Originally Posted by
Alex_I
Here is something to consider for some of you who are chasing an illusive Million Miler status with new American:
My son crossed 1 Million with AA 5 years ago when he was 16. Obviously, no CC spending/bonuses contributed to that. Based on his total lifetime miles, I guess he has about 850K flown miles that would be counted under the new system. While in college, his paid flying almost stopped and over the last 12 months he only has 105 EQD. This means that he is at the very bottom of upgrade list. On last flight from RDU to CLT (complementary upgrades to everyone) he was
#34 out of 36. He also did not get the new Million Miler tag or even his new Gold membership card. The new AA doesn't care...
It’s easy to contact AA for 1MM baggage tags and Gold card, because I guarantee you there isn’t a human involved in caring or de icing to send these batch processed items unless you call or use the eform.
As for whether lifetime status is worth anything, IMO LT Platinum status is useful for free baggage allotments, lounge access and a number of other things (including earning more Award Miles than one with a plain white AAdvantage card). Upgrades? They’re getting scarcer, given seat reductions, 12 month EQD spend influence, etc. But upgrades are hardly the sole Lifetime status benefit.