We now know much of the changes that American AAdvantage will implement right away (to earning status during 2016 for the 2017 program year) and in a year (to mileage-earning for flights). But there are still areas where we can expect changes and American hasn’t told us what to expect. How they handle those issues will determine the value of the AAdvantage program more than the changes that have already leaked.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
There’s a ‘secret club’ of top aviation executives that meets off the record twice a year. It’s a secret society complete with rituals, and several big deals in the industry have been hatched there — and laws have apparently even been broken.
At 3 a.m. on October 19 a pilot of a small plane lost all electrical power. Air Traffic Control lost contact.
After 15 minutes, the Dallas Love Field control tower received a call from 911. The pilot called from a disconnected cell phone.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
When the Park Hyatt New York first opened it was very difficult to get an award night there. The hotel wasn’t completely finished, and the unfinished portion included some of the 12% of rooms that would be considered ‘standard’ and thus eligible for redemptions.
Six months ago it became possible to redeem Hyatt Gold Passport points there regularly.
I finally got to visit, and I was blown away.
The story broke last night at Traveling Better: American AAdvantage is making some changes to the AAdvantage program for 2016 and beyond.
Elite status earning remains very similar to what it is today, dropping ‘points’ as a method of qualifying but adding bonuses for premium fares. The airline will go to revenue-based for mileage-earning in ‘late 2016’. Lots of details here.
While it looks like American plans to follow Delta by introducing Basic Economy Fares (lowest fares that do not come with the ordinary benefits of a ticket on a full service carrier, such as advance seat assignments or the ability to upgrade or even make changes with payment of a fee), there’s some indication that United may follow American’s existing model of selling bundles of benefits with their tickets.
And they want to use miles for inflight purchases and for ancillary services during the booking process.
It turns out that by posting DON’T CALL THE AIRLINE a frequent flyer let an airline off the hook for honoring a mistake fare. And it didn’t help that another declared, “I feel so alive inside.”
Last week I wrote that – out of the blue – American was reaching out to folks who held reservations (but did not ticket) for a business mistake fare to China back in March and who had their reservations cancelled. Now we know why…
Reader Michael G. spotted couches just past security in the Tom Bradley International terminal at LAX “Courtesy of the American Express Centurion Lounge” .. there’s no celebrity chef, but clearly an attempt to raise awareness of the American Express and Centurion lounge brand.
We know of course that American Express is seeking to build its own network of lounges in major airports, rather than relying on airline partners alone to provide lounge access to their premium cardmembers. Here’s what else we know:
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
