings, the current offer allows you to book flights for 10,000 miles round trip, which is 5,000 miles less each round trip than you'd pay for off-peak travel with a 20% discount.
Remember that 20,000 miles would be saved if you were flying a family of four to the location, which might pay for an additional round trip within the contiguous United States.
Though, as you might guess, they are a little tougher to come by, if you're lucky, you might even locate a deal that puts you on the island during or right around the holidays.
No, once March and April roll around, when spring break is at its busiest, you won't be as likely to find the same kind of redemption, but if you anticipate getting sick of the snow and arctic temperatures of winter, it might be a good idea to start planning ahead with a trip much closer to the equator.
Basics of deals
Airline: American Airlines.
Routes to Aruba include those from New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, Miami, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and many other cities.
Travel dates: November 2022 to February 2023, with the greatest amount of availability in November and December.
Directly with the airline is the best way to make a reservation.
Round-trip flights from American locations to Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) in Aruba are included in this offer.
There are several American hubs, particularly along the East Coast, that provide nonstop service to the island, so if you're leaving from a place that isn't a hub, you'll need to make a connection.
While most of these offers don't apply to travel around the holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, I did find a few small exceptions. However, you might have to cope with atypical itineraries that have extremely long connections.
By departing right after a significant holiday, you might be able to use some of your vacation time throughout the holidays.
For instance, there is a tonne of availability at this AAdvantage price range for departures on Black Friday as well as on December 30, which falls on the halfway point between Christmas and New Year's.
The same is true for January 2, which is the first Monday of the year and when many people return to work.
Keep in mind that since this is an overseas flight, you'll probably pay more in taxes and fees than you would for a domestic round trip. The majority of the reservations I looked at included roughly $85 in extra costs on top of the mileage cost.
We discovered the following routes, all of which cost 20,000 AAdvantage miles round-trip:
• To Aruba from New York.
• To Aruba from Philadelphia.
• To Aruba from Charlotte.
• To Aruba from Miami.
• To Aruba from Pittsburgh.
• To Aruba from Chicago.
• To Aruba from Los Angeles.
Starting with one of the shortest flight options in this package, departures from South Florida
With a quick, under-three-hour flight from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Aruba in the early December afternoon hours, this itinerary enables you to travel during some genuine off-peak times.
You may truly make the most of your final day at a resort because you can return just over a week later on a 5:49 p.m. flight.
Here is a slightly more atypical itinerary that will nevertheless allow you to travel over the holidays.
If you fly out of LaGuardia Airport (LGA) on the morning of December 30, you can spend New Year's in Aruba.
After the nonstop flight, you'll arrive on the island in the early afternoon.
I was receiving a lot of very weird route suggestions on the way back, but it might be for the best.
You may do that here in a similar fashion to how stopovers in Europe can be a means to see two cities for the price of one, but instead of doing it in a city across the ocean, it would be an extra night in a warm city in the middle of winter like Miami.
You'll arrive on your aircraft from Aruba in time for a late dinner and won't depart until 4:00 p.m. the following day, so it would be possible to extend your holiday by staying at a resort in South Florida.
We'll look at a choice beyond the Washington, D.C., region as our final step.
The week following Thanksgiving, which can be a popular travel week for some, is taken advantage of for this trip.
You'll connect in Philadelphia on your way south and in Charlotte on your way home on Nov. 30 when you depart from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
Once more, the late afternoon departure on the return trip enables you to make the most of that last day.
In conclusion
I frequently look for possibilities to obtain award tickets that cost less than the award chart pricing norm because I frequently fly with American Airlines.
You might be able to travel to a warm Caribbean location for a portion of the chilly winter if there is a lot of availability in that regard.
FACEBOOK