BoeingBoy

The answer to the explicit question in your title is "No one knows" when US miles will be transferred to AA miles (whatever the combined program is called). A lot will depend on how they do it. In the UA/CO merger miles could be transferred between programs before the programs were merged. So UA miles could be used for a CO award or CO miles be earned on UA flights (and vice versa).

US has said that reciprocal earn/use miles will be one of the first changes FF's see - earn or use US miles for AA flights and vice versa. Since the software is already capable of that - it happens with *A partners every day - it shouldn't take long to add AA to the list of carriers (and for AA to add US). Since this is but one of many IT changes needed it undoubtedly won't happen overnight, but a couple of months is reasonable to expect.

Jim

CPRich

Considering that UA and CO members could transfer miles 10 months after the merger was announced , I'd be shocked if it was "the 2015-2016 neighborhood", 3-4 years, for US/AA to figure it out.

PHL

If its approved by DOJ in late Q3 as they hope, I would look for some reciprocal perks between the two programs in 2014, including possibly earning preferred miles by flying either airline towards 2015 status.

Beckles

Agreed, if it doesn't happen by the end of 2014, it will never happen. Even WN and FL, which are operating as semi-independent entities for quite a while compared to other recent mergers, made the ability to transfer between programs quite early on.

dubstyle311

I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for the 2014 status match to AA as well. Its looking like ill hit CP for the first time this year and would love to see it matched to EXP. Probably a lot to hope for though.

Fanjet

That should happen within weeks of the merger closing. Once US slaps its code on every AA flight, and vice versa. However, the reciprocol flight benefits probably won't occur until the 2014 program year. I suspect the US and AA FF programs will start to mirror the other. And we should then get the indication of whether UDU or e500s is going to be the upgrade method in the combined program.

wendyg

So here's my question: when the programs merge if you have, say, 20,000 miles on AA and 30,000 on US within the same calendar year will they combine those to grant gold status? Or will you get status based solely on one of them?

wg

kudzu

Nobody knows yet. Would be nice, but cannot count on it. Safer to get miles for status on either airline for now.

LetsGoToo

I was thinking on the upgrade method, why not use both methods? For example, a Platinum that used 500 mile stickers would have priority over a Platinum not willing to use them. It seems like a very slight way to change both programs the least and satisfy most everyone.

Flyer78

The new AA equivalent to the HHonors "guarantee/improve chances of upgrade" system?

LetsGoToo

It would definitely improve the chances for current AA Platinums and lower. How often the complementary upgrade would come through is another story.

As for US elites, they get the chance to prioritize an "important" upgrade by using 500 mile upgrades.

Seems like both get slight improvements. If the new AA picked one method over the other, AA may upset one set of elites. Why do that when you don't have to?

PhoenixCMC

I agree with Kudzu that nobody knows yet, but my recollection of the America West (HP) / US merger (with Parker as CEO of HP taking over as CEO of US, as he will with AA) was that the combined mileage did count toward the new elite status.

I was HP elite at the time and didn't have any US miles to combine, so my recollection could be wrong. It would be conservative to assume the worst, but I think Parker's inclination is to incentivize the loyalty program and would not expect that to change. You may recall that his early years as an industry exec were at AA, which was the originator of airline loyalty programs.

kudzu

Your memory is superb! ^ Thank you.

According to this article re HP - US merger,
So, if past action is any guide ...

BoeingBoy

I believe that all the airline mergers used a combination of miles for status purposes, but not until the programs actually combined - 30K US miles and 20K AA miles gives you nothing on AA and Silver on US while the programs are separate, then would become 50K (presumably) AA miles when combined (with whatever status that equaled in the combined program).

The big unknown is what status levels the combined FF program will have and the requirements for those levels.

Jim

Nizar

Guys is there an annual restriction on the number of USDM miles you can buy in a year ?
Or is the cap just on 50k per promo ?

Thanks