Switching Loyalties
Once you reach lifetime elite status switching to another airline could make sense if your only objective is obtaining elite status with them as well. Personally, I think the message this sends to AA Management has a greater value.
I recently sent a detailed correspondence to AA concerning the last 34 flight segments I have flown since June 1, 2007. I detailed the fact that all but one of these flights had either been delayed or canceled, and my status with AA did nothing to prevent me from getting bumped (literally taken off a plane), downgraded from first to coach, stranded for two days in Dallas, and having to rent a car to sleep in due to all the hotels being sold out by the time AA figured out where they were going to route me to.
The response I received from AA was that I should never rely upon their staff at the airports to take care of me, but always call the Platinum or Executive Platinum toll free numbers. According to the executive offices at AA, the personnel at the airport have no visibility to top-tier customer status, which is apparently a different factor than your Aadvantage status alone.
has anyone else heard of this?