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Home » American Airlines » Airline Elite Status Will Become Easier To Earn, But Still Leave Me Behind
American Airlines

Airline Elite Status Will Become Easier To Earn, But Still Leave Me Behind

Matthew Klint Posted onOctober 14, 2020November 14, 2023 20 Comments

Airline Elite Status 2021

American Airlines has just revealed its AAdvantage elite status road map for 2021. It’s generous. Other airlines will follow. Even so, my prediction is that I will be left behind..and I know I’m not the only one facing the same dilemma.

American Airlines Improves AAdvantage Elite Status Program For 2021

AA will make it easier to earn status in 2021 (for 2022) and add perks, while only subtracting one:

  • Reducing elite qualification thresholds for 2021 (see chart below)
  • Counting 2020 Q4 activity toward elite qualification for 2021
  • Waiving the EQD requirement (up to Platinum Pro) for spending $30,000 on eligible AAdvantage credit cards
  • Reducing EQM thresholds for Executive Platinum rewards
  • Adding the flexibility to choose your reward for Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members
  • Expanding elite benefits to Basic Economy fares, while eliminating EQD and EQM earnings on such flights (starting on January 1, 2021)

Here’s the new chart:

a screenshot of a graph

Executive Platinum members will still need to spend $12,000 in order to qualify and that cannot be waived with credit spending.

A new “rewards menu” will still allow Executive Platinum members to choose four systemwide upgrades, as before, but also allow other choices, like AAdmirals Club passes, for those who may not be able to use the upgrades.

Basic Economy fares are now upgradable immediately, which is a great thing, but starting next year these fares will no longer help you earn elite status.

Why I’ll (Likely) Be Left Behind

With most borders closed to Americans, Europe encountering a second wave, and Australia announcing international travel will likely not resume until late 2021, I am already preparing to fly even less in 2021 than I have this year (which is on course to be a 15-year low).

In the case of American Airlines, especially with its cheaper fares these days, I see no path toward Executive Platinum status in 2022. And with major lounges closed, onboard service reduced, and the economic future uncertain, the value of elite status has also dropped.

Then again, I cannot imagine I am alone in this feeling of malaise. My clients (the few that are traveling right now) are all leisure. Business travel is dead. And in the U.S., new corporate travel polices will discourage travel even once an effective vaccination is in place. Why travel when Zoom works as an adequate, albeit imperfect, substitute to in-person meetings? Heck, people are afraid to shake hands these days…we are all doing the Japanese bow instead.

I simply don’t see a return to travel in 2021 based upon current trends. As we see in Thailand, the overabundance of caution being exercised will greatly prolong any return to “normal” travel.

CONCLUSION

I’m thankful that both American and United have extended my elite status through 2021. Considering how long these weeks have been recently, 2021 is still a long way off. But I’m really not expecting to hold onto top-tier status beyond next year. I expect elite status to become much more exclusive in 2021.

How about you? Will you still find a way to qualify for top-tier status next year?


image: American Airlines

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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20 Comments

  1. Ryan Reply
    October 14, 2020 at 1:21 pm

    I think you’re wrong. Business travel isn’t dead. It’s already very slowly resuming. I hate Zoom, I cannot connect with people well over Zoom and I do not think it will ever replace what we can do in person. Business starve will be back. Maybe not fully in 2021 but it’s going to be back.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      October 14, 2020 at 1:23 pm

      It will come back eventually, but not like it was in 2019 and certainly not in 2021. But I certainly hope to proven spectacularly wrong.

    • UA-NYC Reply
      October 14, 2020 at 9:51 pm

      To be frank – it may come back here and there for the “self managed traveler” as they say…but that’s a drop in the bucket for the US3, who will desperately need the big corporate accounts to come back (and they aren’t anytime soon). Would be too much backlash prior to mass vaccine distribution.

  2. Mike Saint Reply
    October 14, 2020 at 1:36 pm

    Reluctantly I agree with you. I’m itchy to travel and I can’t really even plan anything. Many countries are still closed to Americans so even if I wanted to travel for work or leisure I can’t. It’s great that AA extended Executive Platinum until 2022 but it’s not likely that I’ll be able to travel much at all in 2021 at all for work and leisure travel has mostly been locally or within California so no ability to travel.

    Same deal with hotel status. I’m a Hyatt Globalist and it’s great they also extended to 2022 but again I most likely won’t be able to travel much in 2021 at all so once my status expires in 2022 I’ll be toast.

    I think many people are in the same position. And it’s not just the USA. I am here in Germany now and was at Frankfurt airport today and like a ghost town.

  3. Jimmy Reply
    October 14, 2020 at 2:18 pm

    My wife and I earned airline status this year for the first time ever. Low level Alaska MVP but we were upgraded to first class on our first flight after qualifying, so I can’t complain.

    If you look at it through a certain lens, this is a golden age of domestic leisure travel: cheap tickets, uncrowded airports and planes, no delays.

    But you’re right about top tier status. That’s just a lot of miles to fly right now when we’re all functionally confined to the US.

  4. PM1 Reply
    October 14, 2020 at 2:20 pm

    I think you’re on point Matthew. I can’t think of a way to renew my 1K status with United. I am itching to fly for business or leisure and probably will fly 50k miles instead of my usual 150-200k miles.

    • UA-NYC Reply
      October 14, 2020 at 9:49 pm

      They will have to reduce PQDs in 2021 for 2022 qualifying. If they think they can get away with dropping to *only* $15K they are in for a rude awakening. Shouldn’t be more than $12K.

  5. Gene Reply
    October 14, 2020 at 5:31 pm

    Matthew — Two roundtrips in QR business LAX-DOH-KUL will get you pretty close ($9,564 EQD and 71,724 MQM).

    • Gene Reply
      October 14, 2020 at 5:57 pm

      @ Matthew — +$25,000 spend on AA Aviator Business card gets you 3,000 more EQD, so you meet the EQD.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      October 14, 2020 at 7:15 pm

      Good thought, Gene!

  6. Larry Dey Reply
    October 14, 2020 at 5:50 pm

    Matthew, I’ve already made 1k for next year. All my travel is business travel. I was home from mid March to mid/late May. Since then, I’ve been out nearly every week for business with no slowing down into next year. Of course this is all Domestic travel. I see myself making 1K again next year also.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      October 14, 2020 at 6:11 pm

      I’m glad you are traveling!

  7. derek Reply
    October 14, 2020 at 5:50 pm

    I have accepted that fact that I will be cattle level elite eventually. My travel will be only very important trips and few of those.

    President Biden will not be able to cure the pandemic any more than Trump. I am afraid that the vaccine will be only of limited value. Already, those who got Covid-19 are seeing fewer antibodies and a few people have caught it a second time. If so, if you go out of the house, other than in an empty field, you will be risking your life for the next 4-7 years. Eventually, pandemics often die out, as did Spanish Flu a century ago. Ugh.

    • Mike Reply
      October 14, 2020 at 9:55 pm

      “Risking your life”. Here are the official CDC published survival rates by age group for those who have gotten coronavirus:

      0-19: 99.997%
      20-49: 99.98%
      50-69: 99.5%
      70+: 94.6%

      Perhaps your appetite for risk is different than mine!

  8. ffi Reply
    October 14, 2020 at 10:25 pm

    @derek
    take a look
    https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2027906?query=TOC

  9. ffi Reply
    October 14, 2020 at 10:30 pm

    DL has it right for the most part 2$ spend = 1 MQM (at $30k intervals) but with recent promo 1$ spend = 1MQM
    UA – $24 spend = 1 PQD (at $12k intervals x4) – though they have improved it for this year
    AA – only counts 2020 spend to lifetime status and $8 spend = 1 EQD (at $25k spend)
    Relying on actual fare money spent for status will thin the herd too much to the point that loyalty ceases to exist

  10. EndlosLuft Reply
    October 15, 2020 at 8:04 am

    Even before Covid I decided that chasing EQMs and the onerous terms made harder every year make no sense for me. Instead I picked whatever airline offered me the best international business class fare (so not bound to a US carrier). Since almost all services are unbundled and available for a price this works out much better than hoping for upgrades and other Elite perks that are included “for free” in a good business class ticket. I literally laughed at the last two frequent flyer program changes introduced by United and AA since my spend with them went to close to zero and I was racking up status with other airlines. To make matters worse for them they have no more good will or credibility … I will only fly them if they offer the best fare/best experience for the money.

  11. cargocult Reply
    October 15, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    I flew UA FRA-IAD recently and J was 10/44 (787-10). I chose that flight as later in the week it was 36/44. I was rather surprised to see such a full cabin. Upgrade lists were short, so either upgrades were immediately confirmed and/or there were a fair number of paying customers. Connecting flights on CRJs/ERJs were packed, which was not surprising. Oh, and needless to say, catering was lousy. Everything was served on a single tray and not even sparking wine was on offer, just single-serving swill from Y. Global Entry requires printing out a picture at the kiosk and showing it to an officer. Security after the border was awful and slow: no PreCheck, the usual filthiness of shoes in bins with everything else in a low ceilinged room below the C concourse. IAD LH lounge was open with extremely restricted hours and pathetic catering. TK lounge catering was a bit better. Both were all pre-packaged. Neither was very crowded. LH Senator lounges in FRA are open in A and B, but not Z. Limited offerings there as well, but much better than at IAD.

    Requalifying for 1K doesn’t really matter since status has been extended. I imagine similar allowances will have to be made for 2021. It would be nice if UA gave some bonus for those who do requalify, though. AA”s requirements are ridiculous. How international an airline are they anymore anyway?

  12. Marc McVey Reply
    October 15, 2020 at 12:32 pm

    When travel improves, it will be interesting to see what competition is created to capture those that are in a “re-set” position, meaning that despite liberal status extensions, you are back to “zero.” Let’s say you had 1K and that dropped off. Are you enticed to give Delta or AA or in SWA a try for your business/ leisure travel? If you are in a market without much competition, then it’s likely you will stay with existing program, especially if you are eying lifetime status. I wonder if we will see changes to Lifetime status requirements, either lower or higher? Going to be lots of marketing efforts and challenges, once a reliable level of travel returns. BTW… I’m zoomed out too, but there are times when zoom fatigue is still better than airport/ hotel/ rental shuttle bus at 11.30pm or 0530… Stay well and stay optimistic. Can’t wait to return to the air and to see the hard working folks in the travel / leisure industry get back on their feet too!

  13. KK Reply
    October 21, 2020 at 6:21 pm

    Looks like there’s no incentive to cull the herd, especially for the upper tiers. Seems like they want to award passengers who contribute to revenues before awarding them for continued loyalty. It’s definitely a quick way to generate income on the short term.

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