American just made it easier for customers who buy premium cabin tickets to earn elite status — without taking anything away or making it harder for everyone else. This stacks with the existing premium cabin mileage-earning bonus that American introduced for the year.
This way, American rewards premium customers — something they have to watch with United and Delta having gone revenue-based — without penalizing anyone. Will it work, and will it be the approach American AAdvantage uses going forward?