May 14, 2017, 12:53 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
Four (4) Minimum AA segments NO LONGER required to earn / keep AAdvantage status
SUMMARY: American Airlines had stated a rule for many years that AAdvantage members must fly a minimum of four (paid) AA marketed flights (including those operated by other carriers) or segments during the calendar year to earn status benefits, but this rule was not enforced until c/y 2014. As bhomburg shared and Djokison reported as of May 2014 account summaries included the following:
AA has announced With the addition of EQDs, we’ll remove the rule that 4 segments must be traveled on American or American Eagle during the qualifying year to receive elite status.
The required minimum AA segments rule does not apply starting Jan 1, 2017.
See ARCHIVE / OBSOLETE: Four (4) Minimum AA segments required to earn / keep status for the archived thread on this extinct requirement.
Minimum 4 AA Flights Requirement to Earn AAdvantage Status OVER 1/1/2017
May 14, 2017, 7:31 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2017
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 20
Minimum AA flights
Is the minimum of 4 AA flights rule still applicable to maintain status? I can't find any note of it on the website.
Thanks
Thanks
Last edited by JDiver; May 14, 2017 at 1:04 pm Reason: Restore original post title
May 14, 2017, 7:59 am
#2
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
May 14, 2017, 11:02 am
#4
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: MSN
Programs: AA, BAEC Gold
Posts: 3,929
May 14, 2017, 12:41 pm
#5
Join Date: Sep 2016
Programs: AA Plat
Posts: 122
If you called today, or any weekend or night you did not speak to the AAdvantage department and rez agents do not know everything about the program. It is on the website under program changes since last summer and yes, the 4 AA segment rule was removed with the addition of EQDs for 2017
May 14, 2017, 1:05 pm
#6
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Thread title changed, Wikipost added, with link to archived thread on obsolete AA four segments rule.
/Moderator
/Moderator
May 14, 2017, 1:55 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NYC, USA
Programs: AA EXP 3MM, Lifetime Platinum, Marriott Titanium, HH Gold
Posts: 10,967
I'm wondering how many AAdvantage members were affected by the 4-segment minimum rule? Those of us elites who are USA-based almost certainly fly at least 4 segments on AA metal per year, if nothing else to reach the hubs for our longhaul flying. Add in jaunts to the Caribbean, Canada, Mexico, etc., and those are a lot of AA metal segments.
Overseas-based AAdvantage members make a little more sense as to why that rule existed. For example, a HKG-based or SIN-based AAdvantage member could go a whole year just flying CX and QF without touching AA metal. But wouldn't this kind of international-based elite prefer to earn the status on CX or QF rather than on AA? (The non-AA Emerald and Sapphire equivalents are more valuable than AA EXP or AA PLT because they include lounge access on ALL OW itineraries, including those "solely within North America.")
(I say this in ignorance of the qualification requirements on the OW partners...perhaps they are stricter than on AA.)
Overseas-based AAdvantage members make a little more sense as to why that rule existed. For example, a HKG-based or SIN-based AAdvantage member could go a whole year just flying CX and QF without touching AA metal. But wouldn't this kind of international-based elite prefer to earn the status on CX or QF rather than on AA? (The non-AA Emerald and Sapphire equivalents are more valuable than AA EXP or AA PLT because they include lounge access on ALL OW itineraries, including those "solely within North America.")
(I say this in ignorance of the qualification requirements on the OW partners...perhaps they are stricter than on AA.)
May 14, 2017, 4:12 pm
#8
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: United Premier Platinum
Posts: 638
My theory is that they put in the 4 segments rule just as a bargaining chip and never expected that it would actually serve as any gatekeeper to elite membership.
By bargaining chip, I mean that it was a rule they could swap out at any moment in exchange for a more restrictive/heavier rule: which is exactly what they did this year by introducing EQDs but eliminating the AA segments rule.
If the minimum segments rule had not been there, it would be hard to pass of eqd's as anything other than devaluation of the program. However, by "exchanging" rules, they can at least maintain the appearance of a reconfiguration and not flat-out devaluation in a PR sense.
By bargaining chip, I mean that it was a rule they could swap out at any moment in exchange for a more restrictive/heavier rule: which is exactly what they did this year by introducing EQDs but eliminating the AA segments rule.
If the minimum segments rule had not been there, it would be hard to pass of eqd's as anything other than devaluation of the program. However, by "exchanging" rules, they can at least maintain the appearance of a reconfiguration and not flat-out devaluation in a PR sense.
May 14, 2017, 4:21 pm
#9
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: NYC,MIA,XFL
Programs: AA EXP, B6 Mosaic, DL PM
Posts: 863
My theory is that they put in the 4 segments rule just as a bargaining chip and never expected that it would actually serve as any gatekeeper to elite membership.
By bargaining chip, I mean that it was a rule they could swap out at any moment in exchange for a more restrictive/heavier rule: which is exactly what they did this year by introducing EQDs but eliminating the AA segments rule.
If the minimum segments rule had not been there, it would be hard to pass of eqd's as anything other than devaluation of the program. However, by "exchanging" rules, they can at least maintain the appearance of a reconfiguration and not flat-out devaluation in a PR sense.
By bargaining chip, I mean that it was a rule they could swap out at any moment in exchange for a more restrictive/heavier rule: which is exactly what they did this year by introducing EQDs but eliminating the AA segments rule.
If the minimum segments rule had not been there, it would be hard to pass of eqd's as anything other than devaluation of the program. However, by "exchanging" rules, they can at least maintain the appearance of a reconfiguration and not flat-out devaluation in a PR sense.
May 14, 2017, 6:47 pm
#11
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
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Posts: 27,730
The 4-AA segment rule was rescinded as described and it most certainly -was- enforced when it was around.
Now it's gone.
End of story.