MilesBuzz! - can someone give me a quick history on the 500 mile minimum?

When did this cute little feature start? Who started it?

hmmmmm> I think you should title the thread different since even though Doug Parker of US Air failed to eliminate 500 minimum I think AA has already done it for non elites even though I think AA was the orignator. Looking forward to replies.

iirc, aa had a 750 mi minimum at the start of the ff program.....i don't recall when it was changed to 500, but may have been when the deregulation happened.....

DL had a 1,000-mile minimum prior to the introduction of the SkyMiles program in 1995.

500 miles isn't universal today, either, though it's the most common figure for North American airlines.

magic...btw.....why are you interested?