American Airlines Has Made It Easier To Reach Elite Status

Airlines have been one of the hardest hit industries during the Coronavirus pandemic, as most people just aren’t traveling right now for obvious reasons. But we’re now seeing more people starting to fly again, especially given how cheap tickets are.

Seriously, I just booked a round-trip ticket to Los Angeles for $72! The last time I flew out to LA, that same ticket cost me $330, and that in itself was a deal. I’m pretty sure they’re losing money on my ticket, but I’m not complaining.

What I was curious about was American’s AAdvantage frequent flyer program, and how they’d manage it since no one was really traveling. I myself dropped from Platinum Pro to Gold last year after my travel slowed down, and I figured I would drop off completely after only flying twice this year thanks to COVID.

But instead, American is extending all elite status expiring on January 31, 2021, until January 31, 2022, so I’ll retain my Gold status. In addition, all base EQMs, EQSs, and EQDs earned on flights taken from Oct 1 – Dec 31, 2020, will also count toward your 2021 requirements.

And as you can see in the chart below, they’ve also made it easier to earn status, reducing the required number of miles, legs, and dollars spent for each tier.

Elite status qualification for 2021:

There are a few other changes as well, including waived change fees, better perks for Platinum Pro or Executive Platinum status, and more. You can get the full details here. While I typically fly with American, I imagine the other airlines will be rolling out similar changes as well.

Safe travels! ✈️