When American Surprises a British Airways Elite With Concierge Key Treatment
There are some perks that are reserved exclusively for an airline's own top flyers, even though partners and alliance members do acknowledge and take care of their peer airlines.
American Airlines' Concierge Key (CK) is one such "tier above a tier" — it sits above the top Oneworld tier of Emerald, which is how American's Executive Platinums are recognized across the alliance. And American looks after its CK members pretty well — ground transfers to their aircraft, pre-boarding before anyone else, a meet-and-greet service, the list goes on.
British Airways' Executive Club has two similar "tiers" above its normal, leveled tiers: Gold Guest List (GGL), as well as an even more-exclusive Concorde Room Card. Through historic personal flying and a strong passion for miles and points, I have GGL status and hold a Concorde Room Card with BA.
Generally speaking, those invite-only tiers above the general alliance and attainable tiers account for very little with partner airlines. Sometimes, though — and I don't think anyone has quite been able to work out any logic behind it — there are pleasant surprises.
Last month, I was at Charlotte International Airport (CLT) waiting to board an oversold flight to Miami (MIA). The boarding area was a bit chaotic with no obvious group lines, a number of passengers were still without seat assignments (standby and confirmed), crew were waiting to dead-head home and passengers were being offered $390 to voluntarily travel on a later flight. I had a seat in row 1 and had two bags, so was keen to board relatively early to have space in the overhead bin. It was one of those "let's get this trip over and done with" gate experiences.
Among the calls for volunteers to fly later in the day, my name was called. As I approached the gate agent, I began to fear that I might be getting offloaded, as I was booked on an Avios redemption ticket.
The opposite happened, though. A friendly CK agent greeted me, boarded me and walked me down pretty much to my seat and even helped with taking a very AvGeek picture of me on the empty plane.
I've had similar CK treatment before, too. Sometimes less impactful like a greeting in the Los Angeles (LAX) Flagship Lounge or being escorted at Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) from my plane to the Admirals Club during a connection, or even being invited to pre-board. And then there have been the much more fun experiences, such as being driven in a Cadillac from the lounge at JFK to the plane, and even once at LHR, being driven in a van from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5 to connect from an American Airlines flight to a British Airways flight.
As said, it isn't clear when American will treat BA's GGLs (or possibly even Golds) as CKs — I've asked the question and the agent usually just replies that my name appeared on a list of theirs. And I have had it happen at various AA hubs, though it's relatively rare, which makes for a nice surprise when it does happen.
TPG reached out to American Airlines and received the following statement: "With our joint business partners, if we have an opportunity to recognize their top tier elite customers, we will. Our top priority is of course our AAdvantage elite customers."
Of course, there's something ironic about American looking after BA status passengers better than BA ever does (who have only just introduced a very minimal on-the-ground service for premium or high-status passengers) — but that's a topic for another day.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees