Big devaluation coming to the Hyatt & American Airlines partnership
Under the guise of offering members "new choices, valuable redemptions and status opportunities" Hyatt and American Airlines have announced a series of serious changes to their partnership which will, in effect, make that partnership considerably less useful for most people. This is a big devaluation that's on the way.
[Targeted] Fast track to American Airlines status for World of Hyatt elites
Yesterday, we published an article about the opportunities being given to AAdvantage members seeking World of Hyatt, so this article will focus on the more targeted and more limited opportunities being offered to select World of Hyatt elites seeking American Airlines AAdvantage elite status.
Fast track to World of Hyatt status for American Airlines elites
American Airlines and the World of Hyatt have brought back a fast track status promotion that we've seen, in one guise or another, published each year since the Hyatt/American Airlines partnership was launched.
This promotion gives select American Airlines elites the opportunity to enjoy immediate World of Hyatt elite status for 90 days and the opportunity to extend that elite status by completing qualifying activity within those 90 days.
How American Airlines & Alaska Airlines reciprocal upgrades work (includes details of a new...
Reciprocal upgrades have been available to American Airlines AAdvantage and Alaska Mileage Plan elites since 2021, and as a very recent change to the upgrade rules has improved the upgrade benefit for Alaska's flyers, this seems like a good time to recap how these upgrades work.
This is how much top-tier airline status costs me each year
I gave up on the AAdvantage program and Executive Platinum status as soon as American Airlines introduced Elite Qualifying Dollars and the concept of a minimum spend requirement, and since then, I've been using the British Airways Executive Club as my primary airline program.
American Airlines announces positive changes to the AAdvantage program
American Airlines has put out a press release addressing its plans for the AAdvantage program in 2024 and surprisingly, the news is actually good. Benefits are not being enhanced away, elite status is not being made harder to earn, award charts aren't being decimated, and there's no suggestion that the airline plans to hold the members of its frequent flyer program in the same contempt as Delta holds SkyMiles members.
Significant changes coming to the American Airlines AAdvantage program
The AAdvantage program's current incarnation is still very new (it only came into being earlier this year) but American Airlines is already pushing through new changes which, on the whole, are probably going to be unpopular.
American Airlines handled my self-inflicted 500-mile upgrade issue very well
As I'm usually more than happy to call out airlines when they're acting poorly (or like imbeciles) it's only fair that I give credit where credit is due when an airline does something well. In that spirit, I'd like to point out how helpful the agents at AAdvantage customer services were when I caused a minor issue for myself that need never have arisen.
American Airlines & JetBlue add more reciprocal elite benefits
Today, American Airlines and JetBlue have taken another step towards cementing their alliance (despite the fact that the DoJ is actively trying to break the alliance up) by announcing further reciprocal status benefits for their elite flyers and by confirming that customers flying with JetBlue will finally be allowed to use their Admirals Club memberships to access American's lounges.
American Airlines ends Award Wallet access
For a little over 8 years, Award Wallet has had an agreement in place with American Airlines which has allowed it to access flyer data via an API that, in turn, allowed it to keep members informed of any changes to their flights and AAdvantage account balances. As of today, that access has been revoked and Award Wallet members can no longer use the application to track their American Airlines flights or AAdvantage accounts.
American Airlines just made Lifetime Elite status a little more valuable (in one way)
American Airlines recently ripped up the rules surrounding elite status qualification for the AAdvantage program and introduced a whole new system through which its flyers can earn elite status. For some, the fact that the new system will probably create more low-level elites means that Lifetime Gold and Lifetime Platinum status has just been devalued (more competition for benefits). For others, however, Lifetime AAdvantage Elite status will have just become more useful.
This was my ‘panic’ American Airlines award booking
On Monday afternoon, I wrote that I was looking at different ways in which I could spend the 170,000 AAdvantage miles that were sitting in my account and I mentioned a number of options that I had been considering. At the time, I had no idea which option (or options) I most wanted to go for and I was prepared to keep thinking things through for a few more weeks. A tweet that I saw on Monday evening quickly changed all of that.
Huge News: American Airlines reinvents how elite status is earned
Today looks like it's a day for surprises. I didn't expect Marriott to announce the huge Bonvoy devaluation that we've seen, while the cataclysmic changes that I was expecting American Airlines to make to its awards charts never materialized. Instead, what American Airlines announced today was a wholesale change to how AAdvantage elite status is earned.
American Airlines & JetBlue now offer reciprocal elite benefits (award bookings are on the...
American Airlines and JetBlue first announced their (slightly surprising) partnership back in July last year but other than offering members of each other’s loyalty programs the ability to earn their preferred currency when flying, so far the partnership has offered little in the way of reciprocal elite status benefits. Starting this today, however, that has all changed.
I’m amazed that American Airlines honored last week’s points sale error
Last Friday, American Airlines launched yet another points sale which, on the face of things, looked very similar to a lot of the other points sales that we usually see it running. The sale was offering up to 35% off the regular cost of miles and should have priced American's currency at over 2 cents per mile. But it didn't. It priced it far lower.
Why Does Alaska Airlines Have A High Segment Requirement For Top-Tier Status & American...
Last week we finally got to find out a lot more about the new top-tier elite status that Alaska Mileage Plan first mentioned back in January and one of the bigger surprises that we were given was the news that to earn top tier MVP Gold 100K status, flyers will have to book 24 segments that are marketed and operated by Alaska Airlines. In this post, I speculate on what the key driver of this requirement may be and why American Airlines doesn't have a similar requirement.
Earn 1,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles Per Hyatt Stay (Select Regions)
Hyatt is currently sending out emails to members of its World of Hyatt program offering them 1,000 bonus American Airlines miles for every qualifying stay they make at properties in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India. Registration is required so make sure you check the details below if you think that you'll be able to make the most of this offer.
American Airlines & JetBlue Now Offer Reciprocal Mileage & Elite Qualifying Credits On Most...
American Airlines and JetBlue have today announced that they are now offering near-universal reciprocal mileage earning and elite status credit accrual for members of the AAdvantage and TrueBlue programs. Flyers from both airline programs can now choose whether to earn AAdvantage Miles or TrueBlue points when they book with either airline and depending on which they choose, they'll also earn credits towards elite status too.
Earn Thousands Of American Airlines AAdvantage Miles When You Buy Or Sell A Home
Every year we seem to hear of new ways for people to earn miles and points from sources that have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with travel, and while I have no idea how long this source of miles has been around, I've just discovered that you can earn a substantial number of American Airlines miles when you buy or sell a home.
American Airlines Unveils New Benefits For Executive Platinum & Platinum Pro Elites
In the middle of October American Airlines announced a series of changes to the AAdvantage program with a view to keeping its elite flyers happy. Among other things, the changes announced included the introduction of new rewards for flyers who earn AAdvantage Executive Platinum and Platinum Pro status but further details surrounding these rewards weren't forthcoming. Now, American has told us more and there's some very good news for Platinum Pro elites.
Surprising: American & Alaska Airlines Will Offer Reciprocal Upgrades
With Alaska Airlines expected to join the oneworld alliance at the end of the first quarter of 2021, it's not a major surprise to find out that the two airlines plan to offer reciprocal elite benefits next year. What is surprising, however, is that both airlines say that they will go as far as offering select elite flyers from the other airline's loyalty program complimentary domestic upgrades on the flights they operate.
American Airlines Is Eliminating More Award Fees & Extending Mileage Expiration Dates
American Airlines has just announced some good, positive changes to its AAdvantage program which will come into effect from tomorrow, 11 November 2020. Two fees are being eliminated and mileage expirations are being extended so, although for most people this year will almost certainly be remembered for the terrible toll that Covid-19 has taken, a small crumb of comfort may be that it's also the year that has seen airlines roll back a swathe of fees that most of us have resented for years.
Earn 3x AAdvantage Miles with World of Hyatt [Targeted]
The World of Hyatt is currently sending out emails to targeted members with an offer of three AAdvantage Miles per dollar on all Hyatt stays through the end of the year. Considering this offer will stack (very nicely) with the upcoming promotion in which WoH members can earn up to four times the usual number of base points, this is an incredibly generous offer to receive.
AAdvantage credit cards now earn miles towards Million Miler status
Up until 2011, all miles earned through credit card spending counted towards American Airlines Million Miler status while the miles earned from the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card counted through 2012. Since then, only miles earned by flying (better known as "butt-in-seat" miles) have qualified to move the needle in the Million Miler program...until now.
American Airlines Is Now Offering Elite Status Credits On Alaska Airlines Flights
Back in 2017 American Airlines and Alaska Airlines announced some significant negative changes to their partnership and it was only October last year that American Airlines removed Alaska Airlines from its list of award partners...but that was then and this is now.
Alaska Airlines & American Are Offering Improved Reciprocal Mileage Earning
Now that American and Alaska are playing nicely together again both airlines are offering significantly improved reciprocal mileage earnings on each other's flights - flyers can now earn and redeem Alaska miles on all American Airlines flights and they can earn and redeem American Airlines AAdvantage miles on all Alaska Airlines flights.
I’m Taking The American Airlines/Etihad Situation Seriously
At the end of last week OMAAT published a post showing that American Airlines had removed Etihad from the list of partners it displays on its website and, unsurprisingly, this sent the rumor mill into overdrive.
Use AAdvantage Miles to upgrade your flights
With American making premium cabin saver awards harder and harder to find it has definitely become a lot more challenging to find great uses for AAdvantage miles in recent years (especially if you're based in the US), but the lack of saver award space doesn't have to mean that an AAdvantage balance is worthless or near-impossible to use effectively.
Huge News: Alaska Airlines To Join Oneworld + American Expands In Seattle
Alaska Airlines and American Airlines have issued a joint statement in which they have announced a new "West Coast International Alliance" under which Alaska's West Coast network will connect up to (and feed) American's long-haul network, which will see Alaska Airlines becoming a member of the oneworld alliance in 2021 and which will see American Airlines launching a new route to Asia and a new route out of Alaska's hub in Seattle.
American’s AAdvantage Program Ends Three Hotel Partnerships
The American Airlines AAdvantage program is emailing members to let them know that it will be ending its partnership with three significant hotel chains from later this year and, although members are being given 2 months' notice of the changes, some will still find this a disappointing move by the airline.
American Airlines Removes Alaska Airlines As An Award Partner
Sometimes I wonder if American Airlines genuinely can't help itself. On the same day that the airline was finally able to announce a genuine improvement to its AAdvantage earnings charts (just a few days after the airline was left embarrassed by the loss of a key oneworld partner), it shoots itself in the foot by promptly announcing the end of yet another arrangement with a valued partner airline.
American Airlines Boosts Elite & Mileage Earnings On Qantas
Earlier today, Executive Traveller wrote about Qantas "turbocharging" the points and status credits that its flyers can earn when flying with American Airlines. This got me wondering if American Airlines would do the same for AAdvantage members...and the answer is a resounding yes!
New Way To Earn AAdvantage Miles – Introducing “Simply Miles”
American Airlines has launched a new way for AAdvantage credit card holders to earn extra miles and the new program, called SimplyMiles, works in a similar way to the offers we see Chase and American Express target at their cardholders.
Beware: American Airlines Is Showing Phantom Cathay Pacific Award Availability
As of yesterday Cathay Pacific awards can now be booked on the American Airlines website but it looks like American may be having a few integration issues that travelers should be aware of - not all the awards you'll see on AA.com are actually available to book.
You Can Now Book Cathay Pacific Awards On AA.com
Over the past year American Airlines has been adding the ability for users of its website to book awards on a number of its partner airlines (like Etihad and Japan Airlines) and now one of oneworld's more popular carriers can be booked on American's website too - Cathay Pacific awards are now live on AA.com.
You Can Now Book Japan Airlines (JAL) Awards On AA.com
One of the few things that American Airlines has improved over the past few years is the ability to book partner awards though AA.com.
There was a time (in the not too distant past) where Alaska Airlines, British Airways, and Cathay Pacific were just about the only partners whose awards could be reliably booked via the American Airlines website – now we have 17 different partner airlines to choose from on AA.com.
Great News: Etihad Awards Appear To Be Bookable On AA.com
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Hyatt & American Airlines Will Offer Crossover Earnings & Benefits
Ok, now this is very interesting. Hyatt and American Airlines have announced that they plan to offer elite members of their respective rewards programs the opportunity to earn more points and miles when they fly with American or book stays with Hyatt.
This Is Why Some American Airlines Elite Benefits Are A Joke
Arguably three of the more valuable benefits that come with American Airlines top-tier status are the 4 Systemwide Upgrades that elites receive each year, the unlimited domestic upgrades and the bonus miles that top-tier elites earn on all flights....but at least two of these have been reduced to a farce by current American Airlines management.
Can You Earn AAdvantage Miles & Elite Credits On Royal Jordanian’s New Etihad Codeshares
Etihad and Royal Jordanian have just announced a new codeshare partnership which will see the airlines place their respective codes on select routes out of Amman and Abu Dhabi. With Royal Jordanian being a member of the oneworld alliance a reader has written in to ask if he can earn American Airlines miles and credit towards elite status if he books an Etihad flight though Royal Jordanian.
American Airlines Premium Economy Awards Are Here – This Is What You Need To...
It has been a long time coming considering how many months we have been able to book Premium Economy cash fares but American Airlines has finally got around to publishing its Premium Economy award charts.
The Time When Having Good Airline Status Really Paid Off
I had only been back home in LA for a few days before it was time to fly out again and make the journey back across the Atlantic that I seem to do so very often.
On this occasion I was routing via Dallas as I was using up my last American Airlines systemwide upgrade from last year and the only upgrade availability at the time of booking had been on the Dallas - London sector.
I wasn't prepared to go on the upgrade waitlist for the non-stop flights to London out of Los Angeles as, since American changed the way it treats upgrade priority, I felt my chances of seeing the upgrade clear were slim and my systemwide upgrade would go to waste.
Reminder: AAdvantage Award Chart Changes Kicking In From 16 January
Back at the beginning of December American Airlines announced a number of changes to its award charts that will be kicking in for bookings from 16 January 2019.
The changes that are being introduced introducing center around Canada and Hawaii and, while the news for Hawaii isn't good the news for Canada is mixed.
The Incredible American Airlines Award That Came & Went
American Airlines has recently started publishing some discounted Economy Class awards which it's calling "web specials". This is almost certainly as a result of Delta's ever more frequent flash sales but, up until now, American's web specials have only been offered on select domestic routes. Yesterday that changed....briefly.
Was Earning BA Gold Status Cheaper Than Earning American Airlines Executive Platinum?
Late last year I wrote a post in which I concluded that simple mathematics suggested that I shouldn't credit my 2018 flights to the American Airlines AAdvantage program. Now, almost a year to the day since I wrote that post, I've finished my flying for 2018 and it's time to see how that decision played out.
American Airlines & China Southern Expand Partnership (Reciprocal Elite Benefits On The Way)
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American Airlines Simply Doesn’t Care About AAdvantage Or Its Members
There was a time when the American Airlines AAdvantage program was the clear leader in the airline loyalty sector and when the airline saw it as a genuine asset to its business. Nowadays all of that is rapidly becoming a distant memory as the current leadership team at American Airlines continues to dismantle AAdvantage and with it what little loyalty that is still felt towards the increasingly hard-to-like airline.
Significant Changes Coming To American Airlines AAdvantage In 2019
American Airlines has just announced a series of changes to the AAdvantage loyalty program that will come into effect on 1 January 2019. The changes affect how many Elite Qualifying Dollars are required to earn top-tier status, how many elite qualifying miles are earned with select partner airlines and more.
The Math Tells Me Not To Credit Flights To American Airlines
I've been trying my hardest not to be one of those travelers who complains incessantly about an airline devaluing its frequent flyer program only to keep handing that same airline his/her cash on an ongoing and frequent basis.
American Airlines has destroyed the AAdvantage program for travelers like me (for a very small minority it may have improved) so my plan has been to avoid flying American Airlines as much as possible...but it's been quite hard.
American Airlines Guts The AAdvantage Program – Elite Qualifying Dollars & New Status Level...
American Airlines has just released details of what the AAdvantage program is going to look like going forward and it's almost universally bad news for miles & points collectors and those of us who've enjoyed what used to be the best airline loyalty program out there. The Delta-isation of AAdvantage is upon us so those with a weak disposition should probably stop reading now.
American Airlines Still Won’t Tell Us When Mileage Earning Will Change
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American Airlines AAdvantage Devaluation: How The Earning Rate Changes Will Affect Me
One of the better ways to see just what effect the devaluations to a program will have is to compare what you earned under the existing policies and earning structure to what you would have earned if the new, devalued, policies and earning rates had been in place instead. So that's exactly what I've done with my AAdvantage earnings here.
American Airlines AAdvantage Changes – Effect on Redeemable Miles
A couple of days ago I published a post discussing how the recently announced changes to the AAdvantage Program would affect award redemptions by European based AAdvantage members (American Airlines AAdvantage Award Chart Devaluations – Euro Travelers’ Viewpoint) and it wasn't pretty. In this post I'm going to show how the changes to how we earn redeemable miles, being introduced from late 2016, makes everything doubly bad. Yep, I'm full of good news this week!
American Airlines AAdvantage Award Chart Devaluations – Euro Travelers’ Viewpoint
Sometimes I can't catch a break - I take two days out to do something other than watching what the various loyalty programs, airlines and hotel chains are doing and then Marriott goes and buys Starwood and American Airlines announces an enormous award chart devaluation. That last one was the worst because the announcement came while I was at 34,000ft somewhere over Europe (and without WiFi access) and I only saw the news when I landed back at Heathrow (very late at night). Airlines really don't consider miles & points bloggers when they release their news! :)
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