Oct 28, 2014, 7:12 am

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HELP: JUST THE FACTS / FAQs: Combined AA/US AAdvantage FFP 2014 on

Quote:

PLEASE NOTE: this thread has been re dedicated for "JUST THE FACTS" in an attempt to raise the signal to noise ratio, allowing members to find germane information about the AAdvantage program (merged pre-merger AAdvantage, and Dividend Miles, now under way) program and get factual answers to your / frequently asked questions from experienced members.

REACTION DISCUSSION: Combined AA/US AAdvantage program announced Oct 2014 – opinions

Please use the thread started for impressions, opinions, reactions, feelings, concerns, etc. and keep this thread for "JUST THE FACTS" and ACTUAL REPLIES. And of course, feel free to add new facts and findings to this wiki for members' ease in finding information on the new FFP.

Thank you, the AA fora moderation team

AAdvantage loyalty program in 2015 - LINK
The AAdvantage program will continue to offer three elite status levels – AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum and Gold – and you’ll still have three ways to qualify with elite-qualifying miles, points and segments. On January 1, 2015, the segment qualification requirement for Executive Platinum will move to 120, and the current 100 segment threshold will continue until December 31, 2014.

Three tiers:

Executive Platinum - 100k EQM / 100k EQP / 120 Segments
Platinum - 50k EQM / 50k EQP / 60 Segments
Gold - 25k EQM / 25k EQP / 30 Segments

Elite Status Benefits:

AAdvantage elite status members receive select reciprocal benefits to enrich their travel journey when flying on US Airways.
This includes upgrades on US Airways on the day of departure when available, First/Business Class check-in, priority through security checkpoints, priority boarding, complimentary checked bags, access to preferred seats, and priority baggage delivery for Executive Platinum and Platinum members.
Upgrades will still be different on American and US Airways flights until we have a single reservation system at the end of 2015. For now, continue flying and enjoying reciprocal benefits and the ability to earn and redeem miles on both carriers. We’ll keep you updated as we move forward with other important integration milestones.

Million Miler Program:

1 Million combined miles - Lifetime Gold Status
2 Million combined miles - Lifetime Platinum Status

Upgrades on American: https://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/AAdvantage2015/index.jsp#500mile

All flights 500 miles and under, no stickers needed and are complimentary regardless of elite status for the elite members.
Complimentary upgrades will be auto requested for all elite levels at booking. Non complimentary upgrades (aka those needing 500mi stickers) will have to be requested manually.
No complimentary upgrades for Y/B fares for Gold/Platinum anymore (unless flight is 500 miles or less)
Companion Upgrades still will require 500mi stickers to be used.
8 SWUs for EXP level and EXPs still will not earn 500mi stickers to use for companions.

2015 - January Updates:

Executive Platinum and Chairman's Preferred members enjoy complimentary same-day confirmed flight changes on American, a new benefit
Redeem all your Special Dividends by early 2015; qualification ends in December 2014

2015 - 2nd Quarter Updates:

Move to three elite status levels in the AAdvantage program – Gold, Platinum and Executive Platinum
Qualify for elite status based on elite-qualifying miles, segments or points
Receive a 100% mileage bonus if you're a Dividend Miles Gold or Platinum member who becomes AAdvantage Platinum
Redeem miles for AAnytime awards and mileage upgrade awards on both American and US Airways marketed and operated flights
Upgrade on American marketed and operated flights before day of departure

On March 13 2015, AAdvantage sent a letter to members saying "we're on track to bring the US Airways Dividend Miles® program into the AAdvantage program within the next 30 days."

N.B. The previous thread discussing the putative, pre-announcement AAdvantage program, entitled "Speculation and discussion of what the new merged FFP might look like (consolidated)" can be found here; it has been closed and archived.

Some useful resources:

FT:Airport Terminal, Gate & Counter Changes

Link to Gary Leff's "View from the Wing" interview with AA's Suzanne Rubin

Link to TravelingBetter with JonNYC's information.

Clarifying contact from AA provided by jmachin:

Quote:

We want to address all your concerns. Thank you for responding to our most recent email.

I apologize for the delay in answering. I wanted to discuss the point you raised with our executive team and get you a correct answer.

When our frequent flyer programs are combined sometime in the second quarter of 2015, if your 2014 combined elite-qualifying activity meets the requirements for AAdvantage Executive Platinum status, then your AAdvantage account will be updated with Executive Platinum status. The requirements for 2014 are 100,000 elite-qualifying miles, 100,000 elite-qualifying points, or 100 elite-qualifying segments, with at least 4 segments flown on American Airlines or US Airways.

This means that if you end 2014 with 107 elite-qualifying segments and at least 4 of those segments were American Airlines or US Airways flights, then you will receive Executive Platinum status when the programs are combined. Until that point, you will have Dividend Miles Preferred Platinum status.

Please be aware, beginning in 2015, the segment requirements will be 120 segments to re-qualify for Executive Platinum status. We look forward to having you as an AAdvantage Executive Platinum member!

Regards,

Kathleen L.
AAdvantage Customer Service
American Airlines.

HELP: JUST THE FACTS / FAQs: Combined AA/US AAdvantage FFP 2014 on

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Oct 28, 2014, 8:34 am

#121

fastair

Join Date: Jun 2004

Location: What I write is my opinion alone..don't read into it anything not written.

Posts: 9,686

Quote:

Originally Posted by A5RoadDogg

Thank you! I truly don't get people who are like "I'm earning just enough miles/segments for status, and then I will stop flying!" Why earn the status at all?

For the next year. Their status earned in year x is valid in year x+1. That's when they will use their rewards earned in year x.

Oct 28, 2014, 8:34 am

#122

dp4m

Join Date: Sep 2014

Location: NYC

Programs: AA EXP, 1865 Voyager, *G

Posts: 112

I think, as sad as it is for the US Plat level, the 75K would have been the lowest oneworld Emerald tier -- which AA needs to align with -- so rolling them into AA Plat made the most sense, even if it devalues it somewhat though gives the US members with 50K miles (or segment qualification) a much wider global network with much better member airlines and lounge/checkin options than previous with *A (at least IMO, I suppose)...

Oct 28, 2014, 8:34 am

#123

ellinj

Join Date: Jun 2005

Location: DCA

Programs: AA PPro, Mariott Ambassador, B6 Mosaic, SBUX Gold, Best Buy Elite

Posts: 1,838

Quote:

Originally Posted by OrlandoFlyer

This might have been asked and answered somewhere, but I could not find it. How do you find you million miler account total in Dividend Miles?

You need to email US, its not on the website.

Oct 28, 2014, 8:35 am

#124

SFO777

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Nov 2007

Location: Denver • DEN-APA

Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold, AA EXP, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist

Posts: 21,602

Quote:

Originally Posted by racefaith

... The food quality is getting better on US and AAs planes,

Huh? Maybe on US it is where any meal is better than no meal, in theory.
But certainly not on AA planes, where food quality has deteriorated to prison or hospital levels.

Oct 28, 2014, 8:36 am

#125

869

Join Date: Dec 2009

Location: DFW

Programs: AA EXP

Posts: 1,590

Looks okay to me. I have no idea what the numbers look like on Segment qualifiers but 100 was bad enough... 120 seems just brutal to me. Of course, if I was based in AUS, SAT, HOU, TUL, OKC, etc. then perhaps not so bad I suppose.

Oct 28, 2014, 8:38 am

#126

Cofyknsult

Join Date: Dec 2004

Location: New York, Paris

Programs: AA ExPlat 4MM, AA Life Plat, Lufthansa FT, Delta Basic

Posts: 1,593

UA and DL must be seething...

So for the time being, it seems that Doug Parker and his team have decided to stick it to the competition instead of to their passengers.

It will be interesting to see whether DL and UA have to retreat from their ludicrously complicated programs. I believe they will have to. In the meantime, AA/US will poach new passengers from here and there. Actually, it's clever but nobody said that the new managing team was stupid.

Add to this the new trend of offering affordable domestic FC prices at x2 or x2.5 Y prices as we see in some markets, and it is the whole industry which might move back to some sanity and have First Class cabins filled with more paying passengers and less upgrades. We can't really blame them for THAT...

Oct 28, 2014, 8:38 am

#127

UA-NYC

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Apr 2008

Location: LGA/JFK/EWR

Programs: UA 1K1.75MM, Hyatt Globalist, abandoned Marriott LTT (RIP SPG), Hertz PC

Posts: 21,172

Quote:

Originally Posted by scnzzz

Maybe. I'm not sure how many true HVFs choose a program based on the RDMs. I'd guess they're more focused on network, service levels, etc.

Agreed - for most HVF, if you're in a hub city, you're probably flying the "home" airline.

It's more interesting for HVFs in non-hub cities...AA's soft product and better CS was a good reason to choose AA over UA, for example. But UA is slowly getting its act in order, and now RDM earning will be pretty lucrative going forward for over 20 CPM tickets.

Oct 28, 2014, 8:39 am

#128

Shareholder

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Sep 1999

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Programs: OWEmerald; STARGold; BonvoyPlat; IHGPlat/Amb; HiltonGold; A|ClubPat; AirMilesPlat

Posts: 38,186

Quote:

Originally Posted by k3vb0t

The links for redeeming and earning miles just sends you to the regular pages right now. That's my only concern -- what happens to award redemption rates when it is one airline.

Nothing. Adjustments were made to the US and AA charts earlier this year to make them as compatible as possible so why expect major changes on that side of the program? The current chart pretty much parallels the cost of awards found in the STAR program which recently went through increases at most partners, so I don't expect any changes for a while.

Oct 28, 2014, 8:40 am

#129

bkafrick

Join Date: Dec 2007

Location: SYR

Programs: US/AA-Platinum, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Gold, AVIS-Presidents Club, National-Executive Elite

Posts: 2,755

Quote:

Originally Posted by dp4m

I'm just saying... throw us US Plat members a bone. We now get nothing more (starting in 2015) flying 90 segments, than someone flying 60. I wouldnt call this a devaluation per se, just it would be nice to see *something* between 60 to 120 segments.

Oct 28, 2014, 8:40 am

#130

pfbloom

Join Date: Dec 2010

Location: BOS/BTV

Programs: Delta Plat, former AA EXP, AS Gold, SPG Gold, IHG Plat.

Posts: 659

.
I'm pleased with the solution offered for the 500-mile upgrade program - this seems like a good compromise for combining this difficult-to-reconcile benefit:

Flights 500 miles and less, unlimited complimentary upgrades for all elites
Flights over 500 miles: require paid/earned 500-mile stickers and soon available only to elites; EXP/CP however will receive UDU on all domestic flights.

While this is negative for US elites who are used to UDU for all domestic flights, it's a plus for AA flyers and anyone using the US shorthaul network in the Northeast (though granted an upgrade on RJ or shorthaul out of CLT, PHL, LGA may not be that great a benefit).

I still believe the 500-mile sticker system is good for everyone, allowing lower tier elites the chance to pick their upgrade targets and have a better chance of getting an upgrade. Stickers also give AA/US some revenue to encourage keeping the free benefit, a nice perk for elites.

Oct 28, 2014, 8:41 am

#131

Shareholder

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Sep 1999

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Programs: OWEmerald; STARGold; BonvoyPlat; IHGPlat/Amb; HiltonGold; A|ClubPat; AirMilesPlat

Posts: 38,186

Quote:

Originally Posted by dp4m

Ideally, as someone notes, since the earning charts don't look like they've changed at all I'm hoping that AA may take the opportunity to adjust some of the partner Economy earning, in particular Cathay.

I love JFK/YVR on Cathay -- but not spending for an H fare. :/

Delta has entirely devalued Korean Air but still offers some MQM and other miles on the China Airlines (China, China Eastern, China Southern)...

Earnings on partner airlines are at the discretion of those airlines, not AA. So it's unlikely CX will increase the yield on flights when it doesn't give full miles in its own program.

Oct 28, 2014, 8:45 am

#132

onesocalkid

Join Date: Mar 2011

Location: San Antonio, Texas

Programs: AA P-Pro, Chase SP, SPG Gold

Posts: 556

I already suffer from serious butt hurt and now I have to give them another 20 segments for EXP?

I am pleased that most of the benefits have not changed, but I flew 130 segments last year(less than 85,000 EQM) and am projecting 116 segments (97,000 EQM but that included an Asia trip that won't happen in 2015) this year and I would not qualify.

I have 104 segments with 68,859 planned for 2015 (sigh).

Oct 28, 2014, 8:45 am

#133

fish114

Join Date: Jan 2008

Programs: UA GS, AA EXP, SPG PLT, Marriott PLT, Shangri-La Diamond

Posts: 187

Quote:

Originally Posted by djibouti

Where do you see this? Are you sure you aren't looking at EQP?

Yea, I'm a US flyer, so I still don't understand the difference between a EQP and an EQM. I guess I will need to learn...

How are we thinking the 500 mile certs for US flyers will work in terms of rate?

Oct 28, 2014, 8:46 am

#134

kamchatsky

Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Sydney, Australia

Programs: QR/AC Gold, VA Silver, IHG Plat, Bonvoy Gold

Posts: 1,581

Got the email from AA this morning. Now waiting for further news, especially on earn/burn rates.

Oct 28, 2014, 8:46 am

#135

dp4m

Join Date: Sep 2014

Location: NYC

Programs: AA EXP, 1865 Voyager, *G

Posts: 112

Quote:

Originally Posted by bkafrick

Well... I *do* suspect that you'll get more 500-mile stickers deposited than a Gold would, but I'm not sure that's what you're looking for either necessarily...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shareholder

Earnings on partner airlines are at the discretion of those airlines, not AA. So it's unlikely CX will increase the yield on flights when it doesn't give full miles in its own program.

I did not know that. Useful information, thank you!