US Airways departs Star Alliance on March 30th, and enters the oneworld alliance on March 31.

They sent out an update message yesterday and linked to a page on their website that contained some confusing information.

Lucky pointed out this page about how the merger and transition to oneworld will change the US Airways Dividend Miles program.

And he noted in particular this section:

How to redeem

• Check the American Airlines award chart to see how many miles you need to reach your desired destination.
• Book award travel on American with your Dividend Miles on usairways.com or call 800-428-4322.
• Miles cannot be combined between the Dividend Miles and AAdvantage programs to redeem flight awards.

American Airlines award travel chart (pdf)

The line, “Check the American Airlines award chart” seemed to suggest that US Airways award travel would be booked not based on its own award chart but would be starting to charge prices that match those charged by the American AAdvantage program.

That’s of interest because many awards are more expensive, and others less expensive, under the American program.

Especially of note is the US Airways business class award to ‘North Asia’ for just 90,000 miles roundtrip compared to 110,000 under the American program.

I don’t know anyone who thinks that an award ticket to Hong Kong is going to cost 90,000 miles in the future but the hope is that the US Airways award chart pricing will stay the same until the program goes away, folded into AAdvantage, and that we’ll be able to book Cathay Pacific business class awards for that 90,000 mile price once US Airways is a member of oneworld.

So does this line mean that the US Airways award chart is changing?

I reached out to American and here’s what they told me.

AA and US Airways will maintain individual award redemption charts at this time. Although the chart being referred to on the page is the DM Award chart for redemption on American Airlines, it can also be used to redeem awards ononeworld partner airlines. For all other travel, customers will continue to use the DM award chart.

In fact, clicking on the linked award chart which is for US Airways-booked award travel on American, or a combination of US Airways and American flights, it is not the American AAdvantage award chart and pricing is what you’ll find on the current US Airways Star Alliance award chart. Of note, the chart being linked to still shows ‘North Asia’ at 90,000 miles in business class (and 120,000 miles in first).

I’ve asked some followup questions. Several folks are out of the office, and I’m not sure yet who knows the answers to these questions. Although in any case we’ll know soon enough — in just 9 days — what’s going on by simply trying to book award tickets and seeing what happens.

• Will US Airways be adding fuel surcharges to award tickets issued on British Airways and Iberia as American AAdvantage does?
  
• Will US Airways Dividend Miles be adopting American AAdvantage ‘routing rules’ (what flights and routings can be used on an award ticket) at that time?
  
• Will US Airways awards on partners that are not part of oneworld (such as EVA Airways, whose partnership continues for a few months) be combinable on award tickets with oneworld airlines [as American AAdvantage allows members to do with its non-oneworld partners]?

I’ll share any more news that I learn..

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