Originally Posted by
guv1976
There have been some reports here on FlyerTalk that when a BAEC Gold calls AA about an AA flight for which the BAEC number appears in the PNR, the call gets routed to the EXP Desk. I cannot confirm whether that actually happens.
If you do not expect to be able to maintain BAEC Gold indefinitely, it might be easier for you to obtain and maintain Iberia Plus Oro (oneworld Sapphire mid-tier status). Both OWS and OWE with either BA or IB would get you nice benefits when flying AA, including free Main Cabin Extra (extra-leg-room) seats at time of booking, free checked baggage, and lounge access. All of these benefits apply even when booking an AA Basic Economy fare.
The downside of BA or IB status is that you'd be earning Avios -- not AAdvantage miles -- and AAdvantage miles are more valuable on many redemptions. Also, don't count on getting upgrades on AA without AAdvantage elite status. The downside of AAdvantage elite status is no lounge access when flying domestically.
This is very helpful! I was also wondering how your experiences has been with AA (both in terms of quality of service, timeliness, and even soft benefits). I've occasionally flown AA and it's been fine -- it gets me from point A to B. But I'm often reading about AA on the blogs about a decline in terms of on-time departures and surly staff.