I have AA Plat status for 2017 but am thinking about how to qualify for 2018.

Has AA given any indication whether AA will have the Elite challenge (e.g., fly 12,500 miles in 3 months for Platinum) in 2017 and beyond now that they are moving to EQDs? (I realize that next year I can't do a Plat challenge if I'm already Plat)

Although I am currently Platinum, I will likely not be able to spend $3,000 in 2017 to obtain Gold status. Since 2017 is almost upon us, I need to start thinking about how to qualify in 2017 for status in 2018.

By the way, my main purpose in wanting Elite is for free MCE and a free bag. Those things might cost me an extra $200 per roundtrip. So, if I fly six roundtrips a year that might cost me $1200.

I have come up with a couple options so far to get Elite status for 2017 and maybe beyond:

1. Use my 2017 AA P status to request a status match on Alaska towards the end of 2017 or in Jan of 2018 to give me Alaska mid-level elite status (will this give me Alaska status for all of 2018?)

2. Use my 2017 AA P status to request a status match on Air Berlin towards the end of 2017 or in Jan of 2018 to give me Air Berlin mid-level elite status for 2018.

3. Join some OneWorld elite program that would allow me to obtain elite status by flying EQMs all on AA (and not have any EQDs). If option 1 or 2 work to get me status in 2018, then I wouldn't have to do option 3 of earning status in a OneWorld partner like RJ until 2018 to get status for 2019. (Can I fly all segments on AA and earn my RJ elite status with only 15,000 EQMs, as website seems to say?)