I’m glad this came out before I booked my first 2019 trip, which would have been part vacation, part MR.

For me, this kicks me out of EXP after 2019. I just can’t justify the extra spend. Some of you said $15K was just a bit more, for me $12k was already that extra stretch. But even more importantly, if I can’t make it to EXP anyway, then all of the things I did to make EXP - at least one international J MR, taking less convenient flights to/from less convenient airports, finding creative excuses for justifying a more expensive AA flight to our company travel agent - simply aren’t going to happen becaues they buy me very little if it’s not enough for EXP. So rather than stretching to hit $15k, my spend could very well drop by $5-6k (a lot will go to AS since I’m on the west coast - and yes, losing EQM/EQD from AS flights didn’t help either ). I’m already LT Plat and I usually buy (or sell up to) F so upgrades are not much of a concern.

I guess AA is convinced that what they will lose from people like me they will make up for people who will stretch to hit $15k. Yeah, that must be it.

it was nice while it lasted.