AA100k

I’ve been a road warrior since the ‘80’s and been through several airline mergers and bankruptcies and have never lost a single mile.

smilee

Yes, but less then a decade ago for example, you could easily find AA business class awards to Europe for 100K return. 10 years later I celebrate when I see an AA award for 200K return.

I am more worried about devaluation and cost cutting that the future will hold.

ashill

I wasn't, but a number of old-timers here (possibly including @JDiver?) were. Miles and status were both absorbed into AAdvantage. Lifetime TWA Ambassador's Club members were only given ten years of complimentary Admirals Club membership, IIRC, which obviously did not make some people happy.

ashill

Not to mention Aeroplan, in which a fully functioning airline (Air Canada) separated its frequent flyer program first into a wholly owned subsidiary which was later sold off. More than a decade later, they clearly regretted that choice as they first announced a plan to disassociate with Aeroplan and form their own new program and then bought Aeroplan, but it shows that it can happen; it seems nearly impossible that no investor would see value in AAdvantage even in bankruptcy, and that value would go caput awfully quickly if AAdvantage miles lost all their value.

Now devaluations are another thing, of course; they are expected at all times, regardless of bankruptcy. If anything, bankruptcy reduces the probability of devaluations as frequent flyer program owners look for any incentive to get people to buy miles.

AA100k

I have web special award booked in Nov 2020 in J to FCO and back for 110k miles on AA metal. There are still bargains if you have flexibility.

QueenOfCoach

I would totally give up my miles balance to save one person's life.

A318neo

TWA miles were converted to American Airlines AAdvantage miles. I don't know about status.
Pan Am miles were converted to Delta miles.
Ansett (of Australia) points were lost forever.

Herb687

Given that even in pre-COVID times my AA point balance was devaluing daily, no, I'm not too worried.

One should always seek to avoid large point balances (hard to do, I admit). In good times or bad, down is the only direction of their value.

The chance of an AA liquidation and/or termination of AAdvantage is such a remote possibility that it's not worth a minute of worry. And if it happens, chances are by then you have MUCH bigger issues about which to worry.

Loyalty program miles/points are universally stupid "currencies" to hold. Spend 'em as fast as you can.


This. Worry about that which is likely to happen.

FAA1996

Well said.

AANYC1981

Couldn’t care less....many more things to worry about.

carlosdca

Not concerned at all.

I used them all up already so very few left in my account.

I don't think the miles will disappear even in the worst case scenario. Someone will take over (another airline) as it has happened in the past when an airline has gone bankrupt

CMK10

I'm sitting on about 385,000 miles. No point in worrying though, it's not like I can use them to go anywhere right now.

txpenny

Really?

Antarius

Things certainly can change, but they've changed when times were good too.

As for the business class awards, sure they were 100k but you had 7 across NGBC seats and Admirals Clubs for lounges. So yes, points went up, but so the the quality of what we got in return.

JDiver

That’s pretty accurate. My TWA Aviators miles were subsumed seamlessly into AAdvantage, fortunately, as I’d have lost over 500,000 miles. That’s when I found out about AAdvantage lifetime miles, iirc, because that put me over 1 million and LT Gold.