Originally Posted by
Unimatrix One
Since someone here mentioned price changes, I just looked at the Five Star web page and noticed that not only did prices change, but also the terms & conditions have changed. The T&C now include the following weaselly language:
"Itineraries involving airlines other than American Airlines or American Eagle may be accepted if flight departs or arrives from an American Airlines terminal
or is approved by American Airlines Five Star Service airport staff."
In other words, there's no rule anymore and the individual agents can decide whether they feel like giving you the service or not. I guess AA decided it was too much trouble to establish a consistent product with consistent rules, so they gave up and left it to the whims of the agents.
I personally read this as a positive change.
Instead of AA explicitly prohibiting the service for itineraries on other carriers, now it is up to the agent's discretion. This means they could "approve" a five star reservation for service with another airline they might not be able to in the past.
Of course this doesn't guarantee that they will approve anything, just that AA isn't blocking them from doing so.
I agree that the service should be extended to other airlines if connecting to/from an AA flight and you pay for it, but logistically this could be expensive/difficult in airports with several terminals that are often far away from each other.
Moreover, AA agents will have no clout with another airline's staff so they can't help you skip the check-in or security lines, or get you into the lounge, so it doesn't make much sense for them to help beyond the scope of their "power." With the new rule change the agent can better judge (based on your itinerary and their capability) whether they can actually help you or provide you with services you expect from five star, this means better service.