Full downgrade from EXP to general AA?

Old May 4, 2022, 12:48 pm
  #1  
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Angry Full downgrade from EXP to general AA?

I just noticed that AA has downgraded me from EXP to general member. I called to ask if this was an error and they confirmed that AA policy is to downgrade members IN FULL. Amazing. During a pandemic!

I realize I'm not the only person in this situation and likely you've all heard this a bunch, but it's still quite frustrating.

This downgrade, combined with the horror show that is the B6-AA Northeast partnership (no upgrades, no lounge, no changes, no nothing), is causing me to look at going back to Delta. I've already cancelled my Citi Executive AA Credit Card and moved my flight for Friday. My weekly flights are back and they will now go to a carrier other than American.

You were good to me, American. But you've made a series of choices that seem short sighted. Good luck to you!
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Old May 4, 2022, 12:53 pm
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I presume you never received any of the myriad of offers/ promotions to retain status, correct? Like spend X amount on your Citi AA credit card and retain status or a buy offer of $xxxx to retain EXP perhaps?
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Old May 4, 2022, 12:54 pm
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There have been many threads on this topic, in some form or another. AA made it extremely easy to keep one's status. I barely flew last year but am still EP for another year. AA went out of its way (in my opinion) to allow people to show even a little loyalty during the pandemic in order to keep their pre-pandemic status. (Full disclosure, the most I'll ever drop to is Gold since I'm a MM, but I still wouldn't expect anything more if I hadn't taken AA up on its numerous offers last year.)
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Old May 4, 2022, 12:55 pm
  #4  
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AA extended 2019 status to 2020 and then offered a drastically reduced qualification in 2021 for 2022. All communicated with tons of time to spare.

AA does a lot of things shoddily, but this wasn't one of them
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Old May 4, 2022, 12:59 pm
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Originally Posted by DigAdGuy
I just noticed that AA has downgraded me from EXP to general member. I called to ask if this was an error and they confirmed that AA policy is to downgrade members IN FULL. Amazing. During a pandemic!

I realize I'm not the only person in this situation and likely you've all heard this a bunch, but it's still quite frustrating.

This downgrade, combined with the horror show that is the B6-AA Northeast partnership (no upgrades, no lounge, no changes, no nothing), is causing me to look at going back to Delta. I've already cancelled my Citi Executive AA Credit Card and moved my flight for Friday. My weekly flights are back and they will now go to a carrier other than American.

You were good to me, American. But you've made a series of choices that seem short sighted. Good luck to you!
Does Delta let you keep Diamond medallion indefinitely? What makes Delta a superior choice?
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Old May 4, 2022, 1:10 pm
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You clearly want something for nothing. Your spend/loyalty in 2019 is old news. I paid to keep my EXP status this year as I fell a bit short of the qualification requirements with reduced international travel.. Sorry that you didn't.
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Old May 4, 2022, 1:14 pm
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You were offered several chances to maintain status, one of several ways. You declined. So you lost your status.

I'm not sure why you are surprised. Did you think that those promos were just what everyone else needed to do to maintain status, and that some special unpublished rules applied to you?

Personally I just put $15k spend on an AA branded CC to maintain EXP. That was a ridiculously generous offer.
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Old May 4, 2022, 1:18 pm
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So happy to say I earned my EXP renewal for this year, even though it took me til late January to finish! But yes, offers and communication were plenty.
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Old May 4, 2022, 1:30 pm
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Originally Posted by DigAdGuy
This downgrade, combined with the horror show that is the B6-AA Northeast partnership (no upgrades, no lounge, no changes, no nothing), is causing me to look at going back to Delta.
That reads like a "horrible food AND such small portions too" complaint.

If AA sucks so much (spoiler alert: they do), why do you care if you have status on them? Especially when it seems DL is a good alternative for your specific travel pattern.

Pre-LP, I never understood why people would subject themselves to AA mileage runs. Let me get this straight, in order to maintain status on an airline that is miserable to fly, I'm going to voluntarily fly that airline more than I absolutely have to???
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Old May 4, 2022, 1:33 pm
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AA used to offer a soft landing where you would only drop one level of status if you failed to requalify. This was discontinued many years ago. A few hotel chains may still offer this (Scandic, Radisson, and Accor I think) but none of the major US airlines do.
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Old May 4, 2022, 1:40 pm
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Originally Posted by Herb687
Pre-LP, I never understood why people would subject themselves to AA mileage runs. Let me get this straight, in order to maintain status on an airline that is miserable to fly, I'm going to voluntarily fly that airline more than I absolutely have to???
We've discussed this before, but there are plenty of valid reasons. In the pre-LP system, if you were in the 90k EQM range due to work flying, it absolutely makes sense to push the extra bit to get EXP; that makes the next year far better.

Everyone doesn't have the means, corporate policies or value system to just buy F. Status makes a big, big difference.
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Old May 4, 2022, 1:42 pm
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Originally Posted by Antarius
Status makes a big, big difference.
17th on the upgrade list versus 39th!
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Old May 4, 2022, 1:46 pm
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Originally Posted by Herb687
17th on the upgrade list versus 39th!
Nothing quite like having data free opinions. I bat 90+% (most years 95+%) on upgrades as an EXP. There is no one size fits all solution for everyone.

Regardless, why else would people chase status? It's not like having a fancy car that you can show off - people just look at you weird if you try flexing status.
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Old May 4, 2022, 2:02 pm
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Originally Posted by Antarius
AA extended 2019 status to 2020 and then offered a drastically reduced qualification in 2021 for 2022. All communicated with tons of time to spare.

AA does a lot of things shoddily, but this wasn't one of them
AA was the only major U.S. carrier not to extend status, wasn't it?

Regardless, while the OP doesn't seem to be one of them, AA's promos were little help for foreign-based elites who couldn't fly and can't get an AA CC. AA apparently just waved goodbye to all of them.
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Old May 4, 2022, 2:08 pm
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Originally Posted by js1993
AA was the only major U.S. carrier not to extend status, wasn't it?
It depends on your definition of "major". I just (as of May 1) lost my AS status after I ignored their promo to maintain it. And I'm ok with that (if I wasn't I wouldn't have ignored the promo)
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