If that comment was directed at me (as it seems from being quoted) as opposed to generic, I don't know where you got the idea that I'm "never making EXP the normal way." I made EXP the hard way, on miles at the cheapest fares I could find (often upgraded with various VIP certificates/credits) for five years. While I've moved from consulting to academia I still fly enough, overall, to come within mileage-run distance if I put all my flights on AA/OW even when those are more expensive or less convenient (within reason). I also don't spend enough on credit cards (on a public university faculty salary, I can't) to ever reach 4MM lifetime that way. If I had a shot at lifetime EXP I'd earn it, thank you.

So, again if this was at me, please take the rant elsewhere.

If it wasn't, I still don't think it applies to many people. And if someone who doesn't fly becomes lifetime EXP by putting the company supplies on his/her credit card, so what? They get a luggage tag and maybe bragging rights in the executive lunchroom. If they're not flying, they're not in front of me for the EXP desk, the check-in counter or an upgrade.

I'm sorry, I misread your message about flying enough but simply choosing not to credit to AA and for that reason only staying at lifetime PLAT.

Nevertheless, the math still seems daunting: Let's say AA said you have to get at least 2MM of the 4MM (or more) from BIS flying since we changed the rules (since we can't tell how many BIS miles you had before that because our legacy computers were too stupid). Even at "minimum EXP" flying (100K miles a year), 2MM from BIS would still seem to take 2 decades. Even at "EXP and a half" flying (150K miles a year), 2mm from BIS would still seem to take over 13 years. And in case you think 13 years isn't a long time to fly, there's another point: In today's world, isn't it a long time to expect the airline to continue to exist as it is (standalone) and a long time to expect the FF program to continue to exist as it is?

There's a big difference though, between BIS (essentially qualifying) miles only and credit card spend miles only. For one thing, someone who's PLAT earns a 100K bonus on most of their flying (some nasty OW partners excepted :td:), so just from that they cut the time needed in half! Abd someone who's EXP earns even a bit more such bonus.

The point is that AA is not likely to make the same changes as other airlines in the lifetime department because it isn't starting at the same place: All those other airlines first changed lifetime qualification to BIS only, then started making whatever recent changes they did. AA may be a long time away from being able to (if it wants to) change lifetime qualificaiton to BIS only, and thus I wouldn't expect them to mirror other airline's lifetime qualification changes going forward. Even if they do make some such changes, I would think they're likely to be on completely different terms.

Right now EXPs who buy last-minute tickets are up in arms about a completely different policy change (having bought your ticket early giving you apparently greater weight in upgrade priority than your status or the price you paid), and even if you aren't concerned about the wave of new EXPs who'd get there solely on credit card churning (forget about credit card spend, as long as Citi gives away 25k a month -- or even more often -- to anyone who can spend $750 in a month or less, the earnings from actual credit card spend are fairly irreleavnt, no?), there are plenty of EXPs who'd be crying foul if AA made it "too easy" to get lifetime EXP. Maybe it's all just because of the distortion of seeing the world through FT eyes, but there are so many people here bragging about how many MM they keep earning at rates unheard of at airlines where MM is BIS-only that I think a lot EXPs fear 4 MM = Lifetime EXP would just open a floodgate.

Of course there are some like that. But there are plenty of others who are earning miles from multiple sources way faster than BIS miles, and yet flying a lot of flights, but just not flying a lot of miles, because they fly midcons or shorter most of the time. They don't do enough of those to get to EXP ever, but they miss out on a lot of upgrades because of the lower status they have. If they earn lifetime EXP "too easy", they'l suddenly be competing with all the "real EXPs" for those upgrades (that on some flights never handed out beyond EXP, and thus maybe not even every EXP gets upgraded as it is). That's the concern EXPs have about getting EXP "too easy", whether it's from an all-sources 4MM, or from status matches to EXP handed out left and right (another thing that hasn't happened but is worried about).

USAirways
 

With USAir, after you do a million miles, you get a nice certificate suitable for framing. You can keep the certificate for life!! :)

Ouch!!!@

Infinite Elite
 

Continental had a program in the late 80s and early 90s where you could earn lifetime benefits by making Gold status for five consecutive years. I accomplished the goal and have enjoyed Infinite Platinum Elite ever since. :)

I believe I heard that an airline gives the equivalent of Lifetime Platinum status on AA for 1 MM flown (I don't recall if it's BIS or EQM or EQP equiv.).

I have 2.1 MM program miles with AA, but only 396k as calc by FlightMemory.com (in which I plotted all actual flights flown on all airlines, which is different from paid flights that contribute towards earning in one FF program, which is different from flights I got credit for--think Original Routing Credit).

Speaking as a current EXP who will lose that exalted status next year (sliding down to my lifetime Platinum status), AA should NOT consider Lifetime Executive Platinum.

The extra bennies of EXP are specifically geared towards very active users of their airline, and lifetime holders would screw up their logistics for proper staffing increasing the overhead and thus forcing a trimming of the benefits for all EXP to compensate.

You can earn Lifetime "Somewhat Special" and Lifetime "Special", but to be "Extra Special" you should have to prove that you are in currently "extra special" and not just coasting on your "specialness".

I deserve being special for life now, and I put in the extra effort for two years to be extra special to see how it is (pretty nice if you are flying that much). It's fair that I will slide back down to just being special again.

Steve32

I tend to agree with much of this, but there's another aspect.

I'm in much the same situation as Steve, but a few years later: lifetime Plat for 3-4 years after several years of EXP. I now fly about 40-50,000 miles/year, most of it on my own dime. Since this won't get EXP, I focus on *A and have top status there well as Sapphire in oneWorld. I seldom fly AA on paid tickets, since I need to put nearly all my flying on *A to keep their Gold level.

If I had lifetime EXP with AA, or saw a reasonable shot at getting it, things would be different. The advantages of EXP are enough to bring me back in the fold, even if it meant no *A status at all. Would that be hugely significant to them? Perhaps not. Would it help them a bit? Definitely yes. Would the net impact of everyone in my situation be positive, after all costs? I think so.

I can see, perhaps, a sort of "EXP lite:" all the benefits except eVIPs (SWUs to non-AA types). Those could be earned on a pro-rata basis: Fly the full 100K miles, get them all; fly less, get one per 25K. (Use the highest fraction of miles, points or segments.) You'd still get to call the EXP desk, have some fees waived, get free segment upgrades (maybe after "real" EXPs, but ahead of Platinum) and have F lounge access. The card would look like any other EXP card, since all the differences would be in AA's internal bookkeeping. The programming to do this shouldn't be too difficult.

I don't think lifetime EXPs who don't fly (much) would mess things up, since they wouldn't use any of these things (much). I'm pretty sure AA has, or would quickly get, excellent statistics on this aspect.

I wouldn't expect this for 3MM, which I could reach fairly soon, but 4MM? 5?

UA gives lifetime Premier Exec status (= AA Platinum) for 1MM BIS. I should get it this year (currently 0.95 MM).

nice info ^

So if my account page on aa.com says I have X "Program to Date Miles" (with X as a ridiculously low number, since I credit all my OW flying to BA Executive Club), that's the balance I'm working with to achieve 1mm status?

Exactly. Just remember, that all miles count, even bonuses.

Yeah, with this BOS/ORD-LGA triple miles promotion, I'm digging getting 9864 miles (with the EXP bonus) for each trip from Chicago to Boston! ^

and even miles from the credit cards, or dining, or even refinancing (got 75K that way, myself).

and miles transferred from SPG or other affinity programs count as well.

thus the quote "all miles count". lol