Do Any Programs Still Have a "Soft Landing"
 

About 10 years ago when I stopped traveling for work, I was EP on AA. They had a "soft landing" where you would only drop one level each year if you didn't re-qualify for the same status instead of dropping you all of the way back down to just a member the next year. I believe the hotel programs did this also.

Does anyone know if this is still the case or if you drop straight back down to the bottom tier if you don't re-qualify for any status?

At least before the pandemic for those with earned status, A3, AF/KL, AY, BA, EK, EY, LH, QF, SK, TK and VS come to mind as having had soft-landings before. US airlines have increasingly gotten out of the soft-landing business IAINM.

I'm not aware of any hotel programs that still have soft landings.

Many international airline programs still have them.

Best Western Rewards sort of does (once you earn or get matched to a high status level, it tends to stick or just slightly fall for the next few years), but then Best Western status doesn't mean that much beyond extra points.

But what more hotels may have now (compared to when they may have had soft landings) is ways to get meaningful status through a credit card. For example, Hilton now gives top status to those with an Amex Hilton Aspire card, which only came into existence a few years ago.

So the ways of getting "easier" status keep changing periodically, and you can't necessarily rely on the same method (such as soft landings) forever.