Jun 22, 2009
Good day.
For information relating to the Gold and Platinum elite status challenges, please see:
The Wiki section on the AAdvantage Elite Status Challenge.
For questions, once you have read the Wiki and the available information, please use the new Help Desk: AAdvantage Elite Status Challenges (Gold and Platinum" thread.
This thread will now be closed and "cut loose" for further perusal (it is linked to in the new "Help Desk:" thread,) but for questions relating to the Challenge, please follow the suggestions above.
/Moderator
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American Airlines rarely matches status for those requesting their status on another airline be matched. Instead, an undocumented "Status Challenge" exists under which a flier can get a "shortcut" to status. To learn more about these, read on.
We strongly recommend you first look over the AA Wiki page on the Challenge.
Be aware: this is an undocumented benefit, and as such is subject to change without notice.
Also be aware Jan 1 2009, Challenge attempts cost nonrefundable fees; and the rules for earning Elite-Qualifying Miles and Elite Qualifying Points (Challenges are based on earning the latter) have changed. See here.
DO read the Wiki page mentioned previously first.
Historical note:
This thread was originally begun by
FewMiles, current Moderator of the West Jet Forum, in August of 2004. At that time, he had also constructed a pioneering website with information about the AAdvantage Challenge, still available, but superseded by a second website begun in 2005. The information on these sites continues to be of use, but there have been considerable changes since those sites were constructed and last updated.
A look at the original
FewMiles sites can be informative, but also that you understand clearly their historical value - significant important information has changed. After all, it was posted Aug 1 2004, and then
Plato90s stuck the thread on Aug 1, 04 at 11:00 am.
This is
FewMiles’ original post, preserved for historical interest and credit; it contains working links (as of this update) to his two historic and pioneering websites, which have been used and referred to by any number of articles.
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Hello fellow AA FTers,
I've finally gotten off my butt and have started (but not yet finished) work on a revamped Unofficial Guide to American Airlines AAdvantage.
You can (view) the August 2005 updated one at: http://members.shaw.ca/fewmiles/AA/new/
Presently, the most important update is the fare codes table, but note that the last two sections of that page, which came from semi-official documentation 
, are out of date.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to upload further changes to the website for <some time> because of travel (gee, who'd have guessed?), so you can still find the old version at http://www.fewmiles.net/AA
A lot more to come. 
Cheers,
FewMiles.
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