Categories: Aviation

Airlines Announce Positive Changes to Loyalty Programs

As travelers prepare for the Thanksgiving and winter holiday travel periods, airlines have started announcing changes to their loyalty programs in response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

American Airlines revealed enhancements for the AAdvantage program for all members in 2021 with the elimination of most fees on award tickets and extending mileage validity.

AAdvantage members will no longer pay a service charge when booking an award ticket through reservations. When travel plans change and members need to cancel an eligible award ticket, they will also no longer pay a reinstatement fee to put their miles back into their account.

American has extended its pause on mileage expiration through June 30, 2021. The AAdvantage program provides members several ways to maintain account activity through flights, hotels, car rentals and everyday activities such as shopping and dining.

“Flexibility in travel has never mattered more to our AAdvantage members,” AAdvantage program President Rick Elieson said. “Our goal is to make it as easy to travel as possible and give them a loyalty program that suits their needs in our ever-changing world.”

United Airlines also announced changes to its MileagePlus Premier program, which makes it easier to earn status in 2021 for 2022 by reducing Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) and Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF) thresholds and introducing first-of-its-kind promotions.

Early next year, the airline will deposit 25 percent of the PQP-only requirements in Premier members’ accounts based on their 2021 Premier status level. The company will also give members bonus PQP for their first three trips flown in 2021 through March 31.

To give Premier members more flexibility to use their upgrades, United is extending all PlusPoints set to expire on or after January 1, 2021, by an additional six months, which includes all PlusPoints earned from 2019 and 2020 activity.

This post was published by our news partner: TravelPulse.com | Article Source
TJS News

TravelPulse.com, part of the travAlliancemedia network of products, is the leading resource for the latest travel news, offers, and videos. Since 2002, TravelPulse.com has been delivering industry news, dynamic video content and important supplier and destination information that have allowed hundreds of thousands of travel agents to succeed. Now, with dedicated consumer content, TravelPulse is once again revolutionizing the way that travel content is consumed.

Recent Posts

American Heart Association CKM syndrome

Millions of Americans live with heart disease, kidney disease, and metabolic conditions like obesity and…

2 days ago

FAA Investigates Close Call Between Delta and American Aircraft at Boston Logan International Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call between American Airlines and Delta Air…

4 days ago

Universal Studios Hollywood Moves Security Up Front: What Changes for CityWalk and Theme Park Guests

Guests are now going through security before they reach CityWalk and the theme park gates.…

5 days ago

Consumer Reports Says Uber and Lyft Fares Can Vary Widely. Here’s What Travelers Should Do Now

The Jet Set is watching a new Consumer Reports investigation that says Uber and Lyft…

5 days ago

Greek Islands: Which One Is Actually Right for You (and How to Get There)

Here's the truth nobody says out loud: the Greek Islands are not one destination. They're…

5 days ago

American Airlines to Deploy Anti-Terror Barricades Beginning June 18

American Airlines will begin using anti-terror barricades on June 18. Although the barriers had already…

6 days ago