It’s with great sadness that we watch the devaluation of American Airlines AAdvantage miles take place tomorrow. On the other hand, it’s with great happiness that the miles still remain one of the most viable passenger friendly miles to collect. At the end of the night tonight, things change, so here’s what you should do today, tomorrow and going forward…
Economy Won’t Really Be Affected
For the most part, economy isn’t taking a ding at all with the new changes in miles needed. You’ll still need virtually the exact same amount of miles for any economy flights you plan to take. This doesn’t affect you much. Double check with the charts, HERE, but worry not.
First and Business Will…
If you have plans to cash in for flights up front on American, Etihad, Cathay, Japan Airlines or others, you’ll see a jump in miles needed unless booked today. To lock in current rates, all you need to do is book today, not fly today. You have roughly 350 calendar days to travel, from end of day today. If you can’t find availability or can’t firm up plans, it’s not the end of the world. Date changes will be permitted, so long as the routing and the cabin remains the same; so if you really wanted to lock something in, you could book some random dates now, hoping that the dates you want open up, which would still be at the old (better) rate. If you’re wondering how your specific flight will be affected, check the new versus old charts HERE.
If You Don’t Have Immediate Use, Keep Earning…
Unlike some airline devaluations, where the amount of miles virtually doubles for every flight you want to take, with very few exceptions, that isn’t the case here. A one way business class ticket to Asia requiring 50,000 miles will now require 60,000 miles tomorrow. Sure, it isn’t the best, but it’s not the end of the world. Especially if you follow these tips to earn miles, without even flying.
Having Status Will Help Going Forward, Get It Easily…
The most common misconception in todays travel world is that a frequent flyer is someone flying every week. Though that’s the most common way to earn great elite flyer benefits, there are easier ways. American Airlines is offering a status challenge, where you can get all the way to Platinum, securing you free bags, free upgrades, lounge access and lots of other perks, just after a couple flights. Here are all the details…
