View Poll Results: Is an American Airlines/US Airways merger good for the traveling public?
Yes
84
28.19%
No
214
71.81%
Voters: 298. You may not vote on this poll
Last edit by: aztimm
Note:
There is an existing thread in the AA forum that may be useful to US and AA Flyertalkers:
US-AA Merger: Just the Facts thread
As facts become posted, that should be the place to look.
Merger discussion, speculation, and other questions can be directed here, or the similar thread in the AA forum:
MERGER: US and AA 9 Dec 2013 and implications for AA flyers (new)
AA - US Merger Agreement / Announcement / DOJ Action Discussion (consolidated, and now closed to new posts)
There is an existing thread in the AA forum that may be useful to US and AA Flyertalkers:
US-AA Merger: Just the Facts thread
As facts become posted, that should be the place to look.
Merger discussion, speculation, and other questions can be directed here, or the similar thread in the AA forum:
MERGER: US and AA 9 Dec 2013 and implications for AA flyers (new)
AA - US Merger Agreement / Announcement / DOJ Action Discussion (consolidated, and now closed to new posts)
US/AA merger- MASTER DISCUSSION THREAD/incl 'when will US leave STAR'
#931
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: High Point, NC
Programs: None
Posts: 9,171
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
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
#932
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: MR/SPG LT Titanium, AA LT PLT, UA SLV, Avis PreferredPlus
Posts: 31,004
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.
#933
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: PHL, NYC
Programs: AA PLT, DL SLV, UA SLV, MR LTT, HH DIA
Posts: 10,065
When will we be able to transfer Us airways to AA?
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.
#934
Original Member and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Kansas City, MO, USA
Programs: DL PM/MM, AA ExPlat, Hyatt Glob, HH Dia, National ECE, Hertz PC
Posts: 16,579
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.
#935
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 124
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.
#936
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Usually in SAN or Central Europe.
Programs: AA:EXP/1MM. Accor/Radisson:Silver; HH:Gold; ICH:Plt Amb.
Posts: 22,307
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.
#937
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: London
Programs: US Gold
Posts: 627
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
wg
#938
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: AVL
Programs: AA EXP ; Cunard Plat
Posts: 4,211
Nobody knows yet. Would be nice, but cannot count on it. Safer to get miles for status on either airline for now.
#939
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: AL
Programs: AA Plat Pro, DL Sil, UA Sil, Hyatt Global, MR Amb, Hilton Diamond, National Exec, Hertz Pres
Posts: 477
Quote:
Originally Posted by PHL
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.
Originally Posted by PHL
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.
#941
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: AL
Programs: AA Plat Pro, DL Sil, UA Sil, Hyatt Global, MR Amb, Hilton Diamond, National Exec, Hertz Pres
Posts: 477
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?
#942
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA
Programs: AA ExP (former HP/US), Marriott (former SPG) Lifetime Platinum, and most other major hotel programs
Posts: 455
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.
#943
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: AVL
Programs: AA EXP ; Cunard Plat
Posts: 4,211
According to this article re HP - US merger,
... For those members who worry, rest assured that miles earned in either program will be combined not only for a single account purpose, but also combined to count toward elite status and requalification. ...
#944
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: High Point, NC
Programs: None
Posts: 9,171
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
The big unknown is what status levels the combined FF program will have and the requirements for those levels.
Jim
#945
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: MEL
Programs: QFF, AA, LM, EY
Posts: 762
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
Or is the cap just on 50k per promo ?
Thanks