"soft landing " if you don't hit current status? (Ended 2014)
 

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere but I'm looking for advice. I'm currently ExP - having flown over 100k segments in 2016. In 2017, I was scheduled to do the same but a broken arm injury and a rescheduled international trip at the end of 2017 left me 20k miles short. I currently have an offer from AA to extend my status...but it's very expensive. I do think I will hit my goal this year but probably not until the end of the year. That being said should I...

1. Potentially expect a "soft landing" (I have gotten this from US Airways a few times) to keep me in my current status?
2. Call AAdvantage and plead my situation?
3. Pay the fee to extend? Does anyone know if the offer expires on January 31, 2018? It's hard to discern through the legal language. Seems like it may extend until July 31, 2018 (which makes the potential for a soft landing less likely).

Thanks!

#3 .

20k short would leave you at PPRO. There are no soft landings anymore unfortunately.

#2 - if you have really high EQD.. then it might be worth calling. But I expect the answer will be no.

How did the "soft landing" on US work? As I recall, AA used to drop you one level, but doesn't anymore
I don't think AA generally did soft landing to the same level. They used to keep you at the same level if you were very close (I think within 1K EQM for EXP), but 20K is much too distant
Your statement seems to indicate you have at least 75K needed for Platinum Pro, do you have the required EQD amount for Platinum Pro
I guess the issue is whether paying for EXP is worth the difference you will get between PP and EXP, is you have qualified for PP
That depends on your travel patterns

"soft landing " if you don't hit current status??
 

Back in the good old "salad days" , when you actually got 16 ,evips ( ASA SWU's) for qualifying for EXPLAT, there was an "unpublished policy" that if you were Explat , and did not fly one mile< you would only get dropped to Plstnium and the next year to Gold.

So this had the effect that you were not a lifetime one or two million miler , you got three plus years as an elite
qualifying year- Expat ( for balance of the year)
First Full calendar year Explat
second year Plat
Third year Gold
So I qualified in 2004 for ExPlat and got 16 EVIPS ( 8 & 8 )
and enjoyed three and a fraction years as an elite

Question: EX Plat ., will one drop to actually earned status or only go down one level to platinum Pro ??


I am a lifetime Plat , but would I have two years of Plat ( new policy) and One year of platinum Pro?
Thanks to all for your time.

Your current status is being held over into next year so no need for soft landings. At any rate AA backed away from that unpublished benefit years back.

Yes. The landing is hard as a rock.

To be fair, it's tough to make the case that someone with a given status today ought to receive a soft landing in 2022 if he doesn't qualify in 2021.

While I Completely agree that awarding status (via a soft landing) to someone who didn’t qualify the prior year isn’t something that really makes sense in normal travel times, there is a case to be made that 2021 will still be very challenging for many travelers and so for this particular time period some special consideration might be warranted.

I was the beneficiary of the old policy and was soft landed after not qualifying following a year as EXP. And then the practice was discontinued, which didn’t surprise me at all because it seemed overly generous given my change of travel patterns.

Maybe you missed the news, but AA has already reduced the qualifying requirements in 2021 (for 2022 status) and extended the qualification period -- https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...am-updates.jsp
With the reduced qualification requirements, I doubt they will also bring back the soft landings.

Status challenge is probably more likely than soft landing, although as others have mentioned AA is extending status and have lowered requirements.

Back during the last major recession, AA had a number of double EQM promos too which helped some qualify for status more easily.

Possibly.

But, why would AA announce that now after both extending status for 2021 and then reducing the requirements for 2022. Someone who, today in October 2020, says that he can't meet the reduced requirements next year is not the customer to chase just now.

If you don't qualify for EXP this year you will still be EXP for 2022.
Id you don't qualify for higher status than PLT in 2022, as a LT PLT, you will be a PLT for 2023

I'm only Plat lite or 2 million miler.
and I am not going to spend 30 K on citi card.
I was wondering if it was worth these rock bottom cheap First and Business class tickets on oneworld partners.
I think that only two long haul trips at 2X or more EQM could qualify
What is Explat worth in the current climate?
I know every will say "depends on how much you will fly"
well I dont know. we are dealing with a fluid world health issue.
It seems to me that LGA-MIA
Or PBI that first class revenue fare is reasonable and leisure flyers might book it , just for more space.
I booked some reasonable revenue F domestic tixs.
Now that NYC is no longer a true hub for AA, are Explats stilled almost always cleared for free domestic upgrades?

See https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...confirmed.html.

The “soft landing” ended in 2013; as of 2014, AA offered buy back / buy up options. (Challenges are not offered to retain or renew status.)

Most likely, AA would just offer a specific amount to keep status similarly how they did in previous years