American AAdvantage has four published elite tiers (in addition to Concierge Key status, which is invitation-only). In separate posts, I wrote guides to Executive Platinum status, Platinum status, and Gold status. In this post, I want to take a look at the elite tier between those, which is Platinum Pro.
Continue reading: Guide To American AAdvantage Platinum Pro Status
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
So what are the perks again ? I’m transitioning from American to United/Lufthansa/SWISS this year.
Who wants to repetitively spend more time in an airport than necessary? For a lounge ? Extra legroom in the main cabin ? If I want extra legroom I’ll pay for it. The American business class product is one of the worst in the world. I will never receive a luxury experience with American. Should you want anything outside of meal service you will be a bother to the flight attendants . The new 787 will still feature the same broke Sara Lee Walmart catering. Wow. A sliding door in business class. Wow. Mileage accrual. I’ll take my chances flying LH and LX moving forward. Good riddance.
Your assessment is correct - it is certainly a sweet spot for me. I’ve gotten upgraded a handful of times over the last year but in this ecosystem I pay for the upgrades I want anyway. I value MCE at booking (although can even get that as regular Platinum) and the OWE lounges are nice as well. Not worth pushing to EP non-organically so that I can get a free cheese plate when I don’t get upgraded. You do get a free luggage tag at Platinum Pro so… there’s that!
"...and at 250,000 Loyalty Points you could select two additional systemwide upgrades." - Actually, you have a choice of two rewards including 2 SWUs each = total 4 additional SWUs.
Hi folks - question for you. I am about to get Platinum Pro status through credit card points (lots and lots of corporate expenses that I expensed on my personal credit card and then submitted for reimbursement). If you’re Platinum Pro and you book the cheapest basic economy fare on aa.com, do you still get the perks like boarding group 2, free main cabin extra seats, and all that jazz?
Hey Jonathan! Yes you do. I did the exact same thing - I didn’t use my corporate Amex for business expenses. Instead I used my Citi AA card and submitted expense reports. I booked tickets in the absolutely cheapest fare and still get priority boarding and extra leg room seats. I am sitting in one of those seats right now on an AA flight from LAX to JFK 🙂
One thing to keep in mind though is that buying the the cheapest seat may put you on the bottom of the priority list for upgrades.
Platinum Pro so far is great. It’ll be even better if they don’t keep messing with the cabin configuration. I’ll probably switch credit cards and airlines if they completely restrict main cabin extra like they did on the A321 Transcon.