Originally Posted by
js1993
Your position is more puzzling with each new post.
You acknowledge the massive drop-off in, or impossibility of, international travel, and yet you still believe AA was "overly generous" with its status extensions, which were the least generous among major U.S. airlines?
How were foreign-based AA elites supposed to re-qualify? Were U.S. elites whose travel was mostly international supposed to fly 10 or 20 unneeded transcons instead, in order to "meet the spend"?
The response was to (you are someone that doesn't travel international).
But point is - there are people out there traveling domestically - earning EXP by the old rules. For someone that only flew international on business trips - then I agree they can't use benefits and can't really earn status anymore without an extension. But then they may not be as valuable to AA anymore.
But are these business travelers going to resume? Covid and variants are going to remain with us like the flu for a long time.
For foreign travelers - that is a issue - but I am surprise that a foreign traveler doesn't use the FF program of the country they are from. Maybe better benefits on AA. But if I lived in the UK for example - BA would likely be my airline. You can't fly AA within Europe. That is why they have alliances.
There are still CK's so AA is still giving out CK status. A few CKs board now when pre-boarding is called.
But the game has changed. The ones on top are going to be those that spend big at businesses on CC. Say someone that runs a small/mid size company and charges business items on a CC and earns points. AA already has tier levels up to 750,000 LP. Those earning at that level are the new important Elites.
Do those of you that used to fly internationally for business - plan or assume you will resume when things open? Europe is open, Australia has reopened. Main place closed is in Asia, but I think Singapore and Thailand have opened.