Airlines

American Airlines Announces Big Changes for AAdvantage Program

AAdvantage® membership is the only way to experience some of the best that American Airlines offers, and unlocks access to some of the airline’s best partner experiences.
AAdvantage members continue to earn miles and Loyalty Points for everyday activities, making it easy to earn flights, customize their travel and achieve status.
American introduces Loyalty Point Rewards, which members earn to unlock further benefits and choose rewards to customize their travel experience.
AAdvantage members can earn new benefits and rewards before reaching status and between and beyond status levels.

American Airlines keeps improving the AAdvantage® programme to give all members greater benefits throughout their journey. Before, between, and beyond status levels, members will take advantage of additional privileges and earn awards.

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Introducing more AAdvantage benefits and Loyalty Point Rewards

In March 2023, American will introduce opportunities to receive benefits and earn rewards more often and give members more options to customize their travel experiences.

For example, members will unlock their first Loyalty Point Reward — formerly known as Loyalty Choice Rewards — after earning only 15,000 Loyalty Points and before reaching AAdvantage Gold® status. These members will receive the benefit of Group 5 boarding for the membership year and the choice between two Loyalty Point Rewards:

Priority check-in, security and Group 4 boarding for one trip.
Five preferred seat coupons.

As a reminder, Loyalty Points are all that members need to achieve status and reset each program year. AAdvantage members earn miles and Loyalty Points when they fly, use an AAdvantage credit card for purchases or engage with more than 1,000 AAdvantage partners.

Members then redeem those miles to elevate their travels and reach status and rewards through Loyalty Points.

AAdvantage Status	Loyalty Points
Gold	40,000
Platinum	75,000
Platinum Pro	125,000
Executive Platinum	200,000

Even beyond the highest levels of status, members have the opportunity to earn even more Loyalty Point Rewards to unlock benefits and choose rewards to customize their travel experience such as systemwide upgrades, Admirals Club® One Day Passes, trip credits, award rebates for flights purchased with miles and more.

American is removing the previous 75,000 limit on miles that a member could earn on a single ticket, making flying with American even more rewarding. Members earn miles for flights based on the ticket price and AAdvantage status. Also, on American and eligible partner flights, AAdvantage members will earn two miles per dollar spent on Basic Economy fares for all tickets issued on or after Jan. 1, 2023, for travel starting March 1, 2023.

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AAdvantage® membership is the only way to experience some of the best that American Airlines offers and unlocks access to some of the airline’s best partner experiences. Starting in March 2023, only AAdvantage members will be able to book and redeem miles for American Airlines Vacations™ packages, which brings customers deals on flights, hotels and car rentals. Also starting March 2023, U.S. American Airlines AAdvantage® Mastercard® credit card holders can redeem miles toward Mastercard® Priceless® Experiences* such as private dinners, sporting events, food festivals, theatrical performances and so much more.

All members will continue to enjoy everyday mileage redemption opportunities. In addition to redeeming miles for flights, members can redeem miles to personalize their travel through experiences like Main Cabin Extra Seats, Five Star Service™ experience and more.

Airlines

DOT Proposes New Passenger Compensation Rules for Flight Disruptions

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has unveiled a major initiative to enhance protections for air travelers affected by flight cancellations or significant delays caused by airlines.

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This Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeks public feedback on new measures that could require airlines to compensate passengers and provide necessary services automatically.

Key Proposals by the DOT:

Cash Compensation for Airline-Caused Disruptions
- Airlines may be required to pay passengers at least $200 in cash for flight disruptions caused by circumstances under their control, such as mechanical issues or IT failures.
- A tiered compensation system is being considered:
  - $200–$300 for domestic delays of 3–6 hours.
  - $375–$525 for delays lasting 6–9 hours.
  - $750–$775 for delays exceeding 9 hours.
- The DOT is exploring whether smaller airlines should have different compensation thresholds and whether compensation is needed if passengers are notified weeks in advance of a disruption.
Free Rebooking on the Next Available Flight
- Airlines may be obligated to rebook passengers at no extra cost if a flight is canceled or delayed by at least 3 hours domestically or 6 hours internationally.
- Rebooking options may include:
  - Flights operated by the airline or its codeshare partners.
  - Flights on other carriers with which the airline has a commercial agreement if no suitable options are available within 24 hours.
Provision of Meals, Lodging, and Transportation
- Airlines may need to cover meals, overnight accommodations, and transportation for stranded passengers.
- Minimum reimbursements could be established when services aren’t provided upfront, ensuring passengers can recoup costs even without submitting receipts, up to a defined limit.

The DOT’s proposals draw inspiration from consumer protection frameworks in countries like Canada, Brazil, the UK, and the European Union. Research suggests that EU compensation requirements have successfully reduced the frequency and length of delays, demonstrating the effectiveness of such measures.

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Passengers currently face numerous hurdles when seeking compensation or services, including vague policies, lack of upfront communication, and reliance on in-person requests at airports. The new rulemaking aims to close these gaps by establishing clear, enforceable standards for airlines.

Public input on the proposed measures will shape the final rules. The DOT hopes these changes will create a more accountable and passenger-friendly system, ensuring travelers are better supported during disruptions.

With these proposed rules, the DOT seeks to make airline travel more reliable and fair, setting a new standard for passenger rights in the United States.