In a bold move which arguably pioneers a simpler way of qualifying for earning elite status in a frequent flier loyalty program, Loyalty Points has been introduced to American Airlines AAdvantage and became effective as of Saturday, January 1, 2022 — which means that gone are the days of accruing Elite Qualifying Miles, Elite Qualifying Dollars, and Elite Qualifying Segments to qualify for elite status, as members of the program may now earn elite status with additional ways to do so…
Changes to Upgrade Process Now in Effect With American Airlines AAdvantage
…and effective as of yesterday, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, Loyalty Points which were earned from eligible activity during January 2022 and February 2022 started appearing in AAdvantage membership accounts — albeit, not without complications or technical difficulties.
Along with Loyalty Points, two key changes were implemented to the elite upgrade policies of the AAdvantage program.
No More 500-Mile Electronic Upgrade Certificates — Meaning Unlimited Complimentary Upgrades For All Elites
AAdvantage members who have earned Gold or Platinum elite level status with American Airlines AAdvantage will no longer be required to use 500-mile electronic upgrade certificates effective as of today, Wednesday, March 2, 2022 in order to be upgraded for a domestic flight within the United States — or between the United States and Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, or Central America. From now on, all members who have earned elite status will be added to to the complimentary upgrade waitlist and clear in the following order…
- Concierge Key
- Executive Platinum
- Platinum Pro
- Platinum
- Gold
…and within those elite tiers, preference will be based upon such factors as fare class, check-in time, and overall spend by the passenger with American Airlines over the most recent year.
A companion can be still be upgraded when the member who earned elite status uses a maximum limit of one 500-mile electronic upgrade certificate per flight — but that method will eventually become obsolete, as all members who earned elite status will be permitted to request complimentary upgrades for a companion on the same flight sometime later this year.
Unused 500-mile electronic upgrade certificates will eventually be phased out sometime later this year and converted to 250 Loyalty Points.
Upgrades To Clear Automatically at 40 Minutes Prior To Departure
Upgrades will clear automatically at 40 minutes prior to departure — meaning that passengers may simply refresh their boarding passes in order to see the latest updated seat assignments — instead of being cleared manually approximately 30 minutes prior to departure.
Clearing upgrades automatically at 40 minutes prior to departure should ensure that upgrades are processed according to the wait list for upgrades instead of causing elite passengers whose names appeared near the top of the upgrade list with the conundrum of wondering whether to board the airplane early and risk losing the upgrade — or wait only to find out that they have not been upgraded and then first have to search for space in the overhead bin compartments for their belongings.
Final Boarding Call
American Airlines now handles how elite members are upgraded more similarly with the way Delta Air Lines and United Airlines process their upgrade lists.
I remember when Delta Air Lines had a similar system years ago with 500-mile upgrades and 800-mile upgrades. I never particularly liked that system and was glad that it was eliminated in favor of unlimited complimentary upgrades — even if it possibly meant fewer upgrades overall…
…but then again, my own personal experience does not suggest that I was upgraded more with certificates than without them. With some exceptions due primarily to circumstances with a particular flight, members of frequent flier loyalty programs who have earned lower tiers of elite status generally do not get upgraded all that much anyway.
I am not sure why American Airlines took years to finally remove what some people may see as an archaic upgrade system; but hopefully the majority of elite members will benefit from it.
Time will tell…
All photographs ©2015, ©2018, and ©2019 by Brian Cohen.
