When my mobile phone rang with a call from Omaha, my eyes lit up. Could it be that I was on of the “chosen” ones to receive free Executive Platinum status with American Airlines courtesy of Hyatt? Yes!
Free American Airlines Executive Platinum Status for Select Hyatt Globalist Members
It was my concierge on the line. She offered me AA EXP status through 01/2021…if I wanted it.
Um, let me think about that one…
Sure.
It was a quick call. Talk about an unexpected Christmas gift! I was not targeted in the first round of calls and thought I would be left out of this offer. But good things come to those who wait.
It has been about a week and my status has still not been updated. I am elated to find out that I will also (likely) receive systemwide upgrades as well, which I hope to put to good use.
My AA and Hyatt Numbers
While I do not know how or why I was targeted, I can offer a couple data points:
- I currently have 54 stays for the year, with the final stay to re-qualify for Globalist status coming this week. I’ve also earned 47,780 base points this year.
- I have not flown once on American Airlines this year, but have earned about 15K Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) through travel on Royal Jordanian, Iberia, and SriLankan.
It’s that last point that may be significant. If AA had anything to do with it, perhaps they saw that I was a former EXP that has largely abandoned AA. Perhaps they say that I earned enough miles for Platinum status last year, but did bother to fly the four AA segments necessary to secure it. Or perhaps AA had nothing to do with this at all.
Will I Now Fly American Airlines?
It’s interesting that this status comes concurrently with my last-minute push to earn 1K status on United for 2020. For the first time in seven years I’ll hold top-tier status on two different U.S. airlines.
United will still be my primary airline, but I do expect this unexpected status match to drive some business to AA and oneworld. AA has faster and more stable onboard internet than United. I imagine several domestic flights on American when I want to better position myself to be productive onboard.
Looking beyond AA, I intend to use my oneworld Emerald status at lounges in Hong Kong, London, Sydney, Helsinki and others this year: I think this is what excites me the most. That will require oneworld travel, which I look forward to doing for this blog.
CONCLUSION
This was an unexpected gesture from Hyatt which only solidifies my loyalty to World of Hyatt. At this point, I don’t know what 2020 will bring in terms of travel…I’ll address that in a future post. But Hyatt once again validated my loyalty and I look forward to comparing 1K and EXP side-by-side in my own travels next year.
Lucky…..freaking…..duck. I was executive platinum but have nowhere near the stairs you do at Hyatt. Crickets from Hyatt
AA handing out EP status like candy should make those who earned it feel great. I’d imagine they are targeting people with specific zip codes as well, since i doubt they’d be handing it out to people in ATL or DEN.
Diluting the top tier of status in the hopes of converting a few people is certainly a risky gamble, but i guess could work out in the long run.
Certainly not handing it out to anyone with Australian or UK address, for obvious reasons.. It just makes Hyatt look more US-centric than ever.
QANTAS top tier members get treated like crap by AA, and now QANTAS has to roll out the red carpet for these freeloaders? Insane, but vaguely amusing.
If it makes you feel any better, Paolo, we all get treated like crap by AA. This is just one more example.
We spent a year enduring the worst operational nightmare with AA in its history and those that stuck it out are thrown under the bus with this insanity.
Welcome to overcrowded lounges, impossible upgrades, and people like Matthew (not intended directly to him but to his comment) using SWU’s for the sole purpose of burning them on a few flights with AA rather than actually committing.
I feel like I have a girlfriend who says, “I expect you to be loyal, but for now I want to kind of experiment with others and let them sleep with me with no commitment.”
I fly from ATL and got gifted EXP, if that’s of any use to anyone. There’s rarely a reason to fly AA from ATL, and I’m always on Delta metal, but when I’m overseas the oneworld status will likely be useful.
Well, I was crucified for complaining about this at OMAAT so might as well here as well..
It’s not a select group of Globalists being targeted. Nor does it subscribe to any rhyme or reason. One guy, “Michael,” posted that his spend is 3K a year at Hyatt and is a Globalist and got the invite to EXP. Another, Scott, spent 92 nights at Hyatt and has not received it.
My argument is that as a high spend Globalist (also booking large meeting events) and an EXP it is offensive to me to see someone like Michael, who is probably not what Hyatt and AA had in mind for this, being gifted EXP. Fine, he managed to grab Globalist through combined low cost stays at Hyatt Place, a few award nights, and a Hyatt CC. He is most likely not competing for upgrades at Grand or Park properties so it’s not a big deal. However, to give him EXP for that? Talk about cheapening the entire idea of status – and now I have to compete with him for upgrades and SWU’s?
Further, as someone who is already a Globalist and EXP it sends me the message of, “Since we already have your undying loyalty, as a gift we are now going to give you even more competition for upgrades!” Gee, thanks!
Cue up the ‘Stuart is an elitist” comments now – and a whiner. It’s fine. Because, yes, I look at my combined spend at Hyatt and American this year of $90K and then see someone who spends $3K receive this offer (which seems to be pretty widespread and not targeted to high spend Globalists) and straight on you bet I will whine.
Ask for what, Elliott? I am already an EXP and Globalist. That’s my point.
Im not terribly concerned because someone with zero MQDs will be well behind me on the upgrade list. If I was Platinum then yes .
You and everyone else. What a dumb post. And I’m stupider for clicking it. Everyone here cares very much about what you get for free.
As someone who holds UA, AA MR and Hyatt top tier… I’m a bit frustrated. It would be nice to get something… Anything, as opposed to just bringing everyone else up to where I earned. I spent all year making sure I will have enough stays and miles to get these statuses, and now…
Congrats to you. Enjoy the upgrades, if you can ever get them. This sort of game now makes my lifetime Platinum and Plat Pro status earned by “butts in the seat” worth even less valued to AA. Dougie P. is really doing his best to kill any remaining amount of my loyalty to AA.
I feel bad for you. Now you have top status with two of the worst US airlines.
I think that the Hyatt/AA partnership does more harm than good. As a Globalist with Hyatt, I was already extremely unhappy that top tier AA members automatically get top tier Hyatt status with zero effort. That makes competition for suite upgrades much harder on us Globalists who worked for it. To add insult to injury, AA offers zero automatic status in return, so Globalists simultaneously get burned another way. Now as the cherry on top, there’s some secret system in use to hand out EXP status with AA with no explanation as to why. This leaves existing EXP’s fighting for upgrade space with people who did nothing visible to deserve it, so they get hosed as well. In sum, these changes leave an awful lot of bad feelings due to this ill-conceived concept.
Exising EXPs will always be higher on the upgrade list compared to these new EXPs with zero or little MQDs.
Well, nice u got it.
Too bad it is OW and not ST. Somehow ST does not get a lot of attention in blogs and it would be great to see more.
It is mostly *A as it is the superior and for many people most relevant alliance, with some bloggers going all out on OW despite the questionable quality of most airlines in that alliance.
Loyalty is a game where, in the end, the house always wins. Exclusivity has a value, particularly when you offer it to previously-excluded groups. Then you create a new, more exclusive tier.
Then again, how many EXP whiners are whining because they don’t have a choice for loyalty?
ST doesn’t get as much love probably due to the prominent bloggers being based in *A and OW fortress hubs. The US has the credit card industry to make it possible to be a paying job. Besides, ST generally only has one tier of lounge, so it presents a better deal for mid-tier elites than for travel bloggers.
This is one where being LA based rather than a pure United hub will help you a lot.. much more likely for there to be itineraries that make sense to shift over to AA when the UA version has long connections/inconvient times or silly prices.
I wonder when Matthew will comment on the fact that he exactly said what legitimate EXP’s are so angry about? Though he deleted it now and changed the wording in his post he originally wrote that he planned to burn the SWU’s for a few flights to just check out and review AA. Which is what many are going to do. He has no intention of actually giving any loyalty to AA…just burn the upgrades and make the pool more full for those of us that actually endure it for real.
At least own it, Matthew.
I am learning to expect less and less from AA so Matthew’s gift was no surprise. As EXP with AA for some years, am I therefore entitled to top tier status with Hyatt? I won’t even get started on the mysterious Concierge Key saga. . . . . . .
Stuart, I didn’t delete or edit anything from this post. Concerning the status match, I asked for nothing and will give AA business as I see fit. I too question the business case of the Concierge Key status match to Globalist and the more limited Globalist match to EXP. But I am certainly not going to turn down EXP for a year.
My apologies, Matthew. So many bloggers are writing about this I must have mixed up content with another.
I feel like I have a girlfriend named AA who says, “I expect you to be loyal, but for now I want to kind of experiment with random others and let them sleep with me with no commitment.”
Matthew,
I write this comment as I am literally sitting at Flagship First dining in MIA about to board AA995 to GRU on a J fare I upgraded to F with an SWU…
Welcome to the dAArkside
Enjoy your flight to S.P. Let’s see how well that SWU works in the coming months when you have thousands of Hyatt poachers spending out their upgrades for a drunken one night stand.
Well I for one am a happy duck. I only can fly Delta or American so having top tier at both now j will move more business to AA as they fly to 2 hubs bs Delta one. If I know I have to be somewhere I will stick with Delta but American is going to get a work out.
I also received AA EXP from Hyatt last week. I have zero AA activity this year and my one OW flight never got posted in 2019.
I have over 100 nights and over 100k based points in the Hyatt program in 2019.
As regards to how this will impact my flying in 2020, at the moment: almost zero!
I am already a lifetime Global Services and based out of UA hubs. My international work destinations are predominantly *A hubs as well: TYO, SIN, PEK, FRA, YYZ.
Perhaps, the only impact is finding a way to use the 4 systemwide upgrades.
Lol … Concierge Key for Matthew ….that’s never gonna happen . This invitation is target based experiments . AA clearly knows who Matthew and who got his loyalty. If they see he is not earning anymiles from actually spending money with in allocated time in the system they will drop him like a crap .Concierge Key status ..
He can dream !!!
Congrats. I haven’t heard from my concierge since I got globalist.
At 86 nights now. Hmm.
I spend 10k a year on Marriott with 15 nights and get to Gold status. But my spend should allow a higher status. Any ideas?
Hilton and Hyatt have status based on based points and you can get up to globalist/diamond(20K$/12K$) and you can also get Hilton gold with 7.5K$. You can learn more in the program’s site.
So how about giving executive platinum members who spend $15000+ a year on flights globalist on Hyatt? Seems dumb to not do it the other way around.
As ever targeted at North American Globalists, EMEA forgotten again from what I have been told
@Matthew – has your EXP posted yet? I got contacted maybe a couple days before you and mine has still not posted (Jan 4). I was told it would take about 2 weeks to post. Thanks for sharing the article.
Mine posted on 12/31. SWUS posted on 01/02.
Mine still hasn’t posted either and I was contacted on 12/24.