Originally Posted by
JDiver
Years ago, AA had gifts for million milers. But when the credit card mile earning blew wide open, a million miles really ceased meaning much in terms of customer revenue for flying. AA just recently changed to flown miles, as DL has had all along, so we shouldn’t be surprised a MM milestone doesn’t mean much - and it won’t until the huge number of credit card and bonus mile million milers diminishes.
Indeed - and this is the source of some annoyance for LUS FFs (e.g. yours truly) for whom only BIS miles *on US metal* counted for million miler status - no credit for flying on Star partners, even as codeshares. We all started way behind on the counting - I've been CP/EXP for a decade, and still not 1MM ...
(ETA: that said, obviously it's now easier to get million miler status than it was on US, and 2MM means something on AA which it didn't on US. So on an absolute basis this aspect of AAdvantage is better than the Dividend Miles equivalent.)