American Airlines is tweaking its AAdvantage loyalty program, looking to make things more streamlined for its most frequent flyers and allow passengers to start unlocking perks even before they earn status.
“It’s a complicated loyalty space out there across different loyalty programs,” AAdvantage managing director Heather Samp told USA TODAY. “Our focus was simplicity.”
Some of the big changes include a new array of rewards at different qualifying thresholds and an elimination of the mileage earning cap on flights.
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“We’re creating a more meaningful travel rewards program for our AAdvantage members,” American’s Chief Commercial Officer Vasu Raja said in a statement. “Only our members will have access to everything American has to offer.”
Here’s what American’s customers can expect once the changes are implemented in March.
Can AAdvantage members have benefits before status?
One of the biggest changes rolling out for AAdvantage members next year is the availability of certain perks before reaching the lowest level of elite status.
Once a member accrues 15,000 Loyalty Points, they will be able to board with Group 5 for the rest of the membership year. They’ll also have the choice to bump up to Group 4 along with other priority privileges for one trip, or receive five preferred seat coupons.
“Think of loyalty points as something that you constantly accumulate throughout the year. They’re never spent,” Samp said. “Once you get…
