Good morning! It’s been so long since I’ve flown that I forgot my American Airlines (AA) password. Fortunately, I had it saved on my computer so I was able to check my account balance and confirm the last time I’ve flown. I thought it was the very end of February but it was actually February 21, 2020. I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I’ve been on a plane. My longest previous dry spell as an adult was about 3-4 weeks.
My last flight was when I flew home from visiting my 92-year-old dad in South Florida; I used to go every three weeks to help him out. I flew Palm Beach (PBI) to Dallas (DFW) to Los Angeles (LAX) and flew first class on both legs. I sat in 1A on both flights and remember seeing just a few passengers wearing masks and being freaked out about whether the passengers near me were sick or not. One lady across the aisle was openly coughing without covering her mouth, which fortunately wouldn’t fly these days and frankly should never have been acceptable.
RELATED: Where to Buy N95 and KN95 Face Masks
It’s difficult to believe how the world was turned upside down just a few weeks late. It really has been the most surreal of years and my heart goes out to all the families that lost a loved one. There have now been over 500,000 deaths in the USA and sadly, my Uncle George was one of them when he died alone in a New Jersey hospital. There still hasn’t been a proper funeral service.
I haven’t seen my dad in person in over a year but I’m hoping that’s going to end in April because he’s now been fully vaccinated and I bought one of those crazy cheap $31 AA fares between LAX and MIA. That’s just a fraction of what it cost last year.
The good news is I just checked and the fare is still available and they also have incredible fares for all over the country, including New York to Miami for $30 or Chicago to Phoenix for $30 (all one-way). See below:
Here’s the full list of sales and the fine print: “14-day advance purchase required. Limited availability. Select markets and dates. Basic Economy seat. Non-refundable. Offer is valid for reservations made through March 31, 2021 for travel from now until – May 22, 2021. Taxes and fees included.”
It’s crazy but AA is making less than $15 each way as most of the fare is going to taxes. See below for the breakdown of my round-trip ticket.
What’s even crazier is that since I have elite status, I will most likely get upgraded to a lie-flat seat since they fly the 777-200 often on this route. Even if I don’t, I’ve already secured a plush seat in Premium Economy, which on the 777 is nicer than domestic first class on most of AA’s planes except the A321T.
RELATED: 8 Accessories to Make Wearing a Face Mask More Comfortable, More Hygienic and More Pleasant to Wear
As I was just buying some more tickets (or at least putting them on hold) I noticed AA is a little bit tricky at showing the lowest fare which is why you need to make sure to sort by “Price (low to high). See screenshot below.
Cool, Can’t believe that I’ve been on a plane since you have we went ahead for last March 12-17 nonstop DCA-TPA to visit family and friends and enjoy the Redington Beach Doubletree. Hubby almost cancelled after the outbound plane came yup broken and while we waited for replacement, he almost bailed, but I held his hand ;-)
and we had a good time, made it home safely and went till now without virus and have be vaccinated. Still might be a couple months to fly – however that is mainly due to weather (Iowa) in first trip to visit family especially new 1 month old Charlee, my grandniece :-)
Hugs for your Dad when you get there and sympathies on the loss of your Uncle <3
Thank you for the kind words. All the best to you and your family