Aug 31, 2020, 3:00 pm
Last edit by: chrisny2
Effective immediately, AA has implemented a number of changes mostly beneficial to flyers. — link
* No more change fees. Change fees for all domestic and short-haul international flying on Premium Cabin fares and most Main Cabin fares will be eliminated.
* Fly standby for free. All customers will have the ability to fly standby on earlier flights for the same destination on the same day at no charge starting Oct. 1, 2020.
* More to Basic Economy. Basic Economy fares now come with the ability to tailor your travel experience including upgrades, Preferred and Main Cabin Extra seats, priority boarding and same-day flight changes.
* Same AAdvantage® benefits during your journey, no matter the fare. AAdvantage® elite members will be able to apply their current travel benefits on all tickets, including when purchasing a Basic Economy fare.
NB: Basic economy fares will no longer earn elite qualifying miles, dollars, or segments effective Jan 1, 2021. This is no longer applicable with the introduction of Loyalty Points.
See post # 1 for screen shots of the AA release and features.
See post # 99 for change fee waiver for ALL flights purchased by 31 Dec 2020
* No more change fees. Change fees for all domestic and short-haul international flying on Premium Cabin fares and most Main Cabin fares will be eliminated.
* Fly standby for free. All customers will have the ability to fly standby on earlier flights for the same destination on the same day at no charge starting Oct. 1, 2020.
* More to Basic Economy. Basic Economy fares now come with the ability to tailor your travel experience including upgrades, Preferred and Main Cabin Extra seats, priority boarding and same-day flight changes.
* Same AAdvantage® benefits during your journey, no matter the fare. AAdvantage® elite members will be able to apply their current travel benefits on all tickets, including when purchasing a Basic Economy fare.
See post # 1 for screen shots of the AA release and features.
See post # 99 for change fee waiver for ALL flights purchased by 31 Dec 2020
AA Drops Many Change Fees, Enhances Basic Economy, Other Benefits,
Aug 31, 2020, 4:01 pm
#16
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Hawaii
Programs: AA EXP, HA PL, Hilton 💎, Marriott Ti, Wyndham/Caesars 💎, Hertz PC
Posts: 343
They only counted for half to begin with - I don't think this will hurt too many elites since I doubt most of them are making status on basic economy. It could even be advantageous for people who know they are only going to top out at Platinum/Platinum Pro and won't be able to reach the next tier with regular fares.
Aug 31, 2020, 4:05 pm
#17
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Hawaii
Programs: AA EXP, HA PL, Hilton 💎, Marriott Ti, Wyndham/Caesars 💎, Hertz PC
Posts: 343
I never understood this. The difference in fare in such cases is almost never enough to actually cover another fare, so yeah, you get to keep the customer's money but you are alienating them and giving them no incentive to book future travel with you. Someone with an $80 credit lying around is going to for sure utilize it to book another fare, even if they can fly cheaper with a competitor, and they're going to end up providing more revenue than if AA just pocketed the difference for the original flight.
Aug 31, 2020, 4:10 pm
#18
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: NYC/PHX
Programs: IATA, Sabre, AvgeekAgent
Posts: 1,958
They only counted for half to begin with - I don't think this will hurt too many elites since I doubt most of them are making status on basic economy. It could even be advantageous for people who know they are only going to top out at Platinum/Platinum Pro and won't be able to reach the next tier with regular fares.
Correct.
As for your last point re lifetimers, could you please put that on a stone tablet in front of AA headquarters so management knows they cannot devalue lifetime status?
Last edited by NYC Flyer; Aug 31, 2020 at 4:15 pm Reason: clarification
Aug 31, 2020, 4:24 pm
#19
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, Total Wine & More Reserve
Posts: 4,515
Aug 31, 2020, 4:37 pm
#20
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Hawaii
Programs: AA EXP, HA PL, Hilton 💎, Marriott Ti, Wyndham/Caesars 💎, Hertz PC
Posts: 343
It will hurt elites, because AA will have more pricing power on Main Cabin fares as demand recovers. It should help thin out the ranks and reduce competition for upgrades, though. You will have to spend more on Main Cabin vs BE relative to the current arragement if this works as AA expects.
Aug 31, 2020, 4:53 pm
#22
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: BOS
Programs: AA PP, DL PM
Posts: 2,086
I think it's high time they allow folks to buy seats/priority boarding/SDFC/upgrades on basic economy fares (business-model wise). It always seemed weird to me that if you wanted to give the company more money, they'd tell you "sorry, you didn't pay enough when you bought your ticket for the privilege of paying us more for things you want."
The new economy fare structure rather closely matches what the European airlines have been doing: free seat selection is not included except for elites, but elites get consistent benefits across fares.
The new economy fare structure rather closely matches what the European airlines have been doing: free seat selection is not included except for elites, but elites get consistent benefits across fares.
Aug 31, 2020, 5:01 pm
#23
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: NYC/PHX
Programs: IATA, Sabre, AvgeekAgent
Posts: 1,958
I think they'll compensate by keeping their reduced status requirements in place, or at least not jacking them back up to pre-COVID levels. They'll have to incentivize leisure travelers if they're not going to give status to every road warrior, unless they offer some kind of buy-up or expand EQD/EQM earning opportunities to include in-flight/lounge purchases.
Aug 31, 2020, 5:07 pm
#24
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: ORD, sadly...
Programs: AA Exec Plat
Posts: 599
Lots of levers to pull...could see heavily discounted thresholds, promotions, etc. I also expect that first class monetization will expand, which will offset the advantage of status for many, make perks more accessible for folks willing to spend a bit extra, and raise revenue. They could also "improve" the AAdvantage program by adding instant-upgrade fare booking classes that let you jump the line for less money than publicly available discounted first class. Oy..."My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought..."
Aug 31, 2020, 5:31 pm
#25
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Hawaii
Programs: AA EXP, HA PL, Hilton 💎, Marriott Ti, Wyndham/Caesars 💎, Hertz PC
Posts: 343
Lots of levers to pull...could see heavily discounted thresholds, promotions, etc. I also expect that first class monetization will expand, which will offset the advantage of status for many, make perks more accessible for folks willing to spend a bit extra, and raise revenue. They could also "improve" the AAdvantage program by adding instant-upgrade fare booking classes that let you jump the line for less money than publicly available discounted first class. Oy..."My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought..."
Overall I'm cautiously optimistic about these changes, it really seems like it's one of those rare instances where both passengers and the airline benefits.
Aug 31, 2020, 5:47 pm
#28
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Hawaii
Programs: AA EXP, HA PL, Hilton 💎, Marriott Ti, Wyndham/Caesars 💎, Hertz PC
Posts: 343
They could get creative with promotions for extra EQM/EQD and do targeted offers for elites with BE reservations. Offer to upgrade to regular main cabin or a premium cabin to put the next tier within reach. Potentially allow some kind of rollover (like what Hilton does)? I wouldn't want them to go the Bonvoy route where it really makes no sense to do anything other than exactly 50/75/100 nights.
Aug 31, 2020, 5:50 pm
#29
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: LAX
Programs: AS 100K, DL PL, B6 M3
Posts: 180
Well it will be nice having AA status while it lasts through next year. As a mostly leisure traveler I struggled with the revenue requirement for Gold status as it was despite flying 50-75k miles some years.