If one purchases a AA vacations package with 3 or more nights hotel, EQD should be distance-based per the "Special Fares" page, should it not? After reading through these past pages a few times, I'm not sure- I get the sense that it reverts to fare based if it's not a * designated special fare.

Or is it simply a discussion that there are some fares marked by * that are effectively much lower than what you could get booking flight only directly on AA.com?

I finished one AAvacations package that has posted largely as distance-based (except one segment, for some reason) as expected, and another for later in the year, but I don't recall seeing or looking for the *. However, I am thinking of booking one more where I am not seeing the *, and it could make a difference in meeting the EQD threshold at the end of the year.