Originally Posted by
newyorkgeorge
Soft landings and exceptions for elites that are very close to the next elite level are never guaranteed and if so allowed are only done after the December 31. In otherwords, there is no really way of knowing for sure until its really too late.
Add to that airlines seeking every means possible for new revenue streams. While this is speculation on my part, if AA started to require a charge/fee for soft landings or allowing people close to the threshold to be "bumped up" I'd be anything but surprised.
Long story short, the only guarantee is to do the flying and get to the next level.
Agree with your comment of "the only guarantee is to do the flying ", but I suspect AA won't do away witht the soft landing just yet. I'd be surprised if they just dropped it outright this year without any notice or communication. I think that they've done it long enough that most people can reasonably expect it to stay in place.
But, there is always a chance for a change. They could just decide to stop it this next calendar year. I'd be surprised, but it could happen.