American Airlines Just Rolled Out New, Game-changing Benefits for Its Loyalty Program Members

11.01.2024 - 16:21 / travelandleisure.com

American Airlines is enhancing its loyalty program to offer greater rewards to all members, and not just those with elite status.

Announced this week, the airline is introducing “members-only” benefits to its AAdvantage frequent flier program including:

By the end of January, American will also roll out a much more flexible policy for basic economy tickets that are booked directly through the airline. AAdvantage members will soon be able to cancel their basic economy tickets for a fee and receive a partial trip credit.

All of these member-only benefits will take effect on March 1, the date American resets its calendar annually for the new program year. As always, it’s free to sign up for the AAdvantage program, so there’s no reason travelers shouldn’t sign up to reap the benefits when flying American.

“There has never been a better time to be a member in the award-winning AAdvantage program. American has built a travel rewards program that’s simple and rewarding for everyone,” the airline’s senior vice president of loyalty and revenue management, Scott Chandler said in a statement. 

The good news for American’s most frequent fliers is that elite status requirements won’t change for 2024, says the airline. Instead, there will be even more benefits for travelers to look forward to, such as the ability to redeem their miles for Flagship First Lounge dining passes at the Platinum Pro level. 

Upgrades are among the best perks of holding elite status, which will also get better this year. Members will be able to earn miles on paid upgrades, request systemwide upgrades online, and be able to upgrade with select airline partners — names undisclosed for now.

Travelers interested in earning elite status will need to earn Loyalty Points, which is the qualification metric the airline introduced in 2022. The premise is simple: one Loyalty Point is awarded for every dollar spent on flights and at eligible partners. Members who cross certain thresholds will be able to earn bonus Loyalty Points, helping them requalify faster year after year. 

“We have one goal in mind: offer the best loyalty rewards program, unmatched. This means delivering true value for our members through rewards and the best experiences based on their engagement in the program,” Chandler added.