Nov 17, 2015, 2:47 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
AAdvantage Program Changes for 2016 - Just the Facts
as announced 17 Nov 2015 in FAQ on aa.com
as announced 17 Nov 2015 in FAQ on aa.com
PLEASE READ BEFORE ASKING YOUR QUESTIONS: we are seeing the same questions come up time and again, and those are often addressed here. NOTE: this thread is being closely monitored and moderated as needed to ensure it stays within the narrow remit of its topic.
Please see and post to AAdvantage Changes for 2016 - Discussion and Reaction all reactions, speculation about next steps, opinions, discussion, praise, complaints etc.
Link to AAdvantage program updates and FAQ links (17 Nov 2015)
New related threads:
FAQ: Award changes after 22 March 2016 - which incur redeposit, which not (Award changes 22 March 2016 or after may incur award miles redeposit (fees) and significant increases of miles required to issue new ones - but some changes may be made without doing so.)
See Earning AA Elite Qualifying Miles / EQM on AA, oneworld, partners 2016 for more about earning EQM.
See Earning AA Award / Redeemable Miles / RDM on AA, partners later 2016 for more regarding AAdvantage Award ("Redeemable") Miles.
FAQ: Award changes after 22 March 2016 - which incur redeposit, which not (Award changes 22 March 2016 or after may incur award miles redeposit (fees) and significant increases of miles required to issue new ones - but some changes may be made without doing so.)
See Earning AA Elite Qualifying Miles / EQM on AA, oneworld, partners 2016 for more about earning EQM.
See Earning AA Award / Redeemable Miles / RDM on AA, partners later 2016 for more regarding AAdvantage Award ("Redeemable") Miles.
Also: brp has revised his spreadsheet for 2016 conditions - now named Miles Tracker v. 8.0. It can be downloaded from Gargoyle's page linked to in the OP, or here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...Tracker-v8.xls (NOTE: due to technical problems, the proper spreadsheet was not uploaded.)
AA reducing some checked baggage allowance tickets pchs on / after 29 Mar 2016
Elite Qualification and Earning Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM) - Change 1 Jan 2016
In 2016, there will be two methods to qualify for elite status:
EQM will continue to be calculated based on distance flown (base miles). All EQM on AA marketed flights ("AA codeshares" / "AA coded flights") will earn at least 1 EQM per mile flown, with bonus multipliers for higher fares (regardless of operating carrier, AA itself or another carrier):
AA Marketed Flights LinkAA Elite-Qualifying Partner Airlines
Link to aa.com Partner Airline Miles Earning Charts as of 1 Jan 2016.
The is no minimum dollar spending requirement to obtain status.
- Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM) or Elite Qualifying Segments (EQS)
- Elite Qualifying Points (EQP) no longer exist (EQM replaced them).
- Thresholds for elite status qualification remain the same as 2015.
AA Marketed Flights Link
- 3 EQMs/mile – Full-fare First or Business / F, J
- 2 EQMs/mile - Discount First or Business / A, P, D, R, I
- 1.5 EQMs/mile – Full-fare Main Cabin / Y, B and W when AA marketed on airline partners
- 1 EQM/mile - Discount Main Cabin / all other Main Cabin fares
- This applies to all AA marketed flight numbers, regardless of operating carrier.
- Elites continue to earn 500 EQM minimum per segment
Further confirmation of above from inside AA. He (JonNYC) got a message from AAdvantage
Originally Posted by JonNYC Vie
That's what I'm told as well-- fix on the way, system not operating as intended at present.
Further confirmation of above from inside AA. He got a message from AAdvantageCheers.Originally Posted by AAdvantage
Thanks for your questions on EQM earning. There is a glitch in how the minimum mileage guarantee for EQMs is being calculated. The calculation should credit the 500 mile minimum before applying the EQM multiplier. Beginning in the next few weeks, we will be running a retroactive process to “true up” any accounts where the member did not earn the proper number of EQMs. This process will continue to run until the calculation can be reprogrammed in the AAdvantage system.
So, they will do an adjustment for those that were shorted so far and the system will soon be fixed for real.
So, they will do an adjustment for those that were shorted so far and the system will soon be fixed for real.
Cheers.
- 1.5 EQMs/mile - First, Business, and Premium Economy
- 1.0 EQMs/mile - Full-fare economy (typically Y and B, but varies by partner)
- 0.5 EQMs/mile - All other mileage-earning economy fares
- This applies to partner-marketed flights which are eligible to earn AAdvantage miles (typically meaning operated by oneworld carriers and affiliates, though this varies by partner), even if operated by AA.
The is no minimum dollar spending requirement to obtain status.
AAdvantage Miles Award Charts - Change 22 Mar 2016
Link to American Airlines Award Charts as of 22 Mar 2016 (Note: some region descriptions were updated ~10 Feb 2016.)
See this post by Smiley90 for a compilation of new mileage redemption charts and changes.
Link to oneworld and other airline Award Charts as of 22 Mar 2016
Link to tool for old and new award chart comparison by bgriz18.
The number of miles required for many awards changed effective March 22, 2016. Award flights ticketed on or after March 22, 2016 will be subject to the new award charts.
In addition, off-peak (OP) periods have been sharply reduced. For example, Europe OP has changed from Oct. 15-May 15 to Nov. 1-Dec. 14 & Jan. 10-Mar. 14.
See this post by Smiley90 for a compilation of new mileage redemption charts and changes.
Link to oneworld and other airline Award Charts as of 22 Mar 2016
Link to tool for old and new award chart comparison by bgriz18.
The number of miles required for many awards changed effective March 22, 2016. Award flights ticketed on or after March 22, 2016 will be subject to the new award charts.
In addition, off-peak (OP) periods have been sharply reduced. For example, Europe OP has changed from Oct. 15-May 15 to Nov. 1-Dec. 14 & Jan. 10-Mar. 14.
NOTE: Region changes
- Bolivia and Manaus, Brasil: changing from South America 2 to South America 1
- Venezuela: changing from South America 1 to South America 2
- Guam: changing from Asia 2 to South Pacific
- Sri Lanka: changing from Asia 2 to Indian Subcontinent/Middle East
- Kiribati, Palau, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu: added to South Pacific region
For the first part of 2016, RDMs will continue to be earned as they are today. Sometime (most likely later) in "the second half of 2016" RDMs will switch to spend-based model, akin to Delta and United.
RDMs earned will be the base fare plus carrier-imposed fees (excluding any government-imposed taxes and fees) times the following multiplier based on status level:In the example below, in Costa Rican Colones so used only for illustrative purposes, the airport and countered fees and taxes would be excluded from RDM calculations:
As it states in the thread specific to this issue, it appears ~01 October is the likely start date for revenue-based Award Miles earning - and they'll announce one month in advance.RDMs earned will be the base fare plus carrier-imposed fees (excluding any government-imposed taxes and fees) times the following multiplier based on status level:
- 5 miles/U.S. dollar – non-status AAdvantage member
- 7 miles/U.S. dollar – Gold Member
- 8 miles/U.S. dollar – Platinum Member
- 11 miles/U.S. dollar – Executive Platinum Member
Earning AA Award / "Redeemable" Miles / RDM on AA, partners later 2016
(2 May 2016)
Hi everyone,
This is what I´ve read on a Brazilian blog.
The blogger met Suzane Rubin on the T-Mobile Arena, and posted that she told him that they would not change before September, and probably only in October, with a 1-month notice.
I have a booked roundtrip Sao Paulo to Dallas in August, so I hope he is right and this information helps !
I don´t know him, but I follow his blog. You can check it (in Portuguese):
http://www.mestredasmilhas.com/2016/...ards-2016.html
(Reformatted for wiki use.)
Hi everyone,
This is what I´ve read on a Brazilian blog.
The blogger met Suzane Rubin on the T-Mobile Arena, and posted that she told him that they would not change before September, and probably only in October, with a 1-month notice.
I have a booked roundtrip Sao Paulo to Dallas in August, so I hope he is right and this information helps !
I don´t know him, but I follow his blog. You can check it (in Portuguese):
http://www.mestredasmilhas.com/2016/...ards-2016.html
(Reformatted for wiki use.)
"Agora vamos às novidades. Tive o privilégio de conversar particularmente com a Suzane Rubin, e a equipe do AAdvantage, e já posso adiantar algumas informações aqui. Eles me confirmaram que a mudança para revenue não irá ocorrer antes de setembro, mas com data provável em Outubro deste ano, e com pelo menos 1 mês de aviso prévio. Também o crédito de pontos será na data do voo, ou seja, se você compra uma passagem agora, e voa somente em dezembro, provavelmente irá receber pontos, e não milhas pela distância voada."
Translated:
Now for the news. I had the privilege to talk particularly with Suzanne Rubin and the AAdvantage team, and I can share some advance information here. It was confirmed to me that the change to revenue (based earning) will not occur before September, but with a probable date in October this year, and with at least one month's notice. Also the credit points will be for the date of the flight, or if you buy a ticket now, and fly only in December, will probably get points, but not (Award / Redeemable) miles by distance flown.
Translated:
Now for the news. I had the privilege to talk particularly with Suzanne Rubin and the AAdvantage team, and I can share some advance information here. It was confirmed to me that the change to revenue (based earning) will not occur before September, but with a probable date in October this year, and with at least one month's notice. Also the credit points will be for the date of the flight, or if you buy a ticket now, and fly only in December, will probably get points, but not (Award / Redeemable) miles by distance flown.
Business Extra changes
Effective 30 Nov 2015, European Business Extra members' accounts have been migrated to the joint AA-BA-IB "On Business" programme. (Announced 24 Nov 2015)
Apparently effective ~1 Jan 2016, BPX- upgrades become more restricted. See this post. (Remains unannounced!)
24 hour ticket hold gone as of 1 April 2016
HOLD ticket WILL change 1 Apr 2016 - 24 hr hold or / & cancel
Effective April 1, you will not be able to put paid bookings on 24-hour hold if making them by telephone.
The 24-hour hold (as well as "pay for extended hold") will be available online, though 24-hour hold will only be available for an indeterminate, interim period of time.
There will be no free cancellation if travel is booked less than seven days out.
Other key changes
- As of January 1, 2016, EXPs will earn 4 SWUs (down from 8) upon requalification with 100K EQM. Two additional SWUs will be earned at 150K EQM, and again at 200K EQM.
- As of March 1, 2016, Gold and Platinum elite members will earn 4 "stickers" for each 12,500 EQM flown (up from 10,000 EQM) in a membership year.
- As of March 1, 2016, the price to purchase a "sticker" (online, kiosk, agent) increases to $40 (up from $30 online/kiosk, $35 agent).
- As of March 1, 2016, the price to purchase 8 "stickers" using miles increases to 40,000 RDM (up from 35,000 RDM).
- Elite status earned in 2016 for 2017 will expire on January 31, 2018.
- No announcement about the rumored revised status challenge has been made
JUST THE FACTS: 2016 AAdvantage Program Changes Announced 17 Nov 2015
Nov 17, 2015, 9:33 pm
#151
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 308
Despite being told that the American middle class is elite the future looks bleak as it earns less and saves less while the cost of consumables increases. Which politician did AA get advice from on how to run their FF program?
Nov 17, 2015, 9:34 pm
#152
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 3,267
This chart presents the old and new regime most clearly. It also helps to explain why many EXP aren't too annoyed. They haven't been hung from meat hooks like GLD/PLT have. Maybe in 2017 though... 
http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2...-in-2016.html/
http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2...-in-2016.html/
Nov 17, 2015, 9:43 pm
#153
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Sydney
Programs: QF Plat, VA Gold, HH Diam, PC Plat, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,082
If I wait till March next year, and book 4 x J award seats for Hkg-Jfk in Feb 2017 (furthest out I can book), can I then wait til 4 months later, and change them (without any $ or AA miles cost) to July 2017? Any restrictions in doing that....eg ticket must be used / flown within 12 months of original booking date (in this case booked in March 16)?
Nov 17, 2015, 9:50 pm
#154
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,656
Not happy with the changes but trying to think how I can use my points before tha changes in March 2016 kick in. I want to book 4x J one way award seats Hkg-Jfk on Cx for travel in July 2017. Currently that is 4 x55000 AA miles, which would increase to 4 x 70000 AA miles with changes, meaning a 60000 miles increase ouch!
If I wait till March next year, and book 4 x J award seats for Hkg-Jfk in Feb 2017 (furthest out I can book), can I then wait til 4 months later, and change them (without any $ or AA miles cost) to July 2017? Any restrictions in doing that....eg ticket must be used / flown within 12 months of original booking date (in this case booked in March 16)?
If I wait till March next year, and book 4 x J award seats for Hkg-Jfk in Feb 2017 (furthest out I can book), can I then wait til 4 months later, and change them (without any $ or AA miles cost) to July 2017? Any restrictions in doing that....eg ticket must be used / flown within 12 months of original booking date (in this case booked in March 16)?
Last edited by Dave Noble; Nov 17, 2015 at 10:00 pm
Nov 17, 2015, 10:01 pm
#155
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: FNT, but DTW if I can't help it
Programs: AAdvantage Former EXP/Current PLT / Total Rewards - Diamond / Hilton HHonors - Gold
Posts: 757
I'm seeing what appears to be the same incorrect information coming through this thread over and over by a particular individual.
NOBODY knows exactly when the new RDM accrual rules will kick in yet (Unless JonNYC is withholding). We're being told "Second half of 2016" which most certainly does not mean June, as June is part of the first half of the year.
Your RDM accrual works the same way it did in 2015 for at least the first half of 2016. So stop freaking out.
NOBODY knows exactly when the new RDM accrual rules will kick in yet (Unless JonNYC is withholding). We're being told "Second half of 2016" which most certainly does not mean June, as June is part of the first half of the year.
Your RDM accrual works the same way it did in 2015 for at least the first half of 2016. So stop freaking out.
Nov 17, 2015, 10:06 pm
#157
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 3,267
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/pr...aadvantage2016
Nov 17, 2015, 10:06 pm
#158
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
I'm seeing what appears to be the same incorrect information coming through this thread over and over by a particular individual.
NOBODY knows exactly when the new RDM accrual rules will kick in yet (Unless JonNYC is withholding). We're being told "Second half of 2016" which most certainly does not mean June, as June is part of the first half of the year.
Your RDM accrual works the same way it did in 2015 for at least the first half of 2016. So stop freaking out.
NOBODY knows exactly when the new RDM accrual rules will kick in yet (Unless JonNYC is withholding). We're being told "Second half of 2016" which most certainly does not mean June, as June is part of the first half of the year.
Your RDM accrual works the same way it did in 2015 for at least the first half of 2016. So stop freaking out.
Beginning in late 2016, award miles for flights will be calculated differently. Award miles will be calculated based on the base fare purchased minus any taxes and fees, but including carrier-imposed surcharges for flights marketed by American Airlines (sold as an AA flight number).
Nov 17, 2015, 10:13 pm
#159
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LA
Programs: AAdvantage, CK, 4 MM; Marriott Lifetime PLT
Posts: 310
AAirpass, EXP & CK
Hi all. I have a $60K AAirpass and I am also EXP & CK. Does anyone know if the contracted rates for AAirpass are eligible for the bonus miles? I fly weekly between LAX and JFK booked in business but get an automatic upgrade to First with my CK status. After reading through the first dozen pages I did not see AAirpass fares/contracted rates addressed. My AAirpass contract for 2015 expires at the end of next month. Thanks in advance.
Nov 17, 2015, 10:16 pm
#160
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Valley of the Sun, AZ, USA
Programs: AA Dirt, HHonors Silver
Posts: 495
Short haul high fares
Now that Im plt again, this seems like it may work out in my favor. My company policy is to book less than 1 week in advance, so I'm usually paying $500+ for a 1300 mile rt. Under the new program, that's 4,000 points vs 2,600 under the existing one.
Am I off in the calculation here?
Upgrades are a different story. 0 for 6 on < 500 mile flights since US went away. AA really hAAmmers last minute ticket buyers!
Am I off in the calculation here?
Upgrades are a different story. 0 for 6 on < 500 mile flights since US went away. AA really hAAmmers last minute ticket buyers!
Nov 17, 2015, 10:18 pm
#161
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,656
Now that Im plt again, this seems like it may work out in my favor. My company policy is to book less than 1 week in advance, so I'm usually paying $500+ for a 1300 mile rt. Under the new program, that's 4,000 points vs 2,600 under the existing one.
Am I off in the calculation here?
Am I off in the calculation here?
Nov 17, 2015, 10:31 pm
#163
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Usually in SAN or Central Europe.
Programs: AA:EXP/1MM. Accor/Radisson:Silver; HH:Gold; ICH:Plt Amb.
Posts: 22,319
If it ends up being like how UA and DL do it, then it would be a 40% bonus for Golds, 60% bonus for Plats, and 120% bonus for EXPs.
Nov 17, 2015, 10:43 pm
#165
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,696
