All things considered I’ve been really impressed by the way American and US Airways have been handling their integration. Merging two airlines on completely different reservations systems is no easy task, and I think they’ve done a fairly good job managing expectations.
In particular, they’ve worked hard to “integrate rather than innovate,” which I think makes a lot of sense given the scope of what they’re doing. There’s no area where this has been more evident than with their frequent flyer program. We finally know what the integration of the AAdvantage and Dividend Miles loyalty programs will look like, when the programs merge in the second quarter of 2015.
Overall the changes are quite positive, especially in relation to what we’re seeing at Delta and United.
One thing that frustrates some is that in 2015 American AAdvantage will be raising the segment qualification criteria for Executive Platinum status from 100 segments to 120 segments.
This matches US Airways’ policy, as they require 120 segments to qualify for their top tier Chairman’s Preferred status.
However, it looks like for 2014, US Airways will actually be lowering their qualification requirements for Chairman’s Preferred status to 100 segments. This is in order to align the policies of the AAdvantage and Dividend Miles programs for 2014.
Per usairways.com:
**Chairman’s Preferred status normally requires 100,000 miles or 120 segments. However, in anticipation of combining Dividend Miles with the AAdvantage program in the second quarter of 2015, we are lowering the segment requirement for 2014 to 100 segments to align with the 2014 AAdvantage Executive Platinum threshold. In 2015, 120 segments will be required for both Chairman’s Preferred and AAdvantage Executive Platinum status.
It seems they’ve already updated accounts that have earned 100 segments. So while this only applies this year, it’s a smart move. Otherwise this would have created a sticky situation next year when they combined mileage totals to determine 2015 status.
Are any US Airways flyers earning Chairman’s Preferred status as a result of this?
(Tip of the hat to Senyah)
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